Just finished reading this novel by Chinua Achebe (sp?). My HS frosh daughter had been assigned it for English class, and I have been enjoying reading and discussing her assigned books with her.

I was not terribly impressed with this book, and was somewhat surprised when my research informed me that this is widely acclaimed as a "masterpiece." I readily acknowledge that I have little if any familiarity with fiction by African authors. But if this is the epitome of that genre, I have little interest in increasing my acquaintance.

The characters struck me as very one dimensional, and I did not see much character growth or development in the book. I guess it was effective in conveying the culture/society in that portion of pre-colonial Africa, but in that sense, it struck me more as a sociological study, than a novel. On the plus side, I certainly know more about yams than I ever did before!

I'd be interested in hearing your views on this book.