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josettecrabill's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
bahare's review against another edition
4.0
می دانستم کتاب در ژانر جنگ نوشته شده برای همین انتظار نداشتم دوستش داشته باشم، اما الان نظر دیگری دارم :)
آخرین انار دنیا روایت فرزندان جنگی‌ست در همین اطراف، جنگی که احتمالا هنوز هم در حال بلعیدن روح و جان فرزندان این سرزمین طلسم شده است، خاورمیانه را می گویم.
جنگ چهره‌ی زیبایی ندارد اما نحوه‌ی پرداخت نویسنده به موضوع به گونه‌ایست که با وجود نشان دادن جلوه‌های دردناک، یک داستان زیبا به سبک رئالیسم جادویی را روایت می‌کند.
آخرین انار دنیا روایت فرزندان جنگی‌ست در همین اطراف، جنگی که احتمالا هنوز هم در حال بلعیدن روح و جان فرزندان این سرزمین طلسم شده است، خاورمیانه را می گویم.
جنگ چهره‌ی زیبایی ندارد اما نحوه‌ی پرداخت نویسنده به موضوع به گونه‌ایست که با وجود نشان دادن جلوه‌های دردناک، یک داستان زیبا به سبک رئالیسم جادویی را روایت می‌کند.
reads2cope's review
Library loan ran out. An interesting beginning, I hope I can return to it when I have more time.
parnian's review
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
cassiea22's review
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
kitness's review
challenging
dark
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
smlaurie's review
4.0
I received this eARC from NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review.
The Last Pomegranate Tree is a Kurdish novel set in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. The backdrop is that of wars: uprisings, revolutions, and civil wars set during the presidency of Saddam Hussein. I don’t know enough about the history of Iraq to be able to say precisely when the story happens and the years of various events mentioned. The 1991 uprisings against Saddam Hussein after the Gulf War are frequently referenced. The narrator is Muzafar-i Subhdam, a father and Kurdish fighter who was imprisoned just days after the birth of his son. Twenty-one years later he is mysteriously released and he begins his search for his long lost son, Saryas Subhdam.
Muzafar-i tells this story some time after his release, and it involves flashbacks and jumping around in time as tales of assorted characters are told: Muhammad the Glass-Hearted, who loves discovering secrets; the sisters in white, who pledge to never marry; the “poorest blind boy in the world,” Nadim-i Shazada, who searched for the last pomegranate tree; and the three Saryas Subhdams. (Yes, three Saryas boys who are of the same age. It is explained eventually, but the resolution of that mystery isn’t really the point.)
Violence, war and corruption are endemic to this world, and so are magical convictions: the beliefs of the sisters in white, the beliefs of the glass hearted man, the beliefs of Salah the Great, the beliefs of the narrator.
Despite the constant realities of war and corruption, there are elements of the story that feel fantastical and made me question how reliable the narrator was, and if maybe Muzafar-i was dreaming. Geographical locations, the desert where Muzafar-i was imprisoned and at the other end of the country, the mountainous region where the pomegranate tree is located, play mythical roles that contribute to the mixing of fantasy and reality.
This is an engrossing read which glides with many images and sensory experiences where you are constantly trying to find your footing in the Kurdistan world, which is already an unknown world to most American readers. I really enjoyed this tale interspersed with voices of varied people struggling to make sense of a war torn reality. Brutal realities are turned into fabled metaphors. At its core, this is a story of hope and humanity, human resilience and longing for connection and meaning.
Some interesting tidbits: the author is Kurdish–raised and educated in Kurdistan. He has lived in Germany for a number of years and is a prolific, award-winning writer. The translator previously translated one of the author’s other books–the first book translated from Kurdish to English.
The Last Pomegranate Tree is a Kurdish novel set in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. The backdrop is that of wars: uprisings, revolutions, and civil wars set during the presidency of Saddam Hussein. I don’t know enough about the history of Iraq to be able to say precisely when the story happens and the years of various events mentioned. The 1991 uprisings against Saddam Hussein after the Gulf War are frequently referenced. The narrator is Muzafar-i Subhdam, a father and Kurdish fighter who was imprisoned just days after the birth of his son. Twenty-one years later he is mysteriously released and he begins his search for his long lost son, Saryas Subhdam.
Muzafar-i tells this story some time after his release, and it involves flashbacks and jumping around in time as tales of assorted characters are told: Muhammad the Glass-Hearted, who loves discovering secrets; the sisters in white, who pledge to never marry; the “poorest blind boy in the world,” Nadim-i Shazada, who searched for the last pomegranate tree; and the three Saryas Subhdams. (Yes, three Saryas boys who are of the same age. It is explained eventually, but the resolution of that mystery isn’t really the point.)
Violence, war and corruption are endemic to this world, and so are magical convictions: the beliefs of the sisters in white, the beliefs of the glass hearted man, the beliefs of Salah the Great, the beliefs of the narrator.
Despite the constant realities of war and corruption, there are elements of the story that feel fantastical and made me question how reliable the narrator was, and if maybe Muzafar-i was dreaming. Geographical locations, the desert where Muzafar-i was imprisoned and at the other end of the country, the mountainous region where the pomegranate tree is located, play mythical roles that contribute to the mixing of fantasy and reality.
This is an engrossing read which glides with many images and sensory experiences where you are constantly trying to find your footing in the Kurdistan world, which is already an unknown world to most American readers. I really enjoyed this tale interspersed with voices of varied people struggling to make sense of a war torn reality. Brutal realities are turned into fabled metaphors. At its core, this is a story of hope and humanity, human resilience and longing for connection and meaning.
Some interesting tidbits: the author is Kurdish–raised and educated in Kurdistan. He has lived in Germany for a number of years and is a prolific, award-winning writer. The translator previously translated one of the author’s other books–the first book translated from Kurdish to English.
tomato_bisque's review
challenging
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
This book is one of those that I wonder how much went flying over my head because I don't know a lot about the culture and politics of the culture of origin. However, don't let that scare you away from reading. I have not read anything like it in a long time. The characters speak in long speeches, time gets confused, and there are many major characters. The theme tended to focus directly away from politics and focused more on the connected experiences of characters. People are more alike than they are different.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Grief
alisonburnis's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
On a ferry to Greece, Muzafar-i Subhdam tells a stranger the story of his strange life, having spent the last twenty-one years in solitary confinement in the desert, only to be released and find out his son, Saryas-i Subhdam, is dead. These begins a fantastical tale of these men in Iraq, during and after the Kurdish conflict. Saryas had a strange life, centring on his sisters by oath, the girls in white, his friends - and the two other Saryas.
This was a really beautifully written and translated novel. The story of the three Saryas is complex and tragic, but also sensitive and tender. Muzafar is a hollow narrator; having been alone and away for the world for so long, he allows the quest for his son to fill him up, and the strangeness of the events which led to the death of the first Saryas, become his life. And yet this is not obsessive, but loving. I suspect some pieces were lost on me, but Abdulrahman was very thoughtful with his translation, adding helpful notes, and the poetry of the story shone through.
This was a really beautifully written and translated novel. The story of the three Saryas is complex and tragic, but also sensitive and tender. Muzafar is a hollow narrator; having been alone and away for the world for so long, he allows the quest for his son to fill him up, and the strangeness of the events which led to the death of the first Saryas, become his life. And yet this is not obsessive, but loving. I suspect some pieces were lost on me, but Abdulrahman was very thoughtful with his translation, adding helpful notes, and the poetry of the story shone through.