Reviews

Where the Desert Meets the Sea by Werner Sonne

zellm's review against another edition

2.0

This book was interesting but felt two-dimensional since there were so many characters and it kept jumping between them. It felt disjointed and the gaps in time and perspective shifts made it hard to follow. I kept forgetting and having to look back to see who the characters being mentioned were.

socorrobaptista's review

challenging informative sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Um excelente livro para entender melhor as raízes históricas da atual guerra em Gaza. O autor tentar mostrar três lados da história: o lado dos árabes, que se sentiam invadidos; o lado dos judeus, talvez invasores mas em busca de um lugar para chamar de seu depois dos horrores da segunda guerra; e o lados dos britânicos, que até início de 1948 tinham a região da Palestina como parte do Império Britânico. É uma narrativa com diferentes pontos de vista, rica em detalhes históricos, uma excelente leitura.

taylorljsmith's review

1.0

DNF'ed at 50%

juliehunt77's review

3.0

I think this book had so much potential to be great, it’s set in 1947-48 in what was Palestine, from the view of a Jewish girl who had survived the concentration camps in Germany, escaped from the camps in Cyprus and arrived on a boat into Palestine (all happened in chapter one no spoilers) and an Arab girl who was training to be a nurse in an international hospital in Jerusalem who is in love with a Jewish doctor.

From other reviewers it seems to be historically accurate, but it felt such a light touch on the characters and the events. Could have been an epic tome rather than a quick 250 ish page read.

mirmoreema's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

3.5

booksmjc's review

dark informative slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

allissa125's review

3.0

I found myself getting lost with all the characters in this book.. I couldn’t remember who was who and finally just gave up trying to remember them all. The handful of main characters were well thought out and researched, as was the setting. The storyline did pick up the further into the book I got.. but again, there are “loose ends” that I wish would have been tied up.
I appreciated that the author didn’t “take sides” in the battle over who has the right to claim Jerusalem and surrounding holy lands. There were characters on all sides of the conflict with strong beliefs as to their claims. This novel did a good job of illustrating the conflict and a bit of why it continues to this day.

hadeelolla's review against another edition

3.0

It's well written but it felt like it covered the Jewish POV more even though it claims to be neutral.

scytale's review

emotional informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

tracey09's review

dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

3.75