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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book came at a good time, finished it just before my trip to Cyprus. Really didn't know anything about the history of the country, or why it was divided in two. The smells of the food were described so well, I can't wait to smell, see and taste it all for myself now. A really powerful story, with characters with strong motives and well developed characteristics.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Very nice story but could be half the length without long descriptions of surroundings and where whose eyes are.
I really enjoy Lefteri’s style and this one touched a topic I have always been interested in, the Cypriot wars of the 70’s. Told from varying perspectives, we hear how the wars touched various people both on the island and off it and the realities of the sacrifices people make for love.
I really wanted to like this book after reading [b:The Beekeeper of Aleppo|43124137|The Beekeeper of Aleppo|Christy Lefteri|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1551818686l/43124137._SX50_.jpg|65893671] but just couldn't get into it. The premise of the novel is really interesting how three different sides of the invasion in Cyprus affected their lives. It tries so hard to be an amazing piece of fiction it loses the message. I found towards the end of the book it was so much easier to not read it in detail otherwise it would last too long- the descriptions were lengthy for every single item. However, I did learn a lot about the invasion in 1974 which I hardly knew about and certain parts did really interest me. The following of the young girl and Koki and their fight of leaving imprisonment was the part of the triple narrative that had most of my attention whereas the parts of Richard and his friend was a part I dreaded as it was, in my opinion, dreary and not always needed in such detail. 2/5
I'd like to give this book 3.5 stars. The prose is lilting and beautiful in parts, while overwrought in some portions. I also found some of the space given to minor characters to be a bit underdeveloped and unsatisfying; may have been better not to give them a voice at all, rather than leaving us wanting! But I loved the love story, and thought that the lead character, Koki, made a compelling heroine.
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is not for the faint hearted but it's a story that deserves to be told.
The book takes place across the first 8 days of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in July 1974. We follow a series of characters on both sides of the conflict as a complex web of connections and history untangles itself.
This was a tough read, there is a lot of violence and there is rape (although not explicitly described) but that is the nature of war. The whole thing features beautiful imagery and snippets of love, friendship and hope in even the darkest of situations. I wasn't sure what to expect of this before I started but every page kept me captivated and has made me want to visit Cyprus.
The book takes place across the first 8 days of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in July 1974. We follow a series of characters on both sides of the conflict as a complex web of connections and history untangles itself.
This was a tough read, there is a lot of violence and there is rape (although not explicitly described) but that is the nature of war. The whole thing features beautiful imagery and snippets of love, friendship and hope in even the darkest of situations. I wasn't sure what to expect of this before I started but every page kept me captivated and has made me want to visit Cyprus.