{"product_id":"an-orchestra-of-minorities-9781408710807","title":"An Orchestra of Minorities","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"+2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2019\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cfont size=\"+1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom the author of the Booker-shortlisted novel, \u003ci\u003eThe Fishermen\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''Obioma is truly the heir to Chinua Achebe'' \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eA young farmer named Chinonso prevents a woman from falling to her death. Bonded by this strange night on the bridge, he and Ndali fall in love, but it is a mismatch according to her family who reject him because of his lowly status. Is it love or madness that makes Chinonso think he can change his destiny?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSet across Nigeria and Cyprus, \u003ci\u003eAn Orchestra of Minorities\u003c\/i\u003e, written in the mythic style of the Igbo tradition, weaves a heart-wrenching tale about fate versus free will.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e________________________________________________________________________________\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''A spectacular artistic leap'' \u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''Brilliantly original'' \u003ci\u003eThe Economist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''A remarkable talent'' \u003ci\u003eIndepend\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBrilliantly intertwining the human and spirit worlds. \u003cb\u003eA major new African writer\u003c\/b\u003e -- Salman Rushdie (Amazon Book Review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA crucial journey into a heartache that is both mythical and real \u003c\/b\u003e -- Booker Prize Judges 2019\u003cbr\u003e[An] impressive, epic second novel . . . \u003cb\u003eTimely, portentous and powerful\u003c\/b\u003e, [\u003ci\u003eAn Orchestra of Minorities\u003c\/i\u003e] confirms Chigozie Obioma's remarkable talent -- Lucy Scholes * iNews *\u003cbr\u003eTold in the wise and watchful, sometimes mischievous voice of the 'chi' or Igbo spirit guardian of Chinonso, a poor poultry farmer, this is \u003cb\u003ea profoundly humane epic love story\u003c\/b\u003e. Loosely based on the Odyssey, the trials and joys of Chinonso's journey exert a powerful hold on the reader's imagination, head and heart. \u003cb\u003eA magnificent, original and revelatory novel\u003c\/b\u003e * Booker Prize Judges 2019 *\u003cbr\u003eObioma's frenetically assured second novel is\u003cb\u003e a spectacular artistic leap forwards\u003c\/b\u003e . . . [it is] a linguistically flamboyant, fast-moving, fatalistic saga of one man's personal disaster . . . Few contemporary novels achieve the seductive panache of Obioma's heightened language, with its mixture of English, Igbo and colourful African-English phrases, and the startling clarity of the dialogue. \u003cb\u003eThe story is extreme; yet its theme is a bid for mercy for that most fragile of creatures - a human\u003c\/b\u003e -- Eileen Battersby * Guardian *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRich and vivid\u003c\/b\u003e . . . Obioma's absorbing tragicomedy painfully probes the perils of victimhood -- Anthony Cummins * Observer (New Review) *\u003cbr\u003eObioma fashions an allegory of post-independence Nigeria and the cruelties of the contemporary world . . . West Africa, with its pantheon of animist divinities and juju lore, is \u003cb\u003eunforgettably evoked\u003c\/b\u003e. You can almost smell the hot strong breath of the land in this brave gallimaufry of Greek myth and pre-colonial Igbo cosmology * Evening Standard *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn acute, tender, painful and sometimes darkly funny story\u003c\/b\u003e . . . about love, aspiration, betrayal, greed, dishonesty and the tribulations that the innocent and trusting may suffer -- Allan Massie * The Scotsman *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlmost every page [of\u003ci\u003e An Orchestra of Minorities\u003c\/i\u003e] trumpets the gifts of a writer who can make his language soar, wheel and pounce \u003c\/b\u003e * Spectator *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eObioma has a masterful way with words\u003c\/b\u003e * The Herald *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA tale of mythic nature and epic scale \u003c\/b\u003eat times recalling Homer's \u003ci\u003eOdyssey - \u003c\/i\u003ea sweeping story about destiny and the power of choice * Vanity Fair *\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eAn Orchestra of Minorities\u003c\/i\u003e is a triumph: a wholly unsentimental epic that unspools smoothly over nearly a decade, it is set with equal success across two continents, employing myth and spirituality to create a vibrant new world . . . \u003cb\u003ean unusual and brilliantly original book\u003c\/b\u003e * The Economist *\u003cbr\u003eIntricately wrought . . . a powerful, multifarious novel that underlines Obioma's status as \u003cb\u003eone of the most exciting voices in modern African literature\u003c\/b\u003e * FT *\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eAn Orchestra of \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eMinorities\u003c\/i\u003e is a magisterial accomplishment by any measure, and particularly impressive for the way Obioma orchestrates a tableau in which humans and spirits must interact in a complex, \u003cb\u003eemotionally rich-veined story\u003c\/b\u003e. Few writers can match Obioma's astonishing range, his deft facility for weaving a mesmeric and triumphant fictive canvas in which - reminiscent of the ancient masters - a cohort of gods presides over and negotiates the fates of humans * Okey Ndibe, author of Foreign Gods, Inc. *\u003cbr\u003eEvery so often - but not often enough - a book comes around to blow away the cobwebs and forget what it means to read\u003cb\u003e a truly immersive story\u003c\/b\u003e. Chigozie Obioma's \u003ci\u003eAn Orchestra Of Minorities\u003c\/i\u003e is just that * The Pool *\u003cbr\u003eAn \u003cb\u003eambitious \u003c\/b\u003eand \u003cb\u003eimmersive\u003c\/b\u003e tale about \u003cb\u003elove\u003c\/b\u003e and \u003cb\u003esacrifice\u003c\/b\u003e, told by an ancient spirit. A bold new novel from an exciting young writer * Brit Bennett, author of The Mothers *\u003cbr\u003eChigozie Obioma pens a deeply empathetic, complex and gut-wrenchingly human narrative that captures the heart and soul. \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAn Orchestra of Minorities\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003estays with you. \u003c\/b\u003eWith remarkable style and compelling language, he explores what it means to experience blinding love and devastating loss. \u003cb\u003eA truly \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003egifted writer, Obioma has proven yet again that he's a literary treasure\u003c\/b\u003e * Nicole Dennis-Benn, award-winning author of Here Comes the Sun *\u003cbr\u003eChigozie Obioma is \u003cb\u003ea gifted and original storyteller\u003c\/b\u003e. His\u003cb\u003e masterful\u003c\/b\u003e new novel \u003ci\u003eAn Orchestra of Minorities\u003c\/i\u003e is \u003cb\u003eremarkable\u003c\/b\u003e for its exploration of universal concepts to do with destiny, free will and luck * Jennifer Clement, National Book Award-longlisted author of Gun Love, President of PEN International *\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eAn Orchestra of Minorities\u003c\/i\u003e is \u003cb\u003ea stunning novel which succeeds on so many levels\u003c\/b\u003e. This time around Obioma deserves every accolade that comes his way * The UAE National *\u003cbr\u003eA twist on \u003ci\u003eThe Odyssey\u003c\/i\u003e - [\u003ci\u003eAn Orchestra of Minorities\u003c\/i\u003e is] narrated by a guardian spirit, traversing earth and space, but grounded in the universal themes of love, ambition and loss * Buzzfeed (Most Anticipated Books of 2019 *\u003cbr\u003eFans of Ben Okri will enjoy Obioma's spirited dedication to remembering old beliefs as western modernity encroaches, and the world he creates is pungently real * The Times *\u003cbr\u003eThe chances that Chigozie Obioma's second novel would match, let alone surpass, \u003ci\u003eThe Fishermen \u003c\/i\u003ewere slim. Happily, his follow-up, AN ORCHESTRA OF MINORITIES, is a triumph. . . . In an era of copycats,\u003ci\u003e An Orchestra of Minorities\u003c\/i\u003e is\u003cb\u003e an unusual and brilliantly original book\u003c\/b\u003e * Economist *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eObioma expands his canvas from the tragic to the epic\u003c\/b\u003e * Daily Telegraph *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDestined to become a classic\u003c\/b\u003e * HelloGiggles *\u003cbr\u003eThere's no sign of difficult second novel syndrome here: this is\u003cb\u003e a continent-spanning \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003emagical-realist tale of star-crossed \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003elove\u003c\/b\u003e . . . intoxicating * Daily Mail *\u003cbr\u003eA modern take on Homer's The Odyssey, this Nigerian love story is filled with plot twists that demonstrate the power of persistence * Essence *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eHeartbreaking and utterly unique\u003c\/b\u003e * Vulture (Books You Should Read This January) *\u003cbr\u003eUnforgettable . . . \u003cb\u003eA mesmerising page-turner\u003c\/b\u003e * Image Magazine *\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Fishermen \u003c\/i\u003ewas an elegiac state-of-the-nation drama that fused Greek tragedy with Nigerian folklore . . . For his follow-up, Obioma scales up the canvas from tragic to epic, with the Odyssey-like tale of a man adrift from himself and from modern Nigeria * Telegraph *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eIgbo cosmology\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eclassical western literature\u003c\/b\u003e and the bitter\u003cb\u003e pressures of globalisation \u003c\/b\u003ecombine for\u003cb\u003e a visionary perspective\u003c\/b\u003e on migration and the individual's place in the world * Guardian *\u003cbr\u003ePerspectives in this novel change at the flap of a wing, darting between the earthly and the supernatural realms, between grand, atemporal ideas and tiny local details, in fluent prose that marries Igbo, pidgin and English . . . \u003cb\u003eThis book has both the singular inevitability of classical tragedy and the pellucid sense of injustice found in Chinua Achebe's fiction\u003c\/b\u003e * Literary Review *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eUnforgettable second novel \u003c\/b\u003e. . . Obioma's novel is electrifying, a meticulously crafted character drama told with emotional intensity. His invention, combining Igbo folklore and Greek tragedy in the context of modern Nigeria, makes for\u003cb\u003e a rich, enchanting experience\u003c\/b\u003e * Publishers Weekly *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA fast-moving romantic tragicomedy\u003c\/b\u003e . . . It tells the heartbreaking story of a lovestruck Nigerian chicken farmer called Chinonso in present-day Nigeria, who sacrifices everything to win the heart of the woman he loves * Independent *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA boundary-breaking love story \u003c\/b\u003e * Daily Mail *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eGorgeously written\u003c\/b\u003e, with a twist of magical realism and a heavy dose of sad reality, \u003cb\u003ethis is your big novel of the winter\u003c\/b\u003e * Washington Post *\u003cbr\u003eInvoke[s] older traditions and instances of storytelling and recasts them in a contemporary world, bringing to the fore the experiences and pressures of movement and migration * Guardian *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eI predict it will be one of the most talked about books of next year.\u003c\/b\u003e It certainly deserves to be. It surprised me most because it's a challenging read - it is set in Nigeria and the author uses a combination of English, Nigerian Pidgin and untranslated Igbo - and yet it is still \u003cb\u003ea very compelling and emotionally-stimulating story\u003c\/b\u003e. I couldn't put it down * Bustle *\u003cbr\u003eA modern love story that painstakingly examines despair, destiny and human determination . . . The writing is lyrical in places, knife-sharp in others . . . My advice is just to dive straight in * Irish Times *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTranscendent\u003c\/b\u003e . . . Chigozie Obioma's second novel is \u003cb\u003ea rare treasure:\u003c\/b\u003e a book that deepens the mystery of the human experience * Seattle Times *\u003cbr\u003eIn his ambitious follow-up, longlisted for this year's Booker prize, Chigozie Obioma scales up the canvas from tragic to epic, with the \u003ci\u003eOdyssey\u003c\/i\u003e-like tale of a man adrift from himself and from modern Nigeria * Daily Telegraph *\u003cbr\u003e[A] rich, rewarding book * Financial Times (Best Books of 2019) *\u003cbr\u003ePungently real * The Times *\u003cbr\u003eIntoxicating * Daily Mail *\u003cbr\u003eNarrated by a \u003ci\u003echi\u003c\/i\u003e, a guardian spirit in Igbo myth, this novel follows Nonso, an ambitious Nigerian graduate who becomes trapped in Cyprus after falling for an education scam * Guardian *\u003cbr\u003eChigozie Obioma's first novel, laced Greek tragedy and African folklore into a withering allegory of contemporary Nigeria. \u003cb\u003eThe best debut of the year by some distance\u003c\/b\u003e * Observer (Book of the Year 2015) on THE FISHERMEN *\u003cbr\u003eThis year's most promising African newcomer may well prove to be Chigozie Obioma . . . The political implications of \u003ci\u003eThe Fishermen\u003c\/i\u003e are obvious, though never ­overstated . . . In his exploration of the mysterious and the murderous, of the terrors that can take hold of the human mind, of the colors of life in Africa, with its vibrant fabrics and its trees laden with fruit, and most of all in his ability to create dramatic tension in this most human of African stories, \u003cb\u003eChigozie Obioma truly is the heir to Chinua Achebe\u003c\/b\u003e * New York Times Book Review on THE FISHERMEN *\u003cbr\u003eA lyrical retelling of the Cain-and-Abel story in which four Nigerian brothers play truant from school, go fishing and meet a soothsayer who predicts that one brother will kill another. \u003cb\u003eNot yet 30, Chigozie Obioma is a writer to watch\u003c\/b\u003e * The Economist (Best Books of the Year 2015) on THE FISHERMEN *\u003cbr\u003eIf African literature ever got a book that represented the careful realities of being African without necessarily portraying Africa within the specifics of the western stereotype, it was definitely Chigozie Obioma's\u003ci\u003e The Fishermen\u003c\/i\u003e * The Afrodiaspora List: The Best African Novels of 2015 on THE FISHERMEN *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eChigozie Obioma's debut novel combines reminiscence, recent history and the supernatural, with dazzling results . . .\u003c\/b\u003e * Observer, Paperback of the Week on THE FISHERMEN *\u003cbr\u003eI just finished reading Chigozie Obioma's astonishing first novel . . . The writing is so crisp, the story so unusual, that I couldn't put the book down even though it disturbed me. It was written to disturb. Four brothers, conceived by their parents to become happy and successful men, become instead harbingers of immense torment and grief. Someone must have observed that it is our children who can break us, when all other systems of oppression have failed. \u003cb\u003eThat is part of the tidings of this remarkable, mythic, book\u003c\/b\u003e * Alice Walker *\u003cbr\u003e[A] startling and auspicious debut [with] echoes of past masters [and a] myriad of literary influences . . . I felt at times like I was reading \u003ci\u003eChronicle of a Death Foretold\u003c\/i\u003e by Marquez . . . leaps off the pages * Mariella Fostrup, BBC Radio 4 Open Book on THE FISHERMEN *\u003cbr\u003eThis promising debut spins a simple, almost mythological conceit into a heartbreaking elegy to Nigeria's lost promise . . . The book works on many levels. It is, at an obvious level, a Bildungsroman . . . a metaphorical allusion to the struggles of Nigeria's failed leaders...and yet it remains hopeful about the redemptive possibilities of a new generation * Helon Habila, Guardian on THE FISHERMEN *\u003cbr\u003eThe mysterious, mercurial nature of folklore is potently displayed in Chigozie Obioma's debut novel, \u003ci\u003eThe Fishermen \u003c\/i\u003e. . . Mr. Obioma's long-limbed and elegant writing is shot through with strikingly elevated phrasings . . . \"The Fishermen\" is full of recent history, and it can be read as an allegory of the civic disarray in Nigeria under military rule. But it's also rich with ancient themes of filial love, fratricide, vengeance and fate. Its lessons may be slippery, but its power is unmistakable * Wall Street Journal on THE FISHERMEN *\u003cbr\u003ePart Bildungsroman, part Greek tragedy, \u003ci\u003eThe Fishermen\u003c\/i\u003e may be the most interesting debut novel to emerge from Nigeria this year . . . In a first novel full of deceptive simplicity, lyrical language and playful Igbo mythology and humour, he uses the madman's apocalyptic vision for the family as a way of conjuring up Nigeria's senseless body politic . . . This is an impressive and beautifully imagined work * Economist on THE FISHERMEN *\u003cbr\u003eIn its ambition to give a polyvalent, multiple account of Nigeria in the years before and after the millennium, \u003ci\u003eThe Fishermen\u003c\/i\u003e establishes Obioma as a writer to be taken seriously * Stuart Kelly, TLS on THE FISHERMEN *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA striking, controlled and masterfully taut debut\u003c\/b\u003e * Carl Wilkinson, Financial Times on THE FISHERMEN *\u003cbr\u003eObioma writes with gorgeous restraint reminiscent of the intricate prose in a Tolstoy novella. Every sentence delivers a precise and heartfelt blow. Hardly anyone writing today is delivering this level of intricacy, lyricism and control. Add to that, the urgency and importance of his message. It just doesn't get better than this. Get used to the name: Obioma is here to stay * Alexandra Fuller, author of DON'T LET'S GO TO THE DOGS TONIGHT on THE FISHERMEN *\u003cbr\u003eAwesome in the true sense of the word: crackling with life, freighted with death, vertiginous both in its style and in the elemental power of its story. Few novels deserve to be called 'mythic', but Chigozie Obioma's \u003ci\u003eThe Fishermen\u003c\/i\u003e is certainly one of them. A truly magnificent debut * Eleanor Catton, Man Booker Prize-winning author of THE LUMINARIES on THE FISHERMEN *\u003cbr\u003eObioma´s remarkable fiction is at once urgently, vividly immediate, yet simultaneously charged with the elemental power of myth * Peter Ho Davies, author of THE WLESH GIRL on THE FISHERMEN *\u003cbr\u003eThe guileless Ben is a well-chosen conduit for Obioma's frank and lyrical prose * The New Yorker *\u003cbr\u003eOne of the many delights of\u003ci\u003e The Fishermen\u003c\/i\u003e is how deeply multi-layered the narrative is . . . \u003ci\u003eThe Fishermen\u003c\/i\u003e is a strikingly accomplished debut, hailing Chigozie Obioma as a bold new voice in Nigerian fiction. It comes as no surprise it's made this year's Man Booker Dozen, and I for one would be surprised and disappointed if it doesn't make the shortlist next month * Lucy Scholes, Independent on THE FISHERMEN *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA mighty fry-up of pop-culture, fable and verbal invention\u003c\/b\u003e * New Statesman on THE FISHERMEN *\u003cbr\u003eIn its exploration of the murderous and the mysterious, the mind's terrors and a vibrant Africa, this debut novel is heir to Chinua Achebe * New York Times, 100 Notable Books of 2015 on THE FISHERMEN *\u003cbr\u003eObioma's masterly debut novel was shortlisted for the Man Booker and won the FT\/OppenheimerFunds Emerging Voices Award for Fiction * Financial Times, Best Books of 2015 on THE FISHERMEN *\u003cbr\u003eIt is brimming with life and buzzing with emotion but at the same time it carries a deeply poignant quality: Obioma has a deep understanding of recent Nigerian history * Nick Barley, Director Edinburgh International Book Festival in The Herald, Best Books of 2015 on THE FISHERMEN *\u003cbr\u003eAs dark as Obioma's prose is, though, it's also beautiful. His use of language is rich and hypnotic, and nearly every page is filled with an unexpected and perfectly rendered description . . . an excellent debut that does a very good job wrestling with some extremely difficult themes. Chigozie Obioma writes with sophistication and inventiveness; he's obviously deeply in love with the English language, and it shows. This is a dark and beautiful book by a writer with seemingly endless promise * NPR.org on THE FISHERMEN *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eChigozie Obioma truly is the heir to Chinua Achebe\u003c\/b\u003e * New York Times Book Review *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eI just finished reading Chigozie Obioma's astonishing first novel . . . The writing is so crisp, the story so unusual, that I couldn't put the book down\u003c\/b\u003e * Alice Walker *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e[A] startling and auspicious debut [with] echoes of past masters [and a] myriad of literary influences . . . I felt at times like I was reading \u003ci\u003eChronicle of a Death Foretold\u003c\/i\u003e by Marquez . . . leaps off the pages\u003c\/b\u003e * Mariella Frostrup, BBC Radio 4 Open Book *\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eAn Orchestra of Minorities \u003c\/i\u003eis a deft reimagining of Homer's Odyssey with Nigerian Igbo traditions at its forefront. This ingenious realignment not only highlights the tensions between Western and African philosophies, but also breathes life back into a vibrant history of \"precious African knowledge that has been lost\" * Evening Standard *\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Little, Brown Book Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49408000852311,"sku":"9781408710807","price":17.09,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781408710807.jpg?v=1730501227","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/an-orchestra-of-minorities-9781408710807","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}