Things Fall Apart
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebeby Chinua Achebe
Shares rank 53 of 122 novels by recommenders
People recommend this novel for its insight into the cultural clash between Igbo society and colonial rule, and for its opening line, which carries character, culture and foreshadowing at once.
People recommend this novel for its insight into the cultural clash between Igbo society and colonial rule, and for its opening line, which carries character, culture and foreshadowing at once.
4 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 4
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 4 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Insight into cultural clash with colonizers
“it provides one of the finest insights into the cultural clash between the natives and their colonial masters”
Comment from 20 Mar 2026 in “Things Fall Apart” Opening line does character, culture, foreshadowing
“It's a line that does character, culture, and foreshadowing all at once without straining any of them.”
Comment from 23 Jul 2026 in “Ask HN: What's a great opening line you know?” Strongly recommended by readers
“I'll just list them while saying that they all come highly recommended by me.”
Comment from 29 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: What are you reading?” “if you haven't read the book, you really should”
Comment from 15 Sep 2026 in “I can't stop thinking about Papua New Guinea”
Other novels people recommend
The four most recommended other novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime and Punishmentby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 39 | 9 | 81% | 6 | — | Approved |
| The Brothers Karamazovby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 28 | 8 | 78% | 5 | — | Approved |
| Infinite Jestby David Foster Wallace | 26 | 5 | 84% | 9 | 10 yrs6 owners | Approved |
| The Great Gatsbyby F. Scott Fitzgerald | 24 | 9 | 73% | 6 | — | Approved |
| Things Fall Apartby Chinua AchebeThis page | 4 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
4 of the 6 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I'll just list them while saying that they all come highly recommended by me.”
“if you haven't read the book, you really should”
“It's a line that does character, culture, and foreshadowing all at once without straining any of them.”
“it provides one of the finest insights into the cultural clash between the natives and their colonial masters”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.