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jawolffe's review against another edition
challenging
sad
slow-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
4.25
aposthuma's review against another edition
5.0
A bit of a slow start, but I really enjoyed it overall. Once the story picks up, I couldn't put it down. Very enlightening regarding Afghan culture both now and in the early 1900s. The story is told in a dual timeline, exploring the hardships and bravery of two women several generations apart. I would read a sequel in a heartbeat, because I would have loved to spend even more time with these characters and watch their stories play out.
pained_creations's review against another edition
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
5.0
The story was very good, but very sad. An eye opening look at life for women in Afghanistan, both several years ago and now.
greenmachine31's review against another edition
5.0
Really liked this story- great double story. I was totally hooked
cdale8's review against another edition
5.0
I loved how the two stories weaved in and out of each other, and was pleased at the theme of taking risks and making your own fate, relevant during both the past cultural context and in the more recent past in Afghanistan.
hopecaldwell's review against another edition
4.0
Amazing story. The book chronicles the lives of two women, generations apart but with similarities in their lives. Biggest issue was keeping up with all of the many characters especially as the chapters jumped between the two stories.
littletaiko's review against another edition
3.0
Rahima is a young girl living in Afghanistan in 2007. Her family is struggling to make ends meet and her father has forbidden Rahima and her sisters from attending school. Her mother decides to try an old custom of passing one of the girls off as a boy. Rahima's great-aunt, Shekiba, had done something similar about 100 years ago and her story is passed along to Rahima from one of her aunts. The book alternates between the two women's stories and the consequences from the decision to pass as a male. I ultimately enjoyed the book but found it really hard to get into in the beginning as the stories kept alternating too quickly. It was challenging to get any sort of interest in either story for a bit but eventually their stories started to resonate.
fatima_zahra_hr's review against another edition
5.0
A tour de force, meticulously researched, engaging, deeply human and compulsively readable.
ariaojou's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Loved the premise. Loved the message. But the characters, products of culture and circumstances, have no control over their own destiny as women. The men decide, the men make the rules - women have no power - which, sadly, makes this stiry go downhill for me midway.