The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives
Summary
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The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives by Lola Shoneyin
To the dismay of her overbearing mother, Bolanle marries into a polygamous family, where she is the fourth wife of a rich, rotund patriarch, Baba Segi. She is a graduate and therefore a great prize, but even graduates must produce children and her husband's persistent bellyache is a sign that things are not as they should be.
A funny and moving story told with love and compassion.. a jewel of a novel -- Petina Gappah
This deft, lightly spun story packs quite a punch. Shoneyin's unravelling of a family is rooted in and flavoured by Nigeria, but speaks more widely. It is a book you'll want to eat in a sitting - and then start again -- Diran Adebayo
This first novel is a compelling, unsettling tale of a polygamous household and the women within Baba Segi's walls. Shoneyin's sharply written portrait of a family and a nation gripped by the past, yet surging into modernity, manages to be funny, disconcerting and violent all at once. An utterly gripping read. -- Patricia Duncker
A rich debut... an engrossing and beautifully written domestic tale of polygamy and rivalry set in her native Nigeria. -- N/A * Harper's Bazaar *
A Rabelaisian picture of polygamous marriage, comically capturing the physical realities of ordinary Nigerian life. -- Giles Foden * Pre-publication endorsement *
Riveting... a truly compelling tale... -- Davina Morris * The Voice *
An engrossing portrayal of a polygamous household... a rich portrait of a family on the verge of collapse. -- Yasmin Sulaiman * The List *
Riotous... this debut novel is a real eye-opener: a deft, compelling and unsettling tale. -- Ailin Quinlan * Irish Examiner *
Vividly written with a poet's eye, this novel reveals its secrets with humour, verve and poignancy. -- Beverley Naidoo * N/A *
Engrossing and throughly entertaining... Flavoured with humour, proverbs and malevolent feuding... * Travel Africa *
You have to commend Shoneyin's ability to maintain a strong and fluid narrative, with vivid descriptions, and not once does the humour drop. A warm and captivating read, this book will make you laugh out loud. * New African Woman *
This deft, lightly spun story packs quite a punch. Shoneyin's unravelling of a family is rooted in and flavoured by Nigeria, but speaks more widely. It is a book you'll want to eat in a sitting - and then start again -- Diran Adebayo
This first novel is a compelling, unsettling tale of a polygamous household and the women within Baba Segi's walls. Shoneyin's sharply written portrait of a family and a nation gripped by the past, yet surging into modernity, manages to be funny, disconcerting and violent all at once. An utterly gripping read. -- Patricia Duncker
A rich debut... an engrossing and beautifully written domestic tale of polygamy and rivalry set in her native Nigeria. -- N/A * Harper's Bazaar *
A Rabelaisian picture of polygamous marriage, comically capturing the physical realities of ordinary Nigerian life. -- Giles Foden * Pre-publication endorsement *
Riveting... a truly compelling tale... -- Davina Morris * The Voice *
An engrossing portrayal of a polygamous household... a rich portrait of a family on the verge of collapse. -- Yasmin Sulaiman * The List *
Riotous... this debut novel is a real eye-opener: a deft, compelling and unsettling tale. -- Ailin Quinlan * Irish Examiner *
Vividly written with a poet's eye, this novel reveals its secrets with humour, verve and poignancy. -- Beverley Naidoo * N/A *
Engrossing and throughly entertaining... Flavoured with humour, proverbs and malevolent feuding... * Travel Africa *
You have to commend Shoneyin's ability to maintain a strong and fluid narrative, with vivid descriptions, and not once does the humour drop. A warm and captivating read, this book will make you laugh out loud. * New African Woman *
Lola Shoneyin has published three collections of poems. The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives is her debut novel. Having lived in London and the South East for several years, Shoneyin has recently moved to Abuja, Nigeria, and teaches drama and English at a local school.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781846687488 |
| ISBN 10 | 1846687489 |
| Title | The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives |
| Author | Lola Shoneyin |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Profile Books Ltd |
| Year published | 2010-04-08 |
| Number of pages | 256 |
| Prizes | Winner of PEN Oakland-Josephine Miles Literary Award 2011 (UK), Short-listed for Nigeria Prize for Literature 2012 (UK), Long-listed for Orange Prize 2011 (UK) |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |