Reviews with content warning for Domestic abuse - Bitter Orange Tree

This book was emotional and tackled a lot of different things like grief, longing, love and regret. It goes back and forth between past and present, and this gives a fuller understanding of why these characters are the way they are. It’s told primarily from the perspective of Zuhour and is retellings of stories she knows about the people that matter to her. This adds to that feeling of longing because you can see instances where she doesn’t know everything about a person but wishes she did or regrets not getting to know them better. It was honestly very moving.

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lagerslipstickliterature's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.75

I was very confused by this book! The writing is stunning but there are a ton of characters and I was unsure if these were all supposed to be short stories connecting these characters or what? I think reading it may have been better vs audio!

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bookishcori's review

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emotional reflective sad fast-paced

4.75

Pick this up if you like introspective, meandering, plotless novels that make your heart swell at the final page. An Omani university student navigates relationships in London while reflecting on her home and women in her circle, particularly her beloved grandma. [if you read Celestial Bodies, this is a more approachable writing style.]

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ayoitme's review

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emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

This is just...wow. I had picked this up randomly at a bookstore because it seemed like an interesting quick read. I feel like this has put thoughts and feelings that I had said were indescribable into words perfectly. It focuses on this one families and the histories and connections between them all. Bint Aamir's story and her role in the rest of the families lives broke my heart. Her character is this respectable and loving staple in the family dynamic, but is inherently such a sad character. Her life has been nothing but being of use to others and filling what they need.

This book adresses a lot of themes, and the one that got to me was the relationship to the elderly. I have grandparents and this book made me face a lot of ugly truths about the way I view my loved ones. How sad it is to want to leave and continue on with your life, when they are stuck in a single room. Alone. My Della is in a nursing home now and just the other week we went to visit and though it was good to talk to her, I wanted to leave and get home because I was tired after 30 minutes. How cruel of me, how selfish of me. What's worse is that I hadn't even thought of it as a selfish thing, it just was what I was thinking.

This is a beautifully painful story and the last chapter broke me officially. Will be reading again.

Content Warnings

bookshelf_of_jess's review

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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