4.05 AVERAGE

kendallpbahl's review

4.0

There isn’t much coverage about the North African theater in WWII, so I really enjoyed getting the chance the hear about the war’s impact on Casablanca. I think that Valpy did a fantastic job in comparing the well known war to the refugee crisis going on in Morocco today. I think, at times, that Zoe appeared one dimensional and I did get a little annoyed with her at times. The twist at the end was somewhat expected and somewhat not, but overall, I have to say I really enjoyed this story.
emotional hopeful

This took me forever to finish as an audiobook. I liked the story in the end, but would probably be better to physically read it.
emotional mysterious 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
challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

Such an incredible storyline, and plot twists too. 
karaklos's profile picture

karaklos's review

4.0

The Storyteller of Casablanca is a beautifully written and heartfelt story of family, love, and rebuilding after loss. The refugee crisis in Casablanca during WWII was new to me and I enjoyed learning this piece of history.

The dual timeline is done very well and features Josie, a 13 year old in 1941 and Zoe, a young expat wife in 2010.

I felt very connected to the Josie character who was so likable and felt so authentic. Her story is told through journal entries and I felt every bit of her happiness and pain. I enjoyed her obsession with books and the Jane Eyre references. Her fierce protection of her family, eye rolls at her big sister, and connection to the locals were so enjoyable.

The 2010 portions with Zoe were a little slower and her story less compelling. Zoe’s hand washing and fretting became a bit too repetitive for me. There was regular hinting of something bigger going on in Zoe’s backstory and it became tiresome. I understood at the end why this was done but did not enjoy her journey as much. I was surprised by the twist at the end.

I enjoyed the parallels drawn between the 1941 and current day refugees, the storytelling through quilting, and the descriptions of Casablanca and food. There’s even a recipe for Moroccan ghoriba cookies included. Josephine Baker is weaved into the story and I found myself googling her to learn more. An overall enjoyable read.

svpersonjc_'s review

3.0

gli avrei dato due stelle visto che zoe è un mc noioso e ho trovato irrealistico lo stile di scrittura di josie (stai scrivendo sul tuo DIARIO e hai 12 anni, va bene che siamo negli anni 40 ma anche meno), ma i plot twist finali hanno salvato questo libro: quando è stato rivelato che josie era ancora viva ero già pronta a cambiare idea sul giudizio che avevo avuto fino a quel momento, ma quando si è scoperto che grace era in realtà morta e che zoe era in uno stato delirante dato dalla depressione del lutto ero letteralmente flabbergasted quindi good job
rsk8460's profile picture

rsk8460's review

5.0

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

kataya09's review

4.5
dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I enjoyed this one a lot. Books set during war times usually are not my jam, but the setting of Casablanca intrigued me. The author did a good job with the setting in both timelines. That said, I far preferred Josie's sections of the book. I just didn't feel like Zoe was a very likable character. The other little niggle I had was the twist at the end. It felt thrown in for a shock moment, and I honestly just didn't see the point.