Things Fall Apart

Rating:
Summary: would rather eat maggots
Review: I was forced to read this book for my high school lit. class and I am truly convinced that the teacher did it for cruel and unusual punishment. It is almost impossible to concieve how boring this novel was. The main character was very annoying. He was arrogant and never interesting. you never got to get personal with the character's. It was like reading a quick obituary. The plot never got good and there was no humor. only flat meaningless words.I'm not the only one who felt this way. No one in my class liked the book and we complained everyday. my best friend was incapable finishing the book. if you're a kid in school don't even try it.

Rating:
Summary: Deceptively Simple
Review: Things Fall Apart reads so simply. The sentences are so concise and direct, attacking the reader. This novel doesn't seduce you the reader; instead, it forces you to put aside all of your prejudices inherited from your own culture, and the novel compels you to enter Okonkwo's own violent, beautiful culture. Then, once you are in, Achebe pummels you, making you feel a sense of destruction similar to that of a culture being destroyed by colonialism.

The novel is simple, and at the same time, it's not. Things Fall Apart is much more than just an indictment of Western Culture. It explores complex questions about the clash of cultures. It explores the meaning of truth, and everything relates to Western culture itself as it is sucked into W.B. Yeats's gyre along with the Igbo. Things Fall Apart is one of the powerful stories of the Twentieth Century, and it is a novel which will stand far past the Postmodern era.

Rating:
Summary: provides cultural understanding
Review: This novel tells a story of a burly tribesman in an African locale. The name Okonkwo, has been heard on the tip of many tongues throughout the tribe of Ib. They speak of the main character's reputation as a powerful wrestler, wealthy husband and farmer. Okonkwo's only inspiration is to overshadow his father's mockery and feeble attempts for success. This book contains exceptional insights into the African culture, before and during the slavery undertaking. Author Chinua Achebe, sheds no expense to guide the reader through various African customs, jargon and economy. Although younger readers may find some situations confusing, it is still interesting to follow the characters described in the book as they are entwined to the African way of life. One interesting aspect is when Chinua narrators the role of women in the tribe. To have more than one woman, signifies a man's wealth and power. Also defining his control over his household and property. The wives are expected to fulfill every household chore, along with caring for numerous children. This book is a good read for anyone that expresses an interest in history or culture, although the ending won't surprise you.

Rating:
Summary: So-So
Review: This book really is good to read if you want to know about Nigerian culture in the 1800's. I learned a lot from this book. However, I didn't really enjoy reading though. It was hard to like the book, when I really didn't like the main character, Okonkwo. Okonkwo was really hateful, but I sort of understood where he was coming from. He was really tough on everyone because he didn't want to be seen as weak, like his father, unoka, was. It's an ok book, but not great.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Story by A Great Author!
Review: I'm taking a geography class and we have to write a paper on a writer from a developing country. From the list of books I chose to read this book by Chinua Achebe. I've just finished this book and I loved it. It is a story about one man who starts out with nothing and gains everything but at the end loses it all. Basically like the title, things just fall apart for this one man.

Okonkwo is this man who is known as one of the greatest men who ever lived in the Umuofia clan. As a young man (18 years old) he started his great legacy by becoming the greatest Wrestler of the nine villages of Umuofia. In their culture, those who are strong were the most commended. For a boy who was born into a household, which had no title and no honor, he became a leader. Okonkwo hated his father for being a weak man who only went into debt and died poor. He wanted to set a good example to his sons and become a real man who can support his family and gain respect from others. While he was only becoming more and more powerful suddenly he is put into exile for accidentally killing a clansmen's daughter (a bullet from his gun accidentally goes off). For seven years he lives with his mother's clansmen with his family. During those seven years, the white men come and take over his clansmen of Umuofia. They come and try to break their traditions and convert them to the english ways. They force the people to praise their "god" and queen. When Okonkwo returns with his family, he is shocked at the incredible change Umuofia has undergone. He tries to lead others into fighting the white men and taking back their land and culture. When he sees that his warriors become nothing but weak "women" (he considers any man who is weak as a woman) he tries to go on fighting them on his own. But his broken heart is what kills him at the end. Such a strong willed person with many achievements yet dominated with fear and anger of becoming weak drives him to his death.

I personally love reading african literature (I think they are very interesting than other literature i've read). You learn folklore, cultures, social interactions, and other interesting stuff. This book is one of the most creative literatures i've ever read. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

Rating:
Summary: Masterwork by a Literary Master
Review: Even a casual read through this classic demonstrates what it takes to construct a literary masterpiece: humanity, humor, relevance and universality. The great works are universal because they are so rooted in their time and place and in so being they demonstrate the essential humanity of their characters. Greek tragedies, Shakespeare's plays, the 19th century Russian novelists all appealed to their contemporaries and history as a consequence of such traits. This novel falls into this category and is simply a MUST read for any serious reader. Every couple years when I return to it, I find the depth of wit and wisdom with which Achebe presents the conflict of generations and cultures, an essential sameness those cultures miss in judging by superficial traits, and in that I am assured of the skill that modern literature still demonstrates.

Rating:
Summary: Things did Fall Apart
Review: Chinua Achebe is the author of the novel of Things Fall Apart. This novel is about a great warrior who goes by the name of Okonkwo and lives in the village of Ufuomia. The events, which took place in this novel, gasp the reader's attention throughout the story, which consisted of only two hundred and nine pages. Achebe, without any warning shows the reader how things fall apart in the blink of an eye. The reader must also have prior knowledge about the African cultures to be able to understand the events, which took place throughout the story.
I recommend this book for people who are interested in the history of African. The story took place in the "bush", which is the deepest part of Africa, thousands of miles from the city life.
If you have a good imagination, you should really enjoy the story.

Rating:
Summary: No better the second time...
Review: This is the second time that I have read Things Fall Apart and I didnt like it any better this time. Although the book incorporates two very important concepts, hubris and the unability to grow and change with society, I still found the book boring and difficult to read. I definately wont be reading this one a third time.

Rating:
Summary: Foced out of a cocoon of customs
Review: Achebe's Things Fall Apart is written in simple imagery to describe tribal life in Nigeria. The main character, Okonkwo, is a hard working tribal leader with pride in the customs of his tribe. When he is forced into exile from the village Okonkwo is forced to learn about different people and traditions. This book has a lot of symbolism and many lessons to teach.

Rating:
Summary: The Tragic fate of men
Review: This book was magnificent in that it had a lot to say while actually explaining very litte. I've always admired artists who could accomplish this task. Primitive cultures have always interested me in that modern man seems unhappy with his existence. I think I'm gonna read it over again! If you want real African Literature, pick up this book!