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julesanne's review against another edition
2.0
I am debating between 2 and 3 stars, so I am giving it a 2.5.
snickies's review against another edition
4.0
I am not sure if I enjoyed this book, but it was very compelling.
jennie_cole's review against another edition
2.0
Inland is a story set in the southwest in the late 1800s. It is broken into two parts two in an alternating pattern. You have Nora Lark in Arizona and Lurie Mattie traveling all over. Lurie's story spans a long time and is the journey of a former outlaw and a camel. Nora's story mainly takes place over a 48ish hour period in 1893.
While their stories come together in the very end I did not find either of them very compelling. I was also disappointed in the ending. I was not a fan of Tea Obreht's first novel, The Tiger's Wife, and wanted to give her another try to see if it was just that book, but it seems that I am not a big fan of her writing.
Now if you liked her first book then please get this one as I think you might like it.
While their stories come together in the very end I did not find either of them very compelling. I was also disappointed in the ending. I was not a fan of Tea Obreht's first novel, The Tiger's Wife, and wanted to give her another try to see if it was just that book, but it seems that I am not a big fan of her writing.
Now if you liked her first book then please get this one as I think you might like it.
carlybarly6's review against another edition
3.0
Two narratives set in 1893— Lurie, a Middle Eastern immigrant and wanted man who travels the west with his camel, and Nora, temporarily (or permanently) abandoned on her Arizona homestead by her husband and sons. Lurie and Nora each know pain and unending toil. And each is haunted. I was never captivated by this novel, some parts full of engaging character studies, and some parts just slow. However, Tea Obreht does a wonderful job of bringing setting to life to make you feel like you’re in the wild west, and that in itself is fun. The culmination of the stories was not extraordinary, but it was satisfying.
lauren_reidxoxo's review against another edition
dnf (did not finish)
This book has absolutely no plot in the portion I read. The premise sounded really interesting, and the first chapter was a really good set up. But from there, there was nothing that made me want to read it.
It wasn’t exactly info-dumping, but the timeline changed so much— with no warning or explanation! It was very difficult to read, and I couldn’t get through it
This book has absolutely no plot in the portion I read. The premise sounded really interesting, and the first chapter was a really good set up. But from there, there was nothing that made me want to read it.
It wasn’t exactly info-dumping, but the timeline changed so much— with no warning or explanation! It was very difficult to read, and I couldn’t get through it
ccarboni06's review against another edition
3.0
Really 3.5 stars. The ending was good but I really struggled to get through it. I would’ve never finished if it weren’t the B&N book club for this month.
manonpalmer's review against another edition
3.0
Picture this: it is hot, all you can see is the desert around you, and you are soooo thirsty. You have had no water in three days and your whole throat hurts. This is what Nora feels like. The year is 1893, and she lives in Amargo, in the Arizona territory. Her husband has been gone for too long on his way to fetch water. Her two older sons are gone looking for their father. All she has left are an old lady, her youngest son Toby, her niece Josie, and her ghosts.
On the other hand, we have Lurie. He is Turkish, and an outlaw. His many adventures have left him with different wants: the wants of the ghosts he's seen along the way. So he roams the land with his fellow cameleers, going nowhere without the want for water or trinkets.
This is a story of the life inland. This remote America, far from any water, food or people, is being slowly annihilated by the likes of Merrion Crace and his big Stock Association. What does it take to survive in this desert? Aren't we all haunted by the ghosts of our past? Intertwining American history and fiction, Téa Obreht tries to answer these questions.
On my part, this is only a 3 star out of 5. The characters were supposed to be linked by destiny, and I did not find what I was really looking for, as it felt like reading two parallel stories that never crossed. Nora's character was very well developed, her inner thoughts, memories and feelings were passionating to read ; but I did not find the same depth in Lurie. I can't say the book was unpleasant to read, because it was quite alright. But this is sadly a book I'm most likely going to forget. For another American outlaw book, I'd recommend Outlawed by Anna North instead, as it had more depth to it. I wanted to be enthralled by it, but I couldn't find it in my heart to root for this book. On the other hand, the novel approaches the question of the transformation of America with an interesting perspective, along with themes of immigration, Native American people's place, and secrets.
You should read this if you enjoy: military history of the US, superstitions, cowboyish stories, relationships between animals and their riders, struggling characters.
On the other hand, we have Lurie. He is Turkish, and an outlaw. His many adventures have left him with different wants: the wants of the ghosts he's seen along the way. So he roams the land with his fellow cameleers, going nowhere without the want for water or trinkets.
This is a story of the life inland. This remote America, far from any water, food or people, is being slowly annihilated by the likes of Merrion Crace and his big Stock Association. What does it take to survive in this desert? Aren't we all haunted by the ghosts of our past? Intertwining American history and fiction, Téa Obreht tries to answer these questions.
On my part, this is only a 3 star out of 5. The characters were supposed to be linked by destiny, and I did not find what I was really looking for, as it felt like reading two parallel stories that never crossed. Nora's character was very well developed, her inner thoughts, memories and feelings were passionating to read ; but I did not find the same depth in Lurie. I can't say the book was unpleasant to read, because it was quite alright. But this is sadly a book I'm most likely going to forget. For another American outlaw book, I'd recommend Outlawed by Anna North instead, as it had more depth to it. I wanted to be enthralled by it, but I couldn't find it in my heart to root for this book. On the other hand, the novel approaches the question of the transformation of America with an interesting perspective, along with themes of immigration, Native American people's place, and secrets.
You should read this if you enjoy: military history of the US, superstitions, cowboyish stories, relationships between animals and their riders, struggling characters.
p3ach's review against another edition
3.0
Loved the lyrical prose and how the two main characters ended up meeting, however it was like a long waterless ride in the desert to get to that point. How fitting! 3.5/5
_rusalka's review against another edition
2.0
My favourite bit about this book was the camel. Majority of the characters were unlikable, the story was plodding and long. I left this book for a bit as a library book came through, and I had to actively drag myself to come back to it and through it.
The story was not inherently bad, and in parts interesting. I just didn't overly care except for one or two supporting characters (Hi Jolly/Hadi Jahli as an example. And Bourke the camel). And it just kept. going. I just needed a book set in Arizona.
Disappointing as I have had Obreht's book [b:The Tiger's Wife|8366402|The Tiger's Wife|Téa Obreht|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1382570044l/8366402._SY75_.jpg|13221524] on my physical shelf for nearly 15 years now, but I am thinking twice about picking it up unfortunately.
The story was not inherently bad, and in parts interesting. I just didn't overly care except for one or two supporting characters (Hi Jolly/Hadi Jahli as an example. And Bourke the camel). And it just kept. going. I just needed a book set in Arizona.
Disappointing as I have had Obreht's book [b:The Tiger's Wife|8366402|The Tiger's Wife|Téa Obreht|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1382570044l/8366402._SY75_.jpg|13221524] on my physical shelf for nearly 15 years now, but I am thinking twice about picking it up unfortunately.