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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Joukhadar writes a novel that switches back and forth between two time periods. Protagonists from both settings are young women moving from the tween years to the teen years. They both have to travel through several countries around the Mediterranean Sea. They both are guided by maps.
The modern protagonist, Nour, is a Syrian refugee who previously lived in NYC. For the bulk of the novel, she's traveling with her family after they can no longer stay in Syria.
The other protagonist lived 800 years prior. Rawiya yearns for adventure, so she tells her mother that she's going to the market, but she keeps on riding until she finds a famous map maker. She disguises herself as a boy so that she can be accepted as an apprentice. But as they travel through the lands bordering the Mediterranean Sea, they face a lot of obstacles from both man and beast.
It's very well done. I read it faster than the pace I had set for myself. And I cried a couple of times. It's got a mix of fantastical elements and historical. And the plight of Syrian refugees is made quite salient.
The modern protagonist, Nour, is a Syrian refugee who previously lived in NYC. For the bulk of the novel, she's traveling with her family after they can no longer stay in Syria.
The other protagonist lived 800 years prior. Rawiya yearns for adventure, so she tells her mother that she's going to the market, but she keeps on riding until she finds a famous map maker. She disguises herself as a boy so that she can be accepted as an apprentice. But as they travel through the lands bordering the Mediterranean Sea, they face a lot of obstacles from both man and beast.
It's very well done. I read it faster than the pace I had set for myself. And I cried a couple of times. It's got a mix of fantastical elements and historical. And the plight of Syrian refugees is made quite salient.
…meh, it was boring.
And since I live in one of the worst countries in the world—not so far from Syria— I’m not obsessed with the idea of borders, home countries, or any of those be-proud-of-your-origins concepts or whatever.
That said, it did make me almost cry many times. Never cried, but almost-cried a lot.
I feel like I can be meaner but this is a book about Syrian refugees so I suppose the intentions are pure and at the end of the day, I did feel for the children so I'll leave it at that.
And since I live in one of the worst countries in the world—not so far from Syria— I’m not obsessed with the idea of borders, home countries, or any of those be-proud-of-your-origins concepts or whatever.
That said, it did make me almost cry many times. Never cried, but almost-cried a lot.
I feel like I can be meaner but this is a book about Syrian refugees so I suppose the intentions are pure and at the end of the day, I did feel for the children so I'll leave it at that.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
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:
No
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Audio
Narrator was a great choice for this one.
As I'm coming to expect from Joukhadar, this was very lyrical and I enjoyed the prose in this novel. Beautifully written words about a horribly ugly, visceral experience.
Narrator was a great choice for this one.
As I'm coming to expect from Joukhadar, this was very lyrical and I enjoyed the prose in this novel. Beautifully written words about a horribly ugly, visceral experience.
This was really great. Duel timeline, coming-of-age, poetic, soul-searching protagonists. Peppered with lots of history of the region, specifically in the timeline 300 years ago. I think it becomes a lot more comprehensive, dynamic, and compelling in this format. Things never get old. One chapter you’re with a family in an impossible situation, choosing whether to flee a new home, or to stay in a conflict zone—the next you’re being told historical information, realizing what, beyond the human cost, is being lost. To say nothing of understanding the conflict better, of course.
Really great narration helped propel this along too. Great stuff.
Really great narration helped propel this along too. Great stuff.