Purple Hibiscus

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Nov 2012 · HarperCollins UK

About this ebook

The limits of fifteen-year-old Kambili’s world are defined by the high walls of her family estate and the dictates of her fanatically religious father. Her life is regulated by schedules: prayer, sleep, study, prayer.

When Nigeria is shaken by a military coup, Kambili’s father, involved mysteriously in the political crisis, sends her to live with her aunt. In this house, noisy and full of laughter, she discovers life and love – and a terrible, bruising secret deep within her family.

This extraordinary debut novel from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, author of ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’, is about the blurred lines between the old gods and the new, childhood and adulthood, love and hatred – the grey spaces in which truths are revealed and real life is lived.

Ratings and reviews

I loved every page that I read! It awakened emotions and provoked thoughts that were hidden away and matters I choose not to think about. God, The holy spirit and Christ. The church, man and God. I love how culture, religion and faith was intertwined in the pages yet clearly set apart . I can not get enough of African literature as these books continually fuel the question of where do we come from, where are we and where to from here as black Africans. May God bless her so she can continue to bless others with every book of hers that is published. I'm buying another book by her as we speak

Achichie is such a skilled writer,weaving description and moving narrative on seamlessly. The story itself is at times heartbreaking, yet there is warmth and it is ultimately uplifting.

Read all her books now, and love them all. She paints such wonderful pictures with her words. My only criticism is, I'd like a Nigerian English glossary. I've not seen one in either this ebook or the real books I've read.

About the author

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was born in Nigeria in 1977. Her first novel ‘Purple Hibiscus’ was published in 2003 and was longlisted for the Booker Prize. Her second novel ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’ won the 2007 Orange Prize for Fiction. Her short story collection, ‘The Thing Around Your Neck’, was published to critical acclaim in 2009. Her work has been selected by the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association and the BBC Short Story Awards, has appeared in various literary publications, including Zoetrope and The Iowa Review. She won a MacArthur ‘genius’ grant in 2009, and in 2010 appeared on the New Yorker’s list of the best 20 writers under 40. Her third novel, ‘Americanah’, was published to widespread critical acclaim in 2013. She lives in Nigeria.