Reviews

This was a war story, and a love story. When I picked it up, I was promised a story of a close friendship between two unlikely women. I really didn't get that. The author is a man, and he chose to largely write about the male characters. The two women with the unlikely friendship had a scene in the beginning and two scenes at the very end. But they didn't get any kind of a building relationship, or well, I don't even think this book passed the bechdel test, which is sad in 2019. Then, we don't even find out what happened to the Arab woman, as though she didn't even matter in the whole story, never mind being a main character in a story about an unlikely friendship.

Honestly, if I hadn't been promised a book about an unlikely friendship between two women and had that turned out to be a lie, I probably would have given the book another whole star. That disappointment tinged the entire book for me. But I liked most of the characters, and this is a time period I haven't read much about. Most of what you read is either set in the Holocaust, or set much later. Having a holocaust survivor as a main character, but she doesn't spend her time dwelling on how awful her life has been, seems unique. It seemed somehow humanizing.

marie307's review

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challenging emotional informative tense slow-paced

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

3.5

kaitsbooked's review against another edition

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4.0

4.5 I felt like this was a little too short

annamontana's review against another edition

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challenging tense medium-paced

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

3.0

I wanted to like this book better than I did. There were too many characters and I felt no connection with any of them.
I find the subject fascinating, Palestine post WWII with the conflict between the Arabs and the Jews. I know current situations but I have never thought about this time frame. The author took on a huge task to portray both sides during this tumultuous time, which is probably why the characters suffered.

rnorsmith's review against another edition

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challenging informative sad fast-paced

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

4.0

kajani340's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful informative inspiring sad fast-paced

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

3.5

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