Reviews

I really enjoyed this. I learned a lot about Cyprus (before reading this I knew basically nothing) and their civil war. It was a beautiful story about love and family and traditions and also plants and nature and culture. I felt hungry reading about all this delicious food!

dendodge's review against another edition

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informative reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

jiji17's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective 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? Yes

3.0

I was a bit underwhelmed by this book. Although I was interested in the historical background of the civil war in Cyprus and thought that the premise of a story of love, grief, and conflict told through multiple generations was intriguing, I feel Shafak failed to really execute her ideas. The character of Ada was unlikeable and I feel like I would have enjoyed it more if we had just heard the parents’ story. Though the descriptions of the island and its nature were beautiful, I found the rest of the writing to be overly simplistic, with the author explaining everything rather than letting the reader interpret for themselves.
However, I am still glad I read it.

joarfish's review against another edition

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This is not a good book: Full of cliches (form and plot).

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