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missbookiverse's review against another edition
4.0
Don't be fooled by the title. An Emotion of Great Delight offers a glimpse into the post 9/11 daily routine of a Muslim teenage girl who's life is falling apart. Shadi mourns the death of a family member while also dealing with her (sometimes physically, sometimes mentally) absent parents, feelings of anger and sadness, a toxic friendship, racist attacks and micro aggressions, school work, and keeping herself fed and getting enough sleep. She's at the limit of her strength and the flowery prose lays bare her raw insides. It hurts to listen but her story is not without hope. She finds courage in her faith and some unexpected people in her life, one of which leads to a very explosive kissing scene. It's a short novel and Shadi's problems aren't solved at the end of it but I highly enjoyed being granted this small insight.
paige_orr's review
emotional
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? Yes
4.25
baraa3005's review against another edition
4.0
A very sad book full of sorrow, writing was beautiful and probably the best of mafi’s books outside the shatter me series
But the ending was unfulfilling and Noah was almost a pointless character
But the ending was unfulfilling and Noah was almost a pointless character
chivalricmaiden's review
4.0
So I was sad and decided on reading something to cheer me up. Turns out, this book only amplified the gaping hole in my heart.
I'm not going to comment about the smoking and kissing because although it's haram, the author utilized that fact to make this book even more saddening. It's wrong, that's the point . These characters are terribly flawed. Remember, Islam is perfect but Muslims are not.
But the questions still linger. What just happened? What was that ending? Where's the rest of the story?
I'm not going to comment about the smoking and kissing because although it's haram, the author utilized that fact to make this book even more saddening. It's wrong, that's the point . These characters are terribly flawed. Remember, Islam is perfect but Muslims are not.
But the questions still linger. What just happened? What was that ending? Where's the rest of the story?
bubbelfia's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
sterredinah's review
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
bookishblondegirl's review against another edition
3.0
I have mixed feelings about this story. Sometimes Mafi’s writing doesn’t work for me, feeling like it sacrifices clarity for pretty writing (I felt this way about the Shatter Me series as well). Overall, though, I found the book engrossing and worth the read.
jennaclarek's review against another edition
this book has content warnings for self-harm, death of a brother, grief, and suicidal thoughts
okay SO this is definitely different from avleos (for many reasons) but i think it's still a stunning book. i don't want to rate it because i don't think it is rateable for me? like yes it was enjoyable and the writing is great and i enjoyed it but i just don't know where a rating would be. because i think overall my issues with it were the plot and the ending?
what i think is so interesting is that this book is centered on shadi and JOY and ultimately...this is a very sorrowful book. it's full of grief and harsh words and hate and death, and the joy is buried deep deep down. and the more i sit with it, the more poetic it is. but that doesn't change the fact that i just...was not a fan of how some of the plot played out.
but i absolutely LOVED the writing style (as always), loved all the commentary on faith and god and learning more about persian culture...tahereh has a wonderful gift for words and i feel honored that i get to step into her head once again. this book is so important, and i cherish it deeply.
okay SO this is definitely different from avleos (for many reasons) but i think it's still a stunning book. i don't want to rate it because i don't think it is rateable for me? like yes it was enjoyable and the writing is great and i enjoyed it but i just don't know where a rating would be. because i think overall my issues with it were the plot and the ending?
Spoiler
mainly that we don't have a lot of closure - which i think is the point and so i'm trying to come around to it.what i think is so interesting is that this book is centered on shadi and JOY and ultimately...this is a very sorrowful book. it's full of grief and harsh words and hate and death, and the joy is buried deep deep down. and the more i sit with it, the more poetic it is. but that doesn't change the fact that i just...was not a fan of how some of the plot played out.
Spoiler
also i was just really confused about noah? like i felt like his purpose was just...to show that shadi could make friends? which is fine i guess but i wanted more from his character i guess...and i felt like we deserved more information about zahra or some kind of resolution there? idk i'm not usually good with no closure books - and like, i get why there's no closure! i really do! but i'm still miffed about it. i think there could've been a happy medium somewhere.but i absolutely LOVED the writing style (as always), loved all the commentary on faith and god and learning more about persian culture...tahereh has a wonderful gift for words and i feel honored that i get to step into her head once again. this book is so important, and i cherish it deeply.