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catchingfire99's review against another edition
Started this for school but then mids happened and the class moved on and I still haven’t finished it but one day I will because this was good.
kathleenitpdx's review
4.0
The story of a British doctor who married an Afghan woman and has lived many years near a small town in Afghanistan. He befriends a Russian woman who has come in search of her brother, who disappeared during the Russian occupation of Afghanistan. The characters back-stories cover much of years of war that the country has endured, including the current rivalry between two local war lords, who have sided with various actors in the country. The book is full of wonderful images--the books nailed to the ceiling of the house whose rooms are painted with images representing the senses, and the stone Buddha head uncovered in the perfume factory. I like that the doctor's house has gained some safety by the story of djinns invented by the local inman. A beautiful and engaging book.
amnamemon's review
3.0
It took me a painfully long time to finish this one. Nadeem Aslam writes beautifully, which is probably the only thing which got me through this book. It is a good read, don't get me wrong. But there was just something so tiresome about most of the Jihadi vs the USA rhetoric. It was like reading a literature review of things written about Afghanistan after 9/11.
I loved the characters of Lara and Marcus, and the dreamlike quality of the painted house with the books nailed to the ceiling, the perfume factory, and the lake surrounded by djinns. Lara's character was probably the most fleshed out, with Marcus and David following closely behind.
That being said, I wish Aslam had paid similar attention to his Afghan characters. There seems to be some half hearted attempt to provide some context to Casa's story, but it falls flat. I was genuinely relieved that he didn't turn Casa's into some feel-good story. But Casa, like Nabi Khan, Gul Rasool, and Dunia, is barely rounded out as a character. You have the warring local leaders, the brainwashed teenager, and the idealistic young woman painted out to be little more than clichés.
This review is about as mixed up as my feelings about this book. I liked Maps for Lost Lovers better. Maybe this one is too close to Pakistan for me to feel too much about it.
I loved the characters of Lara and Marcus, and the dreamlike quality of the painted house with the books nailed to the ceiling, the perfume factory, and the lake surrounded by djinns. Lara's character was probably the most fleshed out, with Marcus and David following closely behind.
That being said, I wish Aslam had paid similar attention to his Afghan characters. There seems to be some half hearted attempt to provide some context to Casa's story, but it falls flat. I was genuinely relieved that he didn't turn Casa's into some feel-good story. But Casa, like Nabi Khan, Gul Rasool, and Dunia, is barely rounded out as a character. You have the warring local leaders, the brainwashed teenager, and the idealistic young woman painted out to be little more than clichés.
This review is about as mixed up as my feelings about this book. I liked Maps for Lost Lovers better. Maybe this one is too close to Pakistan for me to feel too much about it.
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