Reviews with content warning for Suicide - L'isola degli alberi scomparsi

Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

L'isola degli alberi scomparsi by Elif Shafak

103 reviews

rieviolet's review against another edition

emotional informative 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? Yes

3.75

I did not mind the peculiar narrator, aka the fig tree, but I think that its narration was maybe given a bit too much space at the expense of the human characters. They felt a bit surface level, I would have liked for the author to delve more into their characterizations and relationships.

Also, the final revelation left me a bit perplexed, I was not expecting it and I think that it added an ulterior element of magical realism that felt a bit like too much.

Still, the writing style was really good, maybe just at times it felt a bit overdone, that is overly sentimental for my taste or going a bit overboard with the metaphors.

Overall it was a nice reading experience, that taught me a lot about the natural world and about a time and place that I knew nothing about.
Also, please give me an entire book on Yiorgos and Yusuf's backstory (*crying in extreme sadness*).

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biancadubois's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
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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graafflotte's review against another edition

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hopeful informative reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

Absolutely beautifully written, the prose is incredible. Who knew the perspective of a tree could be so interesting?? As a plot-girl, I do find the premise of the story only developed to a limiter extend (why there is no contact with the family back home or

why Defne committed suicide

) and could have been emphasised/explored more (like the effect of not knowing her past on Ada's identity development) - therefore 4.5 instead of 5 stars!

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trinamarie's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

A gorgeous read. Loveable characters, Daphne and Kostas, their love story and the coninuing story of their daughter Ada, 16 year old londoner. Explores complicated history of the island Cyprus and the Turkish and Greek’s who lived there, the devestating effects of civil war.
The fig tree is an important character and narrator, bringing attention to the intricate world of wildlife, trees, birds, insects, butterflies and their overlooked importance.

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