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prrrrrsh's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Absolutely loved this book, until the last section. Very moving, honest and raw. An intimate look into a Muslim american family and the ways that our actions and words affect those closest to us. The only thing that knocked it down half a star for me was the the final part, when the POV switched to the father’s. I felt like it over-explained and lost some of the emotion that came from the character’s actions in the first sections of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Car accident, Drug use, and Islamophobia
saracatalyst's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
A Place for Us is a beautiful book about family, generational change, and finding your place in the world. The specific context is a Muslim Indian family in which the parents are immigrants and the children are first generation Americans. As a white woman who studied STEM, I had little prior knowledge of these cultural intersections to draw on going into this book. I feel like a learned a lot and the author did a good job of providing a nuanced and complicated image of both the culture and the specific characters. The character development was great for most of the characters, but I felt like the middle child, Huda, was largely left out of much of the story. The narrative is nonlinear and made me think of The God of Small Things in some ways.
Overall I would recommend this book. I could understand some people liking it less than me if you really need a story to be plot-driven or fast paced. There's plenty of plot, but large sections are primarily character-driven, and the book is on the longer side. I'm always a big fan of family epics like this. If you liked Pachinko, I could see you really enjoying this book.
Overall I would recommend this book. I could understand some people liking it less than me if you really need a story to be plot-driven or fast paced. There's plenty of plot, but large sections are primarily character-driven, and the book is on the longer side. I'm always a big fan of family epics like this. If you liked Pachinko, I could see you really enjoying this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Islamophobia
Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
valenblr's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, Islamophobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, and Sexism
rubybooks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
A Place for Us is a book I had seen featured on social media a bit, but I didn't really know what it was about. However, I recognised the title so when I saw the audiobook available I downloaded it straight away. I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook - I was sucked into the story easily, and I liked listening to both the narrators.
The story begins at the wedding of Hadia, who is part of an Indian-American Muslim family. At her wedding, her younger brother Amar returns and sees his family members for the first time in years. After they are introduced, the narration switches to earlier in time, when siblings Hadia, Huda and Amar are children. There are multiple points of view, so the reader really gets to know the characters' motivations. We don't really hear from Huda, but Hadia and Amar's experiences are at the heart of the story. I also enjoyed hearing from their parents, Rafiq and Layla, especially actions by both of them resulted in Amar's estrangement.
Amar had long felt disconnected within his family - he was a stubborn child and always pushed back against his father. He had a hard time dealing with love and its consequences, which only intensified the downward spiral he was in. Hadia, on the other hand, was not a rebellious child at all. She struggled with working hard and getting little recognition compared to what she would get if she was a boy. She definitely wasn't perfect, but I related a lot to Hadia in so many different ways, so I loved her sections of the book. Their mother, Layla, wanted so much for her children but was not always successful when she thought she was doing the right thing. Her husband Rafiq was often angry and did not know how to deal with his children, but realisations do come later.
This novel is so focused on family, culture, religion and identity. I loved the writing in this book - it was so beautiful and really helped me get to know the characters. The characters are all flawed and so compelling to read about - every single relationship has a different dynamic. The ending of this book was just amazing, and it made me very emotional. A Place for Us was such a great exploration of feelings and it is so full of emotion. I loved all these characters, and seeing how they developed over the years worked so well with the structure of the book.
I'd definitely recommend this book, especially if you like multi-generational character-driven stories! If you're looking for a book full of action, this probably isn't for you, but the story is so well done and I was invested throughout. Because of the different points of view, there was a bit of repetition and overlap of ideas, but aside from that I loved reading this book. Content warnings for discussions of racism, Islamophobia, terrorism, grief, death, alcohol and drug abuse.
The story begins at the wedding of Hadia, who is part of an Indian-American Muslim family. At her wedding, her younger brother Amar returns and sees his family members for the first time in years. After they are introduced, the narration switches to earlier in time, when siblings Hadia, Huda and Amar are children. There are multiple points of view, so the reader really gets to know the characters' motivations. We don't really hear from Huda, but Hadia and Amar's experiences are at the heart of the story. I also enjoyed hearing from their parents, Rafiq and Layla, especially actions by both of them resulted in Amar's estrangement.
Amar had long felt disconnected within his family - he was a stubborn child and always pushed back against his father. He had a hard time dealing with love and its consequences, which only intensified the downward spiral he was in. Hadia, on the other hand, was not a rebellious child at all. She struggled with working hard and getting little recognition compared to what she would get if she was a boy. She definitely wasn't perfect, but I related a lot to Hadia in so many different ways, so I loved her sections of the book. Their mother, Layla, wanted so much for her children but was not always successful when she thought she was doing the right thing. Her husband Rafiq was often angry and did not know how to deal with his children, but realisations do come later.
This novel is so focused on family, culture, religion and identity. I loved the writing in this book - it was so beautiful and really helped me get to know the characters. The characters are all flawed and so compelling to read about - every single relationship has a different dynamic. The ending of this book was just amazing, and it made me very emotional. A Place for Us was such a great exploration of feelings and it is so full of emotion. I loved all these characters, and seeing how they developed over the years worked so well with the structure of the book.
I'd definitely recommend this book, especially if you like multi-generational character-driven stories! If you're looking for a book full of action, this probably isn't for you, but the story is so well done and I was invested throughout. Because of the different points of view, there was a bit of repetition and overlap of ideas, but aside from that I loved reading this book. Content warnings for discussions of racism, Islamophobia, terrorism, grief, death, alcohol and drug abuse.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Islamophobia, Grief, Miscarriage, Death, Alcoholism, and Drug abuse
samiaba15's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Hate crime, Islamophobia, and Drug abuse
anjbhat's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
4.5 shimmering stars not unlike the ones the father in this story, Rafiq, taught his children to turn to when in pain; stars I cannot help but round up to 5. The rating I give to books that I'll think of long after I've finished it and perhaps forever.
Like the family Mirza writes about with such compassion and grace, this is not a book without flaws and yet I love it wholly. Even if there is just a little something more I want from the story, I can't deny that as it stands, this novel was evocative, lyrical, devastating... and thus entirely unforgettable. When I was just five pages in it struck me that I would cry; already the writing was so imbued with a gentle sorrow, the kind we have all carried with us before. I felt my eyes mist up throughout but the tears really streamed down my face the whole of the final chapter.
Like the family Mirza writes about with such compassion and grace, this is not a book without flaws and yet I love it wholly. Even if there is just a little something more I want from the story, I can't deny that as it stands, this novel was evocative, lyrical, devastating... and thus entirely unforgettable. When I was just five pages in it struck me that I would cry; already the writing was so imbued with a gentle sorrow, the kind we have all carried with us before. I felt my eyes mist up throughout but the tears really streamed down my face the whole of the final chapter.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction and Alcoholism
Minor: Islamophobia, Racism, Racial slurs, and Miscarriage
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