I have some mixed feelings about A Dream Count. I rated 4 stars because of Adichie's beautiful style of writing. She is a master at the art of prose. Following four Nigerian women, we glide through they past and present lives, uncovering their wants, desires, choices, or their response to situations when choices are taken away from them. Told in alternating points of views, which I'm normally a fan of, hindered this story, in my opinion. As a reader, I felt I was kept at a distance from these characters. The story just floated without much of a plot to keep the story on point. For that, my interest in the book was lost frequently.

I was provided an advanced reader copy, opinions are my own.

Dream Count is a fascinating story about the lives of four African women. It touches on topics of race, class, and cultural differences between Americans, Europeans, and Africans. Their pursuits and life goals differ between each character, but their lives are connected and intertwined. The women are all complex and there's is a lot of observation and commentary about women and society. This would be a great book group book, lots to discuss.

Dream Count is an interesting one to review because I loved parts of it and was completely bored and disengaged by other parts.

Dream Count is about 4 women and told in different chapters about each woman. At first it was hard for me to tell how they were connected and I think I would have liked it more if I had gotten to know the women as a group that was connected before splitting in to their chapters.

The first chapter I found fairly boring. It was fine but I didn’t really care about the plot. The writing is very good and that is what kept me going. However, I was much more engaged in the other chapters with the second being my favorite.

I would have liked a bit more at the end as far as follow up with some of the women. But overall, I think this one is worth reading for the writing alone. This is between and 3.5-4 for me so I rounded up to a 4.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for arc.

I had to sit with the stories of these women for a bit. The narrative is broken up into POV chapters, so you get a glimpse of each character’s life. As I was reading Chiamaka’s story, I felt all kinds of anger, sadness, and joy too but it was layered. Like when your friend is making these choices, and you know they may not be the best choices but she needs to make them. It felt really familiar and at the same time distant. With each character, it was a similar experience. Then we get to Kadiatou's story and the way I just wanted scream at the people around her. Her story is based on Nafissatou Diallo’s, and I think it aptly reveals the hypocrisy of patriarchy and racism and reminds readers of the unfairness expected of victims of sexual assault. This is one of those stories that will just stay with you.

The prose is just so artfully done, and I think something that folks in creative writing classes should absolutely read and discuss. I think this book is one that provokes meaningful discussions and if you can find a reading buddy, then absolutely buddy read this one. Each one of the women in this novel makes choices that feel real, and as I mentioned above Kadiatou’s story in particular hit emotional nerves that I wasn’t prepared for. That being said, this is an important read. I’m happy to have been able to read an arc of this book. It’s a necessary read that stays with you.

Like many, I have been a longtime fan of Adichie's writing and I was excited to see that she was, at long last, publishing another novel. Unfortunately, this one didn't really work for me. First, the good--her prose is as beautiful and assured as ever, and that was almost enough to carry me through the novel. However, Dream Count's plot left a lot to be desired. I kept waiting for some kind of resolution or arc for the characters, and never really felt like there was one. Things happen to the women in this novel, but I am not sure the women themselves really grow or change all that much. When I finished the final pages, I was left wondering, "Was that it?" and hoping for a little more payoff.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for an early copy of this book.

The synopsis of the book and my experiences with other works by the author led me to give it a try, but ultimately it didn’t work out.

While I’m sure this book is necessary reading for someone, it is impossible to separate the author’s seriously problematic views toward trans women from what she attempts to do as a feminist writer in this work. It’s too much of an ask to separate art and artist when those words are deeply entangled.

That was my problem when trying to read through this book, and ultimately I decided that I could not finish this work. So, while this book didn’t work out for me, I’m sure the content and story will work for someone else. In no way do I want my personal difficulties with completing this work to affect others who want to give it a chance, but I was asked to provide insight, and I’ve offered a rating based on what I did read.

I very much appreciate this author, yet this narrative did not strike me to be as engaging as I found her first book. I am especially interested in race, religion, immigration, and politics for class use -- this book does not speak as clearly or as compelling for what I need in my current courses.

There were some truly beautiful and reflective thoughts in this book, many worth highlighting and saving. It's not an easy task to make a reader care for four different strong female characters within one book—let alone a mostly plotless book—and Adichie somehow mastered that.

But then there were also parts hard to grasp or relate to, going on a tangent taking away from the story. After reading all of Adichie's other books, I've come to expect a lot from her. The book was great, just not as great as her other ones.

The link to the title hides until the reader is nearly finished with the book, and is almost missed.
In the beginning I noticed parallels and contrasts to Hanya Yanagihara’s novel A Little Life, four main characters and their interactions and connections- four African women vs four American men. But upon completion I am no longer feeling that this is a book that will stay with me for a decade as Jude, Willam, JB and Malcolm have. The exception being Kadiatou. Perhaps it is a class issue, but she is the character I most related to. Hard working, truthful and trusting.
I am glad to have read this book as granted by NetGally and the opportunity to read more of Adichie’s work. I think American readers will learn something about language and how some phrasing is perceived in other cultures- I’m just not sure that they will care.

*Dream Count* by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a deeply moving and thought-provoking novel that explores the complexities of women's lives with extraordinary sensitivity. Through the intertwined stories of four Nigerian women, Adichie creates a narrative that stays with you long after you finish the last page. From Chiamaka's loneliness and search for meaning during the pandemic to Zikora's tale of betrayal and professional resilience, each character's journey is heartbreakingly relatable. Omelogor's battle with vulnerability and Kadiatou’s quiet strength in the face of systemic injustice captivated me, evoking both inspiration and frustration at the world's harsh realities. Adichie’s prose is mesmerizing, each sentence carefully crafted to make you feel deeply, and the themes of identity, ambition, and fulfillment challenge conventional ideas in a way that is both transformative and enlightening. This novel isn't just something to read – it's an experience that reshapes how we view the human condition.

Suffering from success: I would have given this 5 stars from another author, even with its issues.

Benefiting from success: Most writers couldn’t get me to read about the pandemic, even briefly, under any circumstances—I requested this novel early.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie will simply always be a must-read for me because of my own reading preferences that she consistently meets and exceeds: multiple perspectives, stories of displacement, stories where rich people can’t buy themselves happiness, and character-driven novels. This is all four! A delicate understanding is needed to write multiple perspectives believably. It is a rare skill, and she has it.

It’s obvious that some of the author’s own criticisms and opinions have influenced this work. I understand how this could affect some reads of the novel, but it didn’t present a problem for me. Adichie was never pretending to be objective, and her characters are interesting to me in part because of their less-than-perfect decisions and opinions. Leaving the reader to determine when to use nuance to determine if the characters should be interrogated or taken at face value is very much aligned with the nuance present in the rest of the book.

A tremendously rich novel made up of connected sections, each one focusing on a different young woman.

Set around the pandemic, each section focuses on what the individuals dream of and their attempts to achieve that. Nigerian Chia is a US-based travel writer and wants to be in a romantic relationship with someone who really knows her. Her best friend, Zikora, a lawyer in DC, wants to have a traditional life: career, marriage, children. Guinean immigrant Kadiatou, Chia’s housekeeper,wants to raise her daughter in America though a tragic event in New York threatens to derail her life. Omelogor, Chia’s cousin, is a financial powerhouse in Nigeria and comes to the US to undertake postgraduate research in the US.

In each section, the author takes us back and forwards in time through the women’s lives, linking the threads of their dreams and their actualities, building a deeply faceted portrait of each one. Though the narrative gravitates towards Kadiatou’s story as a link and driver, the real focus is on the deep-rooted and powerful relationships between the women; only Omelogor recognizes that it is here that they are known.

The novel is beautifully written with such fluidity, clarity, and elegance that I felt submerged in their worlds. When I read the author’s note at the end, another layer was unpeeled for me as she reveals the depth of her grief over her mother’s death and wanted to root this novel in the mother-daughter bond.

If you enjoyed Americanah, I think this has a similar style but is even more expansive in its delineation of women’s lives. If you haven’t read that novel, read this one anyway.

Thanks to Knopf Pantheon and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

As a fan of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s work, Dream count felt like her. How she writes about women struggles, desire, and the expectation that comes from family and culture is all over the pages of Dream Count. I loved how the characters interlock. I finished the book thinking about one of the characters who accomplishments meant little in the eyes of others because she did not achieve her womanly goal of having a child. I thought about those whose voice is silence when the risk of losing everything is greater.

There were several quotable moments and important points the author emphasized. I enjoyed Dream Count, but I wanted more. A part of me felt two of the characters needed their own journey, their own book.

Rating 3.5

I have really been looking forward to this! Adichie has been a favorite of mine for years. I was initially confused with the opening of this novel but then I was immediately carried away. Her prose and perception remains unmatched even if the reflective, meandering nature of the story left something to be desired.

Another winner from Chimamanda Adichie! While I freely admit, I will read anything she writes, this book is so worth the wait! The four main characters are vivid and unforgettable. I love that she weaves in a little current (ish) events with the hotel maid/famous jerk storyline. Easy, quick read. Highly recommend!

In the author's note at the end of this novel, Adichie writes, "The point of art is to look at our world and be moved by it, and then to engage in a series of attempts at clearly seeing that world, interpreting it, questioning it. In all these forms of engagement, a kind of purity of purpose must prevail. It cannot be a gimmick, it must at some level be true. Only then can we reach reflection, illumination, and finally, hopefully, epiphany."

Mission accomplished.

Dream Count is a book I've been looking forward to for a very long time and it did not disappoint. Adichie's first novel in over a decade was well worth the wait and I will be processing it for a long time. The novel gives rich character studies in the lives of four interconnected women and is a book to take your time with, to slowly absorb and enjoy.

Dream Count is a story of four African woman with intersecting lives, focusing on their pasts, their strengths and insecurities, their relationships, and their insights and observations about it all. In parts of the story I was transported back to the beginning of the pandemic which was a bit surreal and emotional. Some moments were slice of life descriptions. Others were deep and important statements. That combination worked for me, as did the format. I loved the way the four stories were woven together especially at the end.

Having read Americanah I was expecting beautiful, descriptive, and introspective prose, and I was not disappointed.

Thank you to Knopf for the ARC!

Conceptually, this book was right up my alley. I absolutely loved the characters, the sense of community and the interconnectedness throughout it all. I even really enjoyed the setting of being during COVID but with now having enough distance since that time. As my first book of the author, her writing made me really excited and interested to pick up her other books.

My primary con was that at times the timeline and plot was a little confusing given we were jumping between different POVs and flashbacks. Wish there was more of a structure to keep track or indicate of the timing, people, setting, etc.

i’ve been mulling over what american-ness is, especially with first/second gen immigrant experiences compared to many-generations deep americans that intersect with still being perceived as “foreign” or “other.” this book was an incredible character study that drew me in — i didn’t imagine that each woman’s inner life could be more compelling than the ones preceding, and yet they rounded out the story even more. i feel lucky to be alive at the same time chimamanda ngozi adichie is writing — and this is my first of her works! i’m an american through and through, but will always be a perpetual foreigner, and it is what it is. this book’s encouraging me to continue having these conversations with others and myself.

many thanks to knopf, pantheon, vintage, and anchor, plus netgalley, for this advance reader copy.

While this was beautiful writing and i love the author, this was a littttle too long for me and felt dragged. Given am in a distracted state of mind lately so may need to pick up again in the future