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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
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:
Complicated
I truly loved this book. It's the perfect blend of a contemporary and a fantastical journey, laid on the same landscape. The characters Nour and Rawiya taught me much about home—a physical place, yes, but also the love of our friends, family, and self—and how to get there, along with the necessity of writing one's story over and over again. The poems at the beginning of each chapter in the shape of the country they introduce were gorgeous. Joukhadar touched my heart.
"yes, there was death here and will be death again one day, and between the two are laughter and the rhythmic breathing in of generations... your ghost and mine will dance, and the womb of the wind will breathe us in"
"yes, there was death here and will be death again one day, and between the two are laughter and the rhythmic breathing in of generations... your ghost and mine will dance, and the womb of the wind will breathe us in"
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
Normally when a book is divided in a back-in-time perspective and a now-a-days perspective, I tend to like the back-in-time perspective the most. But in this book I did not care much for the story of Rawiya. I did get more interested in it right at the end, but for most of the book, it was just pages to get trough to get to Nour's story - which I did enjoy, and is the reason why I give the book three stars.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
This is the most poetic book I've ever read. It was heartwarming and heart wrenching at different times, but I was in love with Nur from page 1 and I already miss reading about her. If I could I would give this 6 stars. Finishing it on Mother's Day was also an extra treat.
I think I liked the concept of this book better than its execution. There were scenes that really stuck with me, more in the modern storyline than the semi-fantastical one that takes place a thousand years ago. The effect of the Syrian civil war on Noor's family and their experience as refugees seemed realistic in its highlights of the horrors of the war and the dangerous life as a refugee. But the twists that gave both stories a happy ending seemed pretty contrived.
Beautifully written, it’s just too much sometimes. I lost interest in parts, until it picked up. It made me feel sad and happy. Overall it was a nice story.
medium-paced
Very beautiful telling of a families journey.