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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-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
I wanted to like this book but the pace & style was not for me sad
slow-paced
If I could give a book ten stars, this would get them all and I'd still feel that I was selling the book short. This book is beautiful, from the cover, to the poetry in the shape of the countries that our two heroines Rawiya and Nour pass through, to the themes of loss and family and what home means. It's about what it means to be who you are, and to know yourself and to love people and places, the value in belonging and in the people we belong with.... even in it's smallest details in stone collecting, in both Nour and Rawiya having many names and some of the places having several names, and even the stars are called different things by different people and guys if I am gushing it's because someone should gush about this. The writing is just stunningly good, like... Nour has synesthesia, which makes her describe things in ways that are perfect and specific to her but which feel right even if i've never seen a smell or a sound. The narrative takes even it's most momentary characters seriously, and there are things in this book that broke my heart, and things that scared me, and things that I raged at. How many ways can I say that this is brilliant? As a final note I offer the suggestion that you use both the map that came with the book and google maps at least a little, because it's interesting and I had fun orienting myself at points along the way . I don't have to tell you that I recommend this book most highly, it is possibly my favorite book if 2018, and we're only halfway through the year.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
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:
Complicated
A solid read even if it doesn't go on my reread list. I enjoyed the stories being similar while from different times/perspectives. I'll admit to spending the last few chapters in tears.
slow-paced
adventurous
dark
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
adventurous
informative
mysterious
reflective
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
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
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:
Complicated
I truly loved this book. It's the perfect blend of a contemporary and a fantastical journey, laid on the same landscape. The characters Nour and Rawiya taught me much about home—a physical place, yes, but also the love of our friends, family, and self—and how to get there, along with the necessity of writing one's story over and over again. The poems at the beginning of each chapter in the shape of the country they introduce were gorgeous. Joukhadar touched my heart.
"yes, there was death here and will be death again one day, and between the two are laughter and the rhythmic breathing in of generations... your ghost and mine will dance, and the womb of the wind will breathe us in"
"yes, there was death here and will be death again one day, and between the two are laughter and the rhythmic breathing in of generations... your ghost and mine will dance, and the womb of the wind will breathe us in"