Reviews tagging 'War'

Salt Houses by Hala Alyan

53 reviews

marisazane's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

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

2.75

Alia’s mother reads her future in her coffee dregs before her wedding. She predicts an “unsettled” life for Alia, and that’s exactly what this story is. Her early marriage starts with tragedy and being uprooted from her home in Palestine by the Six Day War. Alia and her husband relocate to Kuwait City, where she feels unsettled. She raises her three (very different) children there and remains until she’s once again uprooted by Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait. In her personal life, she’s unsettled by her children’s choices - of spouses, of college degrees, of where they move in the world. This book spans decades and chapters alternate focus on different characters in the family. 
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I wanted to love this book, and choosing it was a safe bet because I normally love multigenerational family sagas. But I found Alia’s character (and some of the others) really tiresome (like the daughter who refused to be aware of her sugar messes!) and that made the book tiresome for me. Being unsettled was super legit, and I understand that the book was supposed to be about this family trying to adapt and live their lives while absolute horror was going on around them. AND Alia’s personality was just not that great. 

⭐️⭐️✨✨💫(2.75)

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Content Warnings

Moderate: War

blynn817's review against another edition

challenging reflective 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death

Minor: Dementia, Xenophobia, and War

lexcellent's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Dementia, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Islamophobia, Murder, Fatphobia, Medical content, Blood, Colonisation, Death of parent, Grief, Police brutality, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, War, Violence, and Torture

knaappers's review against another edition

3.75

“A story of palestinians without a palestine” Salt Houses follows a family though several generations from the 6 day war to present. A little slow at times, but a representation of the constant displacement of the palestinian people. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Death, and Genocide

Moderate: Sexual assault

palejandro's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Colonisation, Death, Dementia, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Islamophobia, Police brutality, Violence, War, and Religious bigotry

sineadz's review against another edition

emotional reflective

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Genocide, Death, Xenophobia, Racism, War, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Islamophobia, and Police brutality

Minor: Rape and Sexual assault

susheela's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad slow-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Colonisation, Confinement, Sexual content, Racism, and Islamophobia

Minor: Police brutality, Death of parent, Violence, War, Torture, and Domestic abuse

robinks's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

I loved getting to walk with the Yacoub family through so many years, getting to see how each of them grows internally and in relationship to the others. I believe the fact that Hala is a clinical psychologist  allowed the characters to feel real. Also, there were many actual historical references that kept the story rooted in reality. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Racism, Dementia, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Terminal illness, Torture, and Colonisation

Moderate: Gun violence, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Police brutality, Rape, Murder, Religious bigotry, Confinement, Death of parent, War, Drug use, Fatphobia, Pregnancy, Death, Genocide, Islamophobia, and Abandonment

Minor: Racial slurs, Alcohol, Vomit, and Sexual harassment

amandaisok's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War and Death

Moderate: Abandonment

eslsilver's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation and War

Moderate: Torture

Minor: Islamophobia, Rape, and Xenophobia