4.5 stars
<i><blockquote>"I want more than just a voice, I want a louding voice. I want to enter a room and people will hear me even before I open my mouth to be speaking."</blockquote></i>
I first came across this book in an article written in Daily Kos challenging readers to <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/11/21/1901074/-A-2020-reading-challenge-52-books-by-women-of-color-in-52-weeks">read 52 books by women of color</a> over the course of the year. I fell in love with the cover. I fell in love with the description. Once I started reading I fell in love with Adunni and her spirit.

<b>The Girl With the Louding Voice</b> is a coming of age story set in Nigeria. Fourteen year old Adunni has always been encouraged by her mother to follow her dreams. But shortly after her mother's death she is sold off into marriage against her will. Most of the village is happy for her. Her chosen husband is rich and can afford to pay the community rent as part of her bride price. Not all young girls are so lucky. Adunni with her hopes and her dreams is seen as selfish and ungrateful. What she is expected to do is obey her husband and give him boy children. This might sound outrageous for this day and age. Surely child marriage is a thing of the past right? But no. Although there are some protections in place, young girls are still being forced into marriages. A 2018 UNICEF report estimates that one out of every three girls is married before they reach the age of 18.

Although child marriage is an important topic, Dare's debut novel explores patriarchal society more deeply. She looks at the exploitation of children for free labor and examines women's roles in furthering these offenses. In fact, the women in the book were some of the most egregious perpetrators when it came to abusing young girls and women. I understand the concept that "hurt people hurt people" but injustice does not thrive without compliance. That being said I think that <b>The Girl With the Louding Voice</b> was a fairly accurate depiction. I really appreciate that Dare chose such a headstrong and vibrant young character to tell this story.

<i>Special thanks to NetGalley, Dutton Books and Abi Dare for access to this wonderful book.</i>

WOW! This is a must read!
Starting off in rural Nigeria we meet Adunni who has lost her mother, school, and is just living life as a 14 year old girl. But soon her father sells her off and enters a new world of child marriage, rape, human trafficking, the large gap of rich and poor in the wealthiest nation in Africa, rural vs city life, but also women friendships.

For a debut this is truly amazing! She weaves such a rich narrative into the story and you can truly feel in Adunni shoes, even though we are far from her true reality. You also learn Nigerian facts along with her, you learn about what is going on around her. Dare brings in very hard topics into this story- its packed with cultural and social issues from child marriage, human trafficking/modern slavery, and the wealth gap. You truly hope that the power of education and especially for girls can give them a "louding voice" to live out their lives.

I can't recommend this book enough! Its beyond 5 stars its a 10/10! This will be a book we talk about for years to come.

Adunni is my hero. Not because of what she went through, but because she chose to still keep going so that she could be a voice for other girls like her.
This is a very sad and emotional story about a very young girl who is forced into very adult and very traumatizing situations that she had no say about. Tired of not being able to have a say about her life and her body, she decided to take her fate into her own hands and try to survive. Though she doesn’t immediately end up in a better situation than what she just narrowly escaped from, she quickly learns that the only way out will be through the opportunity of an education.
I can’t say that I wasn’t a little put off about her broken English and misinterpretation of phrases being the source of amusement, until later in the story I realized the author was intentional with how people received Adunni. She also has an epiphany about this later in the book that I connected strongly to.
While reading this book I laughed and cried and cried some more, Abi Daré does a fantastic job of developing the characters while keeping a perfect pace of the narrative. I really look forward to reading more about Nigerian tribal and cosmopolitan cultures and more writings by Daré soon!

Thanks to Dutton Books and NetGalley for the free review copy!

What an absolutely beautiful and heart-wrenching novel! Told through the voice of Adunni, a 14-year-old Nigerian girl, this story follows her journey as she fights to obtain an education for herself, all while being sold into marriage by her own father and attempting to escape a life of servitude.

The author's choice to depict this story through Adunni's exact language, grammar, and syntax is---in my opinion---what makes this novel so powerful. Not only is it brutally authentic but it gives Adunni what she craves most: the ability to have her voice heard. As I sit here writing this review, I don't think there are proper words to describe how in awe I am of Adunni's courage and confidence. Despite the horrific traumas she's subjected to, she remains firm in her belief that her voice matters, and that she is 100% deserving of a quality education. The term "strong female character" is something that gets bounced around in major book reviewer platforms like Bookstagram, BookTube, and popular book blogs, but I think Adunni is one of the few characters I have ever encountered that truly embodies that definition, and takes it to the next level. If there's any February release you need to read, it's this one.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love this novel. It is disturbing and heartwarming at the same time. It depicts the best and the worst of successful women and their treatment of a younger woman who is struggling.

This book is everything I hoped it would be and more. Abi Dare is an incredible storyteller. This debut novel centers around the life of Adunni. She is a fourteen-year-old Nigerian girl who doesn't want to go with the flow and follow the path her father has laid out for her life.

This book is at the same time heartbreaking and inspiring. I fell in love with Adunni and found myself cheering her on and wanting to be her friend. From the first infuriating pages, I couldn't stop reading this book.

This is the story of so many young women and for all of us who wonder how human trafficking is happening today and what it looks like, this book will clear that up. I learned so much about Nigeria from these complex and well developed characters who tackle incredibly difficult topics in a novel that is impossible to put down and doesn't leave you feeling like it attempted to tackle issues.

I didn't want this book to end and my hope is that every young woman in a similar situation finds their paths crossed with someone like Tia!

Abi Dare, I am a fan. I will from this day forward read anything you ever choose to write.

Absolutely terrific- and eye opening. Adunni is a motherless 14 year old in rural Nigeria when her father essentially sells her to an older man who wants a wife to bear him a son. Mind you, he already has two wives, one of whom has a daughter Adunni's age and the other of whom has already had two daughters and is pregnant. Adunni has almost nothing in material goods, she is deeply mourning her mother, and she very much wants to be educated. She speaks English and can read but you should know that the novel, which is narrated in her voice, is also in her patois, which is initially distracting but then becomes as smooth as silk once you catch its rhythm. When things go very bad for her, she flees to an old woman her mother knew; that woman's brother takes her to Lagos and she is again sold, this time into menial labor for a hard woman who beats her. There's a mystery here- what happened to Rebecca, the maid who preceded Adunni in this hateful house. There's hope, though, in a scholarship competition and a neighbor- Tia, who helps her with her English and to circumvent Big Madam and the menacing Big Daddy. Adunni never loses sight of her goals. A terrific coming of age story which shines an accessible light on something that's not often been addressed in English language literature. Beautifully plotted and written. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. I found this hard to put down. Highly recommend.

Abi Daré has written a phenomenal book about race, class, toxic masculinity, and the power of education with The Girl with the Louding Voice. It is an anthem for women, and Adunni is the heroine we need.

Fourteen year old Adunni is terrified and appalled when her father sells her to a old man to be his third wife. All Adunni wants is to be educated, and then to be a teacher. Instead, she is forced into a horrible situation. When she runs away, she ends up little more than a slave to a wealthy family. Despite these horrible situations, Adunni is determined to be a girl with a louding voice.

This was a well written and engaging story. I immediately felt for Adunni and found myself rooting for her. I would love to read a sequel and find out what happens next. Overall, highly recommended.

The Girl with the Louding Voice speaks volumes. It's about a young girl, trying to live and survive (and learn) in Nigeria while being shuffled back and forth between people who put her life and sanity at risk. This is such a beautiful book. It's rare that I try to make a good book last as long as I can, because really what I want to do is devour it. But this is a perfect example of a story that you want to keep reading.

Daré does a great job of keeping you hooked, but also of weaving facts about Nigeria in to the story, so that you know, yes, I'm reading fiction, but how fictional is it really? The main character seems so innocent at times that I wanted to hug her and keep her safe. But she is also bright and even with a bit of naivete. Sometimes when you love a book, it's hard to write about how much you loved it, but this is probably the first book of 2020 that I feel obsessed with.

The Girl with the Louding Voice is out on 2.4.2020.

5/5 Stars

"But I don’t want to born anything now. How will a girl like me born childrens? Why I fill up the world with sad childrens that are not having a chance to go to school? Why make the world to be one big, sad, silent place because all the childrens not having a voice?"

Adunni’s mother once told her that an education is the only way for a Nigerian girl to have a ‘louding voice’. Without an education, a woman cannot speak up for herself, will never be able to support a life of her own, nor have any say at all in what happens to her body, mind and soul. After the worst day of Adunni’s life, schooling is a long forgotten dream and all hopes die. It is after a tragic loss that her father demands Adunni be a dutiful daughter and become a third wife to a much older man, the taxi driver Morufu. This is the only way she can save her family when her father cannot afford the rent anymore, bad enough he couldn’t afford to let her continue her education, but a threat looms and he could lose the roof over their heads. As a daughter, her bride-price will be enough to pay the community rent so that her brother Kayus and father won’t be kicked out. But in forcing Adunni, only fourteen years old, to marry an old fool- he is breaking a promise to her mother. She must do as she’s told, never in a million years would she see her father and little brother homeless, hungry.

Just like that she is married off and slaving away as a third wife, hated by the first, Labake. Her welcome isn’t warm, it is a cold threat, “When I finish with you in this house, you will curse the day your mother born you…” To first wife, Adunni is a husband snatcher, there to birth him children and try to replace her. What good is a woman if she isn’t fertile? Yet, this isn’t the worst of what Adunni will suffer through. She will do her time in Morufu’s house, where he is king to long suffering women who provide him with useless daughters. She learns fast just what it means for a man to have the devil inside of him. Obey, or there will be beatings. If she runs away, then what will that mean for her family who are now well fed? Her husband is, after-all, considered a rich man in his village- who else has two cars?

Running away isn’t necessarily the road to salvation. A girl with nothing is reliant on the kindness of strangers and too easily fooled into situations as bad as the ones she escaped from. Ignorance and youth make it impossible to navigate the brutality of those who would use it to their advantage. It is a crime to run, therefore what other choice is there than to bow your head in respect, work your fingers to the bone and endure, endure all manner of abuse, endure others taking their cut from your servitude? If the man of the house comes sniffing around, you do your best to hide. Sexual advances are the least she has to fear! Sometimes it is the women who are the biggest monsters. Take your beatings, do your duty even though it will never be good enough, even though the woman of the house will take her heartbreak out on you.

Through her suffering, Adunni also uncovers the horrible stories of the girls who have walked this exact path before her. Despite the violence, Adunni remains steadfast that she must do everything in her power to find her louding voice. This requires outwitting those who have all the power, and pushing herself despite her exhaustion, fear, and the constant reminder that she is nothing and never will be. She mustn’t believe what the others tell her, that it’s best to accept her station in life and stop her flights of fancy, imaging she could ever be more than a workhorse for others. She must remember her mothers dream for her, and use her words as a guiding light in these darkest of times.

This novel is painful because it sheds light on what is happening in other countries. Girls are trafficked and forced into modern day slavery, a female child a commodity when one can’t afford to feed their other children, especially the male children. Daughters are sold to afford a better life for everyone else, and this is modern times! We take for granted the luxury of an education at it’s most elementary level. We fear having the opportunity to send our children to college, imagine not having the money for basic schooling. In this novel, Morufu’s hunger for an heir exposes how women are always the ‘curse’, the ‘failure’. His first wife’s animosity is a matter of her being ‘not right in the head’, to Morufu’s way of thinking, yet what drove her to rage, madness? Imagine the demands, the crushing weight of the pain all three wives endure, all because of old beliefs. A devil inside of him, indeed.

There is hope for Adunni through a sisterhood bond but other girls aren’t so lucky. It’s eye opening. It is a relief to know the freedoms of the Western World and yet trafficking of human beings happens here too so I am not getting on some high horse. Village life in Nigeria for Adunni is certainly not like our modern ways and superstitions still run rampant. Sacrificing goats in the hopes of birthing a son, killed for loving someone who was forced to marry another, marrying girls to old men so they can use their burgeoning fertility and have sons… it can feel like the dark ages, yet it is reality for many. Disposable girls, buried futures… but Adunni may just find her voice!

Publication Date: February 4, 2020

Penguin Group

Dutton

This is a powerful, challenging, and emotional novel, written in first person by a 14 year old Nigerian girl surviving, and ultimately, escaping the situations in which she finds herself. The immediacy of the first person narrative drives all the emotions to be deeply felt by the reader, and the authors poetic turn of phrase has the reader take a moment or two to digest each perfect observation. I found this so compelling, whilst also at times being utterly heartbreaking. I highly recommend this book!

Adunni has a great voice -- she wants to get educated, become a teacher, and help others. She knows she has value and has an interesting, curious attitude toward life, believing that tomorrow will be a better day, despite what has happened today.

And horrible things do happen to Adunni. It is so difficult to read a book with so much abuse and mistreatment of others, especially when it is juxtaposed against affluence and prosperity. The author does an interesting job of explaining what it is like in Nigeria -- the poverty, wealth, abuse, rich culture, the politics...

I liked Adunni, but, despite her louding voice, I found she was often pushed into standing up for herself and moving forward. It is a strange combination of ambition and circumstance. Other people really have to make her see opportunities, but perhaps that's realistic.

Then there was the language in the book. Adunni is uneducated and the book is narrated in her broken English to highlight this fact. It was challenging to read because of this. I appreciate the author trying to show us something about Adunni but felt that because her thoughts wouldn't have been in English but her native language in the first place, that this was strange. Just my opinion. Maybe we needed the language as a symbolic barrier?

Overall, though, this is a good book, full of inspiration and hope despite the often terrible events and subject matter.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dutton Books for the review copy.

Here's the thing: I thought this book was fine. The pacing was perfect. We follow Adunni as her father forces her to be married to a taxi driver when she is only fourteen. Then her life married to a man who already has two wives. Then her life as she escapes. Then the rest of the book is her being a servant to a cruel woman and how she eventually becomes free to go to school.

The book was exciting but at the end, I felt something was missing. I was waiting for Adunni to be more proactive. Instead, in the end her escaping is based on the kindness of others. There was one scene where she did find her voice but I wanted to see how she dealt with her newfound voice. Like I need to see her growth and her struggles as sees more of the world. The ending didn't feel complete enough.

I liked this, but I wasn't blown away. The author creates very vivid characters and used the foreign vernacular successfully enough that it planted me right into the setting. Although that vernacular was awkward to read at first, and I did wonder whether I could read an entire book of it, there was a rhythm I was able to pick up on. I think the author has a very strong message that wasn't necessarily successfully communicated through what was written. While I did get an understanding of the plight of Nigeria, and especially the women, I think I created a lot of the emotion that went with that myself as I read along, I didn't think it came through the writing. I also enjoyed the first half of the book much more than the second. There felt like so much more emotion was put into the beginning and the second half was maybe rushed. Overall though, this was an interesting read and with all the really great reviews I would recommend it.

[4,5/5 stars]

THE GIRL WITH THE LOUDING VOICE centers around the life of Adunni - a fourteen-year-old Nigerian girl who doesn't want to follow the destiny of all the Nigerian girls and desires to choose her own future.

The first chapter already had me infuriated! I found myself helpless in front of the cultural imposition - Abi Dare does a fantastic job tackling issues of sexism, marriage, parenting, futility, negativity of a patriarchal society and women's inequality. Having read a great amount of stories in which women are culturally less worthy, I still found it unbelievable how women are regarded as meaningless, when they don't have voice for marriage or anything that we consider fundamental. I was totally invested in the story and the slangs made it even more authentic.

The characters were developed in complexity and I felt connected with them. I personally loved Adunni - she was an image of a girl with dreams, being innocent and at the same time, having a good notion of the "dangers" surrounding her. Her curious nature had me thinking of the fact that people shouldn't just accept their realities and live with it. I enjoyed how the characters were down-to-earth and sympathized with the sisterhood between Adunni and Khadija. Also, how inspiring and impactful was the figure of Tia and Kofi in Adunni's life.

The facts about Nigeria in each chapter were utterly interesting - it shows that Nigeria is a wealthy country while having so much poverty and inequality. I devoured this book yet I didn't want it to end. I only wished there was more about the characters' future in the end.

Through stunning writing, THE GIRL WITH THE LOUDING VOICE is a powerful and eye-opening debut that I can't recommend enough! It reminded me a bit of "A thousand splendid suns" which I loved.

Stunning debut novel.I truly hope it wins an award.
This is the story of Adunni a young Nigerian girl.Her life is full of hardships starting with her mother dying and her father selling her off to be a third wife to a man who is desperate to have a son.
She runs away and ends up as a maid in a wealthy Nigerian home.The hardships she endures and the way she overcame obstacles is the bulk of this book.You cry with her and laugh with her in a few brief funny moments.
Very well written,this book sucks you in and suddenly you realize you have tears in your eyes!
Thankyou Netgalley for this ARC