Reviews

Daughters of Smoke and Fire by Ava Homa

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lfinkenkeller's review against another edition

4.0

This story is about a Kurdish girl, Leila, and her brother, Chia. Leila's father has PTSD from what he has seen happen to his fellow Kurds in his lifetime, and what happened to him in his time in prison. He struggles with being a father because of his PTSD. Her mother struggles because her husband doesn't take responsibility for her or their family. Leila only has her brother. When he is sent to prison, Leila has to try to get him released while trying to learn how live without him.
This book is such an important book for our time because it explores what it means to be humane. Homa says, "Life is a landfill. What made one hmane was the ability to convert the waste into a valuable resource and to enjoy the occasional flowers that bloomed in the refuse." Homa also explores how discrimination is universal when she says, "Until coming face-to-face with death, I had taken cruelty personally, overlooking how that kind of ruthlessness had roots deep in the history of humankind. It didn't matte if my name was Leila or Njorge, if I spoke Hebrew or Navajo - it was most certainly not about me. I was not alone. I saw then people in Rwanda, Bosnia, plantations, and indigenous residential schools in North America were standing shoulder to shoulder with the Kurds."
I also liked how Homa told the reader what the name of the characters meant. It made the story even more powerful.

bookswithleigh's review against another edition

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4.0

“Dreams matter, Leila gian.” He nodded, stood behind me, and whispered, “Desires matter. Take them seriously.”

I truly don't know how to begin reviewing this novel, despite the fact that I led a discussion on it only a few hours ago. Though Daughters of Smoke and Fire is a fictional novel, it is true-to-life in many horrific ways. This novel is, according to Ava Homa, an homage to Kurdish women, but as a reader coming to this novel with very little education about Kurdish history, it was also incredibly, excruciatingly educational. I cried several times while reading this novel, both because Homa is an evocative storyteller and makes you truly feel for the characters, but also because the things happening in this novel are overwhelming tragic.

Daughters of Smoke and Fire is also a novel about perception, grief, and how to snatch your life back from the brink of death and reclaim it. Each woman in this novel is complex, flawed, and incredibly brave in very different ways. They are more than mothers and daughters. They are, which, as this novel imparts on us in one of the final chapters, is enough.

If you can handle a substantial amount of heavy content, I would absolutely encourage you to read this book. It is hard. It's a challenge. It's worth it.

4 out of 5 Stars.

stralins's review against another edition

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5.0

Heartbreaking and so powerful. Wow

maureen_coeck's review

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4.0

Love reading books that give you insight into an unknown world. Generational trauma on top of the realities of being a woman in Iran make for a captivating read. One of those books where you really hope things turn out well in the end.

craftyscene's review

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2.0

The main character’s pain and suppression was palpable, but the story dragged. As much as I liked this in the beginning, I found myself skipping as it went on.

rebelqueen's review against another edition

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3.0

Interesting, if a bit slow. I know very little about the struggle of the Kurdish people. This book definitely made me go down some wiki rabbit holes to learn. Leila was a strong character.