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rieviolet's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
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? Yes
3.75
I did not mind the peculiar narrator, aka the fig tree, but I think that its narration was maybe given a bit too much space at the expense of the human characters. They felt a bit surface level, I would have liked for the author to delve more into their characterizations and relationships.
Also, the final revelation left me a bit perplexed, I was not expecting it and I think that it added an ulterior element of magical realism that felt a bit like too much.
Still, the writing style was really good, maybe just at times it felt a bit overdone, that is overly sentimental for my taste or going a bit overboard with the metaphors.
Overall it was a nice reading experience, that taught me a lot about the natural world and about a time and place that I knew nothing about.
Also, please give me an entire book on Yiorgos and Yusuf's backstory (*crying in extreme sadness*).
Also, the final revelation left me a bit perplexed, I was not expecting it and I think that it added an ulterior element of magical realism that felt a bit like too much.
Still, the writing style was really good, maybe just at times it felt a bit overdone, that is overly sentimental for my taste or going a bit overboard with the metaphors.
Overall it was a nice reading experience, that taught me a lot about the natural world and about a time and place that I knew nothing about.
Also, please give me an entire book on Yiorgos and Yusuf's backstory (*crying in extreme sadness*).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Animal death, Gun violence, Death, War, Abortion, and Violence
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, Death of parent, Grief, Colonisation, Religious bigotry, Xenophobia, Sexism, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Child death, Drug abuse, and Mental illness
Minor: Infidelity, Cancer, Torture, Rape, Sexual content, and Suicide
biancadubois's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and War
Moderate: Homophobia, Death of parent, Mental illness, Abortion, and Alcoholism
Minor: Suicide
rhii_reading's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
This book deals with so many heavy topics, yet still manages to tell a story that is as intimate as it is political. Grief has such a large presence here, not only in human loss - both fictional and real, given the partial setting in 1970s Cyprus - but in the ways in which the immigrant experience can affect subsequent generations.
Shafak conveys all the complexities of being a child to an immigrant and feeling different to everyone else, as well as the loneliness and sometimes anger at having what feels like a whole part of your heritage unavailable to you. The only part of the novel that doesn’t feel fully explored is Ava’s school bullying storyline, which at times feels like an over exaggeration of the power of social media and at others like a districting side plot to more engaging stories. However, this novel still feels like it satisfyingly fleshes out and develop all its characters to appropriate amounts. Ultimately, the story is reflective rather than needing to come to any specific answers about characters’ futures, remaining hopeful that it is always possible to move forward and find renewal.
Initially I thought the fig tree chapters were going to be too self indulgent and overly whimsical, but they became one of my favourite things about the novel, especially towards the end. Her chapters often offered a different, but no less poignant, perspective of the novels events, and often neatly tied into the immigrant experience that the novel attempts to encompass.
It can feel belittling or even offensive to draw parallels between (often white) eco-criticism, trauma, and war, but here I think Shafak manages to balance themes without trivialising human suffering in the face of the importance of nature or, more specifically, trees. Whether it is immigrant parents, political conflict, or tree generations, the past continuously informs the present, for better or for worse.
Shafak conveys all the complexities of being a child to an immigrant and feeling different to everyone else, as well as the loneliness and sometimes anger at having what feels like a whole part of your heritage unavailable to you. The only part of the novel that doesn’t feel fully explored is Ava’s school bullying storyline, which at times feels like an over exaggeration of the power of social media and at others like a districting side plot to more engaging stories. However, this novel still feels like it satisfyingly fleshes out and develop all its characters to appropriate amounts. Ultimately, the story is reflective rather than needing to come to any specific answers about characters’ futures, remaining hopeful that it is always possible to move forward and find renewal.
Initially I thought the fig tree chapters were going to be too self indulgent and overly whimsical, but they became one of my favourite things about the novel, especially towards the end. Her chapters often offered a different, but no less poignant, perspective of the novels events, and often neatly tied into the immigrant experience that the novel attempts to encompass.
It can feel belittling or even offensive to draw parallels between (often white) eco-criticism, trauma, and war, but here I think Shafak manages to balance themes without trivialising human suffering in the face of the importance of nature or, more specifically, trees. Whether it is immigrant parents, political conflict, or tree generations, the past continuously informs the present, for better or for worse.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and War
Moderate: Homophobia and Alcoholism
Minor: Mental illness
bookish_wanderer's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Mental illness, and War
Minor: Alcoholism
meenakshi's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Mental illness, War, and Alcoholism
lostinthelibrary's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was a very rare case where I preferred the magical realism aspects of a book to the more standard plot. The Fig Tree chapters were my favourite part especially its descriptions of the different wildlife and plants in Turkey and how they linked in with the country's history. This was where the book came into its own. The rest fell a bit flat, especially the romance! I am glad that it has introduced me to a period of history I didn't know much about and now would like to read further about the Cyprus War
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Mental illness, and Alcoholism
everest's review against another edition
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abortion and Alcoholism
Minor: Mental illness and Suicide
rosalind's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Grief, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Homophobia, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Violence
Minor: Confinement, Suicide, Pregnancy, and Panic attacks/disorders
rorikae's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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
5.0
'The Island of Missing Trees' by Elif Shafak is a beautiful family story told through shifting timelines that follow different members of the Kazantzakis family, including the fig tree that grows in their back garden.
The story starts with Ada Kazantzakis, a teenager in the late 2010s who is grieving her mother's death and trying to find her place in the world. Her father is dealing with his own grief and pours his attention into their fig trees. Ada's story is interwoven with those of her parents, both when they were children in Cyprus, what happened to tear them apart, and what brought them back together again. Throughout these shifting stories, the fig tree tells its own understanding of events, including peeks into the world that its human companions never had the chance to see.
Elif Shafak's writing is so tender as she brings us along on the trials and tribulations of the Kazantzakis family. Through their narrative, we learn more about Cyprus and the tensions on the island as well as its beauty. This story sings in the minute details that Shafak touches on and her evocative prose. We care for each member of the Kazantzakis family, even amidst all of their faults that make them feel like real people. The use of the fig tree as a narrator weaves a little bit of magic into the prose that elevates the entire story. This is a story that will break your heart and then mend it right back up. I hope that this is on the shortlist for the Women's Prize for Fiction because it deserves to win. I will definitely be picking up more of Shafak's writing in the future because the emotions that she is able to convey through careful prose is heartrending and soothing all at once. Please read this book, you won't regret it.
The story starts with Ada Kazantzakis, a teenager in the late 2010s who is grieving her mother's death and trying to find her place in the world. Her father is dealing with his own grief and pours his attention into their fig trees. Ada's story is interwoven with those of her parents, both when they were children in Cyprus, what happened to tear them apart, and what brought them back together again. Throughout these shifting stories, the fig tree tells its own understanding of events, including peeks into the world that its human companions never had the chance to see.
Elif Shafak's writing is so tender as she brings us along on the trials and tribulations of the Kazantzakis family. Through their narrative, we learn more about Cyprus and the tensions on the island as well as its beauty. This story sings in the minute details that Shafak touches on and her evocative prose. We care for each member of the Kazantzakis family, even amidst all of their faults that make them feel like real people. The use of the fig tree as a narrator weaves a little bit of magic into the prose that elevates the entire story. This is a story that will break your heart and then mend it right back up. I hope that this is on the shortlist for the Women's Prize for Fiction because it deserves to win. I will definitely be picking up more of Shafak's writing in the future because the emotions that she is able to convey through careful prose is heartrending and soothing all at once. Please read this book, you won't regret it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, War, Death of parent, Grief, and Violence
Moderate: Abortion and Pregnancy
wordsofclover's review against another edition
informative
reflective
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? Yes
3.75
In 1974, Kostas and Defne are teenagers on the opposite sides of conflict in Cyrus - Kostas is Greek, and Defne is Turkish but the two love each other and are determined to find a way to be together. In 2010, London, the pair's daughter Ada is struggling in school as well as with grief and loneliness. Over the course of a winter holiday, she comes to know her family a bit better with the arrival of her Aunt Meryem, and learns why the fig tree in her garden is a very special tree indeed.
This book dives back and forth between two timelines, bridged by chapters from the fig tree's perspective whose narration is warm and omnipresent, a loving guardian of a family broken by despair, grief and a traumatic history. I learned a lot about the conflict in Cyrpus during this tale, and I'm ashamed to say I was very ignorant of this before reading. But the horrors and tragedy of the time became very real for me, and I'm glad to have learned about it and know more about the tragic history of a very beautiful country.
While this book is easy reading, and there were some great passages in this around family, culture and food, I do also think there were some parts that felt very skimmed over and light, and I would have liked more time dedicated to them overall. It felt a little bit like the author had so much to say but only a certain number of pages to say it. It felt there was room for this book to be bulked out and for storylines to be given the time they deserved from Defne's struggles with mental health and addiciton, as well as the loss of baby Yiorgos. There were times the book read like YA rather than adult, as some of the harder topics weren't delved into deeper which I think did a slight disservice to the readers who were already reading a book full of tough topics and history.
I would have liked a whole part dedicated to Aunt Meryem who was a shining light in this book with her funny sayings, her healing through food look on life and her desire to break away from a duller life and wear the bright clothes she wanted to. So many metaphors for life came from Meryem's story and she could be a main character all on her own.
There was also lots of potential for a greater storyline with Ada's troubles in school and the viral video on social media. This definitely felt like it fizzled out and I thought there was going to be more in it.
Overall though, this book was a pleasant read overall. Out of all the characters I loved and connected to Kostas the most thanks to his gentle nature and his determination to help and preserve nature which honestly just swelled my heart. Maybe it's an unpopular opinion but I thought he deserved better than the lot he was given as I found Defne from the start very hard to warm up to. I felt for her struggles but I just didn't really like her.
I quite enjoyed the fig tree's chapters. There was something lovely and warm about them - like a mother hen watching her chicks grow and thrive. There was a wisdom but also a vulnerability there too and parts of it reminded me of one of my favourite passages in Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell when we follow a flea make its way to England. I love reading from the point of view of nature - it's so much nicer and simpler than that of the human mind, and ten times purer.
I'd be surprised if this one wins the Womens Prize 2022 but it was a nice book to pick up, and I'd recommend it to others. I actually think it would be a great plane or holiday read.
This book dives back and forth between two timelines, bridged by chapters from the fig tree's perspective whose narration is warm and omnipresent, a loving guardian of a family broken by despair, grief and a traumatic history. I learned a lot about the conflict in Cyrpus during this tale, and I'm ashamed to say I was very ignorant of this before reading. But the horrors and tragedy of the time became very real for me, and I'm glad to have learned about it and know more about the tragic history of a very beautiful country.
While this book is easy reading, and there were some great passages in this around family, culture and food, I do also think there were some parts that felt very skimmed over and light, and I would have liked more time dedicated to them overall. It felt a little bit like the author had so much to say but only a certain number of pages to say it. It felt there was room for this book to be bulked out and for storylines to be given the time they deserved from Defne's struggles with mental health and addiciton, as well as the loss of baby Yiorgos. There were times the book read like YA rather than adult, as some of the harder topics weren't delved into deeper which I think did a slight disservice to the readers who were already reading a book full of tough topics and history.
I would have liked a whole part dedicated to Aunt Meryem who was a shining light in this book with her funny sayings, her healing through food look on life and her desire to break away from a duller life and wear the bright clothes she wanted to. So many metaphors for life came from Meryem's story and she could be a main character all on her own.
There was also lots of potential for a greater storyline with Ada's troubles in school and the viral video on social media. This definitely felt like it fizzled out and I thought there was going to be more in it.
Overall though, this book was a pleasant read overall. Out of all the characters I loved and connected to Kostas the most thanks to his gentle nature and his determination to help and preserve nature which honestly just swelled my heart. Maybe it's an unpopular opinion but I thought he deserved better than the lot he was given as I found Defne from the start very hard to warm up to. I felt for her struggles but I just didn't really like her.
I quite enjoyed the fig tree's chapters. There was something lovely and warm about them - like a mother hen watching her chicks grow and thrive. There was a wisdom but also a vulnerability there too and parts of it reminded me of one of my favourite passages in Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell when we follow a flea make its way to England. I love reading from the point of view of nature - it's so much nicer and simpler than that of the human mind, and ten times purer.
I'd be surprised if this one wins the Womens Prize 2022 but it was a nice book to pick up, and I'd recommend it to others. I actually think it would be a great plane or holiday read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: War
Minor: Child death, Mental illness, and Suicide