This is A Book.
In the beginning, I was so overjoyed she had a new book and omg, it was complete magic in the beginning. Every sentence just made my soul sing-- she uses normal words but puts them together in such a way that they are fresh and exciting.. But then it kept going! It says the book in around 400 pages, but I feel like I read 900 pages. She packed so much in and I question if it was all needed. And at the end, I question the point. It was interesting seeing the same people from different perspectives but it also could have been 4 different books. There's still more I want on these women. And time was difficult to tell.
Still, that woman writes like noone else. I feel like I could go to Nigeria and find my way around just on her descriptions. For the fact this book was normal pages, she created multiple full worlds, introduced me to several villages and cities in Africa and taught me so much about those cultures. And when she was in the DC area, I felt like I could tell you the exact block things happened in, she made my old world so real again. It's like she has a time warp in that book because any other author could never have done that much in that number of pages. And kept the language alive and the stories interesting.
So while I'm saying it felt much longer than it was, that's not a bad thing. I feel an Adichie book puts you into a world you will completely lose track of the one you're in. The only bad thing in this case is I had an ARC from Netgalley and felt I needed to finish quickly so as reading stretched on, I got stressed. Also, because it was an ARC, it wasn't indexed and there are a lot of names and I would have appreciated having the search function so I could reminded who they are.
I can see how this took a decade to write, but woman, please don't take that long again!

Books like Dream Count make me want to scream thanks for words. And thanks to people like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie who can spin words into the most beautiful, capitulating stories that stop you mid sentence with wonder. I had no idea how much I missed her unique writing voice (although I do use We Should All be Feminists every year with my high school students!) from Half a Yellow Sun and Americanah. Those books are so viscerally lodged in my soul, I cannot believe it’s been so long since she released them into the world.

In Dream Count, each of the four characters are so different and so fully formed, although beneath the layers, their motivations are similar. Cynical Zikora, wandering Chia, devastated Kadi and lost Omelogor….I was so invested in each of their lives as the years played out. I love how their stories unfolded on top of each other with questions and answered in different sections, 100 pages apart.

The use of the Pandemic as a grounding foundational event was interesting. I’m still thinking about why CNA made that choice and I’m left to think that this world stopping event brought loneliness, regret and the people we could no longer touch into sharp focus.

I cannot wait to discuss this with the women in my life. What a wonder it was to read.

I was lucky enough to get an advance of this, and Adiche has done it again. We get the story of a bunch of young women in Nigeria and the event that happens to one of them, and how they are all connected to the person who it happens to, and how they deal with it from their point of view of the world. Lots of intertwined stories, and gorgeously written while she's at it. Definitely worth your time when it comes out this spring.

Good women making bad choices about men and not trusting themselves.

With thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for this e-ARC.

Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was such a beautiful story. I cried and smiled while reading this story. Thank you for my early copy, NetGalley.

This was not as good as I had hoped it would be. Anything by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie would come with high expectations, but unfortunately this couldn’t reach them. There are a lot of good qualities about it. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is someone with a thoughtful, intellectual grasp on the human condition and that is evident in their characters, who feel like real people. Their prose itself is lovely, and there is so much depth to what they are able to say about race, education, and class. As a middle-class, cis, white girl, I learned a lot. My biggest issue with this was that it really felt flat emotionally, and I found myself to be very bored at times. Overall it wasn’t bad, but it just wasn’t as great as I think many are expecting.

ARC provided by NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader copy. I really love Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s prose. Her characters in this book feel very real and fleshed out. But I feel like the individual character’s chapters and the book as a whole didn’t feel complete. I felt most of the characters felt stagnant and didn’t have growth throughout their journey (except Kadi). I was surprised the book ended where it did because it felt like there should’ve been more. That being said, I still think this is an important book full of lessons about race, gender, class, and immigration, and it’s well written and interesting.

Adichie has done it again. I can't wait to read this again when it is officially published. She managed to make me fall in love with and hate characters all at once, again.

TW: On-page SA.

As with CNA's other books, this is a very character-driven piece, focusing on the musings/desires of four different women. The book is roughly chunked up into Character A, Character B, Character C, Character D, and then finishes with Character A again. The women's names are Chiamaka, Zikora, Kadiatou, and Omelogor, but the order of their pieces of narrative isn't actually important EXCEPT for the final piece, which focuses on Chia but actually wraps up Kadiatou's narrative. I do think that alternating character chapters, rather than just having a big chunk for each character in turn, might have smoothed the way a bit. The narratives DO intersect and intertwine at points, but by the time I would reach that point in one, I had forgotten its relevance to the previous character's portion of the story.

Kadiatou's story is the only one based in a singular, real, nameable person's story, and CNA goes into this in the afterword. As such, it is the narrative that is the most "complete." Chia, Zikora, and Omelogor all have stories that kind of just...taper off and end rather than having any sort of emotional conclusion, but Kadiatou's story does have a sense of catharsis, though it is one of those endings that works for the character but you still desperately want MORE for her. I do with those other narratives had felt a bit more complete. Not every ending needs to feel happy, but these just felt like they got dropped entirely. As such, it didn't feel as compelling as CNA's other works, but she is still an EXCELLENT character writer and I did enjoy it. I just don't think I'll find myself reaching for it again, and I would recommend one of her previous works as an entry point to her books for other readers not already familiar with her.

Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie takes us into the lives of four interconnected women with differing backgrounds and stories. As expected from the author, Dream Count is a beautifully written book. The use of words was top notch and the writing brilliantly keeps you engrossed in this big book. The stories of the women were as diverse as they were fascinating, with experiences enjoyed all around the world. I love how the author weaved the stories together, cleverly including opinion pieces on social and cultural issues. I enjoyed reading this. However, the ending was quite abrupt and felt unresolved for all but one of the women.
I received the ARC of this book from Netgalley via Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor. All opinions expressed are mine

Four unique women, each featured in her own chapter, are searching for, imagining, finding, or refusing love. One character, in particular, captures the reader’s heart with her story, based on fact, of a personal attack at her workplace. The author infuses each story with authentic feelings and beautiful descriptions. Their immigrant feelings toward America diverse and thought-provoking.

Thanks to NetGalley and Alfred A Knopf Publishing for the ARC to read and review.

An amazing journey detailing the lives of four women and their many relationships. Adichie’s prose is so beautiful and descriptive, there is no doubt she is an excellent writer. The content was a bit of a roller coaster for me. I liked all four women’s stories and was invested, but I also felt the stories jumped around too much and I was finding myself a bit confused sometimes. Overall a good book but not my favorite by her.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, African, feminist, intellectual, and empowered and empowering woman writes a heartfelt and intimate portrait of female relationships. Four friends, four points of view of family, friends, careers, wishes and dreams, dreams of romance, motherhood, and success.
Each woman is an African who negotiates her own aspirations sometimes ( mostly) against village and family and boy friend’s expectations to find her way of being, her own voice and her own agency. Extraordinarily explicit and intimate ( so many affairs!) thankful to net galley for the chance to review this unique and inspiring work.

The only book from this author I had previously read was We Should All Be Feminists, so this full length novel was a change of pace. The writing was of course fantastic. 3.5/5

I loved Dream Count, mostly for the four main characters and how they each brought something to the overall theme of examining the inner lives of women. However, because the book is written in 5 sections, with only one character getting two sections, it actually feels more like an anthology of short stories or novellas than one cohesive book. Especially since one of the characters is told in the first person, which kind of threw me off.

Yes, there’s the backdrop of the pandemic - but it feels sort of like a gimmicky way to tie things together. I appreciated each of the stories for what they were separately. Adichie’s prose is quiet but thoughtful and powerful - she made you watch with your eyes wide open as each of these women dealt with their own injustices.

This is a thought provoking read, with universal themes - but also the reminder of what it means to be American and what it means to be an immigrant. Like many of her other works, Adichie’s characters straddle being Black in America while coming from immigrant backgrounds.

Thanks to NetGalley, Knopf and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie for the ARC.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Dream Count is a luminous exploration of identity, love, and resilience. Through the intertwined lives of four remarkable women—Chia, Zikora, Omegolor, and Kadiatou—Adichie masterfully weaves a narrative that is both intimate and expansive. Set against the backdrop of the pandemic, the novel explores universal themes of self-discovery, cultural identity, and the courage to live authentically. Chia, a Nigerian travel writer, serves as a vibrant anchor to the story, her reflections on love and personal growth suffused with humor and poignancy. Her journey, alongside those of her friends and family, unfolds with tenderness and depth, making each character feel palpably real.

Adichie’s nuanced storytelling shines in her exploration of cultural tensions and personal sacrifices. From Omegolor’s candid clashes with academic orthodoxy to Kadiatou’s harrowing struggles as an immigrant, each narrative thread is a testament to the complexity of modern life and identity. The author’s signature prose—lyrical, incisive, and imbued with empathy—renders even the heaviest themes approachable and deeply affecting. The book’s conclusion is both surprising and profoundly satisfying, leaving readers with a renewed sense of hope. Dream Count is a tour de force that captures the essence of humanity with wisdom and grace, cementing Adichie’s place as one of the most compelling voices in contemporary literature.

Thank you to Knopf and NetGalley for a preview copy of Chimanmanda Ngozi Adichie's new novel.

As always, Adichie's novel dives deep into African culture, heritage and customs. At times very dark, the characters are both depressed and hopeful. The four women are all African, three living in the US currently, the other back in Nigeria after grad school in the US. Culture differences play into all women's expectations of themselves, and the identity they struggle to develop. The book takes place over the time of just before, during, and after the pandemic, when things are beginning to reopen- and show how each woman changed during this time of lockdown and sameness.

The book to me seems as four short stories, and as the book progresses, each character becomes more entwined with the other's lives. Chia's story is first, and actually the one I liked least. But it is also the last, and most shows the relationship and support between all the women and ties all the stories together. The title is based on Chia's walk down memory lane of her previous boyfriends and potential boyfriends, and gives her insight to herself and future wants. The stories of Omelogor and Kadiatou were my favorite though Kadi's is so tragic. Interesting and insightful author's notes in the back of Kadi's story. I wanted more of Omelogor, her history of justified crime. Zikora and Omelogor's friendship is a bit fuzzy, their main tie is both being friends of Chia. I thought this part of the book could have been explained deeper, but also know this is many real life relationships- people in the same room because of a common relationship. Also, Kadi was much supported by Chia and her other friends, but they seemed to be in her business more than Kadi asked them too.

I liked the side characters of the mothers, the aunties, and the daughters that played a part in the main characters identities and self reflection. Lots of deep relationships and interactions throughout the whole book.

I think I will be in the minority that I did not love this. I had read Americanah and was educated about living in Africa and being an African living in the US and dealing with other cultures opinions of each other. This book was no different, and educational in the same way (this book has a strong European setting as well). But I found the book very heavy, slow, and it took me being done with the book for several days to reflect on it to get the point of it. Maybe that is a sign of good writing- that I had to think about it for a while to form and opinion. I liked the book, but did not enjoy it if that makes sense.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for this ARC! *Dream Count* by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a breathtaking exploration of love, identity, and the complex intersections of personal and cultural expectations. Through the interconnected lives of four women, Adichie masterfully delves into themes of heartbreak, resilience, and self-discovery, painting each character with unflinching honesty and nuance. Her prose is luminous and compelling, capturing both the intimate and universal struggles of navigating love and ambition in a rapidly changing world. *Dream Count* is a stunning testament to Adichie’s unparalleled ability to dissect the human condition with insight and grace, leaving readers deeply moved.

4.5 stars

New book by the author of AMERICANAH. Four Nigerian women reach major turning points in their lives in this look at love, power and sisterhood. Chiamaka is a travel writer who was raised in wealth and is living in the U.S. During the pandemic she recalls her past lovers and the ending of each relationship.

Zikora is Chiamaka’s best friend. She is a lawyer who has always been a success, but she is betrayed by a man and she turns to her mother in a time of need. Omelogor is Chiamaka’s cousin and lives in Nigeria. She is a very successful banker and an anonymous do-gooder to alleviate some of the shame for the corruption in her work. Kadiatou is Chiamaka’s housekeeper and she is proud to be raising her teenage daughter in America. The book traces her life from childhood in Nigeria to present day when she’s faced with a situation where she might lose everything she’s worked so hard for.

Really loved this book, which offers a nuanced picture of Nigerian women. Omelogor resonated with me the most, and I think most women who read this will find they relate best to one of the four women. Highly recommended.

I loved Adiche's book Americanah and was very much looking forward to this title. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. The book featured four African women and how they coped with their lives. All seemed inordinantly preoccupied with their relationships with men except for one who suffered a sexual abuse crisis. Although I've read many novels that were virtually character studies, they usually had some kind of plot and story arc. Dream Count meanders around the women's lives (Chia was a romantic, Zikora wanted marriage and children, Omelogor was a financial wiz who figured out how to skim off the profits of ill-gotten gains) as they all try to aid Kadiatou in her attempt to hold a rapist accountable. This stab at a plot, which is based around the true case of a hotel maid who was assaulted by the French IMF chief in 2011, was gripping but tossed away in the last three pages, which made it as haphazard as the rest of the book.
I did finish it because Adiche is such a fantastic author, but she might as well have written a nice long essay, perhaps entitled "Men who Disappoint."