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jilibi's review
dark
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
prachi957's review against another edition
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
sharanyaaguha's review
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
"No! There will be no guns. There will be no guns at my son's funeral."
A mother attending his own son's funeral screams.
Aftab loves his motherland Kashmir but he witnesses a lot of bloodshed and violence. He is soon manipulated by Akram, leader of a terrorist group to join the group. Akram misleads Aftab by telling him that this will be a fight of freedom and liberation and showed him the dream of making Kashmir peaceful.
Aftab's mother loves him but he notices that he is manipulated by someone and suggests Aftab to stop going there but Aftab is too lost in his visions and ignores her.
The heartbreaking story portrays Kashmir's situation and how leaders misuse the kid's innocence and tell them stories about freedom. Unaware and a young age these kids believe they are joining freedom groups, but join terrorist gangs instead. What can their fate be instead of dying for the wrong cause?
A mother attending his own son's funeral screams.
Aftab loves his motherland Kashmir but he witnesses a lot of bloodshed and violence. He is soon manipulated by Akram, leader of a terrorist group to join the group. Akram misleads Aftab by telling him that this will be a fight of freedom and liberation and showed him the dream of making Kashmir peaceful.
Aftab's mother loves him but he notices that he is manipulated by someone and suggests Aftab to stop going there but Aftab is too lost in his visions and ignores her.
The heartbreaking story portrays Kashmir's situation and how leaders misuse the kid's innocence and tell them stories about freedom. Unaware and a young age these kids believe they are joining freedom groups, but join terrorist gangs instead. What can their fate be instead of dying for the wrong cause?
janpd24's review
3.0
Aftab is a young Kashmiri boy with stars in his eyes, only not the kind you'd expect from regular 12-year-olds. For the man he idolizes is a dangerous militant who goes by the name of Akram Raza. Aftab worships the ground Akram walks on and hangs on his every word. He will do anything to prove himself a worthy protégé. He scoffs at his parents’ yearning for peace and is steadfast in his conviction that freedom will have to be fought for, a conviction both lit and stoked by Akram’s influence and some Bollywood!
Full review at Goodbooks.in
Full review at Goodbooks.in
mostlyshanti's review
2.0
I like books that can have mature discussion of serious topics. I think that there should be more YA(ish) books about the situation in Kashmir. I think that terrorism is something that needs discussion. I liked that this book didn't *really* take sides, but showed the multi-faceted aspect of something terrible. I was in kashmir recently as a visitor, and I was glad that I could get a little piece of understanding of what has happened there in the past (because in the streets of Srinagar, it isn't very obvious, though there is army everywhere)
Sadly though, the writing in the book was terrible. For one thing, there were three characters with very similar names (Angad, Akram, and Aftab) For another thing, there were no indications of time of space or place. The viewpoint kept switching without indicating who was telling the story. The plot was fairly predictable. Nothing really surprised me except Shazia. It could have been longer to show the characters develop, because that didn't happen. It had no depth and complexity, and the writing was confusing the entire time. I wanted to like this more than I did. The writing stole the value the story had on it's own.
Sadly though, the writing in the book was terrible. For one thing, there were three characters with very similar names (Angad, Akram, and Aftab) For another thing, there were no indications of time of space or place. The viewpoint kept switching without indicating who was telling the story. The plot was fairly predictable. Nothing really surprised me except Shazia. It could have been longer to show the characters develop, because that didn't happen. It had no depth and complexity, and the writing was confusing the entire time. I wanted to like this more than I did. The writing stole the value the story had on it's own.
santreads's review
4.0
What a sweet, tender and pure book. A short read, this was definitely an interesting insight into the lives of Kashmiris. Looking forward to reading more books of Paro Anand.
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