A Spell of Good Things

De: Ayobami Adebayo

Narrado por: Ore Apampa, Babajide Oyekunle

LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2023

MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2023: the Observer, Guardian, Financial Times, Stylist, the Express and Oprah Daily

Ayòbámi Adébáyò, the Women's Prize-shortlisted author of Stay With Me, unveils a dazzling story of modern Nigeria and two families caught in the riptides of wealth, power, romantic obsession and political corruption.

Eniola is tall for his age, a boy who looks like a man. His father has lost his job, so Eniola spends his days running errands for the local tailor, collecting newspapers and begging, dreaming of a big future.

Wuraola is a golden girl, the perfect child of a wealthy family. Now an exhausted young doctor in her first year of practice, she is beloved by Kunle, the volatile son of family friends.

When a local politician takes an interest in Eniola and sudden violence shatters a family party, Wuraola and Eniola's lives become intertwined. In this breathtaking novel, Ayòbámi Adébáyò shines her light on Nigeria, on the gaping divide between the haves and the have-nots, and the shared humanity that lives in between.

©2023 Ayobami Adebayo (P)2023 Canongate Books

Reseñas de la Crítica

"A moving story, skilfully told, about Eniola, a boy whose future has been snatched away from him, and Wuraola, a talented, overworked junior doctor, whose intertwined narratives combine to produce an insightful portrait of an unequal and deeply divided society moving towards a terrible crisis. A Spell of Good Things is both gripping and memorable." (Pat Barker)

"Adebayo’s mesmerizing prose is suffused with heart and sharp emotions. Every page of this book was a pleasure to read. Even the hard parts. A Spell of Good Things is a triumph of storytelling." (Chika Unigwe)

"All characters matter in Ayobami Adebayo’s intricate, haunting and timely fictional exploration of classism and sexism set in Nigeria’s election season." (Sefi Atta)

Enthralling

Such a gripping story. I couldn’t stop listening. Nothing beats the telling of an African story through African voices. The end made me wish I had a physical copy so I could confirm that it was truly over. All round 10/10 despite the male narrators lacklustre performance.

I feel like I was left hanging...

The book starts off with a slow pacing, rapidly speeds up towards the end, and leaves you hanging.

From chapters 1 to 10, I felt completely lost.
The book jumps between the two families and the present and the past. It felt like a lot.


Once I got the hang of it, I appreciated how much time she took to build each character's backstory and depth.

She's a good writer, for sure. I enjoyed her previous novel, Stay With Me, which is one of my favourites.


She touched on critical topics but in a subtle way. She made you infer what was going on rather than spell it out.

Things like patriarchy, depression, physical abuse, mother-daughter Dynamics & how African families can look enable toxic romantic relationships in the desire to get their daughters married off before 30.

The devastating effects of poverty also stood out to me, and how people can turn to dishonesty and even criminal behaviour just to survive.

It also highlights how some politicians can exploit the poor by providing them with the needs they greatly desire.

I enjoyed Wuraola's side of the storytelling more because it focused on different relationship dynamics—mother-daughter dynamics, friendship dynamics, and romantic relationship dynamics.


Where it fell short is I felt many things were not adequately addressed.

1. Like what happened to Kinsley- It happened so suddenly.
2. Why was Eniola in that cab in the last scene?
3. Does Wuraola tell her family and friends about everything that transpired with Kunle?
4. How do the families react to finding out what happened to Tunde & Busola?



Both narrators did an exceptional job of bringing the story to life, but the female narrator definitely had my heart.

The different voices to narrate different parts of the booK made it come alive it was captivating and entertaining.

I did not dislike anything about this book. Can't wait to read another one by the author.

What a wonderful book

Ore is a fantastic narrator and she made me enjoy the book so much! I loved the way she played different character!