Reviews tagging 'War'

Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa

59 reviews

stories_from_bookland's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

"Un amore che puoi conoscere solo dopo che la vita ti ha salvato da una pioggia di bombe o dai proiettili che volevano attraversarti il corpo." 


Non è facile descrivere a parole quello che questo libro mi ha fatto provare. 
Ho trovato tanta rabbia, tanta impotenza, tanto dolore, ma anche la forza di andare avanti quando non riesci a vedere nessun “avanti”, nessun futuro; il tentativo di continuare a vivere anche quando tutto intorno a te sta cadendo a pezzi, la voglia di continuare ad amare anche quando quello che vedi è soltanto odio. 

Ma quanto può durare tutto questo? Anche se c’è questa forza straordinaria che ti spinge a voler vivere, a voler amare, a voler trovare la felicità, quanto a lungo riuscirà a sopravvivere in mezzo alla rovina e alla tragedia? Quando il dolore, o la morte, stanno dietro l’angolo? 

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internationalreads's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5


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laravo21's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5


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avidlyalexis's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

4.5


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annainthebooks's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75


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theroyaltyreader's review

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challenging emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

i cried a lot because of beautiful hurtful and sad

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literary_amazing's review against another edition

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

4.75


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indaslicht's review against another edition

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emotional informative sad
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.75


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annreadsabook's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense 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

5.0

I decided to revisit Susan Abulhawa's writing after reading her latest novel, Against the Loveless World, and once again was so blown away by the passion and strength in her words, particularly in conveying such an overwhelmingly tragic and distressing narrative. This is one of the first English-language fiction books about the experiences and struggles of Palestinians following the Nakba, and I could feel the author's desire to communicate the urgency of the Palestinian struggle. 

While the novel primarily focuses on the life and lived experiences of Amal Abulheja, a girl born to Palestinian refugees who were ousted from their ancestral home during the Nakba, it also follows her entire family's trajectory, contemplating the ramifications of displacement and dispossession for her friends and loved ones. 

I honestly am not sure that I have anything meaningful to add here because this book conveys everything so powerfully. However, I was particularly struck by Abulhawa's ability to convey the unending trauma experienced by Palestinian adults and children alike amidst the more universally relatable experiences such as childhood crushes and lasting friendships; the isolating sense of not only being an immigrant, but living abroad while one's family is suffering and struggling back home; and being brown in the United States (particularly, Philadelphia, where life is often viewed as being bifurcated between Black and white experiences). Finally, I found myself thinking about the immense privilege I and other people have of being able to wait until we are in a good headspace to delve into this book, while those living through such traumatic, heartbreaking circumstances don't have the ability to easily distance themselves from such pain and turmoil. 

Anyway, all of this is to say that Mornings in Jenin is an absolutely stunning, but challenging, novel, and I think that everyone should place it on their reading lists if they haven't done so already.

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