Oh parts are grim as hell, but Adunni is a charming protagonist whose curiosity endears her. Ends on an upbeat note which is rare and made me appreciate Dare

A-MAZ-ING!!!! I don't know how to describe just how brilliant this book is. I absolutely fell in love with Adunni, a fourteen year old Nigerian girl, born into poverty, but with an insatiable thirst for knowledge, and a passion for questioning everyone and everything around her - she has a 'louding voice.' Adunni dreams of finishing her schooling and becoming a teacher, but her father, unable and unwilling to pay for her education, sells her to a much older man, Morufu, who is taking her as a third wife. Adunni is afraid of this man, and is mauled by him, night after night in his bid to have a son. After a tragic event befalls Morufu's second wife, and dear friend to Adunni, she flees and eventually ends up as a housemaid in Lagos, a city that overwhelms her with its sights and smells.

Her she is forced to work for 15 hours a day, for no money, and only one meal. She is beaten and belittled. She is afraid of Big Daddy who lusts after her. But the cook, Kofi, is kind to her and one day shows her a newspaper article inviting young, female, domestic workers to apply for a scholarship that would pay for her education as well as giving her a home and food. She is afraid to hope or dream, and anyway, needs a referee who will vouch for her. Enter Tia, Adunni's saviour and guardian angel. Tia pours her time and love into Adunni, and together they apply for the scholarship in secret.

When Adunni finds out that she is one of the lucky few to win the scholarship her heart fills with joy and she leaves behind all the hurt and misery of her life working as a housemaid. She is determined that 'a day will come, when my voice will sound so loud all over Nigeria...when I will be able to make a way for other girls to have their own louding voice.'

Adunni is fierce, vulnerable, kind, compassionate, passionate and so so wise. She is one of the most inspiring female characters I have read in a long time. A truly remarkable story that will move anyone who reads it.

I was so excited to read this book and see if all the hype around it was true, and I wasn't disappointed. The voice of the lead character, Adunni, is so strong and sweet and emotive that you can't put the book down until you know how life turns out for her in the end.

Adunni seems to go through every possible bad thing that happens to a girl growing up in poverty. She loses a parent you, is sold to marriage, abused, sold in slavery, manipulated and abused even more. But despite all of this she never loses her spirit and her hopes to be schooled and educated, a desire instilled in her by her mother.

Abi Daré perfectly presents the light and dark in all the people Adunni meets. How people can choose to be good or bad no matter what their circumstances. Adunni faces it all like a champion, and I was amazed at the end how much I felt for and believed in this lead character.

Abi Daré paints a picture of Nigeria so effortlessly I couldn't believe it, it really felt like I was there in the bustling streets of Lagos and in the small village of Ikati.

This is a must-read, and I am so excited to read the next book by Abi Daré.

One of the best books I have read so far. Highly recommended. I had to cringe at some of the things in it because I will never understand what exactly Adunni went through. What I took from it was: no matter how hard, keep pressing on and do not give up on your dreams.

"I feel hot tears burn my eyes. I know the meaning of forsake. I know it means when somebody has leave you by yourself. When you are of no use to the person. A wasted waste.
I am not a wasted waste; I am Adunni. A person important enough because my tomorrow will be better than today."

Adunni, is a 14 year old girl living in a village outside Lagos. The transactional nature of male and female relationships are revealed as she moves from undervalued daughter, to utilitarian third wife, to abused house girl. The cadences of Adunni's language, described by the author as 'broken, desperate English', add to how earnest she is as a character. She doesn't always have the vocabulary to describe what she experiences but Daré writes so that we always understand how she feels. We know what she means when she uses 'roughs' as a verb, just as she knows that 'slavery' is the right word to describe her condition. There are times when her misunderstanding is used as a point of humour - might be the teacher in me but I didn't always enjoy those moments. Daré's writing shines when Adunni responds to the rare beauty she sees in her world.

Throughout the novel, Adunni speaks of wanting to have a "louding voice" and of seeing education as a means of acquiring that voice. But her "louding voice" isn't her mastery of the English language, it's the unwavering confidence that comes from truly knowing herself and her purpose - something that she always had. The moment Adunni realises that 'English is only a language, like Yoruba and Igbo and Hausa' is crucial because it shifts power from Western constructs of knowledge and highlights the different types of education present in the novel: yes academic, but also social; cultural (Miss Tia in the market and with those women...); experiential; education in the ways of patriarchy and even the role women play in upholding this structure. Unfortunately, the violence the men of the novel enact on women is expected; the violence women enact on other women feels more brutal.

Remembering that she's only a baby is hard, but if you can stick with it, the ending is as joyous as Adunni's singing.

The story of a courageous girl.
The Girl with the Louding Voice is about the courage of a Nigerian girl. I finished reading this on International Women’s Day, and this book tells a story of WHY we need such a day!

All Adunni wants is an education and a way out of the poverty that she was born in to. This dream however, seems to be brought to an abrupt end with the death of her mother. Adunni’s father has relied on his wife’s wages (he doesn’t seem to work) and has managed to rack up debts that he can’t pay off. So he sells 14 year old Adunni in to marriage with a man who is far older than her, who already has two wives. Adunni is supposed to swap her ambitions from education and a career, to bearing male children to a man she can’t bring herself to look at (and I don’t blame her). She has a horrible life, made marginally better by her friendship with the heavily pregnant second wife. However, Adunni tries to help the second wife see a midwife because of pregnancy complications and something goes very wrong. Adunni runs away, knowing that if she is caught, it could mean her death.

She then finds herself working at a house in the city as a house girl: she’s basically a slave, working from 5am to midnight, for no wages. Big Madam, her ‘employer’ beats her for the slightest things. Reading these scenes was upsetting - that a child should be treated in such a way, that she should be raped by a man who should never have married her (it IS illegal in Nigeria), and then be beaten to unconsciousness by her ‘owner’ (because without wages, surely that’s what Big Madam is?). And then there are Adunni’s saviours: the chef who lives and works in the house, and a neighbour who is a doctors wife, Tia.

This book will probably break your heart, but you’ll also marvel at the strength, perseverance and bravery of Adunni. She never gives up. She knows what she wants, and she grabs her opportunities where she can. This is a book that everyone should read - it’s really that good.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book to read and honestly review.

A book that tells of the hardship of women living in Nigeria. This book shows the powerlessness of women but also the strength of them and of how women can find their voice.

The story shows the horrors that can become women who are sold to save their parents. It shows the patriarchal system that prevents women who have made financial success in the world from being able to do so alone.

It is a story of power and friendship, of hope and education.

A wonderful powerful read, this should be required reading. Absolutely heartbreaking read about modern slavery , child marriage, abuse, it’s a hard read, but worthwhile and full of so much hope. It’s so well written with an amazing cast of characters, such strong women. A powerful insight into modern Nigeria and should be Made available in schools and libraries now ! Thoroughly recommended read.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

The Girl with the Louding Voice is a challenging piece of literature that tackles the injustice and inequality suffered by women and girls in less well off areas of the world that continues to this day. It's probably not a novel I would have picked off the shelf, but I have to say I am glad that I put the request as it's a powerful and striking debut novel. The writing is strong and despite being written in a distinctive vernacular dialect that is somewhat laboured at times, there is never any doubt that Daré gets her message across loud and clear.

I found it helpful that the majority of the characters around Adunni speak fluent English, so whilst much of the novel is directly narrated in Adunni's voice, it is not the only voice here. I found the dialect difficult to follow cleanly to begin with, but I got used to it quickly enough and it adds an additional level of authenticity to the novel. Adunni's character is brilliantly portrayed; Daré has captured her life and spirit wonderfully well. Adunni faces a series of issues and challenges that may be difficult to believe sitting in a privileged position in a first world country. Her lifelong goal of gaining an education and becoming a teacher doesn't feel like it should be so difficult. Yet from the first few pages you know it is not going to be so simple.

With her mother recently dead, her father goes against his wife's wishes and pulls Adunni out of school to become the third wife of a much older man. Nigeria has officially committed to eliminate child marriage, however Adunni is one of 44% of girls married before there eighteenth birthday and one of the 18% married before her fifteenth birthday. Her father sees no reason to pay for her education because a girl-child is "a wasted waste, a thing with no voice, no dreams, no brain" only useful for making boy-children. Adunni's coming of age is sharp, short and brutal. She is given no choice in the matter; she is simply a way for her father to get the community rent in her bride price. But when tragedy strikes, she has no choice but to run, not realising that her naivety will be taken advantage of.

Child brides are only one corner of the picture of the social ills in Nigeria that Daré portrays here but she does it in such a way that it doesn't seem like moralising. When Adunni comes to the city, her life as a house-maid is a hard one and despite promises of a salary it seems obvious to the reader - if not to Adunni - that she will not see a penny of that money. As the narrative moves from the far flung countryside to the city, you see a far wider variety of characters - many with far more education than Adunni. Whilst some of the characters felt somewhat caricatured, most were complex and well drawn characters who came to life off the page. I found her new employer Big Madam to be one of the most caricatured, whereas the other servants in particular came alive off the page.

I will say that this book didn't hide any surprises from me. I knew very early on where it was going to go and I wasn't far wrong on any of the points. I'd have liked to see a little more of what happened after the final events of the novel as well. It all seemed to finish rather suddenly where there could've been at least a few more chapters. Those niggles didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book however and this is one that I would certainly recommend, even if it is an unusual genre for you to pick up.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my free review copy of this novel.

This is a powerful message from a girl who is determined to be heard in the story. When Adunni's mother was dying, she made her father promise that Adunni would finish her education but he soon pulled her from school and at fourteen she is promised to be married to an old man. He already has two wives but is desperate for a son having already having one wife unable to have children and a second wife who has only given him two daughters.
Adunni's voice is of broken English, very understandable and easy to fall in with. She is a very strong character that learns quickly and knows how far she can push someone. It is heartbreaking the things the happen to her, especially when you know there are no laws to protect her. It is like is said in the book, slavery was abolished in 1833 but still, girls were being sold and bartered over, raped and abused openly.
Adunni doesn't just want a better life for herself she wants a better life for all the girls like her that are frighted to speak up. Not everyone is cruel but the girls are still bartered over and sold with no wages or possible chance to leave, get an education or choose a life for themselves.
This is an outstanding story, heartbreaking but hopefully, the louding voice will carry on getting louder. The voices that hear need to do more than listen though. A stunning debut novel. Very highly recommended.
I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

This book engages you from the very first page and barely lets you go at the end. It is an emotional rollercoaster. Set in recent times in modern Nigeria it tells the story of Adunni and her experiences as a women, being sold off into marriage at the tender age of 14 to a much older man who requires her to be his third wife and bearer of a son..The story tells of her daily life and its incredible hardships, with the lightest of touches. The goodness of Adunni is revealed in her relationships with others and her amazing powers to forgive. It is a story of enlightenment that is engrossing at all stages. A truly wonderful story that I want everyone to read..

What can I say?
I was pretty much blown away by this book.
It started with me wondering whether I could keep up with reading the account of the life of Adunni, a young Nigerian girl, born and brought up in a village, with the hope of an education.
Married off at fourteen, by her father, desperate for money, she dreams of the time she may be able to allow her own 'louding voice' be heard.
The book is written in the Niger way of speaking, using their pidgeon English, at the start, then, as Adunni's own learning grows, so does her voice and vocabulary.
I loved it so much that by the end, I was reading the whole thing in her voice, not thinking of the strangeness of some words.
Child marriage, death, sold into slavery, physical abuse, even the prospect of rape: she experiences so much, until she meets her own angels, who help her reach a destination she only ever dreamed of.
A novel filled with the hope of many young girls out there, especially in third world countries, denied the chance to educate, and better themselves.
GO ADUNNI!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a novel! Loved it. Loved the lead character Adduni so very much.
Growing up in a poor rural village in Nigeria Adduni dreams of an education. But after her mother dies, her poverty stricken father sells her, aged just 14, into a marriage with a much older man who already has two wives. Desperate to escape, and desperate to find her voice in the world she ends up trapped in modern slavery in a wealthy household in Lagos.
Brilliantly told, a cast of great strong characters, and a very powerful insight into Nigeria.
Highly recommend

Education equals louding voice, which in turn will enable Adunni to make decisions and speak for herself. It's what her mother always told her, but her mother is dead and Adunni has taken her place in the family. With a family to feed and rent to pay Adunni becomes the only commodity her father has, so he sells her to a local man. A third wife to be, her dreams wither and die.

Things come to a head and fourteen-year-old Adunni runs away and ends up in the hands of a scrupulous criminal who sells her into servitude. There she again works as an unpaid skivvy and is mistreated by her mistress. No matter where she turns there seems to be the same result.

At first she doesn't question the girls who have trodden in her footsteps before her, but there is something about the last girl that doesn't quite sit right. What really happened to Rebecca and is there something or someone Adunni should be afraid of?

One of the saddest and most poignant moments in the book is when you realise that the story of Adunni isn't set in the past. It's set in modern day Nigeria, and because of that it is absolutely heartbreaking. Her status as a girl means living as the subservient daughter, the obedient wife and lastly as the servant who is treated worse than a stray dog. Such is the life of her gender. No power, no choice and no voice.

I loved the use of language as a tool to show progress and oppression in the same breath. Daré keeps the entire story on the level of the teenage girl, and yet it simultaneously screams out the unfairness of the adulthood which has been forced upon her.

It's a contemporary cultural read - a strong reminder of the stark contrast of life for women outside of the high walls of Western civilisation.

The Girl With The Louding Voice is a debut novel rich in culture and has an amazing character, Adunni. It's written in the style of a rural Nigerian girl speaking in a very basic form of English which is quick and easy to slip into and sometimes comical to read.

Adunni is a fourteen year old girl from a small village in Nigeria. Following the death of her mother, the family becomes poorer and her father negotiates a husband for her in exchange for the 'bride money'. She becomes the third wife of an older man and is trapped in a life of servitude instead of getting the education she so wants. Being a spirited and brave girl she escapes her husband and then taken to Lagos to be housekeeper in the wealthy household of Big Madam and her lecherous husband. At first excited going to the big city, she quickly realises she has been trafficked and will not be paid any wages.

This is a powerful and emotional story of female injustice and slavery, yet ultimately is a story of believing in yourself, that you can achieve whatever you want in life.

A good read which is different to anything that I have read before. Adunni has experienced a lot in her short life and her story and suffering was an eye opener.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

We may be only just into January (at the time of writing my review!), but The Girl with the Louding Voice could well be my favourite book of 2020 - if not ever!

From the very start, the voice of Adunni sings in her wonderful broken English, making me smile with her way of phrasing her observations and thoughts. Despite the sometimes heartbreaking and brutal way of life, Adunni's joyous spirit is never broken - it just builds her determination. She has a sharp humour, and her intelligence, empathy and compassion shine through the pages.

The other characters are as equally brought to life by the writer, from the old man she is forced to marry, to Big Madam, who, despite her treatment of Adunni, still elicits some semblance of sympathy.

I absolutely loved this book, and will be telling everyone I meet to read it! It is simply wonderful.

Adunni is a young Yoruba girl growing up in in rural Nigeria in a culture that places no value on women. Forced by her father to marry an old man for the sake of the bride price, she runs away to Lagos where she ends up trapped in domestic slavery. In the face of a society that regards her as little more than trash Adunni struggles to gain the education she has always longed for. At times harrowing, The Girl With The Louding Voice is also vibrant, lyrical and uplifting.

"Not his-story I say, my own will be called her-story. Adunni's story"

This book smashed my heart into so many pieces but sort of put it back together again too. The book is all about Adunni, a child who is sold as a third wife to a well-off men in her village but all she wants to do is go back to school and become a teacher.

We follow her life as she meets more people, learns more about herself and her surroundings, as she keeps fighting to be the girl with the louding voice. It's so so so good.

The book is written in sort of broken-child-English which is hard at the beginning. A few chapters in I checked out previous reviews who all seemed to say just persevere with it because you will get used to the writing style quicker than you expect and they were right. After a little while, I forgot how much it had annoyed me and instead just fell completely into the story and hung on its every word.

A must read, really. I can't see me forgetting about Adunni for a very long time.

An astounding first novel and marvellous achievement - you really root for Adunni and hope she can get the education and joy she deserves.

Full review on my blog at https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2020/01/18/book-review-abi-dare-the-girl-with-the-louding-voice/