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countingstarsbycandlelight's review against another edition
2.0
I didn't love it, but it was hardly this book's fault. I read it RIGHT AFTER I finished Khaled Hosseini's And The Mountains Echoed, so it just couldn't compete. It was interesting to read about Iran in the 80s and 90s, but I didn't care enough about the characters. I did finish it, and I think I would have liked it better if I had not read it when I did.
leleroulant's review against another edition
3.0
It had the potential to be a really good book but there were too many characters, some popping out of nowhere!
theaceofpages's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
"Now one of these women is dead, but Dante cannot cry. He is furious with the glorious sun in the white-blue sky. He does not understand why tragedies always happywm on beautiful sunny days."
Set in Iran, this book looks at the lives of the children of prisoners. It examines the pain and grief experienced in the extreme regime between 1983 and 2011.
This book had so much potential. I felt a connection with Azar in the first chapter as the author seemed to focus on building her up. After that... After that I got a little lost. The book went downhill after the first chapter. There are just too many characters and things happening. Sure, there are some beautiful parts and the writing isn't bad, but overall I just struggled to get into the book as much for the rest. The pain of the characters is there, but I couldn't connect with them in the same way. I don't know, the other characters felt a little flat and underdeveloped. Maybe it's just because if how many there are and how quickly they're introduced though. This might have worked better as a series of short stories. They already are so close to being one, but they are all loosely connected by a fine, very tangled, thread.
I did consider giving this book three stars, but I don't think it's quite there. And looking at comments some others have made, the book dramatically underplayed the conditions in the prison (the part of the story that managed to draw me in and I connected with most as a result). While this is fiction, it disappoints me a bit and convinced me to go with a slightly lower ranting (one I was already considering anyway).
Set in Iran, this book looks at the lives of the children of prisoners. It examines the pain and grief experienced in the extreme regime between 1983 and 2011.
This book had so much potential. I felt a connection with Azar in the first chapter as the author seemed to focus on building her up. After that... After that I got a little lost. The book went downhill after the first chapter. There are just too many characters and things happening. Sure, there are some beautiful parts and the writing isn't bad, but overall I just struggled to get into the book as much for the rest. The pain of the characters is there, but I couldn't connect with them in the same way. I don't know, the other characters felt a little flat and underdeveloped. Maybe it's just because if how many there are and how quickly they're introduced though. This might have worked better as a series of short stories. They already are so close to being one, but they are all loosely connected by a fine, very tangled, thread.
I did consider giving this book three stars, but I don't think it's quite there. And looking at comments some others have made, the book dramatically underplayed the conditions in the prison (the part of the story that managed to draw me in and I connected with most as a result). While this is fiction, it disappoints me a bit and convinced me to go with a slightly lower ranting (one I was already considering anyway).
Content warnings
I will try to avoid spoliers and will add a note if it contains one!
Loss of child
Not to death but a child is removed from their mother. She struggles with it.
Confinement
The first story is about a prisoner.
Death
Not particularly gruesome, but there are multiple deaths. One Includes post death rituals.
Grief
A lot of sadness around loss, including death
Violence
Includes a woman getting beaten by a group of guards.
Miscarriage
Probably the best word to use for the situation.The actual loss isn't detailed, but the events leading to it are upsetting.
Suicide
A character hangs themselves.
Loss of child
Confinement
Death
Grief
Violence
Miscarriage
Suicide
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Confinement, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Miscarriage and Suicide
Minor: War
preetachag's review against another edition
4.0
amazing use of language and creating an ambience which creates the scenes right in front of your eyes.
For anyone even remotely interested in reading about iran-iraq, this book is enjoyable....some sections ready like poetry....
For anyone even remotely interested in reading about iran-iraq, this book is enjoyable....some sections ready like poetry....
usedtoreadalot's review against another edition
2.0
I struggled with this. Found it very disjointed, jumping around in time and between characters. I felt this would have worked better as a series of short stories instead of trying to link them into a novel. Very flowery language also had me cringing at times.
cheyenne_g's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-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? No
5.0
sephranix's review against another edition
2.0
I think that the history behind this book is very sad, but there was a disconnect for me with this book. It felt like a lot of smaller short stories that were tied by a very thin thread. I didn't feel like I was given time to get attached to any of these characters - outside of Azar, who never shows back up after her first section.
kdtoverbooked's review against another edition
2.0
This book did nothing for me. There were too many characters told in a disjointed fashion. I was thinking that this book would move me to tears thinking about the liberty that we have in the US and how fortunate we are to have such a place to speak our mind. Instead, I was left with a bunch of half stories that left me feeling wholly unsatisfied. Not a book I would recommend.
emdawgb's review against another edition
4.0
Children of the Jacaranda Tree is at once beautiful and devastating. The plot follows a cast of characters bound together by family, circumstance, and experience. In the powerful opening chapter, an imprisoned woman is being taken to the hospital to give birth. To distract herself, she focuses on the sounds of the city she can hear outside of the van, and thinks about her parents. On returning to the prison, she is only allowed to nurse her child for a short while.
The remainder of Children of the Jacaranda Tree continues with a similar raw, emotional impact. A child sees his parents dragged away to prison as he sits eating breakfast. A young woman learns that she has been lied to about her father's death, as she uncovers the darker parts of her country's history. The narrative surges forward and trickles back as each story is told with Delijani's beautiful, light prose. A perfect read for anyone who wants to think about the human side of history.
The remainder of Children of the Jacaranda Tree continues with a similar raw, emotional impact. A child sees his parents dragged away to prison as he sits eating breakfast. A young woman learns that she has been lied to about her father's death, as she uncovers the darker parts of her country's history. The narrative surges forward and trickles back as each story is told with Delijani's beautiful, light prose. A perfect read for anyone who wants to think about the human side of history.
saba_ts's review against another edition
4.0
I read a review about this book in which the reviewer was saying that maybe this story would have been better if the author hadn't been so close to the subject matter, I strongly disagree. I believe that the best books are the ones in which the author is completely immersed in the subject matter. That is the only way to write, the only way to do justice to a story.
And I believe that Sahar Delijani has done this story justice. The way she describes the revolution and the consequences of one is spot on. And the way she tells the story of generation after generation being marred by the harm done in the name of rebuilding a country, it is just breath-taking.
Very well done, Ms. Delijani.
And I believe that Sahar Delijani has done this story justice. The way she describes the revolution and the consequences of one is spot on. And the way she tells the story of generation after generation being marred by the harm done in the name of rebuilding a country, it is just breath-taking.
Very well done, Ms. Delijani.