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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
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:
Complicated
This book was really great. I am glad that, in my quest to find some fiction books dealing with the Syrian refugee crisis, I stumbled upon this book.
It was a bit confusing at times, mostly in the sections with Rawiya (not so much in the more modern sections), and it was physically hard for me to read the poetry at the start of each section due to how they were aligned. I absolutely saw the vision Joukhadar had with aligning that poetry in the shape of each country that the sections would take place in, but I just couldn't follow it on the page very well. These reasons are why I opted for a 3.5-star rating instead of a 5-star rating. However, the sections about Rawiya did prompt me to want to learn more about al-Idrisi and I do plan to research more about him!
All of that said, I think this was beautifully written and it is definitely something I would recommend for others.
I also saw on Instagram that the author has endometriosis. If you (Zeyn Joukhadar, or anyone else with endometriosis) are reading this, I want to wish you so much love. Signed, another endo warrior. ❤️🩹
It was a bit confusing at times, mostly in the sections with Rawiya (not so much in the more modern sections), and it was physically hard for me to read the poetry at the start of each section due to how they were aligned. I absolutely saw the vision Joukhadar had with aligning that poetry in the shape of each country that the sections would take place in, but I just couldn't follow it on the page very well. These reasons are why I opted for a 3.5-star rating instead of a 5-star rating. However, the sections about Rawiya did prompt me to want to learn more about al-Idrisi and I do plan to research more about him!
All of that said, I think this was beautifully written and it is definitely something I would recommend for others.
I also saw on Instagram that the author has endometriosis. If you (Zeyn Joukhadar, or anyone else with endometriosis) are reading this, I want to wish you so much love. Signed, another endo warrior. ❤️🩹
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Trafficking, War
Moderate: Child death, Misogyny, Medical content, Death of parent, Colonisation
Minor: Cancer, Mental illness, Terminal illness
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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:
No
Probably would’ve liked this more but everyone (including the book itself) compared this to Khaled Hosseini and that’s just setting expectations too high :/
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The annoying thing is I like dual timeline stories, but this one just did not work for me. I put it down for ages and only picked it back up because I ran out of renewals at my library. I don't dislike it, it was okay. It was just not working for me.
I've slept on it and I think the problem is I wanted more from the Rawiya timeline. These are two stories I would have probably liked better if they weren't together, they cut down on what each of them could provide, like Nour could take a little more, but Rawiya needed a lot more.
I've slept on it and I think the problem is I wanted more from the Rawiya timeline. These are two stories I would have probably liked better if they weren't together, they cut down on what each of them could provide, like Nour could take a little more, but Rawiya needed a lot more.
This book should be required reading for everyone. One of the best I have read in a long time.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Finished reading: December 7th 2024
"The most important places on a map are the places we haven't been yet."
WARNING: it's another unpopular opinion review!!
Right... I wasn't expecting this to happen to be honest. I absolutely loved the sound of the premise of The Map Of Salt And Stars with its dual timeline and the Middle East/North Africa setting. I was looking forward to meet both characters and read about their journey... But as soon as I read the first couple of pages, I just knew this story and me wouldn't get along. Why? It's simple: the writing. To say that I clashed horribly with the writing style would be the understatement of the century, and this is just something that is almost impossible to overcome. The plot is buried under a mountain of metaphors, and having to plough through one metaphor after another made me want to scream and throw my kindle at the wall. Seriously, how many does a story need?! The constant repetition of one of the main characters seeing in color also became extremely frustrating after a while. Sure, the synesthesia was a neat feature in the beginning, but do we really have to be reminded every other sentence?! It really alienated me from Nour, and I struggled to connect to her in the first place. Rawiya's POV was at least a respite from the color talk, and as a result I think I preferred the past timeline. That said, the past timeline wasn't without issues either. I think this also had to do with the fact that the switches between timelines were so abrupt, and there was no proper connection between the two on a deeper level. I confess that I started skimreading long before the halfway mark, and I probably should have just DNFed it... It's a shame I had such a negative reaction to the writing style, because the plot itself had SO much potential. I've tried multiple times to look past the writing and concentrate on Nour and Rawiya's story, but in the end I just couldn't do it. I know that I'm in the minority though... I think your reaction to The Map Of Salt And Stars depends a lot on how you react to the writing. If your reaction is positive, I'm sure you will love this story just like the majority does.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A