Describe Regarding Books The Icarus Girl
Title | : | The Icarus Girl |
Author | : | Helen Oyeyemi |
Book Format | : | Paperback |
Book Edition | : | Anniversary Edition |
Pages | : | Pages: 352 pages |
Published | : | April 11th 2006 by Anchor (first published January 17th 2005) |
Categories | : | Fiction. Fantasy. Magical Realism. Cultural. Africa. Horror. Western Africa. Nigeria |
Helen Oyeyemi
Paperback | Pages: 352 pages Rating: 3.6 | 3926 Users | 557 Reviews
Interpretation Conducive To Books The Icarus Girl
Jessamy “Jess” Harrison, age eight, is the child of an English father and a Nigerian mother. Possessed of an extraordinary imagination, she has a hard time fitting in at school. It is only when she visits Nigeria for the first time that she makes a friend who understands her: a ragged little girl named TillyTilly. But soon TillyTilly’s visits become more disturbing, until Jess realizes she doesn’t actually know who her friend is at all. Drawing on Nigerian mythology, Helen Oyeyemi presents a striking variation on the classic literary theme of doubles — both real and spiritual — in this lyrical and bold debut.Identify Books During The Icarus Girl
Original Title: | The Icarus Girl |
ISBN: | 140007875X (ISBN13: 9781400078752) |
Edition Language: | English |
Setting: | Nigeria England |
Rating Regarding Books The Icarus Girl
Ratings: 3.6 From 3926 Users | 557 ReviewsWeigh Up Regarding Books The Icarus Girl
I wanted to love this book. The themes of duality, sisters/twins, and cultural identity were engaging, but it seemed like these were never fully explored, despite the length of the book. The author, Helen Oyeyemi, spends over 300 pages drawing readers into her story, inviting them to wonder what kind of entity is at play with the main character, Jess/Wuraola. Jess is the nine-year-old daughter of a Yoruba, Nigerian mother and an English father. Jess is an exceptionally clever child, but has notIf you pick up this crazily awesome book late at night like I did last night you will be forced to stay up all night just to finish it, as I have. I just could not put this book down. It was unique and creepy and really excelled at creating a frightening atmosphere, while having ambitions beyond just scaring its audience. All the fun of a popcorn read and all the beautiful prose, sensitivity, and depth of a so called "literary" novel. I loved it! Drop what you're doing and read this now.
The first third of this book was definitely the strongest. A wonderful introduction to the MC, and an even more interesting look at a compound families life in Nigeria.It got weaker after that, but I enjoyed the end even though many are upset by the ambivalence.
It has taken me way longer than it should to get through this 320 page book. I just couldn't do it. I lost interest 100 pages into it, not because it was boring but because it just wasn't engaging. I didn't form any attachments to the characters, I didn't look forward to picking it up in my free time to continue reading, and i'm not at all curious as to how the plot will pan out (Ok maybe just a little curious, but not enough). Although i do have to say that even though i wasn't so invested in
This has a pretty, literary cover and a pretty, literary title and so I thought it would be, at most, part of the Todorovan fantastic, maybe it is real and maybe it is imagined/insanity, which, honestly, I find one of the most boring conceits in all of literature most of the time. But no! There is an ACTUAL GHOST. Or perhaps not a ghost. But an actual supernatural being. Structurally, this is a very traditional ghost story. The prose is lovely, but my favorite thing is Jess and her reserve (must
I'm not sure how much to say about the plot of The Icarus Girl. It's not hard to figure out what's really going on in the story if you give it some effort, so it's not like I'm giving wild spoilers or anything. But then again - what about those readers who would like to know as little as possible going in to a story like this? I guess I'll try to skirt the issue as much as I can, but if you're planning on reading this and want to remain untainted by anything resembling a spoiler, now is the time
This is an exquisite examination of the mind of an imaginative child, with just hints of otherness around the edges. The child and her thought processes are amazing and Oyeyemis ability to maintain a certain ambivalence is remarkable.
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