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zcarver's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
marblemenow's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
thesixteensociety's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
gabybusby's review against another edition
4.0
J'aimais bien ce livre. Faïza Guène est écrivaine avec plein d'esprit et douée. Son histoire est pure, qui le fait une bonne lecture. J'aimais spécialement la representation brute de la banlieue -- un lieu en Paris qui est normalement généralisé comme pauvre et louche -- qui était peint plus charmant. C'est une vraie représentation qu'on doit apprécier. Bien fait Mme Guène !
lattelibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
This novel was an interesting addition to my school's course on French immigration. Fun, pleasant, and easy to read, it makes for a good text to start the day with!
ej19's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
dee9401's review against another edition
2.0
Finished reading this book Friday morning on my metro ride in to work. This was a great book for the metro since you could pick it up and put it down without losing any train of thought or end during a critical piece of analysis. Not a great book at all. It was cool, since the perspective was intriguing: French-born Moroccan adolescent girl growing up in poor suburbs around Paris with her Moroccan mother and absent father.
The timing of this book was good, given the riots last year in the suburbs of a nation that bases its national identity on liberté, egalitie, and fraternitiem, but seems to turn a blind eye on its large immigrant communities surrounding its largest cities, e.g. Paris and Marseilles. The book is also interesting due to its young author, herself a child of Algerian immigrants who grew up in the projects outside Paris.
Overall, not a great book, maybe not even a good book, but perhaps a necessary book. And, as noted above, it’s a quick read.
The timing of this book was good, given the riots last year in the suburbs of a nation that bases its national identity on liberté, egalitie, and fraternitiem, but seems to turn a blind eye on its large immigrant communities surrounding its largest cities, e.g. Paris and Marseilles. The book is also interesting due to its young author, herself a child of Algerian immigrants who grew up in the projects outside Paris.
Overall, not a great book, maybe not even a good book, but perhaps a necessary book. And, as noted above, it’s a quick read.
bookjockeybeth's review against another edition
Wanted to like it. Something was probably lost in translation for me from the original French.