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There are currently 24 member reviews
for The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives
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Gwendolyn D. (Houston, TX)
Entertaining and thought-provoking
Baba Segi, a Nigerian businessman, has just added a fourth wife to his family. The new addition awakens jealousies and conflicts among Baba Segi’s other wives. The story is mostly told via the alternating perspectives of each of the four wives. Some might find this structure confusing, but I think the author does a nice job juggling complex issues with multiple voices in a clear and understandable way. This fast-paced look at a polygamous household is entertaining and thought-provoking.
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Karla S. (Dana Point, CA)
Five people in an odd relationship
The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives by Lola Shoneyin chronicles the lives of five people. The patriarch, Baba Segi, who is an abusive male chauvinist; Iya Segi, who worships money; Iya Femi, who desires revenge; Iya Tope, who is verging on lunacy; and Bolanle, whose university education puts her at odds with the others of this polygamous family. The story is a good look at current Nigerian life where women have no value except for child bearing, preferably a male heir. This tale is complicated with jealousy, diabolical plots, murder and the secrets which motivates each character. When Bolanle does not conceive the truth comes out and the family unravels.
I enjoyed reading this book on African life but sometimes had difficulty determining which character was narrating the story.
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Martha L. (Warner, NH)
Secrets and Struggles
The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives was a First Impressions book from BookBrowse. It is by a Nigerian author, Lola Shoneyin and about a family in Nigeria. A man, Baba Segi has four wives. Each wife is name Iya and then the name of their oldest child, Iya Segi, Iya Tope, Iya Femi and his newest wife Bolanle. She is not named for a child as she has not had a child yet. The story is about the family and its struggles. Each wife have a secret that is part of the story. The secrets come out in various chapters as you read the book. Each secret is hidden from Baba Segi while he nominally knows all as the father. With the addition of the newest wife, previous secrets are exposed. Each step taken by a wife has ramifications that cause a whole series of other secrets to be exposed. The ending has a kick, which always makes a novel more interesting.
Lola Shoneyin's debut novel is one of passion and secrecy, fear and love, strength and weakness. Each characteristic played out over time in equal amounts in all characters.
I found the parts about the Nigeria that were shown in the books to be fascinating and horrifying. The accepted treatment of women in another culture never fails to make me grateful for the culture I have been raised in.
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Beth K. (New York, NY)
A family of secrets
The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives takes place in present day Nigeria and tells the story of Baba Segi and his four wives and seven children. Much of the novel is narrated by Bolanle, the last wife. Her entrance into the family causes turmoil above and beyond the usual upheaval that occurs when a new wife is taken, as it exposes a secret that will change the family forever.
While the novel is set in an unfamiliar world, both geographically and culturally, the author makes you feel as though you know these people because the stories they live out and the emotions they display are common to people the world over. And because each of the women has a fully developed back-story that explains how they came to participate in the marriage, the reader easily understands why they act the way they do. Apart from the fact that the characters seem to jump off the page, the machinations of the family are fascinating. In particular, the first wife, Iya Segi, is wickedly Machiavellian in her running of the household, although her attempt to insure her place of superiority amongst the wives ultimately ends in tragedy for her.
Apart from the richly drawn characters, the author spins a gripping story that kept my attention throughout until the poignant ending. When I finished this book, I felt as though I were returning from a far-off world and while I’m glad to be home, I thoroughly enjoyed the journey.
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Carol J. (Isle, MN)
Lives and Secrets
Lola Shoneyin's The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives provided a realistic peek into the lives of 4 Nigerian women and the husband they share. I enjoyed getting to know the 4 women and their stories; how they each ended up married to Baba Segi and why. I also felt I received a small insight into the everyday Nigerian's life. Although, I found the use of local terms and language a little difficult to follow.
I felt myself loosing interest in the middle of the book. But I was glad that I finished the book in order to discern the secrets of each woman.
Overall, I would recommend the book. It did make me want to read some more books about Nigeria and the lives of the people there.
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Pamela B. (Monona, WI, WI)
The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives
The story surrounds the impact the addition of a fourth wife, Bolanle, has on Baba Segi's household. Bolanle is university educated, something the other wives are not. Not all is as it seems as jealousy and a family secret threaten them all. The book was a little difficult to read, as the chapters are written in first person from the view of each of the wives, and it is not always easy to determine which wife is "speaking".
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Barbara B. (Alta Loma, CA)
Lies & Deception--Not Good Bedfellows
As I was initially introduced to the first three wives of Baba Segi, I did not really like them or care about them. Once they each told their story and how they became a wife of Baba Segi, I found some compassion for them, especially Iya Tope, who showed kindness to Bolanle.
The attitude toward Bolanle by the wives was not well developed enough for me and the "secrets" were too predictable.
I think book clubs would have much to discuss with this book with the different emotional themes.
