Title: The Girl with the Louding Voice
Author: Abi Daré
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.2 out of 5

Adunni is a fourteen-year-old Nigerian girl who dreams of finishing her education and becoming a teacher. Before her mother died, she made her father promise Adunni wouldn’t be forced to marry, but her father now disregards that promise and gives her to be the third wife to a local man who demands that she gives him sons—and his first wife terrorizes her.

So Adunni runs away—and finds herself as the house slave to a wealthy couple in the city. The wife forces Adunni to scrub the house with a toothbrush and beats her whenever the whim strikes. The husband is a threat of a different kind, and Adunni realizes if she is ever to have “a louding voice”—the ability to speak and stand up for herself—she will have to act despite her fear. For herself. For the ones who came before her. And for those who will come after.

Sometimes it’s easy to forget how blessed I am, but this book paints it in stark relief in comparison to Adunni’s life. The strength and determination it would take to stand up to centuries of tradition and cultural habits is amazing. Adunni has suffered unspeakable things at the hands of those around her—yet she’s still upbeat and determined to seize her dreams in both hands. An excellent read—but not light and fluffy.

Abi Daré grew up in Nigeria and now lives in the UK. The Girl with the Louding Voice is her debut novel.

(Galley courtesy of Penguin Group/Dutton in exchange for an honest review.)

I usually don't do well with reading dialect in print, but this one really worked for me! I quickly got used to Adunni's voice and it added so much to the story. A beautiful novel with the right mix of tragedy and joy, so it never felt too hopeless or too cliché.

"You believe it, I know you do. You just need to hold onto that belief and never let go. When you get up every day, I want you to remind yourself that tomorrow will be better than today." ✼⁣
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★★★★★ (5/5)⁣
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Oh, Adunni. How your story will stay with me forever. You know those books that, when they arrive in your life, make every other story pale in comparison? Welcome to 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘝𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦. ⁣
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Adunni is a teen who lives a life of poverty and survival, where the girls marry young and the goal is to bear children, males, as soon as possible. When Adunni's father marries her off as the third wife to an older man, she runs away in search of a better home. Although in her pursuit she is meet with a life of servitude and beatings, one thing remains the same: her hope for an education. Along the way, she meets allies as well as enemies, but her will is strong and her voice is LOUD, making Adunni fight and prosper every step of the way. ⁣
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Adunni and Ms. Tia will go down as the most iconic fictional duo this year, in my book. Their relationship is beautiful, uplifting, and heartwarming. Everyone needs a Ms. Tia in their lives...and everyone should look to be that person for someone else, too. ⁣
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Dare crafted a narrative in which Adunni's voice was clear, strong, and demanded a presence from the reader. She also incorporated historical facts to this story that was unexpected, but appreciated, as it took the imagery and description of the settings to a whole new level. ⁣
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Bravo, Abi Dare. First place for top favorites of 2020. ⁣

I found the Nigerian accent hard to understand in the beginning which made reading it a bit clunky and hard to connect with Adunni, however her unyielding perseverance hooked me. The chapters opening with the eye-opening Nigerian facts made the whole story feel more authentic and believable for me. I also liked how the time period in which this story takes place was not defined until later in the story. I was shocked by the physical abuse that Adunni took from Big Madam, and her sister wife's storyline as a whole. Those definitely kept me turning the ages faster than I would have normally. I was also intrigued by the concept Dare introduced that women business owners were considered less worthy than their male counterparts, especially women who were not married or separated, but wish Dare had explored this more deeply than just mentioning it. I took off one star for it being overtly predictable from the beginning.

"Your schooling is your voice, child. It will be speaking for you even if you didn't open your mouth to talk. ~~> That day, I tell myself that even if I am not getting anything in life, I will go to school. I will finish my primary and secondary and university schooling and become teacher because I don't just want to be having any kind of voice....... I want a louding voice." 👑👑👑•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Sweetest Adunni, my heart broke to see what life looked like for you. But you also made me proud, because you didn't let the life you were given define you and keep you down. Babygirl, you are stronger than many and braver than most. All you wanted to do was LEARN and you perservered. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• This book WRECKED ME, then it made me SMILE 🤍. It reminded me of the strength we have as women to make things better and get shit done with a smile, even when it hurts. There isn't enough space to describe all the greatness that lives within the pages of this book. @abidare_author DID NOT COME TO PLAY!! She took us on a journey and gave us facts, statistics, culture and soooo much more ! Yes ma'am this was an AMAZING DEBUT!!! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 No need for a rating, sis gets ALL THE STARS from me ! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• The Girl with the Louding Voice has found a permanent spot on my Top 10 list. This book needed to be written. It should 100% be REQUIRED READING for everybody! That's it, that's all I have. Catch us on March 6 on With the Sh*ts, we'll be discussing Daré's debut novel. •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

The Girl with the Louding Voice is the story of Adunni, a girl whose mother told her that in order to have a future, she needed an education. But her mother dies and her father sells her to an old man so that he can pay the rent and buy food because they are so poor. What follows is a series of events that would make most of us hopeless, make many of us give up, but Adunni rises above it all and keeps pushing through no matter what life throws at her. She is fortunate to have a couple of people willing to help her and she does not give up on her dream. This is a beautiful, hopeful, empowering story.⁣⁣
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“I want to enter a room and people will hear me even before I open my mouth to be speaking. I want to live in this life and help many people so that when I grow old and die, I will still be living through the people I am helping.” ~ Adunni⁣⁣
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3.5/5

It’s hard not to root for Adunni. Through all the adversity she faces, living a life of poverty and subservience, it never makes her lose sight of her dreams: to be free, to have an education, to be a girl with a louding voice. You want to see her succeed and break free from the horrible circumstances she’s been put in. Her naïveté was a bit of a drag at times but it was compelling to come across a protagonist who held such strong values through and through, especially for such a young age.

Initially, this probably would’ve been a 4-star read for me. I felt as if the first half was a lot stronger in comparison to the second half. In the second half, it felt as if the book took a different direction, almost reading like an entirely different story. What I loved about the first half was how emotionally charged it was. You really get the feel of this being entirely Adunni’s journey. The struggles she goes through, you cry for her. You get angry for her. You feel a whole range of emotions for her. Not to say that the second half didn’t hold up any of those same emotions but the focus diverted away from Adunni and more on Big Madam and Big Daddy which I was disappointed by. I understand why it was done but I wanted there to be more of a focus on Adunni’s journey and how it led to her success rather than it being rushed and wrapped up too neatly. Adunni’s story did come full circle in the end but in an underdeveloped way. I would still highly recommend this to anyone who’s looking for a powerful coming-of-age story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an e-galley if this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the story of Adunni and her inspiring spirit. This story follows her from her village in Nigeria - she endures a lot of hardship and pain, but maintains her optimism.

I liked this book because I learned a bit more about Nigerian history and culture. The inequality was so striking to me, I didn’t realize it first that it was set in the present day. At first I was taken aback by the author’s decision to write in Broken English, and I know that many might be put off by it. But it clicked for me and made sense, and it wasn’t too hard to follow.

An exceptional look at Nigeria and human trafficking through the eyes of a girl who wants the freedom to go to school. Smart with flowing dialogue and the clever use of Books, you can't help but root for the main character. The secondary characters, some good and some bad, are memorable. Excellent!

A captivating story of hope and courage!

It took me a while to fall into the rhythms of Adunni's patois Nigerian Anglo voice. I wondered about that at first but the reality is that Adunni's voice enabled me to enter into her head space and culture more quickly than I otherwise would have.
A fifteen year old girl, against her wishes and dreams, is sold off to be the third wife of an old man who wants sons. No pity or consideration here. Adunni's future is a transaction between her father and her husband. Her father benefits from the bride dowry. Adunni suffers the consequences.
When she fearfully flees her husband and circumstances surrounding wife number two, Adunni little knows that she will enter another hellish world. She is essentially trafficked. Once again she is an unpaid servant with no rights who is beaten by her mistress and has to keep dodging the attentions of the master.
But she finds friends in unlikely places who help her to find her "Louding Voice."
I loved that Adunni uses the facts of Nigeria book and Collins English Dictionary to try to improve her language skills.
I was appalled by the conditions of the everyday people and repelled by the custom to help cleanse Adunni's friend Ms. Tia from demons to enable her to conceive. Adunni was of the same mind.
The gap between the rich and powerful and the poor is incredible as are the living conditions.
That Adunni remains a girl with her glass half full is just amazing. She is determined, gutsy and completely believable
A terse and eye opening read. The dedication and prologue becomes so much more meaningful after having read Adunni's journey.

A Penguin / Dutton ARC via NetGalley

This novel is a compelling story that every young adult should read. It is an eye-opener to the realities of inequality that exists in the world and the power and privilege of an education. The broken English is difficult at first, but quickly the story sweeps the reader away, and that is no longer a factor. This book should be a contender for Book of the Year.

Three words to perfect describe this exceptional novel without giving away anything. Courageous, Optimistic, Resilient.

This book has stolen my heart. Abi Daré writes a compelling novel that captures the struggles of young women in Nigeria. Young women who truly want to be educated and make something of themselves are forced to leave school. They either get married and bare children, or are forced to leave there misfortune only to become a slave. Yes, slavery still yet exists in the modern world.

Adunni’s Story will break your heart, you will probably be like me, and feel broken while she remains positive. No matter the circumstances, she never gives up hope. She perseveres, and when the story is over, she will fix that broken heart of yours. What an amazing, inspirational novel. You heart will never stop pounding for Adunni for her to get her education, for her dreams. I love her so much, I just want to hug her and keep her safe.

Thank You Abi Daré for this truly exemplary debut novel. It may only be February but I can already see this as one of my favorite books of 2020.

Thank you to Penguin Group Dutton Books and Netgalley for a copy of this book, in an exchange for an honest review. The Girl With The Louding Voice has been chosen by Book of the Month, and Read with Jenna pick.

“Tomorrow will be a better day. I am a somebody of value.”

This is a powerful story of a young girl in Nigeria whose only dream is to get an education and her “louding voice”. However, the circumstances of Adunni’s life create consistent barriers to her dream.

This story is incredibly important for someone like me, from a first world country, who has never had to question whether privileges like an education would be available to me.

Adunni’s story is not light reading, but it is full of hope. Adunni’s indomitable spirit kept me rooting for her and for all of the young girls growing up in similar circumstances.

This a beautiful, heartbreaking, and important story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book from in exchange for my honest review.

To say I loved this book is putting it mildly. I was moved by the courage and ambition of the main character to be more than the cards she was being dealt. The language and style used to compose the story made an even bigger impact than had it been written in perfect English. I felt like I was listening to Adunni tell her story of navigating life in Nigeria as a younger woman with big dreams and a lot of potential. Each character brought so much emotion and color to the story.

I realize that is early in the year to say this, but I truly believe it will be one of the best books I will read this year.

Adunni is a fourteen-year-old Nigerian girl who lives in a small village with her two brothers and her father. Her mother has recently died. Since her death, the family has sunk deeper and deeper into poverty because Adunni’s mother was the one who earned money for the family. Adunni’s mother wished for her to complete her schooling to better herself but since there is no money for school Adunni must now stay home. Not only is she not going to school but her father has recently promised her to a man to be his third wife in exchange for rent money and food.

Following this arranged marriage, Adunni is involved in an unfortunate incident for which she fears she may be viciously punished. To save herself, she runs away and has hopes of finding a better life. Unfortunately, she finds herself in a situation that is not much better than her previous one. She is the victim of a slave trafficker who places her in servitude to a wealthy woman who mistreats her. One fortunate element of this placement is that Adunni makes several friends who are kind to her and encourage her to follow her dreams.

The narrator of the book is Adunni whose first language is not English. Using her voice Adunni tells her story in a broken and grammatically incorrect English which provides realism to her character. Choosing such a narrative style could prove challenging both for the author and for the reader. Abi Dare, however, succeeds in this style with a consistency that is unique and engaging while at the same time it gives the story heart and soul.

This book offers a wealth of information about Nigeria. Young women in Nigeria are subject to many social ills including underage marriage, slave labor, and lack of education. It is a country where even in today’s modern world, the people adhere to many cultural superstitions. And Nigeria has as much extreme wealth as it has extreme poverty.

Kudos to debut author Abi Dare for giving us a story that is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. It is a story of pain, perseverance, suffering, hope, friendship and even love. It is about the pursuit of dreams, speaking up and giving a louding voice to what is important in one’s life.

This book’s distinctive title, engaging story, and eye-catching cover all come together to make this debut by Abi Dare a recommended read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC ebook from which this review has been written.

I really enjoyed this book!
I was hoping that we'd get to read about Adunni's journey after she won the scholarship.
Hopefully there will be a sequel

The author of this novel was born in Nigeria, but has lived in the UK for the past 18 years. The novel is set in present day Nigeria and follows the life of a 14 year old girl named Adunni. Adunni dreams of an education, but forced into a marriage with a much older man it is hard to hold on to her dreams. When circumstances find her on the run from her husband, she is finds she has no alternative but to work in servitude as a housemaid for a wealthy woman. The story follows her struggle to find a way to follow her dream and be a voice for others. It should be noted that the broken English of Adunni's voice is a little difficult to follow at first, but this is a wonderful read and worth it. It gets easier as her English improves. I highly recommend this book.

I’ve read a lot of books set in Nigeria, but this one is closest to my heart. When Adunni, a fourteen year old is forced into a marriage and then flees, she ends up basically a slave in the home of a wealthy Lagos woman. What Adunni wants moe than anything else is an education so she can become a teacher. She wants to make a difference—in her words she wants a louding voice. How she accomplishes her goals really isn’t that much different than that of Westover in EDUCATED. Adunni meets caring people along the way who are willing to push her into becoming the person she wants to be. Of course, its not just those people. Its Adunni’s inner strength that propels her forward.

So many emotions... This is a beautiful and heartfelt story of a girl with ambition. So many times I wanted her to be quiet... But now I understand the power of knowing and believing that your voice must be heard. @abidare_author Does a beautiful job of executing unforgettable characters like Adunni who is determined to be educated by any means necessary. If you are looking for beautiful story telling from a perspective and culture different than your own you must read this book. All the snaps and all the stars! #blackbookblogger #bookstagram #blackgirlsread ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was such a good book. I did not want it to end. I was totally drawn in by Adunni and her situation. In the beginning of the book her dad lets her know that he has decided she will become the third wife of a much older man in exchange for a bride price that will help him pay his debts and feed his other family members. Adunni has the dream of finishing school and becoming a teacher, not becoming a child wife and mother. That is just the beginning of the story, there is much more to her journey. I don not want to share any more in the synopsis because that is part of the fun of reading this book. The story has a message of hope and following your dreams at any cost. I will be recommending this book often.

"We all Speak different because we all have different growing up life, but we can all be understanding of each other if we just take the time to listen."

"God is not a cement building of stones and sand. God is not for all that putting inside a house and keeping him there....the only way to know if a person find God and keep Him in their heart is to check how the person is treating other people."

There are so many bits of wisdom in this book and so much to learn from this story of hope. This book is on sale now!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton Books for the advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review of the book.