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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
This was an absolutely beautiful, poignant story and I loved it. It is so important right now, more than ever, to listen to (and truly hear) the stories of those who are different from us. There is so much going on in the world and our current political climate seems to be one where those "illegal border crossers" are the enemy. We are encouraged to forget about their humanity and see them as the enemy. This book tells the story of just one of these refugee families from Syria, and it does an absolutely remarkable job of portraying the heartbreak and the fear of their experience. Highly recommended reading, not just for the message it portrays, but also for the beautiful way the message is presented. The parallel stories of Nour and Rawiya are woven together masterfully. There's so much to this book that it would certainly be a great candidate for a reread. Loved it.
"'Don't forget... stories ease the pain of living, not dying. People always think dying is going to hurt. But it does not. It's living that hurts us.'" (108)
"A brotherly smile crossed Khaldun's face. 'Sometimes,' he said, 'a picture can only be understood by looking at it upside-down.' Rawiya patted her camel's neck, smiling to herself. 'Just like a map.'" (118)
"I wonder if there is somebody out there who loves the smuggler man, if anybody loves all the mean, unlovable people in the world. I wonder if bad men are good sometimes, when we aren't looking." (288)
"'But what is the lesson?' Rawiya asked. 'What is there to learn from all this -- this brokenness, this chaos? We saw the wounded, magnificent world, its mountains, its rivers, its deserts. I there any making sense of it?'
...
'Must there be a lesson?' al-Idrisi said. 'Perhaps the story simply goes on and on. Time rises and falls like an ever-breathing lung. the road comes and goes and suffering with it. But the generations of men, some kind and some cruel, go on and on beneath the stars." (348)
"'Don't forget... stories ease the pain of living, not dying. People always think dying is going to hurt. But it does not. It's living that hurts us.'" (108)
"A brotherly smile crossed Khaldun's face. 'Sometimes,' he said, 'a picture can only be understood by looking at it upside-down.' Rawiya patted her camel's neck, smiling to herself. 'Just like a map.'" (118)
"I wonder if there is somebody out there who loves the smuggler man, if anybody loves all the mean, unlovable people in the world. I wonder if bad men are good sometimes, when we aren't looking." (288)
"'But what is the lesson?' Rawiya asked. 'What is there to learn from all this -- this brokenness, this chaos? We saw the wounded, magnificent world, its mountains, its rivers, its deserts. I there any making sense of it?'
...
'Must there be a lesson?' al-Idrisi said. 'Perhaps the story simply goes on and on. Time rises and falls like an ever-breathing lung. the road comes and goes and suffering with it. But the generations of men, some kind and some cruel, go on and on beneath the stars." (348)
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Beautiful, but took some effort to finish. The middle wasn't as captivating as the beginning and end of the book.
Loved the 'coming together' of the storylines, as I always do.
Loved the 'coming together' of the storylines, as I always do.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, War
Moderate: Sexual assault, Grief
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Excellent story. Love the two timelines. Narrator did a great job with the telling. Highly enjoyed this book.
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Realized I wasn’t in the mood for this book. Will pick back up again when I am.
I really struggled to pay attention to this in audiobook form.
The historical chapters about the map maker are paralleled well against the current day chapters about the refugees. The characters from both timelines are close to their families but lose them (sometimes temporarily) and both develop relationships with father figures during a journey.
The switches from one timeline to the other works well and is necessary to keep the book from being all a bummer. I like how the map maker story shows up at times during the current day chapters.
The historical chapters about the map maker are paralleled well against the current day chapters about the refugees. The characters from both timelines are close to their families but lose them (sometimes temporarily) and both develop relationships with father figures during a journey.
The switches from one timeline to the other works well and is necessary to keep the book from being all a bummer. I like how the map maker story shows up at times during the current day chapters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, War
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This started out really strong. The present day story was personal and character driven and the "fairy tale" we also get was an interesting look into som middel eastern lore (I presumed). Unfortunately (for me) both narratives learn more and more toward being polt-driven and by the halfway point we more and less go from action scene to action scene. That just isn't for me.