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pollydye's review against another edition
emotional
relaxing
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
3.75
half of this book was from the pov of a tree but i support that
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Drug abuse
sarahec's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: War and Homophobia
Minor: Suicide
ismaymacklin's review against another edition
emotional
informative
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction and Suicide
leabhar_love's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Murder, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Violence, Hate crime, Animal death, and Homophobia
Minor: Suicide
julieb3a's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Suicide
lostinthelibrary's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was a very rare case where I preferred the magical realism aspects of a book to the more standard plot. The Fig Tree chapters were my favourite part especially its descriptions of the different wildlife and plants in Turkey and how they linked in with the country's history. This was where the book came into its own. The rest fell a bit flat, especially the romance! I am glad that it has introduced me to a period of history I didn't know much about and now would like to read further about the Cyprus War
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Mental illness, and Alcoholism
everest's review against another edition
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abortion and Alcoholism
Minor: Mental illness and Suicide
rosalind's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Grief, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Homophobia, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Violence
Minor: Confinement, Suicide, Pregnancy, and Panic attacks/disorders
wordsofclover's review against another edition
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
In 1974, Kostas and Defne are teenagers on the opposite sides of conflict in Cyrus - Kostas is Greek, and Defne is Turkish but the two love each other and are determined to find a way to be together. In 2010, London, the pair's daughter Ada is struggling in school as well as with grief and loneliness. Over the course of a winter holiday, she comes to know her family a bit better with the arrival of her Aunt Meryem, and learns why the fig tree in her garden is a very special tree indeed.
This book dives back and forth between two timelines, bridged by chapters from the fig tree's perspective whose narration is warm and omnipresent, a loving guardian of a family broken by despair, grief and a traumatic history. I learned a lot about the conflict in Cyrpus during this tale, and I'm ashamed to say I was very ignorant of this before reading. But the horrors and tragedy of the time became very real for me, and I'm glad to have learned about it and know more about the tragic history of a very beautiful country.
While this book is easy reading, and there were some great passages in this around family, culture and food, I do also think there were some parts that felt very skimmed over and light, and I would have liked more time dedicated to them overall. It felt a little bit like the author had so much to say but only a certain number of pages to say it. It felt there was room for this book to be bulked out and for storylines to be given the time they deserved from Defne's struggles with mental health and addiciton, as well as the loss of baby Yiorgos. There were times the book read like YA rather than adult, as some of the harder topics weren't delved into deeper which I think did a slight disservice to the readers who were already reading a book full of tough topics and history.
I would have liked a whole part dedicated to Aunt Meryem who was a shining light in this book with her funny sayings, her healing through food look on life and her desire to break away from a duller life and wear the bright clothes she wanted to. So many metaphors for life came from Meryem's story and she could be a main character all on her own.
There was also lots of potential for a greater storyline with Ada's troubles in school and the viral video on social media. This definitely felt like it fizzled out and I thought there was going to be more in it.
Overall though, this book was a pleasant read overall. Out of all the characters I loved and connected to Kostas the most thanks to his gentle nature and his determination to help and preserve nature which honestly just swelled my heart. Maybe it's an unpopular opinion but I thought he deserved better than the lot he was given as I found Defne from the start very hard to warm up to. I felt for her struggles but I just didn't really like her.
I quite enjoyed the fig tree's chapters. There was something lovely and warm about them - like a mother hen watching her chicks grow and thrive. There was a wisdom but also a vulnerability there too and parts of it reminded me of one of my favourite passages in Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell when we follow a flea make its way to England. I love reading from the point of view of nature - it's so much nicer and simpler than that of the human mind, and ten times purer.
I'd be surprised if this one wins the Womens Prize 2022 but it was a nice book to pick up, and I'd recommend it to others. I actually think it would be a great plane or holiday read.
This book dives back and forth between two timelines, bridged by chapters from the fig tree's perspective whose narration is warm and omnipresent, a loving guardian of a family broken by despair, grief and a traumatic history. I learned a lot about the conflict in Cyrpus during this tale, and I'm ashamed to say I was very ignorant of this before reading. But the horrors and tragedy of the time became very real for me, and I'm glad to have learned about it and know more about the tragic history of a very beautiful country.
While this book is easy reading, and there were some great passages in this around family, culture and food, I do also think there were some parts that felt very skimmed over and light, and I would have liked more time dedicated to them overall. It felt a little bit like the author had so much to say but only a certain number of pages to say it. It felt there was room for this book to be bulked out and for storylines to be given the time they deserved from Defne's struggles with mental health and addiciton, as well as the loss of baby Yiorgos. There were times the book read like YA rather than adult, as some of the harder topics weren't delved into deeper which I think did a slight disservice to the readers who were already reading a book full of tough topics and history.
I would have liked a whole part dedicated to Aunt Meryem who was a shining light in this book with her funny sayings, her healing through food look on life and her desire to break away from a duller life and wear the bright clothes she wanted to. So many metaphors for life came from Meryem's story and she could be a main character all on her own.
There was also lots of potential for a greater storyline with Ada's troubles in school and the viral video on social media. This definitely felt like it fizzled out and I thought there was going to be more in it.
Overall though, this book was a pleasant read overall. Out of all the characters I loved and connected to Kostas the most thanks to his gentle nature and his determination to help and preserve nature which honestly just swelled my heart. Maybe it's an unpopular opinion but I thought he deserved better than the lot he was given as I found Defne from the start very hard to warm up to. I felt for her struggles but I just didn't really like her.
I quite enjoyed the fig tree's chapters. There was something lovely and warm about them - like a mother hen watching her chicks grow and thrive. There was a wisdom but also a vulnerability there too and parts of it reminded me of one of my favourite passages in Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell when we follow a flea make its way to England. I love reading from the point of view of nature - it's so much nicer and simpler than that of the human mind, and ten times purer.
I'd be surprised if this one wins the Womens Prize 2022 but it was a nice book to pick up, and I'd recommend it to others. I actually think it would be a great plane or holiday read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: War
Minor: Child death, Mental illness, and Suicide
hannekevdv's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Addiction, and War
Minor: Suicide