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Stay with Me  By  cover art

Stay with Me

By: Ayobami Adebayo
Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
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Publisher's summary

This celebrated, unforgettable first novel, short-listed for the prestigious Bailey's Prize and set in Nigeria, gives voice to both husband and wife as they tell the story of their marriage - and the forces that threaten to tear it apart.

Yejide and Akin have been married since they met and fell in love at university. Though many expected Akin to take several wives, he and Yejide have always agreed: Polygamy is not for them. But four years into their marriage - after consulting fertility doctors and healers, trying strange teas and unlikely cures - Yejide is still not pregnant. She assumes she still has time - until her family arrives on her doorstep with a young woman they introduce as Akin's second wife. Furious, shocked, and livid with jealousy, Yejide knows the only way to save her marriage is to get pregnant. Which, finally, she does - but at a cost far greater than she could have dared to imagine.

An electrifying novel of enormous emotional power, Stay with Me asks how much we can sacrifice for the sake of family.

©2017 Ayobami Adebayo (P)2017 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"A bright, big-hearted demonstration of female spirit, as well as the damage done by the boundlessness of male pride." (The Guardian)

"Adebayo describes parenthood and love with heartbreaking prose. She deftly reveals secrets and the decisions that set life-altering events in motion. The story's fast pace brings surprising twists to Akin, Yejide, and their families' lives." (Booklist)

"Adjoa Andoh delivers a strong portrayal of this audiobook's main characters.... She virtually becomes the elder mothers and other family members who impact the couple's relationship.... This is a powerful novel that unfolds through Andoh's superb characterizations of the protagonists." (AudioFile)

What listeners say about Stay with Me

Average customer ratings
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    4 out of 5 stars

Do better

I have returned this book and ordered the physical copy, I picked it up because of promising reviews from friends who have similar book tastes. After an hour of listening, I decided I couldn’t do it anymore. If you are not Nigerian then you will probably have no qualms with the narration, but as someone that grew up in the culture this story is based on, the narration was like nails on a chalkboard. The narrator sounded like an American imitating a Nigerian accent, from the names of the characters to the inflections of the saying, everything was horribly wrong. I am an avid audiobook listener, I’ve listened to a plethora of books, many of them international that have narrators that came from the culture or was very well versed in it (see: the power of one, the tea girl of hummingbird land, American dervish). Would it have been so difficult to get a Nigerian narrator to do this book justice? Do better random house audio.

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84 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Unbelievably Powerful!!!

What a story and narration! I seldom rate audiobooks with more than 4 stars, but when it came to this, I had to give it a perfect score. The story hit me hard, and wouldn't let go. It was heartbreaking, yet at times, thankfully, a bit lighter to handle. It was really sad to see the extent to which this couple went to conceive children, and the effects it had on their marriage. As for the narration, all I can say is bravo! Her performance was flawless!!! She absolutely brought the story to life. To be honest, I don't think it would've made such an impression on me, had I just read the book. Without a doubt, the narrator put her heart and soul into the performance. I cannot say enough about the audiobook, other than to purchase it!😊👍🏼

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27 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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Read this if you like being depressed

I found this book hard to stomach, although it taught me some things about Nigerian culture. It does a good job showing how flawed humans can be and how we deceive both ourselves and others. But it is incredibly depressing. Also, it’s very strange that when the characters are telling their story to the reader, they speak with a British accent, but when they’re talking to each other, they use dialect. There are some surprises in the plot that kept me listening until the end, but I almost quit many times. I don’t recommend this book to anyone.

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21 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A riveting story of love, despair, desperation and perseverance

‘Stay with Me’ l was engaging and kept my interest throughout the entire book. The author’s ability to tell an interesting story and yet, interject humor, politics, and reality all in the same storyline is a credit to her gifts as a writer. This book is a riveting story of love, despair, desperation and perseverance. The Audible version; however, takes a 5-Star book, to 10-Stars! The dialect and pronunciations made me feel like I was there! I learned so much about Nigerian culture & traditions by reading this book. I started read ‘Stay With Me’ for my book club and must admit, when I started reading/listening ;-), I had to check to make sure that I was reading the correct book, as it was nothing like our normal book selection. I was already engaged by the way, so even if it was the incorrect book, I was going to continue reading regardless. It was the correct book and I am so happy that this was our book selection for the month. I learned so much. And every emotion in my being was exposed numerous times as I continued to read/listened. Kudos to the author and the narrator! I definitely recommend this book!

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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Melodramatic, gripping

Overall, I enjoyed the book, but the story is without the doubt designed as a melodramatic page turner rather than a deeper narrative. I enjoyed the performance when the story focused on the inner voice of the characters. Their speaking voices were done in stronger accented and overly caricature ways. This was so much do that I had trouble relating to characters the same way.

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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New favorite book!

I am ranking this novel in my top ten. It is beautifully written and completely unique. I challenge anyone with a heart to listen and not shed tears and the reader is perfection.

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

OH MY GAWD!!!

This book is and should be THE #1 bestseller!!! I could not stop listening literally started and finished it in half a day. It is love, family, loyalty and a bit betrayal... my heart is still pounding 💚💚💚!!! Thank you Adjoa Andoh, stellar novel!!!

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Compelling

I have listened to this twice now in two months. It is a compelling story featuring vivid and complex characters. Moreover, the performance is exquisite and completely believable. I recommend it to all my reading friends and now recommend it to you. Highest praises for this debut work!

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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5 STAR BOOK

Beautifully written story of a particular time (1980-2008) and place (Nigeria) with a heartbreaking—tho ultimately redemptive and joyful—emotional universality. Perfect for bookclubs.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

There's a big problem here

Giving credit where it's due, this is well written and offers an interesting ie of a culture quite different from my own. But the BIG problem of the title ! Without giving away this major plot point, I just couldn't believe that Yijibe, a well educated woman, wouldn't figure out that something was wrong in the marriage. Even Akin's explanation wouldn't convince a reasonably smart woman. I liked the narration, although the dialect was a bit difficult to understand at times.

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4 people found this helpful