Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
I am so glad to have finished this book. The narration by Lara Sawaldha was fabulous, but that’s the only good thing I can say. I must admit guilt at disliking a book about Syrian refugees, but i hated it nonetheless. Why? The dragging and often immobile plot, the endless piling on of endless description, usually in the middle of a conversation, the constant stupid or rhetorical questions, the sloppy grammar and colloquialisms, the segues upon segues, the unlikable characters, especially the self absorbed narrator, the reveling in grossness, , the unbelievable or utterly unexplained plot points — this book is simply not well done in any way. And now I dance away in joy that I don’t have to listen to another overwritten word of it.
3.5 stars. There were parts of this that I loved but there were also parts I felt like the author threw obstacles in the character's paths just to do it. I like that she tried to capture the refugee crisis that is going on, but I feel like it ended up falling a bit short.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Zeyn Joukhadar dabbles in all art with this book. Her words are lyrical, moving to the beats of the characters. They paint pictures with colors and strokes so vivid you can't help but see and feel the texture. Truly a wonderfully written book about family, growth, and refugees.
This book was incredibly hard to read.
I don't mean literally, but emotionally. Half of the book deals with a Syrian fable that Nour's baba told her when she was younger, but the other half deals with Nour's family escaping Syria after the bombing of their house and becoming refugees to flee to Ceuta, with boats capsizing, smugglers, and bullets standing in their way. I will embarrassingly admit that I know very little about the Syrian crisis, and that is research and reading that I will have to do on my own time.
I was also wrong in my First Impression Friday post: it's not one chapter in the past, one chapter in the present: each chapter starts with 3-7 pages of the fable and then transitions into Nour's story. While I sort of wish we'd gotten more of Rawiya, because her story was so much fun to read. It did have a bit of a Mulan moment in it, though (although luckily with a better outcome).
Rawiya's story follows a young girl in the 1200s who disguises herself as a young boy in order to join a famous mapmaker on his mapmaking journeys, and her journey parallels Nour's journey in a way. We watch Rawiya travel from Ceuta to the far reaches of Africa and back, while Nour is trying to get from Syria to Ceuta (even though she may not know it yet). Along the way, Rawiya encounters a Roc, a terrifying giant white bird with a bone to pick with any who dare defy it. Rawiya, of course, defeats it with her slings, but it gets away in the end and vows to get its revenge. Rawiya's story spans seven years, and wraps up nice and neatly with a bow in the end, like the diary entries in The Thirty Names of Night.
Nour's journey starts in New York City, where her Baba (father) has just died, and her mother decides to move Nour and her three sisters back to Syria where her family is, and then their house gets bombed. They have to flee to Jordan, then Libya, then Assyria, and the mother will not tell her girls where their final destination is. Nour figures it out after being separated from everyone but her oldest sister, and they brave untold dangers to try and get to their safe place while hoping against all odds that their mother and sister will make it there as well.
It's unclear how long Nour and Zahra are on their own, because to me it seems like maybe two weeks at the most, but when they are [SPOILER ALERT] reunited with their family at the end, it seems that they've been on their own for months and months. If I have any issues with the book, it's with this part, as I would have liked to have known time. It could be that because our narrator is only twelve years old, we don't get a good sense of time, but I would have liked a more concrete answer.
Another thing that would have been immensely helpful would have been to add a map in the beginning of the book so I could have tracked Rawiya and Nour's journeys.
Just like The Thirty Names of Night, both stories wrap up neatly with a bow in the end. After such a book of heartbreak, I was expecting an ending that wasn't satisfactory, and in a way I got it. In the words of Doctor Who, "Just this once, everybody lives!" (well, aside from one), and we get answers for everything. While I would not wish extra suffering on anyone, especially a twelve-year-old girl, I don't know how many refugee families received the happy ending that Nour and her family have in this book.
The prose in this, just as in Zeyn's other book, is absolutely gorgeous. I read several reviews on GoodReads that claimed that the dual storylines were "too confusing" to understand and they rated the book very low, and I don't understand. The storylines are so far apart (and yet parallel), but I also took a class with non-English majors once where the students couldn't focus on a book (The Martian) that contained more than one point of view, so there's that.
If you are looking for a beautifully written book that will stick with you long after you finish the last page, please check out The Map of Salt & Stars. I borrowed mine as an ebook from the library, but I am absolutely going to be buying a hard copy of this book as soon as I can. It's something I want on my shelf and will read again, but probably not for a long time because I'm still reeling from the emotions this one put me through.
I don't mean literally, but emotionally. Half of the book deals with a Syrian fable that Nour's baba told her when she was younger, but the other half deals with Nour's family escaping Syria after the bombing of their house and becoming refugees to flee to Ceuta, with boats capsizing, smugglers, and bullets standing in their way. I will embarrassingly admit that I know very little about the Syrian crisis, and that is research and reading that I will have to do on my own time.
I was also wrong in my First Impression Friday post: it's not one chapter in the past, one chapter in the present: each chapter starts with 3-7 pages of the fable and then transitions into Nour's story. While I sort of wish we'd gotten more of Rawiya, because her story was so much fun to read. It did have a bit of a Mulan moment in it, though (although luckily with a better outcome).
Rawiya's story follows a young girl in the 1200s who disguises herself as a young boy in order to join a famous mapmaker on his mapmaking journeys, and her journey parallels Nour's journey in a way. We watch Rawiya travel from Ceuta to the far reaches of Africa and back, while Nour is trying to get from Syria to Ceuta (even though she may not know it yet). Along the way, Rawiya encounters a Roc, a terrifying giant white bird with a bone to pick with any who dare defy it. Rawiya, of course, defeats it with her slings, but it gets away in the end and vows to get its revenge. Rawiya's story spans seven years, and wraps up nice and neatly with a bow in the end, like the diary entries in The Thirty Names of Night.
Nour's journey starts in New York City, where her Baba (father) has just died, and her mother decides to move Nour and her three sisters back to Syria where her family is, and then their house gets bombed. They have to flee to Jordan, then Libya, then Assyria, and the mother will not tell her girls where their final destination is. Nour figures it out after being separated from everyone but her oldest sister, and they brave untold dangers to try and get to their safe place while hoping against all odds that their mother and sister will make it there as well.
It's unclear how long Nour and Zahra are on their own, because to me it seems like maybe two weeks at the most, but when they are [SPOILER ALERT] reunited with their family at the end, it seems that they've been on their own for months and months. If I have any issues with the book, it's with this part, as I would have liked to have known time. It could be that because our narrator is only twelve years old, we don't get a good sense of time, but I would have liked a more concrete answer.
Another thing that would have been immensely helpful would have been to add a map in the beginning of the book so I could have tracked Rawiya and Nour's journeys.
Just like The Thirty Names of Night, both stories wrap up neatly with a bow in the end. After such a book of heartbreak, I was expecting an ending that wasn't satisfactory, and in a way I got it. In the words of Doctor Who, "Just this once, everybody lives!" (well, aside from one), and we get answers for everything. While I would not wish extra suffering on anyone, especially a twelve-year-old girl, I don't know how many refugee families received the happy ending that Nour and her family have in this book.
The prose in this, just as in Zeyn's other book, is absolutely gorgeous. I read several reviews on GoodReads that claimed that the dual storylines were "too confusing" to understand and they rated the book very low, and I don't understand. The storylines are so far apart (and yet parallel), but I also took a class with non-English majors once where the students couldn't focus on a book (The Martian) that contained more than one point of view, so there's that.
If you are looking for a beautifully written book that will stick with you long after you finish the last page, please check out The Map of Salt & Stars. I borrowed mine as an ebook from the library, but I am absolutely going to be buying a hard copy of this book as soon as I can. It's something I want on my shelf and will read again, but probably not for a long time because I'm still reeling from the emotions this one put me through.
emotional
reflective
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:
Complicated
What I Liked
Joukhadar does a wonderful job in writing the refugee's perspective through the innocent, wide eyes of a child. I was devastated by Nour's story and longed for her POV every time the narrative changed.
What I Didn't Like
Al-Idrisi is an interesting story, but it related so little to the refugee narrative that I found the shifting POV and timeline distracting and confusing. It slowed down the story significantly and also took away much of the absorption and character connection of Nour.
Joukhadar does a wonderful job in writing the refugee's perspective through the innocent, wide eyes of a child. I was devastated by Nour's story and longed for her POV every time the narrative changed.
What I Didn't Like
Al-Idrisi is an interesting story, but it related so little to the refugee narrative that I found the shifting POV and timeline distracting and confusing. It slowed down the story significantly and also took away much of the absorption and character connection of Nour.
adventurous
dark
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
"How many Polaroids are there of places that no longer exist?"
In this world, there are books and Books.
And this one is definitely the Book.
It was so beautiful in its unbeauty. So heartbreaking, but also filling with hope. But this story served the big part of importance, as it's not a common one in literature, but too usual in a real world.
In "The Map of Salt and Stars" we follow two characters - one trapped between pages of history and one during 2011. Both are struggling with reality, but from two different reasons. One travels in disguise, so she can come back to her mother and find herself, the other visits her homeland, but finds only bombs and destruction. And now she has to run.
This was a very calm and different book at the beginning, but with every chapter story became more twisted and dangerous. I cannot count times I cried, either from joy or sadness.
It's a book everyone should read. Not only because of diversity, but for the story itself. For emotions. Understanding. Hope.
It's just and even amazing.
In this world, there are books and Books.
And this one is definitely the Book.
It was so beautiful in its unbeauty. So heartbreaking, but also filling with hope. But this story served the big part of importance, as it's not a common one in literature, but too usual in a real world.
In "The Map of Salt and Stars" we follow two characters - one trapped between pages of history and one during 2011. Both are struggling with reality, but from two different reasons. One travels in disguise, so she can come back to her mother and find herself, the other visits her homeland, but finds only bombs and destruction. And now she has to run.
This was a very calm and different book at the beginning, but with every chapter story became more twisted and dangerous. I cannot count times I cried, either from joy or sadness.
It's a book everyone should read. Not only because of diversity, but for the story itself. For emotions. Understanding. Hope.
It's just and even amazing.
It took me until halfway through the book to get into the switching between stories and then once I understood the parallels I loved it.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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:
Complicated