Reviews

What Strange Paradise by Omar El Akkad

janada59's review

4.0

Reflecting on it after I finished it, how can a book be devastating and hopeful at the same time? I wanted so much for Vanna and Amir to reach their destination.

jtrogers1992's review

5.0

Wow, what a read to finish the year. A fictionalized story (but certainly based in reality) of a Syrian boy who is part of the refugee crisis and washes ashore on an island where is he helped by a local girl. The book has incredible empathy for those far from home and those who feel far from home in the place they grew up. The story is riveting, as beautiful as it is heartbreaking, but the way it is constructed is masterful. Easily makes my top five books I’ve read this year.

katiegilley's review

4.0

Remember the image of the little boy fleeing Syria who washed up on the beach a few years ago? Now imagine that he was the only survivor of that shipwreck and he's helped by a little girl who knows to keep him a secret from some people and how to find someone who can actually help him.

For me, this was a reminder that we all have a part to play in helping people flee from terror. Who will I be? The person that this little boy needs to hide from or the person he can run to?

lkbp17's review

challenging emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

chinimurali's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

_spacecowboy_'s review against another edition

emotional

5.0

alejandrabrazil's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

rkcobb's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

buythebook's review

dark hopeful medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

veganheathen's review

5.0

This book reads almost like a thriller, which I wasn’t expecting but loved. It’s captivating, heart-breaking, full of hope and despair, casual cruelty and love. Such a beautifully written book that will stick with me for a while.