Rating: 
Summary: An interesting look at collonialism...if you have the time
Review: Achebe wrote this book following the release of 'Heart of Darkness', though this meant nothing to me as I had to read this following a piece of due AS level coursework!When I started it, I deplored Achebe's use of language, and the entire 'story-telling' kind of writing he was aiming for. However, when I came to analyse the book in closer detail, I learned how cleverly he actually has used cultural metaphors, an interesting turn of phrase when writing, and a style which sets it apart from many of its contemporaries. When I learnt this, I decided to re-read the book, and found it far more enjoyable, being able to appreciate what made it such a good book without having such a closed mind. This book is good...as I've said, if you have the time. Time to study and time to try and understand what direction and perspective he is writing from. If you do indeed undertake this task, it is a very worthwhile read and well worth your time. If however, you are looking for a book which you need not think too hard about, merely enjoy, I think you would be better looking off elsewhere
Rating: 
Summary: A Masterpiece
Review: A brilliant saga of evolution of a society with the European post renaissance fervour taking the burden of civilising the world forcefully on its shoulders. Each character is a metaphor for a social viewpoint and their evolution relates how nature charts its path in its natural course of evolution. Set in Africa, this book has unique universal appeal, especially to societies which had discontinuous progression due to the European colonisation. A must read for everybody.
Rating:
Summary: A resplendent read!
Review: Okonkwo changes and adapts throughout Things Fall Apart; he becomes a symbol for the entire tribe, as many traits of the Ibo tribe are reflected in the character of Okonkwo. Like Okonkwo, the Ibo tribe is not concerned about prophecies, only actions and strength. Okonkwo many time loses sight of the line drawn by the tribe, and is perpetually breaking its law. Perhaps the greatest difference between Okonkwo and his village is their abilities to forgive. Okonkwo is exigent and allows little flexibilities when it comes to his rules, whereas the Ibo tribe itself has forgiven Okonkwo time and time again.
Rating:
Summary: Underappreciated
Review: While we are bombarded with accounts of African life under colonial rule, we seldom see what African life was like before the colonial period. Achebe provides us with a look at social structure, values, religion and culture as a whole in an Ibo village before the arrival of the British, and the breakdown of tradition after. Clearly written and a quick read, this is a must-read for anyone interested in colonialism or traditional Africa.
Rating:
Summary: Transcending Boundaries
Review: Achebe, in Things Fall Apart, does what few literary or non-academic authors have been able to accomplish: he separates Africa from its people while retaining their inherent Africanism. His characters are not, outside of their African names, chiefly black or white, Nigerian or Somalian, or polytheist or missionary, more than they are human beings. Few would argue that characters in a book surrounding events occurring on African soil should or even could be separated on a very real basis from their roles as Africans themselves. Yet Achebe has managed to make readers view Okonkwo as a human being, faults or not, and Mbaino or Umuofia as locations larger than being simply known as towns or villages in Nigeria. The journey of Okonkwo is a journey that most human beings embark upon in their lifetimes. From childhood confidence to adulthood faltering, strength from birth to weakness at death, Okonkwo is more than just a Nigerian; he could be any of us. What makes him transcend the barriers of culture and geography is that he need not be black to be important; his experiences as a human make him important because they are very real experiences capable of being experienced by any person, Nigerian or Norwegian, black or white. The culture surrounding Okonkwo is not necessarily or exclusively Nigerian. We may find that such experiences transpired in Chinese cultures or in Native American or First Nations cultures as well as hundreds of other ancient and not-so-ancient cultures and locales. This is the beauty of Okonkwo and his tale. Achebe brings enough of Nigeria to us to make us realize that there is also some part of us in Nigeria.
Rating:
Summary: THINGS FALL APART
Review: Achebe has spun a classic tale of redemption and tragedy which takes
place in the Nigerian village of Umuofia. Readers learn of the tribal
rituals and traditions of the Ibo tribe through the eyes of the
tragic hero Okonkwo. Okonkwo is obsessed with rising above the
shameful legacy his father has bestowed upon the family. He becomes
a champion wrestler, prolific farmer and a stern husband of three
wives and many children. In the eyes of the villagers this gives him
respect and importance, redeeming him against the deeds of his
father. Yet, there is a dark side to our hero, as a result of his
pursuit of acceptance. Okonkwo becomes a cruel man to his wife and children, demanding near
perfection from them, so that he is never disgraced. Ironically, it
is through a tragic chain of events that he disgraces himself. After
years of banishment Okonkwo reenters Nigerian society under British
rule. No longer are rituals, traditions and the religion of the forefathers honored. Okonkwo must come to terms with reclaiming
respect and importance in a land that has left the old ways behind
and is slowly spinning into chaos. Achebe gives the reader a rare glimpse into a pre-colonial Nigeria
that is both brutal and beautiful;a Nigeria that had respect for its
people and their way of life. THINGS FALL APART is slowly paced, and
some readers may become frustrated with flipping to the glossary to
find the meaning of some Ibo words. However, the novel is well
written and constructed. Readers who venture into this tale are
given a unique glimpse into a traditional African hero standing tall
against the onset of Western influence. A special treat. Reviewed by Raven James
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers
Rating:
Summary: Colonialism...Good or Bad?
Review: i wouodnt say that i really enjoyed this book a lot but i would say it enlightened me to what colonists did to the African Culuture. they took away what they thought important and implanted their own ideals. all in all i appreciate this book for the truth and partially a realistic vision.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic
Review: Things Fall Apart is Achebe's unsentimental, beautifully-rendered portrait of the Igbo people. In clean, spare prose he tells the story of Okonkwo and his family and at the same time, he shows that pre-colonial Igbo land (and by extension pre-colonial sub-Saharan Africa) was not a place filled with the jabbering savages that Conrad depicts in 'Heart of Darkness' who seem to have nothing better to do than to appear in scary dark groups and scare white men. Every page of this book is alive with authenticity. The plot is elliptical, going round and round, touching different characters, and in this way Achebe pays tribute to the different cultural norms of the Igbo -- including the not-so-pleasant ones -- while at the same time painting a real portrait of a community that eventually falls apart as a result of British colonialism.
Rating: 
Summary: Okonkwo and lots of Mumbo-Jumbo
Review: This is one of those "politically correct" books they force you to read in school, in hope of "broadening our horizons" and "opening our minds." Well, this book perpetuates stereotypes and re- inforces the idea that European colonists were "culture- destroyers"- despite the fact that they brought civilization to primitive people like those in this book that would be in the same condition or not even alive today if it weren't for advances brought by colonists. Furthermore, the whole book is a completely ineffective argument against colonialism. Achebe spends the whole book convincing us with his vivid depictions of life in this villiage that these people are barbaric and simple- minded, and need civilization. Instead of showing us how they respond on an emotional and intellectual level like "civilized" people, and showing that their traditions have meaning, he gives us scene after scene of child abuse, wife abuse, primitive laws and what more. Yet, after all that, he then portrays the missionaries as evil, as well! Pick one side and stick with it, Chinua.
Rating:
Summary: Okonkwo as Everyman?
Review: I did not know about this writer until I heard Toni Morrison in a radio interview recently praising this novel. Since I hold her in high esteem, I would try any writer she recommended. Apparently I'm a little behind the times since according to the information on the front of the book, there are "more than 2 million copies in print." The action of the novel begins in Nigeria a few years before white missionaries brought Christianity and accompanying colonialism to that part of Africa. The central character is the very complex Okonkwo, a tribal leader with many strengths and weaknesses. He is therefore not unlike many of us, at least in part. He is ambitious, sometimes cruel to his wives and children, fearful of failure but also at times a very loving father. For example, he struggles to be better than his own lazy father and worries that his eldest son Nwoye will amount to nothing and turn out to be just like his grandfather. He has no idea, of course, of what Nwoye will eventually become. Okonkwo has great affection for his daughter as well as for Ikemefuna, a young lad who is 16 when he comes to live with Okonkwo's family. One of the central tragedies of the novel has to do with what Okonkwo, according to the Oracle, has to do to Ikemefuna. Mr. Achebe, to his credit, shows Okonkwo with all his warts as well as the good and bad of Nigerian culture before the missionaries came. As one would suspect, the white Christian missionaries don't come off very well.They go about converting the "primitive tribes of the lower Niger" with little or no regard for their customs and traditions. One has to ask if the Nigerians were better off before or after Christianity and accompanying colonialism? One of the rewards of reading this novel is learning so much African folklore and sayings. In a delightful story, we find out why the turtle does not have a smooth shell, for example. Also, "There was a saying in Umuofia that as a man danced so were the drums beaten for him." Finally, "Whenever you see a toad jumping in broad daylight, then know that something is after its life." The title for this novel comes from Yeats' "The Second Coming. Truly "the center cannot hold" for the tragic Okonkwo. You will remember him long after you finish this short novel. I guarantee it.
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