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4.56 AVERAGE
4.56 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Wow. I want to thank my beloved best friend and reading partner Eline for prompting me to read this book with her. There were so many times I wanted to give up or felt a weight just thinking about picking it up again. In many ways, that’s actually a perfect reflection of how we deal with a reality that’s so hard to face (not to mention that this is technically with fictitious characters and I was already struggling)
Mornings in Jenin is an absolutely brilliant, must-read book, and all the hardship, sadness, and anger that come with it, make it feel even more necessary. It weaves fiction and reality so incredibly well. I was completely taken aback and so deeply impressed by how the author included direct quotes from real accounts of the atrocities committed in Palestine, because those cannot and should not be fictionalised.
But the rest of the story is just soo full of humanity and love, above all, as well as an attempt to understand and piece things together. Abulhawa directs anger where it’s deserved, but ultimately aims to show the humanity in those who have it, no matter their background or even their beliefs for most of their lives. She so clearly believes in the ability to change and to understand, but never extends into naivety.
I believe so, so, so passionately that one of the best ways to understand these conflicts is through the literature and films that try to make sense of it. Sitting with these characters, getting to know them and their reality is essential to understanding the part of humanity that so often gets erased by the news cycle, by polarised opinions, and by all the soulless data we’re constantly fed.
I’m heartbroken, but all the more reminded that we can’t ever stop talking about Palestine. Especially because (as this book points out) half a centry ago nobody even did start talking about the atrocities that were commited. A character in the book says the world doesn’t care, and it’s true. The world doesn’t care because it doesn’t want to understand or see what’s happening. but to read a book like this is the beginning of a long journey of compassion and seeing.
Mornings in Jenin is an absolutely brilliant, must-read book, and all the hardship, sadness, and anger that come with it, make it feel even more necessary. It weaves fiction and reality so incredibly well. I was completely taken aback and so deeply impressed by how the author included direct quotes from real accounts of the atrocities committed in Palestine, because those cannot and should not be fictionalised.
But the rest of the story is just soo full of humanity and love, above all, as well as an attempt to understand and piece things together. Abulhawa directs anger where it’s deserved, but ultimately aims to show the humanity in those who have it, no matter their background or even their beliefs for most of their lives. She so clearly believes in the ability to change and to understand, but never extends into naivety.
I believe so, so, so passionately that one of the best ways to understand these conflicts is through the literature and films that try to make sense of it. Sitting with these characters, getting to know them and their reality is essential to understanding the part of humanity that so often gets erased by the news cycle, by polarised opinions, and by all the soulless data we’re constantly fed.
I’m heartbroken, but all the more reminded that we can’t ever stop talking about Palestine. Especially because (as this book points out) half a centry ago nobody even did start talking about the atrocities that were commited. A character in the book says the world doesn’t care, and it’s true. The world doesn’t care because it doesn’t want to understand or see what’s happening. but to read a book like this is the beginning of a long journey of compassion and seeing.
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
This is so beautifully written and handles a complex structure with multiple narrators with aplomb. It's also heart rending. It's hard to get the Palestinian view sometimes and the author tries to convey the realities of the situation the Palestinians find themselves in, although I'm sure that nobody except the Palestinians themselves could ever properly understand it. Highly recommended, although not an easy read emotionally.
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
Hotela sem jim pojasniti, da me ni gnalo nobeno spoštovanje darov, nobeno čaščenje, temveč zgolj in samo strah.
“We were naïvely full of dreams and hope then, blessedly unaware that we were the world’s rubbish, left to tread in its own misery and excrement.” (Abulhawa 174)
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
emotional
Hard read that's worth understanding deep historical context. Beautifully written.
I think this is my second read from this author and I don’t enjoy her style. I feel detached from the text, almost like reading a report about events rather than a novel. On the other hand I would say my formal education never covered Israel’s expansion and atrocities, so a useful eye opener perhaps