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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A very good narrative of the terrorific civil war in Syria and its effects in a family of brave women and a beautiful story of girl who made me think of so many women who have had to hide themselves in order to fulfill their dreams. Very good to read
I wanted to like this book but I just found myself disconnected to all of the characters. And the writing was a little too "floral" for me. I can see why this book would appeal to many though, so I think it is worth anyone who is interested. It just wasn't for me.
I got bored and wasn't invested in the journey of the characters.
Good lord—this is an incredible novel. ARC reviewed for Bookshop Santa Cruz’s spring/summer newsletter.
This deeply moving and gorgeously written novel follows the intertwining stories of two young women: in 2011, Nour is a Syrian-American girl whose family becomes refugees as they escape the Syrian Civil War, while 800 years earlier, Rawiya leaves her home in Cueta in search of adventure and disguises herself as a boy to apprentice with the world’s best mapmaker. On the way, the girls find themselves walking similar paths through the Middle East and across North Africa as their resilience and resolve are tested on their search for family and home.
Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar is a fabulously talented writer, and THE MAP OF SALT AND STARS is a stunning debut. If you’re looking for a beautifully and lyrically written literary fiction novel, keep an eye out for this when it’s released in May.
This deeply moving and gorgeously written novel follows the intertwining stories of two young women: in 2011, Nour is a Syrian-American girl whose family becomes refugees as they escape the Syrian Civil War, while 800 years earlier, Rawiya leaves her home in Cueta in search of adventure and disguises herself as a boy to apprentice with the world’s best mapmaker. On the way, the girls find themselves walking similar paths through the Middle East and across North Africa as their resilience and resolve are tested on their search for family and home.
Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar is a fabulously talented writer, and THE MAP OF SALT AND STARS is a stunning debut. If you’re looking for a beautifully and lyrically written literary fiction novel, keep an eye out for this when it’s released in May.
Loved the tandem storytelling; reminiscent of Mulan in parts.
This book hits every emotion. It's magical, but oh so realistic. Encouraging, but harsh. Happy and sad. It's an eye opener to the awful things that families are trying to escape from in Syria and much else of the Eastern World. It's also a bit fairy tale. It's strength in humanity and weakness in humanity. The balance of it all creating an important story to read.
It taught me something. More than one thing.
Also, the writing is unlike anything I've read before. Joukhadar has a way with words that gives you a new view of such simple things: a death, a burial, the stars, a feeling. Would recommend.
It taught me something. More than one thing.
Also, the writing is unlike anything I've read before. Joukhadar has a way with words that gives you a new view of such simple things: a death, a burial, the stars, a feeling. Would recommend.
This book just didn't live up to its beautiful cover. It had a good foundation for a story, and I like the premise: a modern day Syrian family of refugees travel the same path as Rawiya, a legendary girl who traveled with the mapmaker Al-Idrisi in the early 1000s. Nour, the youngest daughter of the modern Syrian family who has synesthesia, tells their story, and her life parallels Rawiya's in many ways.
My biggest gripe is how quickly and often the storylines would switch back and forth. Every 4 or 5 pages or so it would suddenly switch to the other storyline. It made it hard to get a rhythm going while reading, and in the beginning it was very confusing keeping the characters straight with the correct storyline. At some points I would skip ahead and read the next bit of the same storyline, then go back and read the other, and it felt much more natural and enjoyable.
My other problem is that there was not enough imagery at key points to really make a mental picture, or the details didn't seem to match up. For example, The synesthesia bits were cool, but didn't add that much when the overall structure didn't make sense.
Finally, my edition doesn't have a map in it! I admit it is my own fault at not studying geography, but I had to keep looking up where they were and seeing where the journey was going. I have seen editions with maps, so if you're planning to read it--make sure to get the map edition or keep a map handy.
My biggest gripe is how quickly and often the storylines would switch back and forth. Every 4 or 5 pages or so it would suddenly switch to the other storyline. It made it hard to get a rhythm going while reading, and in the beginning it was very confusing keeping the characters straight with the correct storyline. At some points I would skip ahead and read the next bit of the same storyline, then go back and read the other, and it felt much more natural and enjoyable.
My other problem is that there was not enough imagery at key points to really make a mental picture, or the details didn't seem to match up. For example,
Spoiler
when Rawiya gets dropped by the roc onto the deck of the ship, she's lying there with 3 broken ribs as the roc squeezes her with his talons. Then Al-Idrisi tosses her the stone and she's able to wind up and sling that sucker in the eye. Maybe I misinterpreted sling vs. slingshot, but my brain just can't make sense of how she could use the sling lying down while also being squeezed by the roc.Finally, my edition doesn't have a map in it! I admit it is my own fault at not studying geography, but I had to keep looking up where they were and seeing where the journey was going. I have seen editions with maps, so if you're planning to read it--make sure to get the map edition or keep a map handy.