Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa

11 reviews

amberinpieces's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Genocide, Grief, Murder, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

Moderate: Gun violence, Blood, Dementia, Child death, Alcohol, and Death of parent

Minor: Racism, Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Animal death, Kidnapping, and Animal cruelty

chi__'s review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Deportation, Death, Trafficking, Blood, Death of parent, Dementia, Murder, Genocide, Child death, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Colonisation, Confinement, Grief, and Hate crime

Moderate: Pregnancy and Alcoholism

fiifarts's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

This book was heartbreaking and beautiful. It provided such a very real and heavy account of one family and the generations of tragedy and loss they experienced at the hands of the Israeli occupation. How love still grows amongst a lifetime of fear, displacement and death. How hearts can break and freeze, and that moments of connection with loved ones can save and thaw them. This book was utterly devastating and heart-wrenchingly beautiful. April blooms 🌱

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Genocide, Violence, Torture, Murder, Gun violence, Death, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Confinement

Moderate: Suicide, Racism, Religious bigotry, Islamophobia, Pregnancy, and Kidnapping

Minor: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Miscarriage, Child death, and Deportation

andremay's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative reflective 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Colonisation, Death, Racial slurs, and Death of parent

Moderate: Torture

Minor: Alcoholism

kimschouwenaar's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-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? No

4.5

Expect to finish this book sobbing.

Woah. And I mean that in every sense of the expression. This multi-generational story about a Palestinian family grabs you by the throat, nails digging in, and does not relent. I expect it to retain its hold on me for months to come. Abulhawa takes you by the hand and leads you through history and grief, leads you through the relentless suffering of Palestinians, and does not hold back.

Each chapter I was left questioning Can this really happen? Can a people be this ruthless and arrogant to believe they have the rights to invade a country and act like they are the only victims?

Yes. In fact, it is happening and has been happening for decades. We need to stop trying to justify genocide. The safety of one people should not come at the cost of another country and culture.

"The roots of out grief coil so deeply into loss that death has come to live with us like a family member who makes you happy by avoiding you, but who is still one of the family. Our anger is a rage that Westerners cannot understand. Our sadness can make the stones weep. And the way we love is no exception, Amal."

It's a tough read, but I strongly believe it's one that we should all know. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Violence, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, War, Xenophobia, Genocide, Murder, Death, Death of parent, Confinement, and Grief

Moderate: Kidnapping and Racism

Minor: Dementia, Deportation, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and Pedophilia

careinthelibrary's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

The network of pain throughout this family, each responding in a different way to dispossession (of land, of culture, of family) and death. Mornings in Jenin is a gruelling read that made my heart ache and never let up, even to the last page. But it's also full of tender moments between these loving and hopeful characters and beautiful writing that gives a sweet reprieve from the dark. Careful, considered language that makes the ache of losses deeper and more impactful.
A truly outstanding debut, I will continue my journey through Susan Abulhawa's writing knowing I'm in the hands of a talented author. I'm struck by the years of apartheid covered in this novel and its echoes in the present day genocide of Gazans and continued oppression of Palestinians in their homelands and beyond. Free Palestine.

"Love, David
... Love, Ismael"💔🇵🇸

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Pregnancy, Colonisation, Grief, Gun violence, Violence, Death, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Genocide, Islamophobia, Mass/school shootings, Injury/Injury detail, and War

Moderate: Child death, Blood, Addiction, Alcoholism, Sexual violence, Torture, and Sexual assault

nineinchnails's review against another edition

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

 this book broke me. this was definitely hard to get through at some parts, knowing it was first published in 2006, because despite it being 2023 almost nothing has changed. this is technically historical fiction but so much of this has been written around real life events in palestine and even if the characters are fictional their trauma isn't. the story is beautifully written (albeit slightly confusing with the switching of narrator) and gut-wrenchingly painful. it follows the lives of 4 generations within a single family against the backdrop of 1948-2002 palestine.

it feels weird to rate this book like i would other fiction novels, since many of these fictional events are recurring as we speak. what i will say is that anyone even slightly interested in learning about palestine stands to gain a lot from reading this book. while it is definitely heavy and dark, it shows so much beauty in the land and culture too. the story switches hands between characters a fair amount here but i think it works in its favour and is necessary to tell this particular story. i don't think anything i write here could do this book justice but i loved this book from front to cover and i don't think the contents will ever leave my mind. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, War, Colonisation, Islamophobia, Grief, Genocide, Gun violence, Racism, Police brutality, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Child death, Gore, Animal death, Religious bigotry, Mental illness, Hate crime, and Mass/school shootings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexism, Sexual content, Dementia, Blood, Confinement, Pregnancy, Kidnapping, Antisemitism, and Torture

Minor: Incest, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Miscarriage, and Rape

fkshg8465's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative sad tense slow-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? No

4.0

So much sadness in this book. I am admittedly anti Zionist. I cannot fathom the entitlement they feel they have based on the writings of men long gone. Neither can i fathom the pain that brought them back. But it seems they too cannot fathom the pain they are rendering on people undeserving of it. This book seems to reinforce all of that for me - people behaving badly, people trying to survive.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Hate crime, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Child death, Death of parent, Islamophobia, Mental illness, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Death, Grief, Gore, Racism, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Genocide, War, and Xenophobia

katharina90's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

A heartbreaking, powerful, beautifully written book about the Palestinian experience and the world's indifference to and complicity in past and present atrocities committed against the Palestinian people.

"How does one live in a world that turns away from such injustice for so long? Is this what it means to be Palestinian, Mother?"

"For if life had taught her anything, it was that healing and peace can begin only with acknowledgment of wrongs committed."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Colonisation, Death, Genocide, Medical trauma, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Violence, and Child death

Moderate: Torture and Confinement

Minor: Rape and Alcoholism

kind0fdarkness's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Colonisation, Death, Child death, Islamophobia, Genocide, Grief, Murder, Violence, Police brutality, and War

Moderate: Alcoholism, Torture, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Sexual violence, Child abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, and Rape