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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
Very rough, very good telling of civilians' struggle through the Syrian Civil War.
Prophet Song should be taking notes......
Prophet Song should be taking notes......
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
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:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
tense
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:
Yes
A dual narrative that contrasts a preteen Syrian-American girl whose family flees Syria as refugees after their home is bombed with the story of a 13th century girl who disguises herself as a boy to apprentice with a legendary map maker. The two journeys through seven countries of the Middle East and North Africa mirror each other across the centuries.
This book was published just prior to the author coming out as transgender, and while there are explicitly trans themes or characters, you can feel the author exploring them through the stories of Nour and Rawiya.
This book was published just prior to the author coming out as transgender, and while there are explicitly trans themes or characters, you can feel the author exploring them through the stories of Nour and Rawiya.
TLDR; Beautiful prose and would pick something else up by this author. I liked this, but did not love. Something about it did not allow me to invest emotionally like I should have considered the topics discussed. The dual-narrative was a miss for me.
This is a beautifully written debut that weaves together two narratives: one following 12-year-old Nour, a Syrian American girl displaced by the Syrian civil war in 2011, and the other tracing Rawiya, a young girl who journeys across the medieval Arab world in the 12th century. While the novel is lyrical and ambitious, I ultimately found myself liking it more than loving it.
The prose is undeniably rich and evocative—Joukhadar has a gift for language and atmosphere—but I struggled to connect deeply with Nour’s story, which felt emotionally distant at times. I wanted to feel more fully immersed in her grief and journey, but something kept me slightly at arm’s length.
My biggest challenge, however, was with the structure. I didn’t love the dual narrative format. While the intention behind linking Nour’s modern displacement with Rawiya’s mythic quest is clear, the two threads didn’t connect meaningfully enough for me to feel that the juxtaposition was fully justified. I often found myself far more engaged with Nour’s storyline and resented the interruption whenever the narrative shifted to Rawiya’s tale.
That said, this is an incredibly promising debut, and Joukhadar’s talent is evident on every page. Though this particular novel didn’t fully land for me, I’m absolutely interested in picking up whatever they write next.
This is a beautifully written debut that weaves together two narratives: one following 12-year-old Nour, a Syrian American girl displaced by the Syrian civil war in 2011, and the other tracing Rawiya, a young girl who journeys across the medieval Arab world in the 12th century. While the novel is lyrical and ambitious, I ultimately found myself liking it more than loving it.
The prose is undeniably rich and evocative—Joukhadar has a gift for language and atmosphere—but I struggled to connect deeply with Nour’s story, which felt emotionally distant at times. I wanted to feel more fully immersed in her grief and journey, but something kept me slightly at arm’s length.
My biggest challenge, however, was with the structure. I didn’t love the dual narrative format. While the intention behind linking Nour’s modern displacement with Rawiya’s mythic quest is clear, the two threads didn’t connect meaningfully enough for me to feel that the juxtaposition was fully justified. I often found myself far more engaged with Nour’s storyline and resented the interruption whenever the narrative shifted to Rawiya’s tale.
That said, this is an incredibly promising debut, and Joukhadar’s talent is evident on every page. Though this particular novel didn’t fully land for me, I’m absolutely interested in picking up whatever they write next.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
Slow, slow slow. Nearly put me to sleep while driving back from a week of trail work. Hard to follow as an audiobook ok, probably, and I found the accent distracting. Switching between the modern and ancient stories was tough for me. Yes, there was a point to it, but it never stopped being jarring to switch. This book was also busy - synesthesia, stars, rocks, storytelling; just more specific traits and interests than the story needed.
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
tense
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