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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
This is beautifully written. The story is told through the eyes of Nour, a 12-year-old girl who becomes a refugee and travels through Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Libya. She encourages herself by remembering a story that her father once told her, about a brave young girl who lived in the 12th century, who disguised herself as a boy & had amazing adventures.
The two stories are told concurrently, and the modern story is gritty, while the old story has the feel of a folk-tale. But there are many echoes between them. Both the modern girl & the mythic girl have to be very courageous. The mythic girl fights off a roc, using a slingshot, while the modern girl has to deal with violent men, opportunists, and a world that has no place for a homeless family.
The two stories are told concurrently, and the modern story is gritty, while the old story has the feel of a folk-tale. But there are many echoes between them. Both the modern girl & the mythic girl have to be very courageous. The mythic girl fights off a roc, using a slingshot, while the modern girl has to deal with violent men, opportunists, and a world that has no place for a homeless family.
The language is beautiful - so poetic, so vivid (protagonist's synaesthesia is used to supplement this). Nour and Rawiya's stories link nicely in a few ways, although Nour's tale is definitely the more compelling and I just wasn't that interested in Rawiya's tale. There's a lot of violence (including attempted rape) which is not surprising in a story about refugees. Lots on loss and grief. I don't have much to say on the synaesthesia rep - it's mainly used as a poetic device (though there is an interesting plot point regarding it) and not the focus of the book.
I read this primarily for the beauty of the language used and secondarily for Nour’s plot, and I enjoyed both.
I read this primarily for the beauty of the language used and secondarily for Nour’s plot, and I enjoyed both.
Very interesting. It's a must read for anyone interested in how families survive war in today's world.
Good grief, somewhere I read it was another "Kite Runner" I was so excited!! It's not at all. Very hard to get into this story. It was more enjoyable to follow the parallel story of Rawiya. The premise is very real and current (I think I got bogged down in the details of where they were traveling, I lost the heart of the relationships)
I think I would have enjoyed this more if I had read it at a different time.
This is a story everyone needs to read. Often in our day to day, we get so wrapped up that we forget about other people and places. This story shined a light on things happening in Syria and gave me a perspective I didn’t know I needed. Reading from Nour’s POV, my heart shattered. Reading about all of the things she went through at 12 years old, I cannot believe it. At 12, I was worrying about if my crush liked me back or if my outfit was in style. Knowing that others are going through or sharing her experience, it was eye opening and gut wrenching.
This book is powerful. It is beautifully written. It had a lyrical writing style that delivered such an emotional punch. I was often left speechless and had to put the book down to process. I cried after the first page and to be honest, the tears rarely stopped.
It is a book like this that makes me glad I am doing a reading challenge. I wouldn’t have picked this book up on my own. I am so glad I read this story. As I said earlier, it is a book everyone needs to read. It is an important read.
Prompt: A book with a character who is a refugee.
This book is powerful. It is beautifully written. It had a lyrical writing style that delivered such an emotional punch. I was often left speechless and had to put the book down to process. I cried after the first page and to be honest, the tears rarely stopped.
It is a book like this that makes me glad I am doing a reading challenge. I wouldn’t have picked this book up on my own. I am so glad I read this story. As I said earlier, it is a book everyone needs to read. It is an important read.
Prompt: A book with a character who is a refugee.
Wow that was brutal. At times it was beautiful but I was exhausted by the end.
What a beautiful storyteller! This book was out of my knowledge realm but right up my alley if that makes sense. I loved the use of the dual storylines. It really worked for me! I actually found the main character super annoying at first but I’m so glad I stuck with it-she really grew on me.
4 colorful and descriptive stars to The Map of Salt and Stars! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
The Syrian civil war and refugee crisis stay in the forefront of my mind most days. I am heartbroken. I am deeply worried. I am listening.
The Map of Salt and Stars had me intrigued since I first learned about it. I inhaled this book. Joukhadar’s writing is some of the most lyrical I’ve read. The main character, Nour, has synesthesia and sees colors, and you, the reader, will as well, as a landscape and story are artistically painted with the most elegant and heartrending brushstrokes.
In 2011, Nour’s father passes away, and her mother decides to move Nour and her sisters from New York City back to Syria to be closer to family. Unfortunately, Nour’s mother could not have predicted the unraveling of her once beloved country and the dire predicament that would await the family once the house is destroyed by a shell. Nour and her family flee to safety, crossing seven countries in the Middle East and Africa.
The second narrative takes place over 800 years prior and is about Rawiya, a girl who disguises herself as a boy in order to become an apprentice to a mapmaker. Her journey is epic in proportions and in ways echos that of Nour and her family.
Both narratives are about journeys, adventure, heartache, war, darkness, light, and ultimately, family and the search for home. I could read books written in this style of writing all day. Joukhadar had me at the first paragraph when she began describing the “salt” and its symbolism that would feature throughout this stunningly written novel.
Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar is an author to watch, and I am hugging my Kindle.
Thank you to Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar, Touchstone, and Edelweiss for the ARC. The Map of Salt and Stars is available now!
For this and other reviews, please visit my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com
The Syrian civil war and refugee crisis stay in the forefront of my mind most days. I am heartbroken. I am deeply worried. I am listening.
The Map of Salt and Stars had me intrigued since I first learned about it. I inhaled this book. Joukhadar’s writing is some of the most lyrical I’ve read. The main character, Nour, has synesthesia and sees colors, and you, the reader, will as well, as a landscape and story are artistically painted with the most elegant and heartrending brushstrokes.
In 2011, Nour’s father passes away, and her mother decides to move Nour and her sisters from New York City back to Syria to be closer to family. Unfortunately, Nour’s mother could not have predicted the unraveling of her once beloved country and the dire predicament that would await the family once the house is destroyed by a shell. Nour and her family flee to safety, crossing seven countries in the Middle East and Africa.
The second narrative takes place over 800 years prior and is about Rawiya, a girl who disguises herself as a boy in order to become an apprentice to a mapmaker. Her journey is epic in proportions and in ways echos that of Nour and her family.
Both narratives are about journeys, adventure, heartache, war, darkness, light, and ultimately, family and the search for home. I could read books written in this style of writing all day. Joukhadar had me at the first paragraph when she began describing the “salt” and its symbolism that would feature throughout this stunningly written novel.
Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar is an author to watch, and I am hugging my Kindle.
Thank you to Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar, Touchstone, and Edelweiss for the ARC. The Map of Salt and Stars is available now!
For this and other reviews, please visit my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com