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ivannna_u's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
elleinadarat's review
dark
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? Yes
4.0
I picked this up and put it down again several times. Kamila Shamsie is one of the best authors I've ever read, but I knew this book would be very heavy, and it was. From the first pages you know something bad is about to happen (I mean, this is not a spoiler, the first part takes place in Nagasaki), and the way the author is able to turn heartbreak and destruction into beautiful words absolutely draws you in to the story. I adored Hiroko, and I wanted to give her a hug. I loved how Konrad was a steady thought throughout the whole book. Sajjad and Elizabeth/Ilse and Raza and Kim and Harry were all excellent characters. But I loved that even though there were so many characters who we got to know over the years that the book takes place, Hiroko was the center of it all.
kglasgow001's review
What this book made me think about: when there are terrible awful things that happen they are happening to normal people who have feelings and families and dreams and lovers, desperation can be destructive, terrible things can't be compared to each other to pick a worse one, how things can never be like they were before
the atomic bombs left the shadows on the ground and when people survived the atomic bombs they went to look for the shadows of their loved ones {I think I'll think about that forever}
HOW COULD THE PRESS OF A BUTTON, THE CHOICE OF A GROUP OF PEOPLE, LEAD TO SOMEONE HAVING TO LOOK FOR THEIR MOTHER'S SHADOW BECAUSE THE REST OF HER IS DECIMATED
WHAT IS WAR WHAT IS PEACE
Abdullah's brother on the peace he wants: "To watch my sons measure hand-span of a pomegranate, not a grenade."
the atomic bombs left the shadows on the ground and when people survived the atomic bombs they went to look for the shadows of their loved ones {I think I'll think about that forever}
HOW COULD THE PRESS OF A BUTTON, THE CHOICE OF A GROUP OF PEOPLE, LEAD TO SOMEONE HAVING TO LOOK FOR THEIR MOTHER'S SHADOW BECAUSE THE REST OF HER IS DECIMATED
WHAT IS WAR WHAT IS PEACE
Abdullah's brother on the peace he wants: "To watch my sons measure hand-span of a pomegranate, not a grenade."
rebeccagrnwd's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
tuufa's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
elensius's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
lindapool's review
dark
emotional
informative
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
leavingsealevel's review against another edition
4.0
I seem to have created a depressing little January tradition for myself: read a really sad book that is simultaneously about the atomic bombs + racial profiling in the wake of September 11th (see also: [b:Hiroshima in the Morning|8465962|Hiroshima in the Morning|Rahna Reiko Rizzuto|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41OOj2nVaEL._SL75_.jpg|13330445]). Burnt Shadows is heartbreaking, infuriating, beautiful. I find myself comparing it to [b:The Kite Runner|77203|The Kite Runner|Khaled Hosseini|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1309288316s/77203.jpg|3295919], but this is a much more complicated book.
ra_schmi's review
3.0
I just finished reading "Burnt Shadows" by Kamila Shamsie, my first book by a Pakistani writer. The main protagonist of the book is Hiroko Tanaka, a Japanese woman from Nagasaki whose world is ripped apart by the atomic bomb. Incidentally, this is where the book begins. It is set across several continents and many countries - Japan, India, Turkey, Pakistan, Afghanistan, the United States, and Canada - and spans many generations of people, all connected to Hiroko in some way.
Shamsie weaves a story that connects Nagasaki, the India-Pakistan Partition, the Soviet-Afghan war, and the post-911 world of the Patriot Act and Guantanamo Bay. I liked the ambitious scope of the book, Hiroko's character, the description of life in Delhi before the Partition, her glimpses into the lives of Pakistanis living in Karachi, the overall lack of judgment and the surprising humanity she bestows on even people like the mujahideen and the Taliban. I liked that she took me a little bit out of my comfort zone and made me rethink my gut reaction to soldiers and veterans. I reflected for the first time about military contractors and mercenaries for hire, and how dangerous the intersection of capitalism with war can prove to be if we allow it to get out of control.
As for the negatives - it was a struggle to get through the few chapters. Hiroko's character was interesting, but I was indifferent to or bored by everyone else, especially the Burtons. For a seasoned writer, Shamsie fails at the old adage - "Show, don't tell". We are told that Sajjad is charismatic and worthy of awe and respect but we never really feel it. We are told that Hiroko and Elizabeth become friends in Delhi but you never seen any warmth or closeness between them and it comes as a surprise that they remain in touch after Elizabeth leaves India. I never felt like I cared about Harry Burton or Hiroko's son Raza and it was a slog to get through the later chapters where they take over the narrative.
I guess I'd recommend this book with the caveat that there are sections that you might have to grit your teeth to get through, but overall it's worth a read.
Shamsie weaves a story that connects Nagasaki, the India-Pakistan Partition, the Soviet-Afghan war, and the post-911 world of the Patriot Act and Guantanamo Bay. I liked the ambitious scope of the book, Hiroko's character, the description of life in Delhi before the Partition, her glimpses into the lives of Pakistanis living in Karachi, the overall lack of judgment and the surprising humanity she bestows on even people like the mujahideen and the Taliban. I liked that she took me a little bit out of my comfort zone and made me rethink my gut reaction to soldiers and veterans. I reflected for the first time about military contractors and mercenaries for hire, and how dangerous the intersection of capitalism with war can prove to be if we allow it to get out of control.
As for the negatives - it was a struggle to get through the few chapters. Hiroko's character was interesting, but I was indifferent to or bored by everyone else, especially the Burtons. For a seasoned writer, Shamsie fails at the old adage - "Show, don't tell". We are told that Sajjad is charismatic and worthy of awe and respect but we never really feel it. We are told that Hiroko and Elizabeth become friends in Delhi but you never seen any warmth or closeness between them and it comes as a surprise that they remain in touch after Elizabeth leaves India. I never felt like I cared about Harry Burton or Hiroko's son Raza and it was a slog to get through the later chapters where they take over the narrative.
I guess I'd recommend this book with the caveat that there are sections that you might have to grit your teeth to get through, but overall it's worth a read.