Americanah

By: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh

Length: 17 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

Shortlisted for the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction 2014.

From the award-winning author of Half of a Yellow Sun, a powerful story of love, race and identity.

As teenagers in Lagos, Ifemelu and Obinze fall in love. Their Nigeria is under military dictatorship, and people are fleeing the country if they can. The self-assured Ifemelu departs for America. There she suffers defeats and triumphs, finds and loses relationships, all the while feeling the weight of something she never thought of back home: race. Obinze had hoped to join her, but post-9/11 America will not let him in, and he plunges into a dangerous, undocumented life in London. Thirteen years later, Obinze is a wealthy man in a newly democratic Nigeria, while Ifemelu has achieved success as a blogger. But after so long apart and so many changes, will they find the courage to meet again, face to face?

Fearless, gripping, spanning three continents and numerous lives, the National Book Critics Circle Award-winning Americanah is a richly told story of love and expectation set in today’s globalised world.

©2013 Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (P)2013 W F Howes Ltd

Critic reviews

“Actress Adjoa Andoh brings to life Adichie’s complex, beautifully wrought novel – which is both a love story and a nuanced analysis of political topics including systemic racism in America; immigration in the UK; and the class system in Nigeria.” (Vogue)

"One of the previous decade’s landmark novels [...] Andoh is a skilled, exciting narrator." (The Times)

"Andoh's rich voice and distinct characters and rhythm keep the listener engrossed.... Andoh has fun adopting a mocking lilt for Ifemelu's snarky blog entries.... [and] a more serious tone brings authenticity to the heartbreak of Obinze's London experience." ( AudioFile)

Best audio book ever. Really.

The story is so rich--a love story with many complications and along the way, the most insightful contemporary reflections on race I have ever read in a novel.

The narration is stellar. The many accents and inflections add so much, making a great story even more memorable. Several people recommended this book to me, but I am grateful a friend specifically recommended the audio version.

Great book!

I recommend this book to anyone that wants a new view on immigration and how different The USA is to Nigeria.

Wow. What a Well Written Ride <br />

The narrative was awesome! Quite intreging for this uninformed white woman. Enjoyed it. Thank you

Amazing novel.

I listened not knowing what to expect but it was marvelous. I very highly recommend.

Excellent story that needed to be told

I loved the writing, the imagery and the story. I connected very well with the author and longed to hear a story like this being told. It is the experience of my family and myself. It felt both familiar and new. I felt as if I knew the characters. I listened at every chance I could. A real "page-turner" and I did not want it to end. Thank you Ms Adicihie for telling and creating this story. The narrator Adjoa was also a perfect match, excellent cadence. Fantastic

Beautiful writing, Amazing Character Development

Enjoyed learning about Nigeria and hearing non-American black perspective on racism in America. Beautiful writing that flowed seamlessly. My only criticism is that it dragged in many places.

awe inspiring

If you can get past the beginning's weaving narrative confusion, this book is an amazing read! Great narration, great characters, and even better insight into race and culture.

Anxiously read at every opportunity

What made the experience of listening to Americanah the most enjoyable?

This book helped me to better understand the thoughts of non-American blacks. It will also help me to explain some things to my classes next year (ie why there is a need for black magazines and black television.)

What other book might you compare Americanah to and why?

This book reminds me of The House on Sugar Beach, only because they are both written by Africans (Nigerian and Liberian) who don't completely understand the Black American experience.

Have you listened to any of Adjoa Andoh’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have never listened to Andoh's performances, but I find her to be very good. I do wish that there was someone else to do the true American parts because her American English was truly lacking, I did appreciate her reading of the African names.

If you could rename Americanah, what would you call it?

African Americanah

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed listening to this book so much, I ordered the book. I willread excerpts of this with my Black American Literature classes.

Incredible narration, incredible story!

Loved this book, and Andjo Andoh is making an absolute incredible performance narrating - her accent skills are insane! I feel sad for the ones reading the book missing out on her narration. <3

Interesting and a bit disturbing

The narrator goes home to Nigeria, and makes herself at home despite the challenges that presumably sent her away in the first place. The parts describing her uneasy years in the US seem spot-on. The parts in Nigeria are also interesting and insightful but I find it hard to believe the happy ending. Her lover comes back to her, but he is married, and has gotten rich through corruption. Is this so great? Maybe there is something I am not getting. I would have expected someone so insightful to grapple with that a bit more.