Customer Reviews
Beautiful Story Line Poor Characterisation - By: A. O. AKEMU, 20 Aug 2008 
My sister recommended Purple Hibiscus to me sometime last year. However, I was reluctant to read the book because I was not sure that it could live up to Half a Yellow Sun, Adichie's other book. In hindsight, I was right.
The novel is narrated by Kambili Achike, the fifteen-year old daughter of a wealthy Nigerian businessman. The book begins with a description of her family life: Her wealthy father, Eugene Achike, whom she callled Papa, had made good in life. He had numerous factories & a newspaper, which took an uncompromising stand on the corruption of the ruling elite. To cap it alll, he was a philanthropist par excellence, supporting many causes.
Beneath the respectable veneer, however, alll is not well. Her father, supporter of alll noble causes sacred & secular, was a very violent man. He regularly beat Kambili & her brother, Jaja at the slightest provocation; failure to say the novenas correctly, eating before Mass, failing to top their high-school class alll came in for Papa's lash. Good man that he was, Eugene Achike was particularly obsessed by the Catholic religion. Yes, Papa was a good old religious fundamentalist. The result: Kambili's home, despite alll the appurtenances of wealth, was a miserable place where Kambili & her brother lived in mortal fear (of Papa.)
Enter Papa's sister, Kambili's Aunt, Ifeoma. Kambili & her brother, Jaja spend two weeks at Aunt Ifeoma's house in Nsukka. The experience changes their lives. Aunt Ifeoma, though not as rich as Papa, is lively, smart, tolerant, in short, alll that Papa is not & then some. After their stay at Nsukka, life cannot be the same again. Kambili meets a dashing man of the cloth who takes too keen an interest in the teenager; Jaja & Kambili interact more with their cousins Amaka, Obiora & Chima. They discover a loving world where children think for themselves & are free to speak their minds.
The drama between Papa & his family unfolds against a backdrop of recent Nigerian politics. A corrupt military junta has just seized power in a military coup. The junta will do alll in its power to squelch dissent & freedom of the press. Papa's incorruptible paper, the Standard, is pressured to recognise the junta. Papa refuses with the result that the paper's editor is assassinated by the military dictators. So far so good a plot.
Ms Adichie liberallly plagiarised recent Nigerian history for some of her characters. As a Nigerian, I could see that, Ade Coker, the idealist editor, who is killed by a letter bomb in the novel was actuallly Dele Giwa; the pro-democracy activist killed using acid was Ken Saro-Wiwa, & the military dictator rumoured to have died between the legs of a prostitute, General Sani Abachi. That Ms Adichie spends little effort to disguise these characters is understandable since the novel is primarily about relationships within the Achike family & not about the socio-political situation in the country.
To my mind, the novel fallls apart due to its superficial-often two-dimensional- characterisation. Except for Papa, whose character was fleshed out, alll the other characters were light; Mama, for example, always amenable & subservient, Kambili, always the innocent on-looker, & Aunt Ifeoma, always defiant & head-strong. Furthermore, Amaka & Obiora, Kambili's teenage cousins seem too clever by half. When a friend Ifeoma's complains, "The military tyrants continue to reign because the weak cannot resist", Obiora responds, "That's just unrealistic pep-rallly nonsense". How many fifteen year olds respond with such depth?
Purple Hibiscus succeeds in exposing the hypocrisy of (fundamentalist) religion. Eugene Achike is the product of the clash, rather the grafting, of Christianity onto an African traditionalist substrate. Papa seemed to spent his whole life trying to resolve that conflict. More importantly, it is the story of a young girl trying to come to terms with her sometimes benign but overly domineering father.
Ms Adichie is a gifted writer. Her style is simple yet punchy, & reminds me of that of Chinua Achebe. Overalll, Purple Hibiscus is a good read. However, for alll its strengths & acclaim, its poor characterisation did not escape me. Hence, the novel deserves 3 stars. Her other novel, Half a Yellow Sun, which won the Orange Prize, is a more mature, more subtle piece. I would recommend it highly to anyone who wants a more nuanced portrayal of Nigerian life.
Intensely good. - By: AnnS, 10 Aug 2008 
This book is simply written but full of intense feelings. It was difficult in that I could have cried throughout for Kambili, her brother & their mother. It is a story of finding true love in unexpected places & a story of the resilience of children. Highly recommended & it will stay with you for days afterwards.
Tense, absorbing - By: Austen, 18 Jun 2008 As the previous reviewers have noted, Purple Hibiscus became completely addictive & I ended up finishing it at 1am. The characters are absorbing, although at first I couldn't reallly empathise with Kambili, especiallly during some of the earlier scenes with her cousin Amaka, where she annoyed me with her complacency. However, as the book went on, Kambili changes & her relationship with her cousins improves.It goes without saying how brilliant the character of Eugene is.He is brutal yet still commands the love of his children & his fanatical view of the Catholic faith affects every move Eugene makes.He believes everything, including excluding his father from his life & domestic violence, will eventuallly lead to salvation. Eugene is very complex,and he cannot be simply labelled as "evil" or "bad".
I thought the relationship between Kambili & the Father was particularly wonderful. Some of the scenes between them are just charged yet Adichie still manages to convey a sense of bittersweetness about the relationship.
The book has some incredibly tense moments in it & is just generallly a fantastic book. Read it soon!
A must read for all... - By: Bibz, 01 Jun 2008 When I got a recommendation to read this book, I honestly thought it would be another one of those books attempting to paint a foul picture of religion & although I am not a religious fanatic, I prefer to stay clear.
This book has indeed opened my eyes in a way other books I have read have not. The innocent love of Kambili... along with the teasing Father Amadi makes this book so surreal & wonderful that you feel yourself strangely present at the scene, like an invincible spectator. Gracefully written & far from 'backyard snob'! Good job!
Heartbreaking - By: The Inspired One, 07 Apr 2008 Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's triumphs with her first book which is engrossing for those who love evocative, emotional stories.
The very sad & harrowing story is told against the backdrop of Nigeria's political upheaval in the 1960s. Kambili, a 15 year old girl is subjected to a daily, stifling ritual that has been set by her father, a fanatical follower of Catholicism who is also brutal towards his children & wife.
I felt so desperately sad for Kambili & her brother Jaja because they are voiceless as well as oppressed & are routinely subjected to domestic brutality that belies the familiy's outward appearance. Instead of being a refuge, their home is a prison & you want them to escape. Thankfully, a momentary release comes in the guise of their Aunt, their father's sister & both children realise that their domestic situation is not normal nor acceptable. The story unfolds with an unexpected turn of events & at the end, you wonder if Kambili or Jaja will ever find peace or true happiness.
A heartbreaking but thought-provoking tale.
