Call number
FIC DAR
Collection
Genres
Publication
Dutton (2020), Edition: Book Club (BCE/BOMC), 384 pages
Description
"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)
Media reviews
Daré has said of the language in which the book is written: “Nigerians speak something called pidgin English, and I knew I didn’t want to write in pidgin English because even the very educated people speak pidgin English. I wanted it to be nonstandard English.The results of this invented
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English are uneven.. I could make it Adunni’s. It could be her own English, so to speak....The novel is strongest when dealing with interpersonal relationships, especially between characters of different classes.....The story told in this novel is an important one. The trauma of girls forced into marriage and the blight of domestic slavery in Nigeria are both issues that must be brought to light. As Adunni wonders: “Why are the women in Nigeria seem to be suffering for everything more than the men?” The Girl With the Louding Voice joins a long and fine tradition of issue-led novels that have sparked conversations resulting in social change. Social justice is a laudable intention when writing a novel, yet one also reads them for subtler and less concrete gains. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member Castlelass
Set in Nigeria, this book is the story of Adunni, a fourteen-year-old girl whose dream is to become a teacher and find her “louding voice.” Her family lives in poverty. After her mother dies, her father arranges for her to marry an older man, who already has two wives, in order to receive the
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.”
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“bride-price.” One of the wives is abusive, but the other befriends her. When her circumstances change, she is hired into domestic service, but her wages are stolen by the man who found her the “job.” Again, she finds friends. Though she suffers sexual and other physical abuse, she is tenacious and perseveres in her goal to obtain an education. 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.”
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LibraryThing member janismack
I tried to read this book but had a hard time the the language. I didn’t finish because I was not able to feel a connection with the main character.
LibraryThing member RidgewayGirl
When Adunni is fourteen, her father sells her into marriage to an older man. She'll be his third wife. When her mother was still alive, she'd managed to pay for a few years of schooling for Adunni, but with her marriage, the hope of returning is gone. Her new circumstances are difficult, and as the
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.
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book progresses, Adunni deals with or witnesses a laundry list of hardships, always dreaming of a better life if only she could go to school, dreaming of having a "louding voice," a voice that people will listen to.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.
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LibraryThing member brangwinn
I’ve read a lot of books set in Nigeria, but this one is closest to my heart. When Adunni, a fourteen year old is forced into a marriage and then flees, she ends up basically a slave in the home of a wealthy Lagos woman. What Adunni wants moe than anything else is an education so she can become a
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teacher. She wants to make a difference—in her words she wants a louding voice. How she accomplishes her goals really isn’t that much different than that of Westover in EDUCATED. Adunni meets caring people along the way who are willing to push her into becoming the person she wants to be. Of course, its not just those people. Its Adunni’s inner strength that propels her forward. Show Less
LibraryThing member eyes.2c
A captivating story of hope and courage!
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
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
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year old girl, against her wishes and dreams, is sold off to be the third wife of an old man who wants sons. No pity or consideration here. Adunni's future is a transaction between her father and her husband. Her father benefits from the bride dowry. Adunni suffers the consequences.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
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LibraryThing member Sheila1957
Adunni wants an education but her father arranges a marriage for her for her bride-price. As she goes off to her new home, she is the third wife and expected to give her husband a son. Because of things that happen and Adunni's fear of being accused of murder, she runs away. She is sold to a woman
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.
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in Lagos as a servant. She finds that she is replacing the former servant who has disappeared under mysterious circumstances. She keeps her eyes and ears open to solve that mystery. She also serves under Big Madam who uses her horribly and tries to keep her distance from Big Madam's husband, Big Daddy. The cook of the household tells her of an opportunity to get an education. She is fearful but, having being befriended by a neighbor of Big Madam, she has the courage to go after it. 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.
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LibraryThing member Beth.Clarke
A strong plot and great character development for the main character, Adunni. Although it was quite predictable, I enjoyed rooting for the 14-year-old while she finds her voice. A great coming-of-age novel with some Nigerian history. I found the plot compelling, but would have liked other
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characters' emotions, thoughts, and motives more explored. Show Less
LibraryThing member delphimo
I am amazed that conditions in other places continue to exist with old-fashioned beliefs. The story of Adunni, a young woman/girl, in Nigeria shows a male dominated society seeped in traditions and superstitions. Adunni’s father forces her marriage to Morufu, an older man with two other wives to
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provide much needed money for Adunni’s family. I found the language difficult at times like trying to read Uncle Remus stories. The lack of necessary household items caused much despair. As Americans, we take too much for granted, and this pandemic shows us that all our possessions mean nothing in the end. Show Less
LibraryThing member bookczuk
Adunni is a wonder. In her quest to get an education, she educates the reader to a (at least for me) completely different slice of life. I found this book fascinating, and the character of Adunni one of the best to stumble into my reader's heart in a long time. (Recommended by a friend at the gym,
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with whom I share books and recommendations.) Show Less
LibraryThing member maryreinert
Adunni is a fourteen year old girl growing up in a small village in Nigeria. Her mother has died and she is left with a younger brother and a father who is there but not concerned about being a father. Adunni wants desperately to become a teacher. She speaks a broken English which she has learned
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.
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in her school but when her mother died, she was forced to quite so that she could keep the house. 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.
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LibraryThing member forsanolim
This book's synopsis actually describes a fair bit of the plot quite well: Adunni, a fourteen-year-old Nigerian girl, is forced by her widowed father into marriage as the third wife of a taxi driver. After a tragic event in her new household, she finds herself working for no wages in a wealthy
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.
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Lagos household. The book explores Adunni's coming of age in this context and her deep wish for an education despite and because of the many obstacles that she has faced in her young life.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.
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LibraryThing member vancouverdeb
This is a debut novel by a woman born and raised in Nigeria, who immigrated to the UK for education and to live there.
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
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
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get an education and hopes to eventually be a teacher , to enable her to help other financially poor girls. Sadly , Aduni's mother passes away when she is fourteen. She is one of three children, the other two are sons. Her father is very poor, so he sells her for a bride-price to a old man, who already has two wives. Aduni has no desire to be married to a this old man, who hopes she can bear him a son. When a tragedy happens, she is sold into domestic slavery in Lagos. There, she is repeatedly beaten by Big Madam, a wealthy Nigerian woman . Big Madam is married to an often drunk man, who has an unhealthy interest in younger women and girls. A coming of age story , with a bit of mystery, this was a fascinating look into life in Nigeria. Adduni speaks in some some of pidgin English, which I thought might be off putting, but I quickly got used to and it created a more authentic voice. While it sounds like a depressing read , it is leavened with hope on Aduni's part. An excellent debut and a great look into modern day Nigeria.
Recommended. 4 stars
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LibraryThing member SJGirl
First up, I want to address the aspect of this that might scare off some readers. This is written entirely in broken English since it’s told from the point of view of fourteen year old Nigerian Adunni who had to abandon her education following the death of her mother. For me, the broken English
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.
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wasn’t all that different from when I read Jane Austen or some other classic, it takes a moment, maybe a couple chapters to adjust to this version of English, but after awhile you get so used to it that it flows as easily as any other prose. As an added bonus, there are plenty of times when the way Adunni phrases things is more insightful and/or more beautiful than “correct” English would ever manage. 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.
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LibraryThing member ShannonRose4
Adunni is a Nigerian girl that has a bright future as a teacher; that is until we discover that loss and a broken promise drastically change Adunni’s hope for the future. Told in a powerful, sometimes broken voice, this emotional debut will draw you in with a broken song and leave you filled with
I loved Adunni’s journey.
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hope. I loved Adunni’s journey.
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LibraryThing member ShannonRose4
Adunni is a Nigerian girl that has a bright future as a teacher; that is until we discover that loss and a broken promise drastically change Adunni’s hope for the future. Told in a powerful, sometimes broken voice, this emotional debut will draw you in with a broken song and leave you filled with
I loved Adunni’s journey.
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hope. I loved Adunni’s journey.
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LibraryThing member JanaRose1
Fourteen year old Adunni is terrified and appalled when her father sells her to a old man to be his third wife. All Adunni wants is to be educated, and then to be a teacher. Instead, she is forced into a horrible situation. When she runs away, she ends up little more than a slave to a wealthy
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.
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family. Despite these horrible situations, Adunni is determined to be a girl with a louding voice.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.
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LibraryThing member thewanderingjew
The Girl with the Louding Voice, Abi Daré, Author; Adjoa Andoh, Narrator I can only describe this novel as the heartbreaking, but beautifully written story of Adunni. It takes place in Nigeria, a place in turmoil with raging poverty, an illiterate population and a terrorist organization that
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kidnaps young girls forcing them into sexual slavery and young boys to become soldiers. Girls were not considered worth educating since their only purpose was to make babies, keep house, and support their families. They were treated as pretty worthless chattel. Beatings were common, and their strict obedience to their fathers and husbands was expected. Adunni is 14 years old. Her life has descended into disappointment and chaos since the death of her mother. She had always loved school. Her dream was to become a teacher, and her mom promised her she would be able to get an education because without it, she would always be poor and helpless and would never get ahead in life. She extracted a promise from her husband to keep Adunni in school and not to marry her off. When she died, too young, however, he forced Adunni to leave primary school, and when he needed money to pay his rent, he broke the rest of his promise. He got a very good bride price for Adunni as the third wife of an older taxi driver, Morufu, who already had two wives and several daughters, but wanted a son. One daughter was even the same age as Adunni. This older, self-sufficient man could support Adunni, providing her with shelter and food, while also providing for him and his other sons. So, at 14, she found herself in a new home with an abusive man who raped her. She lived with his two other wives, one, Labake, who hated and resented her and the other, Khadija, who took her under her wing and helped her deal with the coming traumas she would face. When circumstances forced Adunni to flee her marriage bed, she wound up in Lagos, working as a maid for “Big Madam”, an abusive employer who mistreated her. “Big Daddy”, her husband, fooled around with other women and even attempted to rape Adunni. Big Madam also treated her badly, beating her and feeding her only one meal a day. Still, through it all, she taught others their “words”, read a book of facts on Nigeria that were sprinkled throughout the book to enlighten the reader, as well as Adunni, and had a sunny disposition and philosophy of life that seemed older than her years. When Adunni meets Tia, a childless woman, she brings sunshine into Adunni’s life. How that relationship plays out helps to develop the rest of Adunni’s future. The many relationships that Adunni experiences will shine a light on the place of women in Nigeria’s hierarchy, on their helplessness and hopelessness. In this current day, many have no value unless it is in baby-making or housekeeping. They have no way to defend themselves. They have no rights. Civil unrest is widespread. Their plight is indeed dark and sad. The novel is a horrifying presentation of the brutality the naïve Adunni was forced to endure. As she tells her story, it is sometimes hard to absorb it because the reader knows that the heart of the story is based on the real experiences of the females in that region. Adunni is naïve and often she takes things too literally, like she talks to the front of a person, she looks for a duck when she is told to duck, she does many other things that show her lack of worldliness. In spite of that, her philosophy and ability to endure her misfortunes, an attitude passed down to her by her mother, seems to serve her well. She always looks for a silver lining. In that one way, however, I found the book to be a bit less believable. She suffered too much to always have such a sunny disposition when so many of those around her seemed to have no hope for the possibility of freedom or independence. The book is like a spider with many legs. Many themes are created that shine a light on the terrible conditions of the uneducated female. A life of abuse, poverty and servitude is all that awaits them. I listened to the audio book, and I believe this book is better as an audio. The narrator does an excellent job of interpreting the manner of speaking that the author created for her main character, a dialect that does not really actually exist. The narrator’s interpretation of the speech patterns and of each individual character’s tone and personality was perfect for the listener. It is a not an easy read, but it is well worth the experience. Show Less
LibraryThing member KamGeb
A really interesting book I couldn't put down about a 14 year old, poor girl in Nigeria. It talks about all the hardships she faces. It also is about the plight of women in Nigeria. The end of the book gets a little preachy about feminism in Nigeria, but before that it is just really interesting
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how different women deal with their lives and situations. Definitely would recommend. Show Less
LibraryThing member Cherylk
I had another reader tell me that this book was written in the way that Adunni learns to read. So clunky at first but progressing with better pronunciation and grammar. Which I really liked this aspect about the book. It showed the progression of Adunni's journey.
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.
She started out as a girl but by
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the end of the story, she had grown into a strong woman. Adunni is the embodiment of female empowerment that we need today. This story may have been about Adunni but she could not have done it alone. She had help along the way. The other women in this book were just as strong. 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.
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LibraryThing member Iudita
I really enjoyed the story but I do have one issue that I can't look past. There were a lot of loose ends and undeveloped concepts in this book. A whole list of them. It left me wondering why she even introduced certain characters or elements in the story and then failed to do much with them or tie
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them in tight with the main storyline. It was a bit frustrating, but overall I still enjoyed this story of a little Nigerian girl, trying to find her "louding voice Show Less
LibraryThing member technodiabla
This debut novel is about a rural Nigerian teen girl who turns misfortunes into opportunities. She longs to attend school and ultimately wants to expose and address the issue of sex trafficking. The story is told by her and is written in Nigerian "English" dialect.
I liked this book quite a lot of
I liked this book quite a lot of
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first. I found the dialect amusing and Adunii's humorous taken events to be refreshing and pretty funny. As the tale proceeded I started to tire of the dialect and the increasingly forced humor resulting from gaps in her vocabulary. Additionally, the plot devices were way too convenient and the ending extremely obvious. Still, a nice enough story. The saving grace was Big Madam. She is an interesting character-- hateable, but also tragic in her own right. This was a book club selection and not a book I would've chosen myself. Show Less
LibraryThing member TNbookgroup
Luba. Fiction. "Abi Daré’s debut novel, The Girl with the Louding Voice, is like a blend of Etaf Rum’s A Woman Is No Man and Tara Westover’s Educated. In it Adunni, a fourteen-year-old Nigerian girl, endures a series of unfortunate events in her quest to get an education. The alternative is
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a life of servitude, something Adunni experiences firsthand when, after escaping an arranged marriage, she lands herself in an even more precarious position in the employ of a sadistic wife and her debauched husband. Buoyed by the memory of her late mother, who wanted her daughter to buck cultural confines and find her (louding) voice, and with the help of a few unlikely allies, Adunni sets about overcoming her sorry lot. The Girl with the Louding Voice is a rousing tale of courage and pluck, and unexpectedly charming. It’s also a reminder of the power of books, especially for those of us afforded the luxury of taking reading, and learning, and dreaming for granted." Show Less
LibraryThing member SqueakyChu
I had mixed feelings regarding this debut novel about Adunni, a 14-year-old girl in Nigeria whose father marries her off to an older man who already had two wives.
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.
This novel was narrated by Adunni in a variation of pidgin English, indicating that this character was less educated. At first, I found
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the language distracting, then I accepted it as part of the Adunni herself, but later I once again found it annoying. Asunni's goal throughout the entire story was to find a way to go back to school. 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.
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LibraryThing member Anniik
Excellent book. Heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time; I honestly couldn’t put it down.
LibraryThing member Bibliofemmes
Good discussion
Awards
Not the Booker Prize (Shortlist — 2020)
The British Book Industry Awards (Shortlist — 2021)
Beste Boek voor Jongeren (2022)
Desmond Elliott Prize (Shortlist — 2020)
Pages
384
ISBN
1524746029 / 9781524746025