One is Enough

by Flora Nwapa

This is the powerful and compelling story of a woman's struggle to find an independent and fulfilling life on her own. After six years of happy, though childless, marriage, Amaka, at thirty, is shattered to discover that her husband plans to take another wife-- a woman who has already borne him two sons in secret. She makes a brave decision. Rather than stay in the comfort and security of her marital home, she will go to lagos and try to make a fresh start in life.

In order to become a successful and wealthy businesswoman, Amaka finds she has to use methods as corrupt as the society in which she finds herself. Then she become involved with a catholic priest...

Finally, Amaka has to decide whether she has the strength to continue alone, in the face of criticism from her family and respectability, or should she decide that 'one is enough'?

Genres: African Literature, Nigeria, Africa

ebook

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Florence Nwanzuruahu Nkiru Nwapa (13 January 1931 – 16 October 1993) was a Nigerian author best known as Flora Nwapa. Her novel Efuru (1966) is among the first English-language novels by a woman from Africa.

Nwapa, born in Oguta, was the forerunner to a generation of African women writers. While never considering herself a feminist, she is best known for recreating life and traditions from a woman's viewpoint. In 1966 her book Efuru became Africa's first internationally published female novel in the English language (Heinemann Educational Books). She has been called the mother of modern African literature. Later she went on to become the first African woman publisher of novels when she founded Tata Press.

She also is known for her governmental work in reconstruction after the Biafran War. In particular she worked with orphans and refugees that where displaced during the war. Further she worked as a publisher of African literature and promoted women in African society. Flora Nwapa died on 16 October 1993 in Enugu, Nigeria.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Lupna Avery]

Do we do anything like enough to honour the pioneers, a literary pioneer like Flora Nwapa who was the first Nigerian female novelist? Despite their great talent, can we imagine what they went through at the time? Writing long imaginative works by hand, at a time when professional typists were rare, no access to mechanical gadgets, automatic spell checks etc. Wondering how to get the manuscript published during an era when it had to be physically posted. Praying for an European publisher - but would the people over there (whites) be interested in a book written by a "native" far away, and could they really understand the subtleties of the text? Yet despite all this, Nwapa wrote brilliant imaginative works like this one. Nowadays, we have world class Nigerian female writers like Adichie, Unigwe, Sefi Ata, Amaka Azie...but what it was being a pioneer...

[Peta]

A must read!! Video review here -> https://youtu.be/Eqq03Ywe41M

[Sarah Be]

to me, it read like a captivating plea for the independence of women, against the idiocracy of the vow of celibacy for priests, and a little bit like a sanction for corruption. Then again, if you find yourself powerless in a corrupt system, changing it simply isn't your first priority.

What struck me most were the fast-paced and at times ludicrously funny, at times sharp dialogues.

I feel like Flora Nwapa is currently not being read enough in Universities!

[Elissa]

Definitely an interesting commentary on the late 1970s (?) cultural changes for women in Nigeria. It's an easy, quick read with some "adult" moments but without overdoing it. I thought the developments and conclusion were fitting.

[Abdullahi Usman]

I just finished reading this African classic. It's a feminist work that revolves around Amaka, who couldn't give birth in her lovely marriage. In connivance with her mother-in-law, her husband humiliates and chases her away despite the love she has for him. Amaka leaves Onitsha for Lagos where through sheer luck she becomes an independent wealthy woman. When she meets Father Mclaid in Lagos, he proves her motherhood by giving her twins. But when he proposes to marry her, she could not trust any man again. She remains adamant that ONE IS ENOUGH.

[Doris]

I am surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I didn't really care for her first novel, 'Efuru' which was the first novel published by a female author in Nigeria. But, this one was different and I loved the message about women being economically and making their own way in the world without being constrained to traditional expectations of what a woman should do with her life. I think I am going to read Efuru again. Maybe, I missed something the first time.

[KIMBERLEY ADIELE]

A brilliant writer, though she wrote decades ago

[Hannah Monise]

Mais um livro nigeriano e que mexeu muito comigo! Uma leitura rápida e ótima, para entender também um pouco mais da cultura do país, que é rico na sua literatura.

Amaka, casada com Obiora, é infértil. E depois que seu marido (e a sogra) decide se casar com outra mulher, que secretamente já tem dois filhos dele, ela decide se separar e sair da cidade de Onitsha para Lagos, para investir em um negócio e ser uma mulher independente. Lá ela se encontra com Adaobi, uma amiga, e aos poucos vai vivendo melhor, e também conhece o Padre Mclaid.

O livro é curto, envolvente e bem tranquilo de se ler. Gostei muito da leitura! É bem interessante e mostra muito da cultura nigeriana e seus pensamentos sobre o casamento e o machismo. Mas o melhor de tudo é que Amaka, nossa protagonista, é uma mulher muito forte que sabe se impor e mostra o que quer!

"Era este o homem de quem havia implorado para ser esposa, mesmo que ele quisesse se casar com outras vinte mulheres? Este era o homem, o homem que ela amou tanto e com quem se casou? Por que ela não sentia mais nada por ele?
Havia sido o tempo? Ou Izu, o pai dos gêmeos? Sua nova posição econômica? A vida que tinha em Lagos? Ou a descoberta de que ela, rejeitada pelo próprio marido, era atraente para homens ricos e influentes de Lagos?" (Página 92)

[Lucy Houser]

Good grief - what else is there to say?

[Mary]

http://www.maryokekereviews.blogspot....

[Sougueh Ali]

ali1990sougueh@outlook.fr

[Agenge CH]

We could say that Nwapa was 45 years ahead, because the concepts in this book is so me-coded it could have been published in 2026!
The book centres and Igbo woman's ( Amaka) interior life without apology, no villainazing men for sport, no tragic martyrdom, just a woman who tries the institution for 6 years, audits it and decides it's not her final form.
Forgiveness, decision-making, self-awareness, self devotion and redefining success are it's core concepts.
Also, we're set standing on our toes as the idea of sexual compatibility sets-in, in a supposedly "unholy" affair between Amaka and a priest. It's also turns out to be the juiciest and unapologetically my favourite part of the story! (JSYK)
Nwapa treads on this past delicately, with no religious prejudice whatsoever, treating it as choices made both adults in a broken system.
Sometimes, we must break the rules of the system to survive and that's exactly what Amaka did.
It's messy and it's supposed to be.
The book ends with a sigh of relief regardless of the many questions that are left hanging in the air.
However, it teaches a very pragmatic Igbo worldwide, "learn the lesson, pay the price, move".
That's Nwapa saying: Reclaiming power starts in the mind and then in your pockets! "Recreate" is the key verb and the title "One is a Enough" tells it all in plain paper.
Sometimes; One husband is enough to understand your take on the institution of marriage. And one life time is enough to try something and walk away ten times wiser!
If you haven't read it yet, now is the best time to get started. This book happens to be my first in the journey into Flora Nwapa's universe and just like me, you're bound to be hooked!

[Bell]

Overall wonderful and entertaining read - too good. Sisterhood is the healing balm. Motherhood is a coveted gift, a high office of blessings. Pondering the relationship and connection between womanhood, motherhood, independance, and life fulfilment. What does it mean to be happt as a woman in the world? Is what is conventional the path to happiness? Can the same be found in the unconventional? Men ehn - they baffle me. We can only hope for better from them and through God they can do it.

Key mesage that I loved was as a woman it is critical to get your God up, your wisdom up, your money up and your kids good. Live in authenticity. Men can be blessings but ultimately they have minds of their own - they cannot be your sun.

There's also this element of becoming comfortable and accepting of endings - gracious and loving and in pain all together. Lucilampe writes about endings so beautifully in her posts. Essentially that the vision in a relationship must be shared, if not it is simply better to let go with pain and love than to hold on and wither in bitterness. And the MC goes through so many endings that weren't serving her authentic self and has peace from it while looking forward to getting close to her true desires.

The ending was slightly flat. Did enjoy that MC got her happy ending without having to go through with compromising her authenticity. But I did want more surprise factor.

[Nneka]

I really wanted to love this book because it had been on my TBR list for such a long time. Flora Nwapa is one of the most esteemed Nigerian authors of all time, and as I read, it became abundantly clear why. One is Enough offers a powerful and radical perspective on marriage, relationships, and the experiences of women in post-colonial Nigeria.

Overall, I’m glad I read it for its historical and cultural significance, but the narrative itself didn’t resonate with me as much as I had hoped. I think the story would have benefited from clearer transitions between the multiple point-of-view characters to aid in clarity and comprehension.

Almost every relationship portrayed in this novel is one-sided, transactional, and toxic, which made it difficult for me to feel emotionally invested in any of the characters or their outcomes.

Rated 3.0🌟

[Ginika]

I get she was the pioneer for Nigerian feminist literature but it clearly shows in her writing. It was juvenile and lacked depth. But it did shed light on the importance of independence and the Modern woman's dilemma between tradition and self-sufficiency. A fair read

[Esther Akwong]

Mind blowing story

[Chidera Sandra]

Good, though it got annoying at the end

[Sage Abena Jade]

Less traumatic than most. Very engaging gist...

[Tondi]

The story of Amaka, an Igbo woman who for a long while goes along with traditional norms. Conformity to societal dictates reveal themselves to confine her ambition and potential, until she dares to step outside norms and redefine her life. Set in a 1970s post civil war Nigerian society, reconstructing itself. An easy and intriguing feminist read.