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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
BEAUTIFUL. a must read and reread. i love books that describe current/historical events from differing or more intimate perspectives, and the way that so much was alluded to happening around this young girl spoke VOLUMES. you read about the earthquake nearby the forest at some point in time, but you’ll never really understand how personal it’s ramifications can be until you hear about the earthquake from the perspective of a squirrel. that’s what this book was: a brilliantly humane look into some tumultuous events in history all though the childlike perspective of someone who could be, is as of now, real.
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This novella is a very unusual book. The main character is only identified as "the girl" and all the other characters have equally general descriptors. As one slowly gathers, the girl is the ninth and youngest daughter of a Palestinian family. Her story ranges from everyday occurrences, such as interacting with her siblings and spending time with her family and the neighbour she begins a relationship with, to experiences more specific to her situation such as watching her family mourn her brother and participating in a funeral procession. She seems both part of things and an observer. In one scene, she is ostracized by her sisters, left on her own while the other sisters spend time with their mourning mother. She craves silence, but also wants to know and understand what is going on, but only seems to find out pieces of things, like overhearing family members discussing the massacre at Sabra and Shatila.
The author has won awards for her writing, and the way she uses language her shows why. The translator also is skilled to be able to convey such a story to us.
Moving and seemingly simple, this story begs to be reread as soon as you finish it.
The author has won awards for her writing, and the way she uses language her shows why. The translator also is skilled to be able to convey such a story to us.
Moving and seemingly simple, this story begs to be reread as soon as you finish it.
I picked this book up because I was working on the 2016 Pop Sugar Reading Challenge, and I didn't have the time or bandwidth to read any of the translated titles in my to-do list right now.
However, I'm kind of a sucker for vignettes, and these are some beautiful examples. The attention to the sensory experience starts in the first vignette, with the sound of cracking rust, and continues on through the entire 72-page book. With each mention of silence and touch and emotion, I felt so weighted down with the narrative, and it has been a long time since I have been affected by a book like that. I'd recommend it to anyone, although those that are patient with the poetic will be most appreciative of this novella.
However, I'm kind of a sucker for vignettes, and these are some beautiful examples. The attention to the sensory experience starts in the first vignette, with the sound of cracking rust, and continues on through the entire 72-page book. With each mention of silence and touch and emotion, I felt so weighted down with the narrative, and it has been a long time since I have been affected by a book like that. I'd recommend it to anyone, although those that are patient with the poetic will be most appreciative of this novella.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No