Dream Count    by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Order:  USA  Can Knopf, 2025 (2024) Hardcover, Softcover, e-Book      Reviewed by Barbara Lingens Four beautiful African women feature in this book. All are looking for peace and love. Each has her own story to tell, with all the ups and downs that life, especially love life, can bring. One of them, Kadiatou, is the victim of a hideous act, and her story, which harks back to a real-life incident that took place in New York City in 2011, is the most harrowing. In her Author's Note, Adichie is at pains to explain her reactions to this incident. All I can say is, she has luminously portrayed Kadiatou's actions and reactions, especially her emotional state, and I'm wondering why Kadiatou's story isn't the major plot, especially since Adichie writes that the victim's accusation 'represented a significant cultural moment in America.' There are many themes worked in these women's stories: betrayal, motherhood, friendship and its costs, the effect of the Covid pandemic on people's lives, all of them most interestingly portrayed. Additionally, in the Author's Note, Adichie tells us this book was written as a kind of catharsis after the deeply-felt loss of her mother. She has written a very engaging tribute, and I'm sure her mother would be very proud. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Contemporary books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews