Reviews tagging 'Mass/school shootings'

The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali

5 reviews

erinkellyreads's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

 Easily, this is in the running for best book of the year for me, if not best book of the last few years. The writing is stunning, the characters are complicated and nuanced, and the story is heartfelt and heartbreaking. If this isn't on your TBR, it should be. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Infertility, Mental illness, Child death, Classism, Colonisation, Xenophobia, and Grief

Moderate: Mass/school shootings, Islamophobia, Abortion, Murder, and Gun violence

Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Panic attacks/disorders, Cancer, and Pregnancy

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

blakeandbooks's review

emotional 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, War, and Child death

Moderate: Sexism, Terminal illness, Murder, Miscarriage, Abortion, Racism, and Mass/school shootings

schausjk's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Suicide attempt, Police brutality, Mental illness, and Miscarriage

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Gore, Mass/school shootings, War, Violence, Abortion, Sexism, Colonisation, Police brutality, and Racism

Minor: Pregnancy, Infertility, Blood, and Cancer

kaiulanilee's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Overall I loved this book. The writing was absolutely stunning, especially the way she describes food and certain cultural moments. I thought the messages surrounding love, family, culture, and understanding were absolutely incredible and gripped at my heart a ton. She was able to mix in a lot of political and historical issues going on which made the book even more fleshed out, in my opinion. You never felt like you were in a class but I definitely learned a good amount about Iran, Persian culture, and the dynamics in the country at this time. The way she wrote Roya’s family and their dynamic was so stunning it absolutely melted my heart. I also thought her use of time was quite well done! 

On the negative side, there were moments where I felt like ideas kept repeating when they didn’t need to, particularly in regards to Roya’s internal monologue as she’s missing Bahman. It felt slightly repetitive in that aspect but it was nothing to bad. I also found the letter he writes to her at the end to be so focused on explaining what happened that it didn’t actually feel like a letter to someone. I know she had to have a way that things are explained but it was especially odd in letter format, to me.

This all being said, I would HIGHLY recommend this book. It’s stunning and captures so much about love for the people in your life so incredibly well. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia