The Girl with the Louding Voice: A Novel

Just finished my first book of the year on audio, and I am shooketh. Parts of it made my stomach turn a bit, but it was like a train wreck, I had to keep going because I had to know what happened next. Looks like the is already starting off with a bang. And with the narrator, I felt like I was living in Lagos (where a chunk of the story takes place) and watching everything unfold in real time. Yea, this was a highly emotional and heartbreaking experience, and I probably will be checking this author in the future

*CONTAINS SPOILERS* One thing that attracted me to this book was its gorgeous cover😍 How could you not be tempted to read this????? The one thing I truly appreciate about this book is that we jumped straight into the plot- Adunni doesn’t want to get married & wants to continue her education. Unfortunately, the forces around her don’t allow her to be great until we’re about 1/2 way through the novel. I can’t lie, I struggled with how to feel when I realized that Khadija tricked Adunni. It made me so angry that she would put her in that position, however I understand that Khadija is as much as a victim as Adunni. Still… Mr. Kola can go straight to hell. He knew exactly that his sister trusted him to take care of Adunni… & he still sold her as a housemaid!! UGH I wanted to like Big Madam towards the end. I truly did. But the fact that she knew why she was abusive toward Adunni & would still beat her? She gets no sympathy from me. Any page that involved Big Daddy made my skin crawl. I would literally shout “damn!” when he came into the scene when Adunni was having a great day. The most humbling part about this book is that there is a lot of truth to this fiction😕 There are young girls (girls- not yet women) that are married off to benefit the family; there are young girls being sold as shackle-less slaves; there are young girls who are fighting for basic education; there are young girls who put their trust in someone who doesn’t have their best interest at heart. Men truly get away with everything. I highly recommend reading this book. The best part (for me anyway) is that as Adunni learns proper English, the grammar within the book improves as well. 😊 It’s a lovely touch

What a great story. I was immersed early on and trying will a better life for Adunni. She is a girl with a vision!! After all that life continues to throw at her, she is still willing to always fight. The best part about her vision is that she recognizes that the fight is not with her alone but with the many girls in Nigeria who have gone through what she has been through and probably worse. The ending does end at a time when she is still really young, so we don’t see what her future is like. It’s fine because, after all that we’ve seen from her, we know she is going to do great things. The Girl with the Louding Voice lives up to the hype. A novel that combines gritty storytelling with a unique narrative voice of Adunni's dialect of broken English, which adds a certain authenticity to the story. Overall, it's a beautiful story of a young girl who longs for an education and a better life but has to fight great odds to reach her dreams. A highly suggested read for someone who want a great read with a truly inspiring story. I look forward to the next book by Abi Dare.

The Girl With The alluding Voice "Brave, fresh...unforgettable." —New York Times Book Review Where to start? I absolutely loved this book, the characters, and the storyline! Adunni is a hero in my mind. She overcame every obstacle thrown at her while NEVER losing sight of her dreams and goals! I had such strong feelings of hate for so many characters in this book and I also loved characters, such as Adunnu, Kofi, and Tia. The story follows Adunni, a young Nigerian girl, who dreams of becoming a teacher and educating young minds. She has goals sets to finish school and learn everything she can learn. That all comes to a halt when her father decides to take a bride price and marry her off to a much older man, who already has two wives and children with those wives so that the father can pay the rent. Adunnu is devastated. She does not want to marry this man she just wants to continue her schooling and achieve her dreams. I understand it’s a cultural thing but the things that poor man does to Adunni, I don’t understand how any father could put their child through that. Adunni becomes close with one of the wives and that tragedy strikes and she has to make a rash decision and flee. She comes to work in a beautiful mansion where Big Madam and Big Daddy live. They are both, in my opinion, terrible terrible people. I’ve done he works so hard in that house from 4 AM to sometimes 11 PM cleaning and any thing that she does or says wrong Big Madam beats her senseless. she meets a friend of Big Madams and they secretly begin to work together and help teach her proper English so that she can apply for a scholarship to school and get the heck out of the house she is in. Their friendship is strong and Tia proves she will do anything for Adunni. The story also follows the disappearance of the former housemaid, Rebecca and Big Daddy’s sexual interests in women and young ladies. Adunni is the most amazing character I have come along and her story is one that should always be shared. Grab a copy of this book. You will not be disappointed.

This novel will transport you through every human emotion. The story follows the main character, Adunni, through difficult life journeys. Adunni is such a great character. You can't help but root for her. I can't wait to read the continuation of her story in And So I Roar.

This is a powerful, well-written coming-of-age novel about a girl, Adunni, in contemporary Nigeria forced into an arranged marriage as one of three wives. She escapes from one bad situation only to land in another, a victim of labor trafficking in Lagos, far from her village. Adunni's deceased mother ingrained the importance of education in Adunni, who wants nothing more than to be educated and become a teacher or lawyer. The circumstances are brutal, but with help from a few people who dare to look out for her, she has a chance to triumph and use her "louding voice." The author uses language as a tool to show Adunni's educational progress, as she begins in quite broken, irregular English that improves as she learns more throughout the book. Adunni is a character to root for, symbolizing victims of trafficking. This was a great selection for book club discussion, and we were happy to learn that there is a sequel so that we can find out what happens to Adunni next!

I enjoyed reading this book. I loved the use of non standard English which made the voice of the main character so authentic. The story conveyed the sadness, fears, and joys, of a young girl so well and managed to convey the disparate lives of the affluent and the poor. Most of all it painted a picture of what it must be like to be trafficked and helpless and with little hope. Yet hope and joy permeated this book and that is it's beauty. Beautifully written.

An absolutely beautiful book written to make you feel the pain, the sorrow, the heartbreak and the the life of a housemaid in Nigeria. And then to feel the happiness that simple kindness can bring to that same person which learned her Louding Voice. A definite must read.