Reviews

Take What You Can Carry by Gian Sardar

jordynbean's review

emotional sad tense 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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, and War

gginnola's review against another edition

1.0

Too many descriptions, not enough story. It got very tedious.

jackiiesnackiie317's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

5.0

Absolutely loved this book! 
Lovable characters to root for. 
Tense subject matter that gets you thinking and reflecting on how different it is in other parts of the world. Teaches you about this culture and time in the world. 
Very descriptive, leaving you feeling like you can see and smell all the things around the main character. 
Left me crying happy and sad tears multiple times. I really felt for these characters and could imagine the pain and fear they were going through but, also left me not able to even begin to understand it. Such a beautiful book. Will recommend to all my reading friends!

ekarcha's review against another edition

3.0

3.5 stars, love the story but the writing just didn’t pull me in deeply

kleonard's review

5.0

This is a fantastic book, and I'm recommending it to everyone. The author is brilliant in portraying both insider and outsider perspectives throughout the novel, and the characters are human and original. I enjoyed the tension of the structure, with the small internal flash-forwards and flashbacks that made the ending tantalizing until the last minute. The writing itself is beautiful and I learned a lot as I read.

colleenpence's review

5.0

Wow. This book blew me away. I knew nothing about Kurds or their struggles and while this book doesn't specifically detail every part of their historic plight, what was revealed through this riveting story of love and loss was fascinating and eye-opening. Sardar's writing is beautiful and captivating, her characters full of life and the pace of the story left me wanting to find out what happened next every time I had to step away from this book.

Definitely one of my favorite books of all time!

mseitz18's review against another edition

3.0

Such a powerful book. I had to keep reminding myself that it is set in the 1970s, as many of the darker themes of war, oppression, and hopelessness are still pervasive in this part of the world.

Slow at times with long chapters.

kittietta's review

5.0

Thank You to Netgalley and the publisher and author for an ARC of the book.The opinions expressed are my own

winglady's review against another edition

5.0

Utterly stunning. This book transports the reader to Kurdistan (Iraq) in 1979, where beauty and terror visit the lives of her fiances family & friends. The writing soars and the story is mesmerising. Highly recommended.

sci_mom's review against another edition

4.0

I received this book through a Goodreads Giveaway. I have a basic understanding of the Kurdish struggles, but this story brought it to life and was simply heart-wrenching. In most stories, MC development is solid, but other characters often times are not; that was not true here. I felt like there were at least a half dozen characters who I knew well enough to care about and a few more who I understood well enough to appreciate their motivations. It was a beautiful, painful story full of events that led to Olivia finding a greater awareness of her world and her place in it.