Reviews - The World and All That It Holds: A Novel

172 reviews for:

The World and All That It Holds: A Novel

Aleksandar Hemon

3.89 AVERAGE

jrudy's review against another edition

4.75

challenging dark 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

redheadonfire01's review against another edition

4.0

emotional sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

gretaphant808's review against another edition

Too many phrases is too many languages with no translations. Storyline was difficult to follow.

charlotterie's review against another edition

3.25

informative reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

rachelkzoo's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous challenging emotional 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

serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

4.75

emotional 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: Complicated

The World and All That it Holds is an epic love story that spans most of the first half of the twentieth century, thousands of kilometres - mostly on foot - from Sarajevo to Shanghai, via Bolshevik Russia, Tashkent and the Taklamakan Desert. It’s a story, both tender and tragic, which unfolds against the backdrop of World War I and the Sino-Japanese war. At it’s heart are two Bosnian men, Pinto and Osman, one Jewish the other Muslim, and Rahela, a beloved daughter. It’s a story which focuses a lot on migration, on the refugee experience, and the realities of being a stateless person. It includes espionage and opium addiction. It’s not the easiest of reads with a changing cast of characters, subtle changes of perspective, the looping of time, and the inclusion of multiple languages. It’s poignant, haunting, and beautifully written. It has much to say about humanity. It may not be perfect but I loved it.

Content Warnings