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Indlæser... An Orchestra of Minorities (original 2019; udgave 2019)af Chigozie Obioma (Forfatter)
Work InformationAn Orchestra of Minorities af Chigozie Obioma (2019)
Indlæser...
Bliv medlem af LibraryThing for at finde ud af, om du vil kunne lide denne bog. Der er ingen diskussionstråde på Snak om denne bog. This is the story of Chinonso, an Igbo poultry farmer in Nigeria. One day, returning from the market, Chinonso sees a woman, Ndali, contemplating suicide, and intervenes to stop her. He goes on his way but they meet again, and he falls deeply in love with her, a love that Ndali reciprocates. Unfortunately for Chinonso, Ndali comes from a wealthy family who consider him far beneath her. Most especially, they scorn his lack of an education. Chinonso resolves to win their respect, and her hand, by selling everything he has and going to Cyprus to gain a degree in business. This rash decision leads to dire events that cause his downfall. Chinonso's story is related by his guardian spirit, or chi, as part of an extensive appeal to Chukwu and the other Igbo gods over some grave wrong that Chinonso has committed. This narrative device allows Obiomo to invest a great deal of Igbo culture and history into the story, turning it into something very different. Comparisons have been made to The Odyssey, which Obiomo references in his story, but I think that they are somewhat tenuous, and this book stands by itself as a devastating and tragic tale. Chinonso has grown up poor and finds himself devastated first at the loss of his sister to an older man, then by the death of their father. He finds himself listless and searching for connection, but is looking in all the wrong places. That is until a chance encounter in the night with a woman trying to end her life. Chinonso saves her and ends up falling in love her. For a while he is contented. With Ndali and his poultry farm where he cares for chickens, he wants nothing more than for it to last forever. But when he learns that Ndali comes from a wealthy, educated family that he could never measure up to, Chinonso's desire to prove that he is good enough for Ndali's love will be his undoing. To what depths will the Chinonso fall? Will he ever be able to find his way out? Chigozie Obioma has crafted a novel from a whole new perspective, from the point of view of the main character's chi. Telling a story from the angle of the chi gives reader a new window into a story and a look into Igbo culture. I enjoyed learning about tradition and culture. I liked the comparison to the Odyssey made by Chinonso. Unfortunately, I was not engrossed by this particular story, though I look forward to reading future books by Obioma. ingen anmeldelser | tilføj en anmeldelse
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"A contemporary twist on the Odyssey, An Orchestra of Minorities is narrated by the chi, or spirit of a young poultry farmer named Chinonso. His life is set off course when he sees a woman who is about to jump off a bridge. Horrified by her recklessness, he hurls two of his prized chickens off the bridge. The woman, Ndali, is stopped in her tracks. Chinonso and Ndali fall in love but she is from an educated and wealthy family. When her family objects to the union on the grounds that he is not her social equal, he sells most of his possessions to attend college in Cyprus. But when he arrives in Cyprus, he discovers that he has been utterly duped by the young Nigerian who has made the arrangements for him. Penniless, homeless, we watch as he gets further and further away from his dream and from home."--Publisher's description. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Indlæser... GenrerMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.914Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Modern Period 1901-1999 1945-1999LC-klassificeringVurderingGennemsnit:
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Although it was not an enjoyable read, Obioma's An Orchestra of Minorities is incredibly in-tune with human emotion and suffering, especially for the most vulnerable members of a society - the lonely. Ironically, I was most excited about this book because it was narrated by a chi...and yet, that very character is the book's undoing. ( )