Reviews

I really liked this book and the discussions about God and religion. I'm not religious, in fact I'm actually an atheist (or agnostic, not sure), but I've been trying to question my beliefs and to see if maybe there is something out there that I do not understand. So it was quite interesting to read about a character who was more or less like me - although I think I'm more like Shirin than Peri.

The ending was kind of abrupt, I feel like there was something missing... an explanation or a conclusion, it was all kind of left hanging. Especially considering that the whole book was do detailed I just feel like a few more chapters would've been better to wrap it all up. So that's why i have to give it 4 starts instead of 5.

howard's review

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I finished part 1 and I'm bored. I don't really have any investment in the "mystery" of what happened to Peri at Oxford and don't really feel attached to her as a character.

cape_venus's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

kiramke's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

In some ways a strong, compelling story - I do like a lot about her storytelling style and her questions and insights. But in other ways this didn't quite work for me. I didn't really connect to the framing and felt a bit like I was tricked into a college coming-of-age tale (again). And there are some reveal dumps I felt jarring, I could have just known all along and would still have read. Finally the marketing copy is misleading, and I want to have more of the other 2/3 so that everyone gets dimension. Overall, questions worth asking but not wholly satisfying.

That said, I enjoy Elif Shafak, maybe my expectations for a specific type of story were too high. I'll still read the rest.

suvata's review against another edition

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5.0

Advance Reading Copy disclosure:
I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

August 29, 2017:
Just heard about this book on the Reading Women podcast, Episode 28.5. I can't wait for this to come out in December. And, bonus, the cover is beautiful.

October 16, 2017:
I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this book. I’m 35% in an can see why Shafak is an “award-winning novelist and the most widely read woman writer in Turkey.” Her writing is nothing short of magical.

October 22, 2017
This is probably the most important book I have ever read. I cannot think of another novel that so delicately made me question my beliefs about God, love, friendship, commitment, religion, and life in general. While I was reading I had actually to stop and ponder these issues as they came up. I’m not not even close to being done with this book. I read it on my Kindle but I’m pretty sure I have to buy the hard copy when it comes out because I need to highlight, bookmark, and make notes throughout. I’m not a re-reader but I have a feeling this is one novel I will read over and over again.

mycoachsnightmare's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.25

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