Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

L'isola degli alberi scomparsi by Elif Shafak

137 reviews

dany_casimiro's review against another edition

dark 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

4.5

The care that goes behind every word in The Island of Missing Trees is astonishing. It is a very nuanced story, not only for its deep concern with diaspora, history, and memory, but also because it is at all moments aware of the natural world and how it relates to humans. Without ever crossing into annoyance, the fig tree provides a very curious point of view that adds newer meanings to the pre-existing multiplicity of narrative layers.
The idea of memory intertwined with nature is absolutely brilliant. In this case, the fig constitutes a surprisingly refreshing metaphor from roots to branches, perfectly encapsulating the nostalgia for one's past and land.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Genocide, Xenophobia, Violence, Alcoholism, War, Pregnancy, Homophobia, Grief, and Death

ekern1991's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad slow-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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Homophobia, Violence, War, Suicide, and Death

minareadsa19e1's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Homophobia, Xenophobia, Murder, Medical trauma, War, and Mass/school shootings

bookaholics_anonymous's review against another edition

challenging emotional medium-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction and War

Moderate: Abortion and Homophobia

honnhi's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

I cannot stop thinking about this book. From the first page, I fell in love with the writing style. It’s beautiful and poignant without being difficult to understand.
I feel like the perspective of the fig tree and meditations on nature so perfectly captured these very relatable human emotions and experiences.
The parents’ story gripped me so much that I found myself wishing the chapters on Ada were shorter at times, but I do think the Ada chapters were important in their own way. It added a dimension to the parents’ narrative especially.
This is the exact type of story I yearn for when I read magical realism.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Grief, Religious bigotry, and War

Moderate: Homophobia, Violence, and Hate crime

Minor: Abortion

asourceoffiction's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative mysterious sad fast-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

4.0

What a rich, beautiful story. Genuinely made all the more poignant because so much of it is related by a fig tree. 

I'm shocked at how ignorant I was about the civil war in Cyprus in the '70s, and this beautiful book sensitively marries history with fiction (and botany!) to paint a heartbreaking but gorgeous picture of an island divided by political turmoil. Defne and Kostas's story is compelling, but it was the unrest, seen largely through its startling effect on the local animals and plants, that really had me hooked. The way a tourist hotspot was so divided so recently in its history is unbelievable.

And while I loved the complexity in all of the characters, it was Yiorgos and Yusuf (as well as the beloved fig tree) who have my heart. Their unwavering strength and love, combined with knowing right away where their story was headed, really got to me. This is one of those books that I suspect will pop into my head at random intervals for a long time.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Homophobia

Moderate: Pregnancy, Death of parent, and Alcoholism

arshiya_amreen90786's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

2.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, War, Hate crime, Death of parent, Racism, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Murder, Suicide, Police brutality, Pregnancy, and Xenophobia

emmagreenwood's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective sad slow-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? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Abortion, Addiction, Death, Misogyny, Suicide, War, Xenophobia, Animal death, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Cancer, Child death, Classism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Murder, Racism, and Violence

natashad's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, War, Racism, and Homophobia

Moderate: Alcoholism

frannymuzza's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? Yes

4.0

Beautiful and heartbreakingly poetic book depicting the lasting impact of war on families. 

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Alcoholism, War, Homophobia, Violence, and Suicide