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theamyleblanc's review against another edition
5.0
I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I'm still digesting this story. The layers and storylines and sides are still a glorious muddle, much like real life. On the one hand, it's a heart-gripping, heart-wrenching story of a journalist trying to sort through the atrocities she's seen, the stories she's heard, the path life has taken. On the other, it's a beautiful introspection on what it means to be a woman, a journalist, a mother, a British-American living in Paris, a Muslim, a friend, and any other number of identities.
The characters are wonderful and unique and flawed, each with their own voice and quirks. I struggled with the historical events in the beginning because I only have a rudimentary working knowledge of what transpired. But I learned a lot as I progressed and as more recent events were portrayed, I felt I had a more concrete understanding of why. Granted, this is fiction. But it does such an amazing job of forcing the reader to consider the other side of any situation. It doesn't ask you to choose a side but instead asks that you look at something through the eyes of your fellow human who you may not agree with.
I couldn't stop reading this. I would happily, even eagerly, read another book by Wendell Steavenson!
I would recommend this book to everyone. Absolutely everyone.
I'm still digesting this story. The layers and storylines and sides are still a glorious muddle, much like real life. On the one hand, it's a heart-gripping, heart-wrenching story of a journalist trying to sort through the atrocities she's seen, the stories she's heard, the path life has taken. On the other, it's a beautiful introspection on what it means to be a woman, a journalist, a mother, a British-American living in Paris, a Muslim, a friend, and any other number of identities.
The characters are wonderful and unique and flawed, each with their own voice and quirks. I struggled with the historical events in the beginning because I only have a rudimentary working knowledge of what transpired. But I learned a lot as I progressed and as more recent events were portrayed, I felt I had a more concrete understanding of why. Granted, this is fiction. But it does such an amazing job of forcing the reader to consider the other side of any situation. It doesn't ask you to choose a side but instead asks that you look at something through the eyes of your fellow human who you may not agree with.
I couldn't stop reading this. I would happily, even eagerly, read another book by Wendell Steavenson!
I would recommend this book to everyone. Absolutely everyone.
adeleodette's review against another edition
5.0
Captivating storyline, complex characters, compelling prose. Wendell Steavenson clearly understands better than most of us the complexities of the Middle Eastern conflict, and what better way to learn about it than through a work of exquisitely worded fiction? I was hooked from beginning to end.
markeefe's review against another edition
4.0
Written by an international journalist, the protagonist of this excellent novel shares the author's peripatetic occupation. Catherine "Kit" Kittredge is assigned to cover the American invasion of Iraq in 2003. There, she falls in love with her Iraqi translator, the charming Ahmed. They are wary world-wanderers, both of them raised in Europe and America, estranged from family, and highly suspicious of all instututions: religions, governments, the military. Steavenson knows these topics well and does a wonderful job of weaving in her nuanced understanding of Arabic culture, terrorism, immigration, Islamophobia, and other current issues. More than just a novel of ideas, this is also the very tender story of Kit's struggle to raise Ahmed's son, Little Ahmed, in Paris. The elusive and often-absent Ahmed isn’t terribly helpful; instead, she's aided by her ersatz family: her godfather who's an ambassador, her friend Rousse who works at Charlie Hebdo, and a photojournalist friend named Zorro. These and others enigmatic characters enliven this very rich and deeply human world. The wonderful Paris Metro will live inside me for a long time to come.
abbyawilson's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
juliethomasaustin's review against another edition
5.0
This book was a real page-turner and wasn't afraid to tackle the complex feelings and thoughts around terrorism and religion in a very mature way. The book was so current. Surprised me at every turn. Whenever I thought I'd figured out how things were going to go, it didn't go with the easy, expected path.
dontusesemicolons's review against another edition
2.0
DNF @ pp 129. Gave this a solid chance, but it's just not sinking its teeth into me. Hard for me to get into the metanarrative of contemporary Middle East history via the lens of this protagonist.
ssaurer's review against another edition
4.0
Read this book.
I was skeptical at first, & was expecting a dry history of Middle Eastern conflicts in the past 20 years from a journalist's perspective, brimming with white privilege and first world problems. Instead, I devoured a wonderfully written book with a protagonist straddling multiple world's & trying to make sense of the impossible. I am taken through news stories that I vaguely recall from the past few decades, thanks to the rapid pace of our society's news cycles. While these events can only be touched on with the broadest brush strokes, I was left with perhaps not a deeper understanding, but a desire to understand.
I was skeptical at first, & was expecting a dry history of Middle Eastern conflicts in the past 20 years from a journalist's perspective, brimming with white privilege and first world problems. Instead, I devoured a wonderfully written book with a protagonist straddling multiple world's & trying to make sense of the impossible. I am taken through news stories that I vaguely recall from the past few decades, thanks to the rapid pace of our society's news cycles. While these events can only be touched on with the broadest brush strokes, I was left with perhaps not a deeper understanding, but a desire to understand.
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