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tamago2474's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
vlookup's review
4.0
Wow. That was something new for me. There were funny parts and there were grim and sad parts but I liked it all the same.
fantasma13's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
lynecia's review
3.0
3.5 stars
TRIGGER WARNING!
If you are sensitive to sexual violence, this book isn't for you.
I got through the two-thirds of this book, and I was sure it was going to be a 5 star read; the artwork is GORGEOUS, the story was enchanting (though tragic and sad), and the writing was beautiful. The underlying mystical elements were amazing, and made me want to pick up a Qu'ran and read it. However, the further I got into the story, there were some highly problematic points that became hard to ignore.
When Zam gets older and begins to lust after her, (ew!) that simply just rubbed me the wrong way. I mean, she raised him from a toddler and for him to view her as anything but a mother/sister figure was offensive to me, but I guess that's a personal gripe. His desire for her was so twisted that eventually it leads him to castrate himself...talk about dramatic.
The depiction of Blacks in this extremely discomforting - even though Dodola was also sold into slavery as well, there were explicitly racist comments made by some characters; and when the author alludes to the story of Cham/Ham from the Old Testament/Qu'ran being the justification for the enslavement of African people, I wanted to throw the book. If you don't know, that argument was used to JUSTIFY the slave trade among other atrocities - as a descendant of those people, it was hard for me separate that from something that was coming from the characters or added to the story, OR if it was something that clearly would be taken out of context for most readers, perpetuating an ugliness that we've all worked long hard to rid ourselves of.
Lastly, I found that the time period that this was supposed to take place in wasn't clear - in the end when Zam and Dodola live in the skyscraper, that seemed like present day, however other elements made it seem like it was the past, such as the Dodola's husband being a "scribe" and the fact that she was kidnapped for a harem.
Anyway, I say all that to say, I still recommend that people pick up this book and decide for yourself!
TRIGGER WARNING!
If you are sensitive to sexual violence, this book isn't for you.
I got through the two-thirds of this book, and I was sure it was going to be a 5 star read; the artwork is GORGEOUS, the story was enchanting (though tragic and sad), and the writing was beautiful. The underlying mystical elements were amazing, and made me want to pick up a Qu'ran and read it. However, the further I got into the story, there were some highly problematic points that became hard to ignore.
Spoiler
First off, it presents Islamic/Arabic culture as really, really rapey. Now let me back up, the author could have just been using rape and sexual violence to comment on the fact that this is one girl's tragic story; women who are alone in the world aren't safe. Ok, I can live with that.When Zam gets older and begins to lust after her, (ew!) that simply just rubbed me the wrong way. I mean, she raised him from a toddler and for him to view her as anything but a mother/sister figure was offensive to me, but I guess that's a personal gripe. His desire for her was so twisted that eventually it leads him to castrate himself...talk about dramatic.
The depiction of Blacks in this extremely discomforting - even though Dodola was also sold into slavery as well, there were explicitly racist comments made by some characters; and when the author alludes to the story of Cham/Ham from the Old Testament/Qu'ran being the justification for the enslavement of African people, I wanted to throw the book. If you don't know, that argument was used to JUSTIFY the slave trade among other atrocities - as a descendant of those people, it was hard for me separate that from something that was coming from the characters or added to the story, OR if it was something that clearly would be taken out of context for most readers, perpetuating an ugliness that we've all worked long hard to rid ourselves of.
Lastly, I found that the time period that this was supposed to take place in wasn't clear - in the end when Zam and Dodola live in the skyscraper, that seemed like present day, however other elements made it seem like it was the past, such as the Dodola's husband being a "scribe" and the fact that she was kidnapped for a harem.
Anyway, I say all that to say, I still recommend that people pick up this book and decide for yourself!
berserkbeast13's review
5.0
One of the most beautiful books I've read, I love when a story intertwines religion into their narrative in a non-forceful way
dembury's review
2.0
(No plot summary here, just my thoughts.)
I don't know. This book was exciting to start, but the further and deeper I got into it, I felt confused and uncomfortable. Honestly, the academic side of me feels as if I should reread parts of this to understand it more thematically, but I kind of...just...don't...want to. I'm over this.
I try to keep an open mind in my reviews, however, in this one I'm just going to say this flat out:
I didn't like it. That statement isn't based on the art/plot/character/etc, but in the same way someone might say they don't like a certain food. "Habibi" just wasn't for me.
First of all, this book is 80% drawings of boobs. And that's not to say that *boobs* are the problem-not at all! The problem is there just seems to be little or no purpose to having so many of them drawn in so many ways on SO. MANY. PAGES. Literally every other page there are boobs and the main character herself is topless for most of the book. The boobs don't drive the plot forwards at all- they are largely there for the sexualization of the women characters. Again, I don't have a problem with the nudity, but there needs to be a purpose for it, especially in a graphic novel where most of the reading is visual.
One of the major themes of this book is sex and sexuality- Dodola, the main female character, is sold and raped at a young age. She sleeps with passing men in exchange for food and water. She is later part of a sultan's harem. She is raped again. And although this is part of the story, all of it begins to feel very uneasily sexualized, almost lingered upon simply for the sake of the visual. [I just saw another review where someone called it very voyeuristic, and that's eerily correct. I agree.] I don't think there was a single female character in here that wasn't abused/naked/miserable for all of their arc.
The male main character, Zam, also has a storyline that leans heavily on sex/sexuality, and where that thread went just seemed to ramble on and not add up to much. There are people he encounters who he is told to stay away from because they are "whores", and these characters suffer the brunt of the abuse in that plot. It just began to feel uncomfortable, and not in a way that books are supposed to sometimes feel uncomfortable.
As a reader and a writer, I know not every story is going to be happy or feel-good. Life has uncomfortable moments and books reflect life. "Habibi" isn't meant to be a happy-go-lucky novel. But it really evoked a strong sense of unease- I felt as if I had to tell myself "It's okay, it's just fiction, keep reading" for parts of this. But fiction has a strong impact, and it lingers with you, and this wasn't a story I cared to really remember.
Moving on: the setting/world was so CONFUSING. Everything is built up in a world that feels very Middle Easter, almost Biblical, and then WHAM! There's a Jeep?? And people wearing sunglasses?? And dump trucks?? Oh, but wait, now we're back to camels and tunics and clay jars of water? Oh wait- now there's a FREAKIN PLASTIC WATER BOTTLE COMPANY??!?
I gave up on trying to understand if this was supposed to be a fictional world or a blending of a urban/desert Middle Eastern city. The geography made no sense. The world was confusing.
Also, some of the side characters and scenes were just gross. This is a very biased thing, but they just made me feel sick. The fisherman character, Noah, in the later parts was just incredibly creepy to me. His mental state was really disturbing and I almost stopped reading. It's not a dramatic part of the book, I just simply didn't like it. Same for the short little man in the harem, most of the eunchs, and nearly every main male character.
I think the strongest part of "Habibi" was the art style itself- there were some lovely pages, mostly when Dodola was telling Bible stories or parts of the Quaran. There's a delicate intricacy to the pages that is atmospheric and luring. The artwork is really what's getting most of that second star rating.
Read this if you want. It has a couple small nice moments. The art is good. But it's just not the greatest graphic novel out there.
I don't know. This book was exciting to start, but the further and deeper I got into it, I felt confused and uncomfortable. Honestly, the academic side of me feels as if I should reread parts of this to understand it more thematically, but I kind of...just...don't...want to. I'm over this.
I try to keep an open mind in my reviews, however, in this one I'm just going to say this flat out:
I didn't like it. That statement isn't based on the art/plot/character/etc, but in the same way someone might say they don't like a certain food. "Habibi" just wasn't for me.
First of all, this book is 80% drawings of boobs. And that's not to say that *boobs* are the problem-not at all! The problem is there just seems to be little or no purpose to having so many of them drawn in so many ways on SO. MANY. PAGES. Literally every other page there are boobs and the main character herself is topless for most of the book. The boobs don't drive the plot forwards at all- they are largely there for the sexualization of the women characters. Again, I don't have a problem with the nudity, but there needs to be a purpose for it, especially in a graphic novel where most of the reading is visual.
One of the major themes of this book is sex and sexuality- Dodola, the main female character, is sold and raped at a young age. She sleeps with passing men in exchange for food and water. She is later part of a sultan's harem. She is raped again. And although this is part of the story, all of it begins to feel very uneasily sexualized, almost lingered upon simply for the sake of the visual. [I just saw another review where someone called it very voyeuristic, and that's eerily correct. I agree.] I don't think there was a single female character in here that wasn't abused/naked/miserable for all of their arc.
The male main character, Zam, also has a storyline that leans heavily on sex/sexuality, and where that thread went just seemed to ramble on and not add up to much. There are people he encounters who he is told to stay away from because they are "whores", and these characters suffer the brunt of the abuse in that plot. It just began to feel uncomfortable, and not in a way that books are supposed to sometimes feel uncomfortable.
As a reader and a writer, I know not every story is going to be happy or feel-good. Life has uncomfortable moments and books reflect life. "Habibi" isn't meant to be a happy-go-lucky novel. But it really evoked a strong sense of unease- I felt as if I had to tell myself "It's okay, it's just fiction, keep reading" for parts of this. But fiction has a strong impact, and it lingers with you, and this wasn't a story I cared to really remember.
Moving on: the setting/world was so CONFUSING. Everything is built up in a world that feels very Middle Easter, almost Biblical, and then WHAM! There's a Jeep?? And people wearing sunglasses?? And dump trucks?? Oh, but wait, now we're back to camels and tunics and clay jars of water? Oh wait- now there's a FREAKIN PLASTIC WATER BOTTLE COMPANY??!?
I gave up on trying to understand if this was supposed to be a fictional world or a blending of a urban/desert Middle Eastern city. The geography made no sense. The world was confusing.
Also, some of the side characters and scenes were just gross. This is a very biased thing, but they just made me feel sick. The fisherman character, Noah, in the later parts was just incredibly creepy to me. His mental state was really disturbing and I almost stopped reading. It's not a dramatic part of the book, I just simply didn't like it. Same for the short little man in the harem, most of the eunchs, and nearly every main male character.
I think the strongest part of "Habibi" was the art style itself- there were some lovely pages, mostly when Dodola was telling Bible stories or parts of the Quaran. There's a delicate intricacy to the pages that is atmospheric and luring. The artwork is really what's getting most of that second star rating.
Read this if you want. It has a couple small nice moments. The art is good. But it's just not the greatest graphic novel out there.
gilliske's review
4.0
Ik heb hard getwijfeld over de score die ik dit boek zou geven.
De verhaallijn is pakkend, sleept je mee, betovert, verrast, shockeert, ontroert.
De grafische weergave is prachtig, wonderlijk en -voor mij als nieuwkomer in de graphic novels - heel origineel.
De manier waarop de verhaallijn verweven werd met religieuze teksten en verhalen is meesterlijk gedaan -hoewel ik te weinig ken van de Islamitische cultuur om dit ten volle te begrijpen en appreciëren.
En ja, het oriëntalisme is -zoals al in zoveel reviews aangehaald- onmiskenbaar sterk aanwezig in dit verhaal. En hoewel ik zeker begrijp dat velen hier een probleem mee hebben, moet ik vaststellen dat het bij mij mijn leesplezier niet in de weg stond.
Misschien heeft het ermee te maken dat ik veel fantasy lees en zelfs parallel met dit boek een fantasy reeks las ([b:De bronzen stad|58497165|De bronzen stad (Daevabad, #1)|S.A. Chakraborty|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1625554674l/58497165._SY75_.jpg|53299478]; [b:De koperen koning|60678686|De koperen koning (The Daevabad Trilogy, #2)|S.A. Chakraborty|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1648053625l/60678686._SY75_.jpg|57348420] en [b:Het gouden rijk (Daevabad Book 3)|66425090|Het gouden rijk (Daevabad Book 3) (Dutch Edition)|S.A. Chakraborty|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1670958504l/66425090._SY75_.jpg|61384460] van [a:S.A. Chakraborty|16002992|S.A. Chakraborty|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1495447627p2/16002992.jpg]) sterk geïnspireerd door de Midden-Oosterse cultuur waar toch een aantal (vage) parallellen met dit boek in voorkwamen. Maar ik had op geen enkel moment het gevoel dat ik een realistisch verhaal las. Ik las het van in het begin als een fantasie verhaal, zich afspelend in een fantasie wereld. In die mate dat ik me tijdens het lezen zelfs niet echt bewust was van het oriëntalisme. En hoewel het zeker geen mooie wereld was, heb ik wel genoten van het verhaal.
En het is uiteindelijk daarop dat ik mijn score baseer.
De verhaallijn is pakkend, sleept je mee, betovert, verrast, shockeert, ontroert.
De grafische weergave is prachtig, wonderlijk en -voor mij als nieuwkomer in de graphic novels - heel origineel.
De manier waarop de verhaallijn verweven werd met religieuze teksten en verhalen is meesterlijk gedaan -hoewel ik te weinig ken van de Islamitische cultuur om dit ten volle te begrijpen en appreciëren.
En ja, het oriëntalisme is -zoals al in zoveel reviews aangehaald- onmiskenbaar sterk aanwezig in dit verhaal. En hoewel ik zeker begrijp dat velen hier een probleem mee hebben, moet ik vaststellen dat het bij mij mijn leesplezier niet in de weg stond.
Misschien heeft het ermee te maken dat ik veel fantasy lees en zelfs parallel met dit boek een fantasy reeks las ([b:De bronzen stad|58497165|De bronzen stad (Daevabad, #1)|S.A. Chakraborty|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1625554674l/58497165._SY75_.jpg|53299478]; [b:De koperen koning|60678686|De koperen koning (The Daevabad Trilogy, #2)|S.A. Chakraborty|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1648053625l/60678686._SY75_.jpg|57348420] en [b:Het gouden rijk (Daevabad Book 3)|66425090|Het gouden rijk (Daevabad Book 3) (Dutch Edition)|S.A. Chakraborty|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1670958504l/66425090._SY75_.jpg|61384460] van [a:S.A. Chakraborty|16002992|S.A. Chakraborty|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1495447627p2/16002992.jpg]) sterk geïnspireerd door de Midden-Oosterse cultuur waar toch een aantal (vage) parallellen met dit boek in voorkwamen. Maar ik had op geen enkel moment het gevoel dat ik een realistisch verhaal las. Ik las het van in het begin als een fantasie verhaal, zich afspelend in een fantasie wereld. In die mate dat ik me tijdens het lezen zelfs niet echt bewust was van het oriëntalisme. En hoewel het zeker geen mooie wereld was, heb ik wel genoten van het verhaal.
En het is uiteindelijk daarop dat ik mijn score baseer.