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Half of a Yellow Sun

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Half of a Yellow Sun

By: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Narrated by: Zainab Jah
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About this listen

THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION ‘WINNER OF WINNERS’

One of the BBC's '100 Novels That Shaped Our World'

‘A literary masterpiece’ DAILY MAIL

‘An immense achievement’ OBSERVER

In 1960s Nigeria, three lives intersect. Ugwu works as a houseboy for a university professor. Olanna has abandoned her life of privilege in Lagos to live with her charismatic lover, the lecturer. And Richard, a shy Englishman, is in thrall to Olanna’s enigmatic twin sister. Amongst the horror of Nigeria’s civil war, loyalties are tested as they are pulled apart and thrown together in ways none of them imagined.

Winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s masterpiece is a novel about race, class and the end of colonialism – and the ways in which love can complicate everything.

‘A gorgeous, pitiless account of love, violence and betrayal’ TIME

‘Vividly written, thrumming with life … a remarkable novel’ JOYCE CAROL OATES

‘Adichie entwines love and politics to a degree rarely achieved by novelists’ ELLE

©2016 Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers Limited Classics Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Small Town & Rural War & Military Africa Heartfelt Inspiring Thought-Provoking Tear-jerking War

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All stars
Most relevant  
Transports us to a history we are told and taught so little about. But written with colour and feeling.

desperate and tragic

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I was hooked the entire time!! I'm sad about Kainene though. Now for the movie

Amazing book

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I read Chinua Achebe's A man of the people as a mandatory literature set book in high school 2004-05. Ngozi, picks me up where Achebe left me, from post colonialism, cronyism politics and shameless tribalism. Independence was supposed to liberate Africans, but it only changed the oppresser from the British to local leaders. 'The world was silent when we died' perfectly captures the reality of the civil war. Outside Biafra the world moved on, even in Lagos. African countries failed to recognize Biafra for fear of breeding such rebellions among their own people. I had never fully understood the Biafra war until now. The problems that affected Nigeria in 1960s are same that affected my country Kenya leading to the Wagalla massacre, 2007 post election violence etc. My favourite character in this book is Ogu. His innocence, ambition, hope, hardwork and sheer determination. I loved the way the Author build this character, starting as house boy, to family friend, untrained teacher, fighter for the Biafra cause and so much more. The narration is enjoyable and memorable. Capturing the Igbo accents/mannerisms and mimicking real reactions. What happened in Biafra has happened time and again in many other African countries. People just don't learn.

Fantastic, Riveting, Tragic

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I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about Nigerian history, the characters are complex and the angle is unique. I especially enjoyed that there was no male gaze on the violence of war and no easy generalisations . The narrator did a seriously amazing job with all the different voices and accents. A movie for the ears!

Interesting storytelling and amazing narration

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This novel shows different aspects of life in Nigeria during Biafra war. It is full of feelings.

very emotional book

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Fantastic book. The narrator was terrible with the Igbo words which ruined the narration which made listening to it ruin the Nigerian effect

Great story and book.

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Amazing how the narrator can change voices and accents this quick. The book is also a grate.

enjoyed every second

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Loved the story, the writing and the narration. A slice of African history and a fistful of fascinating characters. It is a long haul, but so worth it.

So Happy I Chose This

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This book is essential reading (listening). A difficult and harrowing, at times, story is beautifully told with compassion and a tender attention to detail.
I feel so much richer for having heard this story.

Beautifully written, well narrated, evocative and informative

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It was an intense account of lives caught up in a civil war, and the turmoil of living with particular cultural values, sexual discrimination, infidelity, social classes and the list goes on…

Revolving around a civil war

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