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4.26 AVERAGE
4.26 AVERAGE
The build up and release of the last few pages was excellent.
4.5 stars. The downside of reading books from the library is that I can't underline great lines as I come across them, and there were so many. But here's one from towards the end that I loved. It's not the most profound, or the most dramatic, but wow, it struck a chord with me.
"Cynicism is easy in hindsight, to say Oh, but it wasn't real. I don't know what makes a feeling real."
"Cynicism is easy in hindsight, to say Oh, but it wasn't real. I don't know what makes a feeling real."
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I didn't know anything about this novel going in, which I actually think was a detriment as I struggled with my expectations of what this would be when I was guessing from the beginning of the novel. I apologise in advance for my terrible attempt at a review because I'm not well equipped to review books like this.
Our main character, Sonia, is visiting her sister, Haneen, in Haifa. She is recruited by her sister's friend to be in an Arabic production of Hamlet, set to take place in the West Bank. Yes, this is a book about Sonia, her life, the connections she makes to the people she's in Hamlet with, but it's mostly about her political awakening as a Palestinian who hasn't permanently lived in Palestine, who is only just realising how trapped the Palestinian people are, who is only just finding out how strict Israel and the soldiers are when Palestinians want to do something, like put on a play, for example.
Isabella Hammad puts you into Haifa and Ramallah and is very clear and blunt in how Palestinian people are treated there. I know from years of following Palestinian journalists that Palestinians have to deal with a lot of bs, but this introduced me to daily life. I think novels that do this are really important, especially in the current climate, and just cements that Palestinians have been dealing with so much on a daily basis.
As a whole, I did enjoy this book but I also had a few issues with it. I didn't like Sonia as a main character. She's self-obsessed and I honestly didn't care about her a whole lot. I thought the character work in general wasn't great. They didn't really have distinctive voices and I honestly couldn't name every single person in the cast of Hamlet now it has been a couple of days since I finished the book. I thought the writing was good but it was also pretty dense. I felt like I had to work to get through this book, but it was definitely worth the effort.
I would ultimately recommend this, even though it wasn't my favourite book ever. I think it's an important one and I'm so pleased to see it on the Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist. I feel like I know more about Palestine on a human level now.
Our main character, Sonia, is visiting her sister, Haneen, in Haifa. She is recruited by her sister's friend to be in an Arabic production of Hamlet, set to take place in the West Bank. Yes, this is a book about Sonia, her life, the connections she makes to the people she's in Hamlet with, but it's mostly about her political awakening as a Palestinian who hasn't permanently lived in Palestine, who is only just realising how trapped the Palestinian people are, who is only just finding out how strict Israel and the soldiers are when Palestinians want to do something, like put on a play, for example.
Isabella Hammad puts you into Haifa and Ramallah and is very clear and blunt in how Palestinian people are treated there. I know from years of following Palestinian journalists that Palestinians have to deal with a lot of bs, but this introduced me to daily life. I think novels that do this are really important, especially in the current climate, and just cements that Palestinians have been dealing with so much on a daily basis.
As a whole, I did enjoy this book but I also had a few issues with it. I didn't like Sonia as a main character. She's self-obsessed and I honestly didn't care about her a whole lot. I thought the character work in general wasn't great. They didn't really have distinctive voices and I honestly couldn't name every single person in the cast of Hamlet now it has been a couple of days since I finished the book. I thought the writing was good but it was also pretty dense. I felt like I had to work to get through this book, but it was definitely worth the effort.
I would ultimately recommend this, even though it wasn't my favourite book ever. I think it's an important one and I'm so pleased to see it on the Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist. I feel like I know more about Palestine on a human level now.
challenging
funny
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Hammad has managed to capture the time and place brilliantly and to create an utterly believable female main character. A multilayered and intelligent novel that does not shy away from the harsh realities of life in the West Bank but does not deprive the main characters from their personal and emotional struggles by "trying to make a point" either.
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Picks up more and more speed as you go, much like rehearsing, tech-ing and then opening a show. Everything hinges on so many different elements, so many of them out of one persons control. And it will all end. The memory of it will remain, people will talk about it, maybe, you might think of it, there may be an after party. But it will all end. Someway somehow. Something will happen and then there will be a new time after. This book challenges you to understand how this can and cannot be true all at once, no matter what you do, say, dream, hope. Maybe one day though.
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes