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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
This was an unexpectedly beautiful book. The language was very lyrical and poetic against a backdrop of war and seeking refuge. The lyricism was also tinged with much sadness which created some complex emotions as the story went on.
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
A beautifully told story. This book took me longer to read than most, which I think in part was because it is dealing with languages and names and placenames that are very foreign (literally) to me. I thoroughly enjoyed it, even though the subject matter was at times hard to read. I particularly loved how Joukhadar intertwined the contemporary story with the medieval tale.
If you’re thinking about reading this, read it. You will not regret it. What an incredibly beautiful and wonderfully written story that should be required reading to understand what it means to give up everything just for a chance at a better life.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book is a work of art.
Zeyn is so talented at weaving together multiple timelines and building character relationships that feel almost too real.
There is so much hardship in the second act of this book that I had to set it down and come back to it over a year later, and I’m really glad that I did.
The ending is so satisfying, it truly feels like being carried all the way through to a soft landing after turbulence is b a plane, or the slow float of a boat onto a sandy beach.
Zeyn is so talented at weaving together multiple timelines and building character relationships that feel almost too real.
There is so much hardship in the second act of this book that I had to set it down and come back to it over a year later, and I’m really glad that I did.
The ending is so satisfying, it truly feels like being carried all the way through to a soft landing after turbulence is b a plane, or the slow float of a boat onto a sandy beach.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Violence, Death of parent
Minor: Sexual harassment
Not long after finishing 'The Map of Salt and Stars,' I had a conversation with a colleague about the kinship that can be found in reading about bad things that have happened to people in the past, people who've suffered through epidemics, wars, oppression and loss. I am not alone in my fear or my grief; they would know what I am going through. There's a strange comfort in that. I can almost feel those sympathetic ancestors patting me on the shoulder, and then gently pressing me forwards to face the world regardless. 'The Map of Salt and Stars' feels this too, I think.
During the course of the novel, Nour loses her father and her uncle and suffers many near-death incidents (including two shipwrecks and getting lost in the desert) as her family flees the start of the Syrian Civil War and seeks refuge in Spain. In making this journey from the Levant to the Strait of Gibraltar, she finds herself roughly re-tracing the path of Rawiya, the hero of her favourite childhood story. Rawiya and Nour's stories unfold in parallel and share many features; both girls have left their childhood home behind after losing their fathers, both cut their hair to pass as a boy for greater safety and freedom, and both face many great and unexpected dangers on their journeys with courage and resourcefulness. In telling Rawiya's story, Nour manages to push herself onward, keep her father's memory alive, and find life and meaning in the unseen world over the horizon.
Rawiya's story has some fantastic elements from Arabic mythology sprinkled into it, such as giant eagles and snakes, but it is Nour's story that is the more lyrical and dreamlike, thanks to her synesthesia. This element of the novel feels like a necessary filter, shielding Nour and the reader from the stark, unmediated horrors of war and the gnawing desperation of poverty and homelessness, and gives the novel a unique and memorable subjectivity. The plot has a "one thing after another" feel to it that starts to grind eventually, but in between the frequent peril lies an urgent reminder to love beautiful things, unnecessary things, while we're able to. Cold ice cream on hot days; colourful rocks and stones; the last gift from a loved one; stories about the stars; and a map that points to home.
During the course of the novel, Nour loses her father and her uncle and suffers many near-death incidents (including two shipwrecks and getting lost in the desert) as her family flees the start of the Syrian Civil War and seeks refuge in Spain. In making this journey from the Levant to the Strait of Gibraltar, she finds herself roughly re-tracing the path of Rawiya, the hero of her favourite childhood story. Rawiya and Nour's stories unfold in parallel and share many features; both girls have left their childhood home behind after losing their fathers, both cut their hair to pass as a boy for greater safety and freedom, and both face many great and unexpected dangers on their journeys with courage and resourcefulness. In telling Rawiya's story, Nour manages to push herself onward, keep her father's memory alive, and find life and meaning in the unseen world over the horizon.
Rawiya's story has some fantastic elements from Arabic mythology sprinkled into it, such as giant eagles and snakes, but it is Nour's story that is the more lyrical and dreamlike, thanks to her synesthesia. This element of the novel feels like a necessary filter, shielding Nour and the reader from the stark, unmediated horrors of war and the gnawing desperation of poverty and homelessness, and gives the novel a unique and memorable subjectivity. The plot has a "one thing after another" feel to it that starts to grind eventually, but in between the frequent peril lies an urgent reminder to love beautiful things, unnecessary things, while we're able to. Cold ice cream on hot days; colourful rocks and stones; the last gift from a loved one; stories about the stars; and a map that points to home.
Two unforgettable journeys filled with adventure, heartbreak, and love. Though I wasn't drawn in immediately in the beginning, this beautifully written story eventually captured my heart.
