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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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 is a beautifully written book with amazing imagery. I loved the parallel story structure and I think this particular narrative lent itself well to the style. If you are a fan of The Kite Runner, you will love this book.
Joukhadar weaves together the story of Syrian family fleeing Homs in 2011 with the story of 12th century geographer al-Idrisi and his assistant Rawiya. Both stories are told by the modern-day family's youngest daughter, 11-year-old Nour. She's the only member of the family born in New York City, where the family lived for a decade before returning to their native Syria.
Unfortunately the tale of a family fleeing war in Syria isn't all that uncommon, but the way Joukhadar weaves together the present day and the historical is really rewarding. Also, I think these kinds of stories are ones that need to be told and listened to, especially by those not directly affected. This was definitely one of those cases where fiction helped me empathize with someone unlike myself.
If you like stories about stories, about the power of family, and can handle the violence that leads to families becoming refugees, then The Map of Salt and Stars is worth checking out.
Unfortunately the tale of a family fleeing war in Syria isn't all that uncommon, but the way Joukhadar weaves together the present day and the historical is really rewarding. Also, I think these kinds of stories are ones that need to be told and listened to, especially by those not directly affected. This was definitely one of those cases where fiction helped me empathize with someone unlike myself.
If you like stories about stories, about the power of family, and can handle the violence that leads to families becoming refugees, then The Map of Salt and Stars is worth checking out.
I don't usually type up reviews, but I highly recommend this book- especially in year when the refugee crisis may have been a bit closer to home for many people. It was an emotional, but beautiful reminder of the struggles of refugees. Also, I've always loved maps, so I loved reading about a bit of cartography history.
3.5
I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, it was interesting to read and I feel like it portrayed the journey of a refugee very accurately and gave a lot of insight into the refugee situation in Syria. But there were so many excessive metaphors that bothered me throughout. Also how is every single person in this story so well spoken and philosophical? It didn’t feel realistic. I also didn’t really love the second timeline as much as I wanted to. Overall a good read.
I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, it was interesting to read and I feel like it portrayed the journey of a refugee very accurately and gave a lot of insight into the refugee situation in Syria. But there were so many excessive metaphors that bothered me throughout. Also how is every single person in this story so well spoken and philosophical? It didn’t feel realistic. I also didn’t really love the second timeline as much as I wanted to. Overall a good read.
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
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:
No
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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:
Complicated
I just finished it. The prose is some of the most beautiful I have ever listened to. And the way the author weaves the two stories is amazing. I typically do audiobooks from the library but I think I might try to get a hard copy of this for myself, the story was that beautiful.
The mapmakers apprentice story made for a more lighthearted, adventures break from the heartwarming but gut wrenching story of Nour mourning her father and trying to find her way home. Despite Nour’s story being harder to read, I adored the way she saw the world and the way she described it.I sobbed when she met the goat herders in the Sahara desert and they laughed when she spoke about the stars, they needed some kind people in the worst way.
Despite being fiction it really spoke truth to the destruction being wrought onto the earth and all her creatures. It’s hard not to think of Palestine in particular while reading it. But really of all refugees, carrying their keys to their destroyed homes and their hearts into foreign lands with them.
The mapmakers apprentice story made for a more lighthearted, adventures break from the heartwarming but gut wrenching story of Nour mourning her father and trying to find her way home. Despite Nour’s story being harder to read, I adored the way she saw the world and the way she described it.
Despite being fiction it really spoke truth to the destruction being wrought onto the earth and all her creatures. It’s hard not to think of Palestine in particular while reading it. But really of all refugees, carrying their keys to their destroyed homes and their hearts into foreign lands with them.
I'm finding this a tough one to rate, so I'm settling on 3 1/2 stars. I liked elements of the story - I much preferred the historical tale with Rawiya and al-Idrisi - and I found the prose in some places quite beautiful, but the plausability factor was a problem for me. I was disappointed that my copy did not have any maps attached (this was mentioned in one of the questions on GR) and I wasn't always in a position to look them up as I was reading.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced