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readmetwotimes's review against another edition
4.0
Ogni racconto è un mondo, un microcosmo. La maggior parte dellə protagonistə è femmina, ma ci sono anche un falco e due uomini. L'ultimo è uno dei miei preferiti, ho adorato che fosse in chiusura del libro! Penso che ogni tanto ne rileggerò qualche pagina ♡
grimamethyst's review
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
leavingsealevel's review
3.0
This book is really good, but I fundamentally don't enjoy reading short story collections. Unfortunately.
vivacissimx's review
3.0
enjoyed 'building girls,' 'a sailor,' and 'the life, loves, and adventures of zelwa the halfie' but otherwise kind of nodded along and thought a lot of these narrators could be fixed with a quick CVS trip to pick up their T prescriptions. not in a gross penis envy way, but in a genuine belief that gender euphoria is the missing ingredient here.
allieeveryday's review
3.0
Collection of short stories by an Arab-American author. It took me a while to get into it, because I struggled to find a through-line in the introductory stories. The collection is broken into three parts, and I couldn't really figure out why; in my opinion, Part 3 was the strongest and most cohesive.
To me, the best stories were:
Lost in Freakin' Yonkers - snapshots during the pregnancy of teen girl whose family disowns her for keeping the baby and not marrying the father.
Grace - ohhhhh but it so creeped me out - about a child who is kidnapped from the grocery store, and raised in a commune
Him, Me, Muhammad Ali - a young woman goes back to Egypt after her father's death in an attempt to fulfill his wish of having his ashes scattered in his home country. I thought the device of the title with this one was clever.
The Story of My Building - about the social gatherings of the men and women in one boy's family, and how the children entertain themselves, and what happens when the building is bombed.
The Life, Loves and Adventures of Zelwa the Halfie - about a woman who is half ibex, whose father wants her to have surgery to become fully human, and the discovery of family secrets
I have other books by Jarrar on my TBR list, and I'm looking forward to seeing if maybe I connect better overall with some of her other writing.
To me, the best stories were:
Lost in Freakin' Yonkers - snapshots during the pregnancy of teen girl whose family disowns her for keeping the baby and not marrying the father.
Grace - ohhhhh but it so creeped me out - about a child who is kidnapped from the grocery store, and raised in a commune
Him, Me, Muhammad Ali - a young woman goes back to Egypt after her father's death in an attempt to fulfill his wish of having his ashes scattered in his home country. I thought the device of the title with this one was clever.
The Story of My Building - about the social gatherings of the men and women in one boy's family, and how the children entertain themselves, and what happens when the building is bombed.
The Life, Loves and Adventures of Zelwa the Halfie - about a woman who is half ibex, whose father wants her to have surgery to become fully human, and the discovery of family secrets
I have other books by Jarrar on my TBR list, and I'm looking forward to seeing if maybe I connect better overall with some of her other writing.
misssusan's review
3.0
honestly this took me so long to finish i don't really remember what i thought of the stories? i read zalwa the halfie last night and liked it though and obviously enjoyed the collection enough to make it through so 3 stars
kiramke's review against another edition
5.0
Immediately enchanted by Qamar, stayed that way the whole book. Highly recommend.