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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-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
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
What an incredibly beautiful book. Heartbreaking, uplifting, haunting, lyrically written. Having the narrator be so young was such an amazingly effective way to tell the story. I loved this book *so* much, I just couldn't put it down.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
reflective
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:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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
After the death of her father, for reasons Nour doesn't understand, her mother moves them from New York back to Syria. The timing couldn't be more tragic: shortly after their arrival civil unrest commences, which leads swiftly to the Syrian Civil War, forcing Nour and her family to flee the conflict when their home is reduced to rubble. Throughout the hardships of their flight to safety, Nour compares her journey to that of 12th-century travelers Rawiya and al-Idrisi, who circumnavigated the Mediterranean in pursuit of creating the most detailed world map of its time.
This book is beautifully written and difficult to put down. Readers will immediately sense the trajectory of the dual timelines as Joukhadar deftly interweaves the fantastical past with the all-too-real present. I enjoyed detecting the similarities, though be forewarned that the contemporary plot is absolutely gut-wrenching. Highly recommended.
This book is beautifully written and difficult to put down. Readers will immediately sense the trajectory of the dual timelines as Joukhadar deftly interweaves the fantastical past with the all-too-real present. I enjoyed detecting the similarities, though be forewarned that the contemporary plot is absolutely gut-wrenching. Highly recommended.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-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
While I listened to this as an audiobook (which may have been part of the trouble) following the duel time-lines was difficult.
2020 Popsugar Ultimate Reading Challenge:
02 - A book by a trans or nonbinary author
Wauw, echt zo'n mooi boek. Twee verhaallijnen die door elkaar lopen en op elkaar aansluiten. Zo'n boek waarvan je even bij moet komen als het uit is.
02 - A book by a trans or nonbinary author
Wauw, echt zo'n mooi boek. Twee verhaallijnen die door elkaar lopen en op elkaar aansluiten. Zo'n boek waarvan je even bij moet komen als het uit is.
This book alternates from two points of view - one in modern times and another hundreds of years back. Although these stories are set hundreds of years apart, they are woven together in a way that flows well.
The first story is of Nour, a young girl who moves from New York to Syria after her fathers death, only to get caught up in the conflict. This story sheds light on the heartbreaking situation in Syria as well as the struggles that refugees endure in order to make it to safety.
The second story is of Rawiya, a widowers daughter who disguises herself as a boy (Rami) in order to apprentice with a renowned map maker, Al-Adrisi*. This story is one of the many stories that Nour’s father told her when she was younger.
Overall, this was a good read. It was beautifully written, however, it went into a lot of detail and I sometimes found my mind wandering here and there (I was listening to the audiobook).
*Fun Fact: Al-Adrisi was a real geographer/cartographer/etc.
✅ 2020 POPSUGAR Challenge - A book by a trans or non-binary author
The first story is of Nour, a young girl who moves from New York to Syria after her fathers death, only to get caught up in the conflict. This story sheds light on the heartbreaking situation in Syria as well as the struggles that refugees endure in order to make it to safety.
The second story is of Rawiya, a widowers daughter who disguises herself as a boy (Rami) in order to apprentice with a renowned map maker, Al-Adrisi*. This story is one of the many stories that Nour’s father told her when she was younger.
Overall, this was a good read. It was beautifully written, however, it went into a lot of detail and I sometimes found my mind wandering here and there (I was listening to the audiobook).
*Fun Fact: Al-Adrisi was a real geographer/cartographer/etc.
✅ 2020 POPSUGAR Challenge - A book by a trans or non-binary author
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes