The Girl With The Louding Voice: A Novel by Abi Daré

(Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about book:

A powerful, emotional debut novel told in the unforgettable voice of a young Nigerian woman who is trapped in a life of servitude but determined to fight for her dreams and choose her own future.

Adunni is a fourteen-year-old Nigerian girl who knows what she wants: an education. This, her mother has told her, is the only way to get a “louding voice”—the ability to speak for herself and decide her own future. But instead, Adunni's father sells her to be the third wife of a local man who is eager for her to bear him a son and heir.

When Adunni runs away to the city, hoping to make a better life, she finds that the only other option before her is servitude to a wealthy family. As a yielding daughter, a subservient wife, and a powerless slave, Adunni is told, by words and deeds, that she is nothing.

But while misfortunes might muffle her voice for a time, they cannot mute it. And when she realizes that she must stand up not only for herself, but for other girls, for the ones who came before her and were lost, and for the next girls, who will inevitably follow; she finds the resolve to speak, however she can—in a whisper, in song, in broken English—until she is heard.

my thoughts:

I've been wanting to read great literature for quite some time. A book that would excel in every which way - writing, plot, characters, details, story, etc.. Well, I found that book - Abi Daré's novel, The Girl With The Louding Voice.  Talk about literature at its very best!

First off, the book's cover. Gorgeousness galore! I LOVED the cover. The images and the colors - oh, how they spoke volumes. And then, I read the story. OMFG! I was blown away. I found myself mesmerized by such powerful storytelling, that I couldn't/wouldn't put the book down for anything. I refused to stop reading until I turned the very last page. I was enthralled by the words, the story, the emotions, and the passion.  This book had me from the start and I enjoyed every single second I spent with it. 

Adunni was an amazing character. I fell in love with her and couldn't get enough of her story. She wants a "louding voice", which means speaking for herself and being able to make her dreams come true. Her dream is for an education.  That is all she wants. And then, her father sells her into marriage. Fourteen and forced to marry a man who wants a child ASAP. Oh, how my heart broke for Adunni. The unfairness of it all. This young girl who deserved for her "louding voice" to be shouted at the rooftops.  Well, Adunni runs away.  She escapes to the city, but soon finds that her only option is to work in servitude for a wealthy family.  As she works her fingers to the bone, she learns the stories of the girls who came before her, girls who followed in the same footsteps.  Knowing these stories pushes Adunni to keep fighting for her "louding voice."  And, that is all I will write about this wonderful story. You must experience it for yourself - it is a must-read!!

I would happily recommend The Girl With The Louding Voice to anyone and everyone looking for their next great read - you will LOVE this book to bits!!



Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!