The Thing Around Your Neck

Excellent! I really enjoyed these stories. Adiche is a wonderful storyteller and brings Nigerian culture and people to life. Her characters are memorable as are the stories that they tell.

Adichie can tell a long story (Americah) but she can also tighten it up and produce stories that are concentrates. Each story in this collection is the length it needs to be. Some are vignettes with closure; others are a "story" that takes some time to tell. The writing is flawless. Characters are developed exactly to the extent they need to be. "Supporting characters" are not flat but rather are interesting in their own right (though, appropriately, not as fully developed). The stories written in the second person place you right in the heart of the character because "you" are in pain or are conflicted/happy/resolved. What I will be looking for next from Adichie is venturing into new ground. She has insightfully explored the experience of cultural hyphenation. Now, perhaps she can share with us stories of people who are wholly rooted in one culture. And perhaps it is that culture which forms a tragic story... or one of hope or positive resolution.

Wasn’t sure what to make of the book but it was captivating and kept me tuned in. It’s like a stream of different stories linked together by a common theme. Definitely worth reading and highly recommended. The chapters are different stories about what could be real people navigating complex and traumatizing experiences. Some succeed and find hope, others fail and give up. The last chapter: the thing around your neck is by far my favorite. You can say it’s a companion to Achebe’s “things fall apart”. Above all, this is an easy read and the characters were believable and relatable. How Adichie finds the words and web of narrative imagery is beautiful. Although the abrupt end makes your craving for more.

There are books that I can’t help skimming, skipping few paragraphs here and there. Not Adichie’s. Even if I notice my eyes were not focusing - I get back to the book with full attention. I enjoy reading Adichie’s books, though after reading Americanah and this book - I started feeling slight frustration with her harsh depiction of American life and culture. “The trick was to understand, to know that America was give-and-take. You give up a lo but you gained a lot, too”. That’s not America, that’s everywhere. When you leave your village, your city, your country - you leave behind your past, heritage and sense of security. That applies to all foreigners. I understand it’s catchy and shocking to compare the cultures, in Adichie’s case - always diminishing America, but it is getting slightly old and annoying.

This was the first of her books I have discovered and I couldn't put it down. My son read it at school and bought it for me for Christmas. She has an incredible ability to grip you in only a few simple pages and tells a whole tale in what might take a full novel for most authors. I hated when each story ended, as I was so taken with the characters, but got equally wrapped up in the next one just as quickly. This author is a gift.

Sometimes you read a short story and appreciate it as a bite-sized nugget. The stories in this book were so rich, and the characters so interesting, I was disappointed when the stories ended. This is another excellent work by this outstanding author

This book is the 3rd one I've read by this author, and is a harrowing story, very well written in a style I find compelling. Why not 5 stars? My problem is in relating to Africa and its complicated cultural systems. I even find the characters names difficult to pronounce, which makes it hard for me to imagine them. Isn't that strange? I am obviously lacking all knowledge about the issues dividing the warring factions within this country, let alone the entire continent, all of which destroys its fluency. My fault, not the author's! At least it led me to do some reading up on African history. With this new found knowledge I will re-read it, and hopefully the background of political unrest will slot into place and provide the support I needed. And, if I spend a bit more on the audio version, I could finally hear those beautiful names pronounced correctly.

Each story in this book made me pause to think before moving on to the next story. I don't know if I have a favorite because I like all of them. They all evoked different emotions in me. For some reason I could resonate with most of the main characters in the story. I must say one of the stories was very dark. The one that talked about Nonso. I will read this book again. I wish some of them could be made into full novels. Like the arranged marriage and the American Embassy. I am also curious about Chinedu and what happened to him and Ukamaka.... I am dying to read another collection of Chimamanda's short stories. She is brilliant!

Through Chimamanda’s stories I’ve learnt so much about Nigeria and about how it is being a black woman in this world and this is one is no exception. It’s a beautiful collection of stories and each one has something gasping and mesmerising. I was obviously highly satisfied with this books as well as I’ve been with her other books.

I love reading books by this author, she knows how to hold your attention.

Great boom

J'avais un peu peur, en achetant ces nouvelles, d'être déçue par rapport aux romans d'Adichie, qui m'avaient enthousiasmée. Crainte infondée car cette auteure talentueuse est aussi brillante sur les formats courts que quand elle raconte de longues histoires. Elle a une écriture magnifique et ses thèmes sont profondément humains. Une brillante réussite.

Genial, llegó en perfecto estado