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The Girl With the Louding Voice [Book Review]

February 14, 2020

On Valentine’s Day (U.S.), a love letter of hope and encouragement to girls worldwide who are dreaming and striving to use their own Louding Voices!

 The Girl With the Louding Voice: by Abi Daré

The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Dare (cover)

Genre/Categories: Contemporary Women’s Fiction, Nigeria, Oppression, Women’s Rights

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Summary:

“Tomorrow will be better than today. I have value and I’m important.”

Life for a woman is not easy in Nigeria. Adunni’s mom plants the thought of having a “voice” in her spirit. Fourteen-year-old Adunni is determined to fight for her voice to be heard and for her future despite being sold as a third wife. Even when she runs away, she finds herself in another powerless position of servitude. Adunni is introduced to a more modern woman who befriends her and encourages her to keep hope alive and to think of herself as important and having value.

My Thoughts:

Wow!

I could leave my review at this one word! The Girl With the Louding Voice checks all my boxes for a great read:

√ diverse culture
√ likable character
√ unputdownable
√ thought-provoking themes
√ substantial and relevant content
√ powerful, emotional, memorable

I’m intrigued by being transported to a world I know nothing about, experiencing a life foreign to me through a unique point of view, and falling in love with a character. I love cheering for Adunni and hoping for her future because, in my mind, she’s a symbol of oppressed girls around the world who fight every day for education and for their voices to be heard. The Girl With the Louding Voice reminds me of memorable reads with similar themes such as The Pearl That Broke its Shell, I Am Malala, and Amal Unbound.

Although she is trapped in a life of servitude, fourteen-year-old Adunni sets the highest goals for herself (paraphrased):

Mom tells Adunni that education is her voice. Adunni’s goal is to go to primary, secondary, and university and to become a teacher because she doesn’t want any kind of a voice, she wants a Louding Voice.

Thoughtful themes include women’s rights, equal access to education, finding your voice, overcoming oppression, hope for the future, women as mentors/role models, and friendship.

Classroom in Nigeria (focus on school girl in Nigeria)
Image Source: Women2.0
Two Nigerian girls holding signs: Educate Girls. Change the World and We are Girl Rising
Image Source: Women2.0

Even though this is a heartbreaking read, I highly recommend The Girl With the Louding Voice and I’ll be promoting it to everyone I know! It’s memorable (gave me a huge book hangover), unputdownable, engaging, poignant, and compelling. Yes, all the words!

On Valentines Day (U.S.), this story is a love letter of hope and encouragement to girls worldwide who are dreaming and striving to use their own Louding Voices!

TW/CW: girls suffer abuse as a result of being forced into marriage and servitude

You might enjoy this Podcast interview with Abi Daré.

***This is my Review of the Month for the review collection on LovelyAudiobooks.info

My Rating:  5+ Stars

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The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Dare (cover)

The Girl With the Louding Voice Information

Meet the Author, Abi Daré

Author, Abi DareAbi Daré grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, and has lived in the UK for over eighteen years. She studied law at the University of Wolverhampton and has an MSc in International Project Management from Glasgow Caledonian University as well as an MA in Creative Writing at Birkbeck, University of London. The Girl with the Louding Voice won the Bath Novel Award for unpublished manuscripts in 2018 and was also selected as a finalist in the 2018 Literary Consultancy Pen Factor competition. Abi lives in Essex with her husband and two daughters, who inspired her to write her debut novel.

QOTD:

Will you be adding The Girl With the Louding Voice to your TBR?

ICYMI

I have finished my Winter TBR!
(just in time to plan my Spring TBR!)

Valentine/Galentine Gift Ideas Here and Here

Happy Reading Book Buddies!

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47 comments

    • These stories of oppressed women touch my heart! It’s not an easy read but maybe adding my voice to the support helps in some way??? I have heard the audio is good but I haven’t listened to it. I should have mentioned that it’s written in her voice as a second language learner …. it gets easier to read after your ears get used to it. I hope it’s a good read for you!

      Reply

  10. […] My Summary: Life for a girl is not easy in Nigeria. Adunni’s mom plants the thought of having a “voice” in her spirit. Fourteen-year-old Adunni is determined to fight for her voice to be heard and for her future despite being sold as a third wife. Even when she runs away, she finds herself in another powerless position of servitude. Adunni is introduced to a more modern woman who befriends her and encourages her to keep hope alive and to think of herself as important and having value. My Review. […]

    Reply

  23. Was she making a pass on the word “lauding” or “loudest”? Or are there lots of made up words as education is her goal? I want to read it but I know made up words drive me nuts heheh

    Reply

    • Louding as in loudest…meaning most influential…an accumulation of education. Her mother told her she needing a high school education to have a loud voice. Then she said she wanted an even louder voice so her goal is to go to university for a Louding (loudest) voice. In the beginning of the story, she uses some inventive English ….not so much made up words but inventive sentence constructs. Your brain quickly gets used to it! As the story progresses, her English becomes more conventional.

      Reply

  28. […] Amal. Our strong-willed protagonist is a likeable and memorable character who is brave, smart, realistic, determined, smart, kind, inspirational, and a fighter. We read about her in honor of brave girls everywhere. A great companion read for this would be I Am Malala or The Girl With the Louding Voice. […]

    Reply

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