Reviews tagging 'War'

The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak

197 reviews

dubious_little_creature's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring 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? No

4.5

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reading_srsly's review against another edition

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adventurous reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

* Nature
* Heritage
* Forbidden Love
* Grief
* War

The Island of Missing Trees follows two generations of Kazantzakis, with the fig tree that lived through it all to fill in the missing gaps. The story spans several decades, covering everything from the forbidden young love between Kostas and Defne, to the modern struggles of a girl who feels like she doesn’t quite fit in, to the harsh and often violent realities of a culturally divided island.

The book is written in an unconventional style, with different timelines and alternate perspectives revealing the past along with the current timeline. There’s a touch of magic in this story primarily through the narration by the fig tree, but it remained firmly in the realm of magical realism. This complexity did make the impact of the stories difficult to track at times, and to me, despite starting the novel off in her perspective, Ada’s storyline never really came together in a satisfying way. 

What stands out the most is the prose. The author has a captivating way of writing, and fully immersive and distinct environments that are a character unto themselves, and add to the weight and symbolism of the book. While the story was more of a slow reveal of a family’s heritage where the intrigue comes from learning how things played out, there were definitely a few unexpected twists. Heritage and understanding your past was also a huge theme, and the story was rich with insights into the history of Cyprus and what it means to grieve and feel like an outcast. 
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ambermariebee's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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nineinchnails's review against another edition

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with everything going on right now the last thing i want to read is coloniser sympathising. there’s something especially disturbing to me abt revisionism favoring the oppressors in historical fiction specifically - it had potential but left a really bad taste in my mouth
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noiraet's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative sad medium-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

A truly memorable book for me. 
1. Made me read up on the history of Cyprus and the Cypriot Civil War. 2. Excellent, compelling (heartbreaking) thematization of generational trauma, identity, family, love and moving forward
3. First book I’ve read in which one of the narrating voices is a tree - this was brilliantly realized.
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saarahrust's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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taytots24's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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moomookachoo's review against another edition

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dark emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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ariromi's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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utopiaandmelancholy's review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Stunningly written. The subject matter is difficult, but the hope shines through as well. I wasn't very aware of the history around the Cyprus civil war, which is still in very recent history, but this was a vivid and personal introduction. The fig tree sections I also thought were beautiful. I already have an interest in plant science so I did already know some of the amazing facts that are shared, but I loved the way they also support the story. A fantastic exploration of love against the odds, generational trauma, and the fracturing of a community in a troubled time.
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