Purple Hibiscus (34 page)

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Authors: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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Also By The Author
Half of a Yellow Sun
The Thing Around Your Neck

Praise

From the reviews of
Purple Hibiscus
:

âOne of the finest debut novels of recent years, a complex and compelling account of a 15-year-old girl's sexual awakening and religious oppressionâ¦It is a novel as revealing as Arundhati Roy's
The God of Small Things
, and as punchy and characterful as Monica Ali's
Brick Lane
'

Evening Standard

âPerceptive characterisation and an evocative portrayal of a fast-changing country mark this Orange-shortlisted novel out from the crowd'

Guardian

âAssured and evocative, it touches on domestic violence and religious fundamentalism with subtlety and sensitivity. Surely a tale for our times'

Daily Mail

âWith writing marked by infinite wisdom and heart-breaking generosity, Adichie draws the African struggle for a modern identity into the heart of family lifeâ¦Balanced yet passionate, hers is an inspirational new voice and
Purple Hibiscus
a book to read at all costs'

Glasgow Herald

âThis is a novel that brings you into the heart of private passions. But it is also a novel that strays into political waters and does so with some subtlety'

Natasha Walter,
Vogue

âAdichie has an enviable mastery of narrative composition. Her characters are vivid. Her pacing is excellent. She has a keen sense of ironyâ¦Into her enthralling tale Adichie weaves complex themesâ¦The result is a story which is racy but complex and stimulating. It grips the reader from start to finish. I could not put it down'

Irish Times

âThe simplicity of the transformation tale â the stuff of many oldfashioned school stories â is made more powerful by the plot's twists and surprises and by the endearing and moving charactersâ¦Its cleverly contrived naivety opens the reader to a world of feeling containing meaning'

Sunday Times

âThis debut novel, in the best tradition of the coming-of-age novel, serves as a reminder of what serious, committed storytelling can doâ¦Adichie draws us inside Kambili's world through her rich descriptions of physical and domestic environments, her artful deployment of suspense and drama'

MichÃ¨le Roberts,
New Statesman

âImmensely powerful'

The Times

âA wonderful first novelâ¦Chimamanda's prose is strikingly rich and evocative in this touching and accomplished debut'

INK
Magazine

âAn intoxicating story that is at once distinctly feminine, African and universal'

OBSERVER

âThere's a quiet confidence about the writing which is very attractive â it isn't showy, it isn't brash, but on the contrary both captivating and mature'

MARGARET FORSTER

âA sensitive and touching story of a child exposed too early to religious intolerance and the uglier side of the Nigerian state'

J.M. COETZEE

âA beautifully judged account of the private intimate stirrings of a young girlâ¦Adichie is a fresh new voice out of Africa'

TELEGRAPH

Copyright

Fourth Estate

An imprint of HarperCollins
Publishers

77â85 Fulham Palace Road

Hammersmith, London W6 8JB

This edition published by Fourth Estate 2009

First published in Great Britain by Fourth Estate 2004

Published in paperback by Harper Perennial 2005, reprinted 16 times

PS section copyright Â© Clare Garner 2005, except âTiny Wonders' copyright Â© Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 2003

PSâ¢ is a trademark of HarperCollins
Publishers
Ltd

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

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EPub Edition Â© OCTOBER 2012 ISBN: 9780007383696