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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
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
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
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
Gorgeous, challenging but uplifting. I loved the historical characters woven in to the story and the mythical and cultural ideas.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Sexual violence, Violence, Death of parent, War
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is a story about a Syrian refugee family. It is also a story about family and home and the stories within us. There are refugees in so many places. Each has a story that needs not only to be told, but heard. This story made my heart ache for those people.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-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
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I really enjoyed this book. I started listening to it to mark Syria off the ten countries challenge, so I originally wasn’t super invested in the book. This was also my first true audio book, so that may not have helped me be invested to begin with as well.
But truly, such a sad and powerful story. The transition between the two plot lines were fantastic and was overall really easy to follow, even though I thought it would be a challenge.
Definitely recommend this book, it really hurt my hearts at some bits, but wow
But truly, such a sad and powerful story. The transition between the two plot lines were fantastic and was overall really easy to follow, even though I thought it would be a challenge.
Definitely recommend this book, it really hurt my hearts at some bits, but wow
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, War
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-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 was a slightly uneven book for me. I could have done without the historical plot which I found hard to follow and wasn't invested in. The contemporary plot was much better and had some chilling moments. Nour was a wonderful protagonist and I was really willing for her to make it through all of the horrible experiences piled on her. This book did give me a deeper understanding of the plight of refugees not just from Syria but across the world.
The last thing I will say is that for a book where maps are a major theme, where were the maps? I had to keep looking up the characters' locations and this would have been much easier had a map been provided!
The last thing I will say is that for a book where maps are a major theme, where were the maps? I had to keep looking up the characters' locations and this would have been much easier had a map been provided!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, Fire/Fire injury, War
Moderate: Death of parent
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I really adored this book! I felt for all the characters and the story was so good! Made me cry
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
Zeyn Joukhadar's Map of Salt and Stars was a lyrical and fantastical story about a refugee family fleeing the Syrian Civil War. I'm not much of a reader of lyrical writing. Sometimes I feel like it can linger on certain interiorities or graphic scenes that I would rather not linger on as a reader, and there are definitely enough traumatic scenes in the story to linger on. That being said, the book does not tell an exploitative story. I was feeling shame over my lack of knowledge about Syria, the war, the l refugee crisis, and the geography of the SWANA region and its histories. My partner and I were surprised when we traced the route the story takes on an actual map. I can only imagine how much richer this story would be if I was less ignorant. The Map of Salt and Stars does help to fill in the cracks with factual and historical information, but also with a lot of pathos and magic. The book doesn't shy away from the horrors of war, but it also doesn't make these characters' history just about war (and colonialism). It ties in ancient histories and storytelling traditions. I think Joukhadar absolutely succeeds in his goal to tell a humanizing story of the Syrian refugee crisis that prompts readers to delve deeper.