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"A powerful, emotional debut novel told in the unforgettable voice of a young Nigerian woman who is trapped in a life of servitude but determined to get an education so that she can escape and choose her own future. Adunni is a fourteen-year-old Nigerian girl who knows what she wants: an education. This, her mother has told her, is the only way to get a "louding voice"-the ability to speak for herself and decide her own future. But instead, Adunni's father sells her to be the third wife of a local man who is eager for her to bear him a son and heir. When Adunni runs away to the city, hoping to make a better life, she finds that the only other option before her is servitude to a wealthy family. As a yielding daughter, a subservient wife, and a powerless slave, Adunni is told, by words and deeds, that she is nothing. But while misfortunes might muffle her voice for a time, they cannot mute it. And when she realizes that she must stand up not only for herself, but for other girls, for the ones who came before her and were lost, and for the next girls, who will inevitably follow; she finds the resolve to speak, however she can-in a whisper, in song, in broken English-until she is heard"--… (more)
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This book provides social commentary on women’s issues in Nigeria – child marriage, domestic slavery, and the lack of educational opportunities. The story is told in first person by Adunni, which is extremely effective in drawing an emotional response from the reader. I was aghast at what she had to go through, living in an oppressive environment where women are not valued except for their ability to produce children (and preferably boys).
I liked that it included both the positives and negatives in Adunni’s life. Often times these types of books dwell on the negatives to the exclusion of even small glimmers of hope, but this story is more balanced. I liked the descriptions of Adunni’s friendships, her determination, and memories of her mother’s strength. Adunni speaks in dialect, which was the least appealing aspect for me. I listened to the audio book, narrated by Adjoa Andoh, and she does a nice job in giving Adunni a distinct “voice.”
“My mama say education will give me a voice. I want more than just a voice…. I want a louding voice,” I say. “I want to enter a room and people will hear me even before I open my mouth to be speaking. I want to live in this life and help many people so that when I grow old and die, I will still be living through the people I am helping.”
This novel is set in Nigeria, first in a small village, later in Lagos. The novel is narrated by Adunni and author Abi Daré allows Adunni's voice to be an uncertain English, guessing at the words she doesn't know, and very much that of a naïve teenager. And as Adunni improves her English and learns more about the world, her language changes. Choosing to put the novel entirely into Adunni's voice is a courageous choice for a debut novelist and one that pays off. Adunni comes across as likable and resilient.
In the end, though, I was uncomfortable with this novel. Adunni faces an endless stream of abuse and injustice and all she can do is endure. That the solution lies in the largesse of a wealthy woman raised in Britain, while the abuse all came from Nigerians was unsettling. This is also the second novel in which a western woman's fertility worries are given out-sized space in a novel about greater issues affecting Africans that I have read recently and I'm not a fan. The Girl with the Louding Voice would provide book clubs with plenty to discuss, but I hope that the discussions at least touch on the problematic aspects of this book.
It took me a while to fall into the rhythms of Adunni's patois Nigerian Anglo voice. I wondered about that at first but the reality is that Adunni's voice enabled me to enter into her head space and culture more quickly than I otherwise would have.
A fifteen
When she fearfully flees her husband and circumstances surrounding wife number two, Adunni little knows that she will enter another hellish world. She is essentially trafficked. Once again she is an unpaid servant with no rights who is beaten by her mistress and has to keep dodging the attentions of the master.
But she finds friends in unlikely places who help her to find her "Louding Voice."
I loved that Adunni uses the facts of Nigeria book and Collins English Dictionary to try to improve her language skills.
I was appalled by the conditions of the everyday people and repelled by the custom to help cleanse Adunni's friend Ms. Tia from demons to enable her to conceive. Adunni was of the same mind.
The gap between the rich and powerful and the poor is incredible as are the living conditions.
That Adunni remains a girl with her glass half full is just amazing. She is determined, gutsy and completely believable
A terse and eye opening read. The dedication and prologue becomes so much more meaningful after having read Adunni's journey.
A Penguin / Dutton ARC via NetGalley
I loved Adunni and Ms. Tia, Big Madam's neighbor. Both are doing what they can to help women in Nigeria to better their lives. It is small steps but big dreams that compel them to make their choices. When Ms. Tia has experienced some of the superstitions that many Nigerians allow into their lives, she decides she will help Adunni however she can. Adunni decides to get the education so she can teach other girls what is out in the world away from the village and city superstitions under which they live. I loved that the story ends on a high note with hope of a better future.
This was a painful read for me because of the devaluation and abuse of women and girls. Few people feel that it is wrong. It is just the way it is. All many care about is where is their next meal coming from and will they have a roof over their heads. I liked when Adunni asked why the men did not have to go through the same rituals that women do. She always asked the right questions.
This is worth reading but it is not an easy read. It is one that will stay with me.
Soon her father sells her as the third wife to an older man. The man's first wife is very mean, the second wife is pregnant and befriends Adunni. Soon tragedy strikes when Adunni attempts to help the second wife out of a terrible situation with a man who supposedly loves her and is the father of her child.
She is sold a second time to a wealthy family in Lagos where she is to work as a maid. Big Madam treats her horribly and "The chief" is always hovering as another type of threat. However, during all her trials, Adunni maintains a sort of good humor and continues to want to become a teacher.
Adunni's misspoken English does add humor to the story. It's a good read but the entire time I felt like I was reading a young adult novel. Characters were somewhat flat although the Big Madam does become more of a real person when Adunni understands the type of life she is living in spite of her wealth.
This book was thoughtfully written, and I think that it did a good job of raising and discussing societal questions. The narrative voice of the novel was particularly striking to me: the book is told in a very literal way in Adunni's voice, with her incomplete knowledge of the English she learned in school. Though this came as a bit of a surprise to me, I think it was done very well--it felt thoroughly authentic and not patronizing in any way. Also, one place in which I will take a little bit of an issue with the book-jacket summary is that it describes this book as extremely sad. While, obviously, many of the situations that Adunni finds herself in are certainly very sad, it's not a dark book at all, but rather one that has (in a general context of darkness) its fair measures of friendship, love, and hope.
Aduni is a fourteen year old girl whose mother sent her to the town school and planned for her daughter to get an education. By a " louding voice" , Aduni means that she wants to
An excellent debut and a great look into modern day Nigeria.
Recommended. 4 stars
I loved Adunni, she’s one of my favorite characters I’ve met this year, probably one of my favorite characters I’ve ever met. Adunni is curious, loving, and brave. She takes you on something of an emotional rollercoaster, I would cringe with worry when she’d do or say something that may make her situation worse yet at the same time I’d feel so proud of her, so exhilarated by her for taking the risk, for standing up for herself, for trying to do right by someone she never even met. She’s incredibly endearing and even more inspiring.
There is some extremely tough ground covered here, rape, abuse, slavery, etc., it is bleak, but there’s light, too, there’s light in the friendships and there’s light in Adunni.
I loved Adunni’s journey.
I loved Adunni’s journey.
This was a well written and engaging story. I immediately felt for Adunni and found myself rooting for her. I would love to read a sequel and find out what happens next. Overall, highly recommended.
She started out as a girl but by
I zoomed through this book as I could not stop reading it. In fact, it is my first five star read of 2021! I am really looking forward to reading the next book by this author. The Girl with the Louding Voice is a five star recommended read! It is worth all the praise it is receiving.
I liked this book quite a lot of
This novel was narrated by Adunni in a variation of pidgin English, indicating that this character was less educated. At first, I found
I liked learning about life in Nigeria, albeit this tale was difficult reading due to the incessant verbal and physical abuse received by Adunni. I had not been aware of the prevalence of child marriage and child slavery in Nigeria until I did some reading after finishing this novel. I like that the author uses her novel as a voice for women's rights and education and as backdrop to protest child marriage and child slavery in Nigeria.
There were no surprises in thisbook, though. I felt as if I knew what was going to happen throughout the story which unfortunately made it seem as if I were reading this novel only to confirm the ending. I found the characters rather disappointing because they were lacking nuance. They seemed extremely good or extremely bad. This took away credibility of the characters to the extent that I thought that Big Madam was telling a lie when she made the “big reveal” at the end of the book.
This book was an okay read, but it did not spark my interest enough to look for other works by this author in the near future.