#24 in Historical fiction
Half of a Yellow Sun
- 500
- Pages
- about 9 h
- Reading time
- Women's Prize for Fiction
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Our view
“Half of a Yellow Sun” brings the Nigerian Civil War home through one household, and the houseboy Ugwu’s view of it feels fresh. Some readers praise the writing and race through most of its five hundred pages, then find the last chapters drag as the quarrels and the flight from the fighting go on. The central characters and their love triangle leave some readers cold, and some feel the violence is laid on for effect.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
Half of a Yellow Sun is a 2006 novel by Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Set in Nigeria in the 1960s, the story follows Ugwu, a teenage houseboy who has moved from his village to work in a university town; his master Odenigbo, a mathematics professor with revolutionary views; and Olanna, the beautiful daughter of a wealthy Nigerian man, with whom Odenigbo is in love. When the Nigerian Civil War (1967–1970) breaks out, their lives are thrown into chaos.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 8.5 across 288 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 66% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Historical fiction average of 8.0. That is how 8.4 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.5 | 35 | 12% |
| Google Books | 10.0 | 5 | 2% |
| Hardcover | 8.5 | 248 | 86% |
Frequently asked
How long is Half of a Yellow Sun?
It has 500 pages — longer than 61% of the ranked books in Historical fiction.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Historical fiction — with scores between 8.3 and 8.4, closest to this book.
