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I've really been looking forward to reading this book, so how great to have the company of reading buddies!

I would love to join in this month, but just don't know if I'll have the time to read this. As with you, Kristin, I have had a copy of this for what seems like forever and just never get to reading it! :( I love Maame's quote!

I have just now finished reading the Effia, Esi, and Quey chapters so here I am!

In the book so far, everyone's life seems to entail bartering, personal sacrifices, and lack of agency (just a choice between undesirable options). The switch in narrative perspective from chapter to chapter has really drawn me into the novel.

Random impressions:
(view spoiler)[*I can't help but wonder if/when/how the storylines of Effia and Esi eventually intersect. What happened to the pendant that Esi's mother gave her? Esi was forced to leave it hidden in the dungeon but how can Esi and Effia confirm their blood ties without the matching pendants? Future breadcrumb?
*I agree, Kristin, about the importance of Maame's words which refer to not only true strenght but also slavery, colonialism, and imperialism.
*Fiifi's words to Quey also impressed me: “Quey, this village must conduct its business like that female bird. You want to pay more for slaves, pay more, but know that the Dutch will also pay more, and the Portuguese and even the pirates will pay more too. And while you are all shouting about how much better you are than the others, I will be sitting quietly in my compound, eating my fufu and waiting for the price I think is right..."
People around the main characters (Effia, Esi, and Quey) are constantly jockeying for the superior advantage.
Note that Fiifi represents himself/his people as a female subject/bird, whereas the pursuer/male bird symbolizes the European imperialists. I wish I could better articulate this metaphorical overlap between power and gender, but words fail me.

*I feel sad for Quey and his never-gonna-happen (or will it?) relationship with Cudjo. I smiled as Quey imagined wondered if he would live in Cudjo's compound as his third wife.
But how ironic that, while Quey is not being set up as village chief by Uncle Fiifi, both Quey an Cudjo will apparently become the authority figures in their respective villages.

*Incidentally, I was curious about the historical perception of homosexuality in Ghana and and found that homophobia and the criminalization of consensual same-sex acts came with the arrival of the British in the 1860s. So Quey being "exiled" by his father James seems like a part of that history? Of course, I have no idea really about that except what I read on (gasp) Wikipedia.... (hide spoiler)]

I am eager to learn what happens next!

Lynn wrote: "I would love to join in this month, but just don't know if I'll have the time to read this. As with you, Kristin, I have had a copy of this for what seems like forever and just never get to reading..."

@Lynn
It would be wonderful if you could make time to join us!

Kristin wrote: "@Lynn, the thread stays open for almost a month after the end date, so if you think you can squeeze it in before it closes, please do! I have a busy September but will.be sure to check in and comme..."

Thanks for that information! I should be able to read it in September. I'll add it to my "schedule." Yes, I have a reading schedule. ;) (Nothing obsessive about me! lol)

Lynn wrote: "Yes, I have a reading schedule. ;) (Nothing obsessive about me! lol) .."

Lol! I too plan my reading several books in advance, based on what I want to read and adjusted by total pages.
I also have separate GR bookshelves by month. Very convenient. Mie taught me that if I recategorize books on My Books (rather than individual book pages), I won't spam book updates. :D
I've planned up to October so far but wrote in a few books today for November....*coughs

I read through the H and Akua chapters in Part Two last night.
This is such an engrossing story!
I really appreciate how each chapter focuses on a different generation of the "starting characters," jumping right into the time, place, and circumstances of each new narrator without excessive detail about temporal transitions.

Other random impressions
(view spoiler)[*H: I briefly wondered what happened to H's mother Anne but quickly got caught up in H's story. H, the great-grandson of Esi, has never known his father Kojo and is even further disconnected from his family history. I hope the happy home he has at the end of the chapter is not just temporary.
*Akua: Effia's great-great-granddaughter (?) has never left Ghana and yet she remains an eternal outsider. How shocking that the Missionary who raised her had unintentionally killed her mother Abena. Does the end of the chapter imply that she killed her daughters while doing her dream-trance thing? I'd thought she was dreaming of the mother of Effia and Esi.
*The dual-narrative system of Effia's and Esi's lineages goes a long way toward a vivid portrayal of Ghana's gradual westernization and the (involuntary) Ghanian diaspora. (hide spoiler)]

Sorry for the scattered ideas. I should have stopped to make some comments before starting Part 2, but it's been hard to put the book down.

Kristin wrote: "I need to learn this update trick, oshizu!"

I'll send you a PM so as not to clutter our Buddy Read thread. :D

I finished this book yesterday. It felt to me that the length of each chapter was just right--I would reach the end and think, "I still have the time and energy to read one more chapter."
The book was quite hard to put down.

Now I await your further comments, Kristin. :D

oshizu wrote: "Lynn wrote: "Yes, I have a reading schedule. ;) (Nothing obsessive about me! lol) .."

Lol! I too plan my reading several books in advance, based on what I want to read and adjusted by total pages...."

Oh, my! You are toooo funny! I keep a running list in a "note" on my phone so that I can add, update anywhere anytime! I have listed all the currently planned reads through December. Then I can just add/edit as I go. ;)