Rating: 
Summary: Realistic but dull.....
Review: I would recommend this book to better readers as it is rather difficult to comprehend the African context written in the book. You have to really read between the lines to find out the underlying message. The writer incorporates humour, irony and sarcasm in this biting satire of corrupted Africa. I personally find it a wee bit too draggy.
Rating: 
Summary: OUTSTANDING SEQUEL, VERY SENSITIVE INSIGHTS
Review: No Longer at Ease, in my opinion, is actually a better book than Things Fall Apart. Achebe does a masterful job of depicting the experience of an ex-patriate returning home after many years abroad. Such experience is universal, not confined to Nigeria or the main character Obi Okonkwo (grandson of the main character in Things Fall Apart). In adition to the ex-pat experience, Achebe inserts the peculiarly Nigerian experience, in which a group of British still retained some of the leadership positions in civil service while native Nigerians were mostly focused on politics. The moral aspect is also noteworthy, as the widely accepted corruption and favouring done by Nigerians in power was not mirrored by the British. Aside from the socio-historical aspect of the novel, Achebe is very sensitive in showing the downward spiral of young Obi, as he tries to fight against strong unreasonable traditions (such as with his girlfriend who is of a banished caste). Obi gets enmeshed in a vicious cycle in which he needs to show success, to a point in which his salary can longer sustain his lifestyle, which is forced upon him by expectations. I highly recommend this book, especially to ex-pats of any nation. As an ex-pat returned home myself, I feel many of the same difficulties Obi did. Obi's anguish and pain are crystal clear, and any ex-pat will relate.
Rating:
Summary: OUTSTANDING SEQUEL, VERY SENSITIVE INSIGHTS
Review: No Longer at Ease, in my opinion, is actually a better book than Things Fall Apart. Achebe does a masterful job of depicting the experience of an ex-patriate returning home after many years abroad. Such experience is universal, not confined to Nigeria or the main character Obi Okonkwo (grandson of the main character in Things Fall Apart). In adition to the ex-pat experience, Achebe inserts the peculiarly Nigerian experience, in which a group of British still retained some of the leadership positions in civil service while native Nigerians were mostly focused on politics. The moral aspect is also noteworthy, as the widely accepted corruption and favouring done by Nigerians in power was not mirrored by the British. Aside from the socio-historical aspect of the novel, Achebe is very sensitive in showing the downward spiral of young Obi, as he tries to fight against strong unreasonable traditions (such as with his girlfriend who is of a banished caste). Obi gets enmeshed in a vicious cycle in which he needs to show success, to a point in which his salary can longer sustain his lifestyle, which is forced upon him by expectations. I highly recommend this book, especially to ex-pats of any nation. As an ex-pat returned home myself, I feel many of the same difficulties Obi did. Obi's anguish and pain are crystal clear, and any ex-pat will relate.
Rating:
Summary: where's his Nobel Prize?
Review: Obi Okonkwo, grandson of the protagonist in Things Fall Apart, is the pride of his Nigerian village, Umuofia. The Ibo villagers pooled their money to send one native son off to England to be educated and Obi was chosen. Now he has returned to a prestigious job with the civil service in Lagos--he's the Administrative Assistant to the Inspector of Schools. He bears the burden of his people's expectations but his exposure to Western culture has distanced him from tribal life and though he is now earning a magnificent living by their standards, he has trouble making ends meet as he tries keeping up with the Joneses in the big city. Borrowing money, he ends up "digging a new pit to fill up an old one." Further complicating matters is his love affair with the lovely Clara, an osu, one of the socio-religious outcasts who also figured prominently in Things Fall Apart. As financial and romantic pressures continue to mount and his beloved mother sickens and dies, Obi must also deal with temptation, offers of money and sex if he will use his position to assist scholarship applicants. For as long as he can, Obi juggles all of these problems, but gradually they come crashing down on him. More directly than almost any author I'm aware of, Chinua Achebe faces head on the issues which confront the developing nations in a post-Colonial world. In No Longer At Ease, even as he pokes fun at the remaining English bureaucrats and their condescending ways, he honors their tradition of relatively honest civil service. Meanwhile, he questions whether at least this first generation of natives who are replacing the departing Europeans are truly prepared to meet the same standards or whether a slide into corruption is nearly inevitable. Obi is a decent enough man and he has the best of intentions, but he gets in way over his head, bringing tragedy down upon himself and disgrace to his village. His situation, as portrayed by Achebe--caught between the traditions and expectations of his village on the one hand and the modern ways and legal constraints of the West on the other--puts him in an untenable position, one where something must give. The title of the book comes from T. S. Eliots's The Journey of the Magi : We returned to our places, these Kingdoms, But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation, With an alien people clutching their gods. I should be glad of another death. Achebe offers a fully realized portrait of one of those returned who are "no longer at ease," aliens in their own country. It's a terrific book. GRADE : A
Rating:
Summary: where's his Nobel Prize?
Review: Obi Okonkwo, grandson of the protagonist in Things Fall Apart, is the pride of his Nigerian village, Umuofia. The Ibo villagers pooled their money to send one native son off to England to be educated and Obi was chosen. Now he has returned to a prestigious job with the civil service in Lagos--he's the Administrative Assistant to the Inspector of Schools. He bears the burden of his people's expectations but his exposure to Western culture has distanced him from tribal life and though he is now earning a magnificent living by their standards, he has trouble making ends meet as he tries keeping up with the Joneses in the big city. Borrowing money, he ends up "digging a new pit to fill up an old one." Further complicating matters is his love affair with the lovely Clara, an osu, one of the socio-religious outcasts who also figured prominently in Things Fall Apart. As financial and romantic pressures continue to mount and his beloved mother sickens and dies, Obi must also deal with temptation, offers of money and sex if he will use his position to assist scholarship applicants. For as long as he can, Obi juggles all of these problems, but gradually they come crashing down on him. More directly than almost any author I'm aware of, Chinua Achebe faces head on the issues which confront the developing nations in a post-Colonial world. In No Longer At Ease, even as he pokes fun at the remaining English bureaucrats and their condescending ways, he honors their tradition of relatively honest civil service. Meanwhile, he questions whether at least this first generation of natives who are replacing the departing Europeans are truly prepared to meet the same standards or whether a slide into corruption is nearly inevitable. Obi is a decent enough man and he has the best of intentions, but he gets in way over his head, bringing tragedy down upon himself and disgrace to his village. His situation, as portrayed by Achebe--caught between the traditions and expectations of his village on the one hand and the modern ways and legal constraints of the West on the other--puts him in an untenable position, one where something must give. The title of the book comes from T. S. Eliots's The Journey of the Magi : We returned to our places, these Kingdoms, But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation, With an alien people clutching their gods. I should be glad of another death. Achebe offers a fully realized portrait of one of those returned who are "no longer at ease," aliens in their own country. It's a terrific book. GRADE : A
Rating: 
Summary: It was ok, kinda dull
Review: really slow, too long, he should have not written so many pages
Rating:
Summary: A Sensitive, Complex Novel
Review: The title of Chinua Achebe's No Longer at Ease suggests the possibility of a time when there was "ease." The struggles of the protagonist, Obi Okonkwo, a twenty-six year old Umuofian educated in the British Colonial system and at the university in Great Britain, are analogous to the struggles facing Nigerian society during and immediately after colonization. Obi must manage both the complexities occasioned by his position as a senior civil servant in the British colonial administration in Lagos and his "taboo" love for Clara, a nurse educated in Britain and an osu, a woman banned from marriage by tribal traditions. While working on his English B.A. and living in Britain on a 800 pound sterling investment of the Umuofian Union, Obi celebrates his country in a poem, entitled "Nigeria." He writes, "How sweet it is to lie beneath a tree / At eventime and share the ecstasy / Of jocund birds and flimsy butterflies" (19). No Longer at Ease depicts the complicated picture of Nigeria that Obi finds after four years study abroad. The novel portrays the interactions of diverse, layered communities in pre-Independence Nigeria in the late 1950s. Achebe describes rural tribal societies, such Umuofia, in contrast to the urban elite of Lagos. He examines the coexistence of traditional tribal religious and cultural practices with the Christianity practiced by first and second generation Christian converts. Obi's father, Mr. Isaac Okonkwo is a first generation Umuofian convert. Son of Okonkwo, the great yet tragic tribal leader of Achebe's Things Fall Apart (1959), Isaac Okonkwo converts to Christianity and later rejects his dying father with the statement: "Those who live by the sword die by the sword." In his characterizations of Mr. Green, an English administrator in the colonial government, and Mr. Justice William Galloway, an English colonial judge, neither of whom can "comprehend" Obi, Achebe presents the myopia and racism underlying British colonial rule. No Longer at Ease is a beautiful, sensitive novel that presents a broad view of humanity. Achebe deals frankly with a number of controversial topics, including sexuality, racism, and corruption. Obi finds himself at the intersection of a number of competing allegiances pulling him in contradictory directions. Obi's poem, "Nigeria," quoted in various parts throughout the novel, embodies the hopes for Nigeria that the novel, in its unflinching realism, ultimately upholds: "God bless our noble countrymen / And women everywhere. / Teach them to walk in unity / To build our nation dear."
Rating:
Summary: awesome
Review: this book is a work of art. It's a must read by anyone with the slightest interest in the African heritage and tradition. Achebe puts life into the pages of this book. He allows his culture to blend smoothly with that of any other culture. No longer at ease is an awsome piece of work.
Rating:
Summary: Rediscovering a classic of African Literature
Review: Violence and corruption in Nigeria have recently made the headlines again, and thousands of refugees seek asylum in Europe and elsewhere - Chinua Achebe's books, and especially "No Longer at Ease," seem particularly relevant. I am struck again by his insights into what happens when traditional values are rejected and new ones not fully internalised. The overlap of old and new is awkward and painful, and the result is inner turmoil, confusion and loss of identity. The few get rich, while most people feel poorer than ever in a climate of rampant materialism. In many ways, the current atmosphere in former communist countries seems to echo and parallel that of Achebe's books. A wonderful book, and Achebe's English is so beautiful!
Rating:
Summary: Worst Book I have ever read.
Review: Well I read this book and it was utterly stupid. I do not recommend this book to anyone except a person that cannot go to sleep. If you have questions mail me at Dark_987@hotmail.com.
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