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heisereads's review against another edition
5.0
An incredible story of the intersection of love and culture and family and trust told in a beautiful landscape with tragic circumstances. A strong debut YA novel telling a side to the story many won't have heard before.
herlifewithbooks's review against another edition
A quick-paced Romeo & Juliet-type romance about teenagers living in rural Afghanistan. Nothing terribly unexpected or awful about this one, but it was pretty interesting to see how the typical YA fantasy romance might play out in such a different culture, with different cultural values.
marinazala's review against another edition
3.0
** Books 29 - 2016 **
3,3 of 5 stars!
This books simply makes me amazed how ethnic cannot separate love between two young people in Afghanistan. Iam shocked and also sad there is an tragedy that being paid for Fatima and sammiullah's relationship in the end. >__<
Thank you Kony Books i've got this book only IDR 100k. I've found in the other online bookstore it should be IDR 145k XD
3,3 of 5 stars!
This books simply makes me amazed how ethnic cannot separate love between two young people in Afghanistan. Iam shocked and also sad there is an tragedy that being paid for Fatima and sammiullah's relationship in the end. >__<
Thank you Kony Books i've got this book only IDR 100k. I've found in the other online bookstore it should be IDR 145k XD
mezzythedragon's review against another edition
4.0
This is my first time doing audiobook, and I listened to this story in one sitting. The narration was a bit melodramatic at times, but I did swoon and cry over Samiullah’s POV.
This is not an easy book by any means. I know nothing about Afghan culture, nor the Pashtun and Hazara, so I had to stop myself from questioning the characters’ decisions, since I am not part of that culture. (Of course, abuse is never okay in any culture, and Fatima’s mother is reprehensible, not just to her but to all her children.) Also, religion is used to justify atrocities, and there were a lot here. Rashid was a hateful antagonist, and ultimately his overzealous beliefs brought him more suffering.
Still, it does follow the Romance format, but it’s an HFN. After everything that happened, that’s the best and most realistic you can hope for.
This is not an easy book by any means. I know nothing about Afghan culture, nor the Pashtun and Hazara, so I had to stop myself from questioning the characters’ decisions, since I am not part of that culture. (Of course, abuse is never okay in any culture, and Fatima’s mother is reprehensible, not just to her but to all her children.) Also, religion is used to justify atrocities, and there were a lot here. Rashid was a hateful antagonist, and ultimately his overzealous beliefs brought him more suffering.
Still, it does follow the Romance format, but it’s an HFN. After everything that happened, that’s the best and most realistic you can hope for.
in2reading's review against another edition
4.0
This young adult novel was written by a woman born to Afghan parents. Although she was not raised in Afghanistan, her background and her time as a foreign news correspondent in Kabul for almost 5 years give the culture portrayed in this story credibility. That is scary because some facets of the culture are harsh and cruel. Both of the main characters are disfigured and humiliated during their young lives, and several other characters are murdered. There are also loving and understanding characters portrayed, but I admit to feeling very sad about the lives of the Afghan people and the competing inflexible cultural and religious forces in their lives. This is not for the faint of heart but provides a small window on a society that operates very differently from Western norms.
queenclaire13's review against another edition
5.0
This is giving me The Kite Runner vibes. This book is very eye-opening. I want to cry but I’m more shocked and hurt by the events in this book. I am angry. Very very angry.
typedtruths's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Misogyny, and Child abuse
➸ Trigger warnings for racism, slut-shaming, forced and arranged marriage, child abuse, physical injuries including graphic burns, murder, and poverty.lizlogan's review against another edition
4.0
This book is wonderful! The book is lyrical, filled with wonderful imagery, and well done. The author is obviously connected to the culture, and uses phrases in both Dari and Pashto to emphasize certain points. As someone who does not speak either of these languages, I would have preferred either a quicker translation to follow, or less use of the languages within the books, but overall it was not a bad thing. I would have given the book five stars if it had been something that the typical American could have found any sort of identification with. This book may have been better marketed to an adult audience than a teen audience. Many times throughout the book I forgot that the characters were teens because of the hardness of their lives and differences. This is not to say that different points of view should not be represented to teens, but that this would be hard for the typical American teenager to find anything to latch onto in this story because everything is so foreign about it, and that is unfortunate because it is a gorgeous, wonderful story.
thepurplepixel's review against another edition
5.0
This is not a feel-good romance and is much grittier than I imagined. That said, I appreciated the depth and care with which Abawi presented faith and the manipulation of it. She brings to light the horrors of the cycle of violence, and does not muddy it with naive optimism that everything will work out perfectly just because one wishes it. The book is well-written. Choosing to have chapters from the perspective of Fatima, Sami, and the antagonist showcase the humanity of each and make the tragedies within the plot all the more keen. I found the novel suspenseful and I had to finish it in one sitting. This book gave more to me than I thought it would, and it helped me refine some thoughts. As such, it deserves a full five stars.
Content Warnings: verbal, physical, and s*xual violence (including towards children). Despite the protagonists being teenagers, I don’t know that I would give this to any but older high school students at the earliest.
Content Warnings: verbal, physical, and s*xual violence (including towards children). Despite the protagonists being teenagers, I don’t know that I would give this to any but older high school students at the earliest.