Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'

The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali

31 reviews

hmwoodward's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful reflective 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

4.0

This beautifully written and beautifully read book (listened to the audiobook on this one) follows two young people who fell hopelessly in love

and lost each other along the way

in Iran amidst political instability in the 1950s. You primarily follow the story through the eyes of the female main character, Roya, via 3rd person. She's a smart girl who loves books, learning about American culture, and who is on the fringe of politics thanks to her father and her love interest. You get to watch her and her family grow from her teen years through her senior years, seeing how her past follows her, no matter how far away from it she really is. 

I read this one per a bookstagramer recommendation, even though historical fiction is not my jam - especially after how long and sad the last one I read was. But, the book was great and I would definitely recommend it - just keep the content warnings in mind.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Child death, Miscarriage, Police brutality, Pregnancy, War, Gun violence, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Self harm

Moderate: Death of parent, Infertility, Gun violence, Medical content, Adult/minor relationship, Abortion, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Stalking

k_ro's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring sad fast-paced

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

4.0

Une belle histoire d'amour sur fond de troubles politiques iraniens dans les années 50. C'est beau, c'est triste, c'est un tourbillon d'émotions passionnées qui nous emporte pour nous faire voyager et espérer, et qui ne nous lâche plus jusqu'au dénouement. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Grief

Moderate: Child death, Self harm, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Abortion, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Mental illness, Police brutality, Violence, and War

Seul regret de ce roman : l'identité des "coupables" à l'origine de la fin de l'histoire de Bahman et Ruya est assez évidente, et le mystère ne résiste pas longtemps. J'aurais (presque) souhaité un rebondissement, comme l'implication de Zari, par ex.

saychall's review against another edition

emotional inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Emotional abuse, War, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Violence, Death of parent, Sexism, Infertility, Police brutality, and Pregnancy

kailiyahknight's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Police brutality, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Death, Violence, Abortion, Gaslighting, Child death, Gun violence, Murder, Gore, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Blood, Child abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Cancer, War, Miscarriage, Alcohol, Vomit, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

bookishcookiemonster's review

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.5

I really enjoyed the layers and complexity of the story. 
Its more than just a love story. So beautiful, so heartbreaking ans yet also full of hope.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Suicide attempt, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Self harm, Mental illness, Mass/school shootings, Toxic relationship, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, and Abortion

areen's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.5

towards the end the story really takes shape and I realized this really wasn't about our mcs and their lovestory but

badri and fakhri's and how bc of their mistakes and decisions, our mcs had to go through the same "fate", except it really wasn't fate... sighs.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Grief, Classism, Police brutality, Misogyny, Sexism, and War

snailslowreader's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.25

While the novel was well plotted and the story had an ending that made sense for the narrative, I personally found it difficult to immerse myself in the story and in the characters. I have no problem with simplistic writing, but oftentimes Kamali's writing was too straightforward and left little room for the readers to form their own interpretations and observations. In particular, we learn little about the nuances of Roya and Bahman's personalities, and they can easily be summed up in one to two sentences. The story itself would work much better for something like a TV show with its jumping perspectives and dramatic events; I just didn't really like it as a novel.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Violence, and Abortion

Minor: Child death and Grief

jackyy93's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.5

“For Roya Joon, my love. May you always be happy and may all your days be filled with beautiful words.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt and Miscarriage

Minor: Abortion and Police brutality

zosiablue's review against another edition

emotional inspiring 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

I've inadvertently read a romance and I'm not mad about it. This was about those young loves you never recover from, in the backdrop of 1950s Iran's political unrest. It was aching and sweet and sad. I've been lucky to be in love several times, some I keep waiting to recover from, and maybe the not recovering is the point. It sure was in this. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War and Mental illness

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Murder, Death, Police brutality, Violence, and Classism

Minor: Abortion

katonthejellicoe's review against another edition

emotional sad 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? No

tier: liked it a lot

this book was filled with melancholy, nostalgia, and love that could never be forgotten. i didn't cry (tho i was certain i would) but it caused a pang of pain on my chest for so many reasons.

(thirteen hours after i've read this book...)

this was perfectly written — from the characters and their complex personalities and dynamics to the atmospheric setting to its seamless timeline. it was accessible yet poetic in its own way. the historical and romance aspects of it intertwined smoothly with one another which made it a well-balanced novel.

objectively, this is a five-star book. it was probably the best historical fiction i've read in a while. but as you all know, i NEED to cry in books (lols). hence, from personal experience, it wasn't a favorite but it was almost there. in numbers, this may very well be a 4.95 out of 5 stars.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and War

Moderate: Grief, Mental illness, and Police brutality

Minor: Child death, Death, and Abortion