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)

Wonderful

It sat in my library for over a year, because I felt like it was a book I SHOULD read. Finally started it, and found myself looking forward to the times of day when I could get back to it. The characters are beautifully developed and read, the story is compelling, and the social and historical commentary is perfectly woven into a realistically imagined life – shown rather than told. I put off finishing it because I knew I would miss the characters. I'm sad that it's over and I have to find another book that grabs me like that.

Lovely story

Beautifully written story.
I would hope in the future narrators are given the opportunity to learn the proper accents of the culture being narrated. Some of the depth of the book was lost because of the improper tone used for certain phrases. This may not be the fault of the narrator.

Insightful , beautifully written

I loved it. It brings a fresh perspective to race in western culture and provides a first person account of the struggles of immigrants. I identified with a lot, enjoyed the writing and the narration. Highly recommended.

An excellent Immigrants tale

If you could take any character from Americanah out to dinner, who would it be and why?

I would love the take Ifemelu to dinner. She's fascinating.

Any additional comments?

This is a fascinating look at race relations in the us and the immigrant experience here and in Britain. Its also a great glimpse into Nigerian culture. Andoh does a lovely job bringing Ifemelu to life, and I felt totally ensconced in her world when listening to Andoh's narration.

Such Great Narration of a Beautiful Story

Adichie is a phenomenal writer, achingly beautiful prose holding up life's contradictions to consider. I often backed up to hear a line again just to admire.

Empowering

It was a long book but it was insightful. I learned a lot about race issues. I could relate to a lot of the love scenarios. I could relate to the cultural references. The book was authentic in its details, believable and well written. I like how it showed African romance in a positive light. It touched on very relevant issues regarding love and race in today's world.

Delightful. Meandering yet Satisfying Story.

This was a delightful read with characters who entertained, annoyed and amused me. Some of the stories made me wistful for days back in Naija and the blogger was close to the bone. The ending was abrupt but the overall arc of the book kept me coming back. Chimamanda is truly a gifted wordsmith.

Amazing!

I'd read it again and again! Ngozi Adichie is poetic and completely draws you into the story...so many nuances I could relate to.

My new favorite book of all times

What did you love best about Americanah?

The complex, intelligent, interweaving of information regarding Africans in America vs. African Americans living in the US for centuries. And yeah, the love story!

What other book might you compare Americanah to and why?

Nothing I have read before compares to the subject of this book. Another illuminating (and favorite) book about African Americans was the story of The Great Migration "The Warmth of other Suns".

Which character – as performed by Adjoa Andoh – was your favorite?

The main character, it's been a while, I can't remember her name.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed a lot with the pronunciations by the narrator. I loved the sassy "uh uh" by the hair dresser and others.

Any additional comments?

I will recommend this book, especially in audio version. The narration was like sitting through a GREAT play with great actors. Thank you!

American "accent" is too weird

The narrator did an incredible job with the English and Nigerian accents, but they should have sprung for an American voice actor for those parts, because they were laughable. It wasn't just the bad impressions, but the fact that she so obviously didn't understand the innuendo in the words she was reading. The emphasis was often placed on the wrong words, and every American character wound up sounding like an idiot. This was a nice, engrossing story, but this particular piece of the performance was incredibly distracting.