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amydobrzynski's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
5.0
shirleytupperfreeman's review against another edition
One of the blurbs on the back calls this 'a searing tale of the Sri Lankan Civil War.' That about sums up this beautifully written novel. For those of us who prefer to keep our heads buried in the sand, several of the events in the story are very difficult to read. But reading the book can't help but increase our understanding and compassion for people in untenable circumstances. Since I didn't even remember that there was a civil war in Sri Lanka, I also learned some valuable history. (I read the advance reader copy -- will be published in Sept. 2014)
nubiani's review
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Rape, and War
Moderate: Genocide, Grief, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death, Police brutality, and Physical abuse
delafork's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
doublel11's review against another edition
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
1.25
I didn't care for this book from the beginning because it wasn't cohesive. There were too many people introduced too quickly, and it was hard to become invested as a result. By the end, it became more cohesive; however, that was when there was gratuitous violence. I've read plenty of books with difficult content, and I realize this book was about a war, but it was still fucking horrific.
On the plus side, I liked learning more about Sri Lanka and that part of history.
On the plus side, I liked learning more about Sri Lanka and that part of history.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Death, and Rape
mg_in_md_'s review
5.0
My Mom won a copy of this book via FirstReads and loaned it to me soon after she finished it -- this review is based on that copy. Set against the backdrop of the Sri Lankan Civil War, the book is divided into two sections. In the first, the story is narrated by Yasodhara (who comes from a Sinhala family) and tells her family's story in the period leading up to the outbreak of the war and the family's departure from their home country to the United States to escape the violence. Part two is narrated by a second female -- a Tamil woman named Saraswathi -- and Yasodhara, whose families and lives eventually cross paths during the height of the war in a devastatingly tragic way. The moving tale describes the transformation of the women as well as their home country, which cannot help but change as a result of the ravages of war. The language is vivid, poetic, and heartbreaking; the themes of the book will cause you to think and seek out others in order to discuss them. I knew little about this island nation prior to reading this book and am interesting in learning more as a result of reading it.
kaylag0518's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
scarletohhara's review
4.0
The fact that I didn't put the book down and finished it in a flight from Hyd-Blore must say a lot about this book - easy read; good narrative; ready to relate plot setting and a great story to tell.
I loved the plot, the story told about the little teardrop country. The setting feels familiar because of the stories of LTTE we've heard growing up (those were some tough,turmoiled times. Leaders assassinated, the word cyanide creeping into popular lingo, people dying like flies in bomb blasts and more than enough movies showing the conflict between the Sinhalese and Tamizhs), but this book showed the story a little more clearly.
I now know , or have barely scratched two sides to this story, both equally painful and sad. Though I do not appreciate knowing it in this gore(not the book, the story of the land),am very glad to have known it at all, before those times become a distant memory.
I loved the plot, the story told about the little teardrop country. The setting feels familiar because of the stories of LTTE we've heard growing up (those were some tough,turmoiled times. Leaders assassinated, the word cyanide creeping into popular lingo, people dying like flies in bomb blasts and more than enough movies showing the conflict between the Sinhalese and Tamizhs), but this book showed the story a little more clearly.
I now know , or have barely scratched two sides to this story, both equally painful and sad. Though I do not appreciate knowing it in this gore(not the book, the story of the land),am very glad to have known it at all, before those times become a distant memory.
elizabethhanna's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0