Reviews

Wenn die Nacht am hellsten ist by Nadia Hashimi

atenelli's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

ginia552's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

hthill25's review against another edition

emotional 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

4.0

This is one of those books that makes me feel guilty for ever complaining about my “first-world problems.”  I was definitely sucked in by these characters and their quest for a better life.  I recommend to those who enjoy fictionalized stories about refugees.

berlylovestoread's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring sad tense fast-paced

4.5

I loved when it made the switch from one voice to the next. As much as this was sad & scary, full of trauma & war, it was amazingly hopeful and poignant. The way the book ended was hard for me but I loved it, too.

misstj9's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring 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? No

4.5

bookthia's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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

4.0

 A refugee story — one that focuses on a widowed mother and her three children, trying to escape Kabul, Afghanistan during the reign of the Taliban. They meet kindness and greed and friends and foes and family and it weaves together a tapestry of pain and sacrifice and beauty. The writing was lovely and I much preferred the Fereida voice to the Saleem voice but that is because I am a mother, not an adolescent boy. Recommend. 

smagyar's review against another edition

5.0

Incredibly well written, very insightful and full of both heartwarming and heartbreaking moments. This is the first page turner I have read in a while.

jgintrovertedreader's review against another edition

4.0

Fereiba lived a lonely childhood in Afghanistan. Her mother died in childbirth and her stepmother never treated her like a real member of the family. Her stepmother does eventually arrange a marriage for her and it becomes a love match. Three children later, the Taliban are in power, Fereiba has had to give up the teaching job she loves, and their lives are shattered when the authorities knock on the door late one night, taking her husband Mahmood with them. Suddenly Fereiba finds herself alone with her children, fleeing Afghanistan and trying to reach family in England.

I like books like this. They always make me more thankful for the things I take for granted every day. It's easy to forget that not everyone is as fortunate as I am. I'm free to wear what I want, worship as please, marry whomever I want, work at any job I'm qualified for, and get an education. I have access to healthcare, a nice home, clean water, electricity, indoor plumbing...the list goes on. Not everyone has even the most basic of these.

I particularly enjoyed that the book starts before the Taliban were in power. Fereiba is a teacher, wearing stylish clothes and meeting her friends in public. The change to the Taliban regime is pretty abrupt in the book, I guess in the interest of time, but suddenly she can't teach and she can barely leave the house. When she does she has to wear a burqa and be accompanied by her husband. I've read widely enough to know that these changes have happened within my lifetime but it's good to remind those of us who are aware of it and to open the eyes of those who don't.

I felt so bad for the family as they traveled. They fought so hard to stay together and lived such a dangerous life. Caring for a sick infant made everything so much more stressful. Fereiba doesn't speak English, which is known widely enough to make a difference for them, so she has to rely on her teenage son for almost everything--a hard fact for a devoted mother trying to protect her children.

They stumbled on so many caring, helpful people though. Of course there were dangerous people who threatened them or tried to take advantage of them, but so many went out of their way to be kind. It was amazing.

I also liked that this made me more aware of the challenges surrounding refugees and immigrants. Some countries were so overwhelmed with the unending flood of people that they had become pretty heartless to the travelers' plights. But what is the answer when there are so many people coming through your borders that you can't track them all, much less find a way to help them feed and care for themselves? Some of the living situations were pretty dire.

If you enjoy reading about other cultures and being reminded how blessed your life really is, pick this one up.

Thanks to the publisher for giving me early access to the book in exchange for a review.

shirleytupperfreeman's review against another edition

I was captivated by this refugee story. Told in the voices of mother and son from Afghanistan, the novel reminded me of books by Khaled Hosseini - with a bit of Sophie's choice thrown in. The first half of the book is mostly Fereiba's story as she is raised by a meek father and dominating step-mother before finally finding love and stability with her husband Mahmood, their children and her teaching career. The second half of the book continues the family's story as they become refugees after Mahmood is killed by the Taliban. The good, the bad and the ugly parts of refugee life are portrayed in Saleem's and Fereiba's stories. Hashimi reminds us of the dual challenge of escaping from a place and escaping from memories. (I read the arc of this book to be published in July 2015)

bonky24's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad 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? No

3.0