Reviews

In the City by the Sea by Kamila Shamsie

dafni's review against another edition

No coherence in the stories, could not follow where the author wanted to go. Quite disappointing compared to her other book. 

kate66's review against another edition

5.0

This is the fourth Kamila Shamsie I've read and every time I think oh this isn't as good as the last one, then I find myself devouring it. She writes such addictive prose.

This story is told through the eyes of an 11 year old boy, Hassan, whose uncle is the main descrier of the President of the country. At first his uncle is under house arrest but following political shenanigans he is taken to prison to be tried for treason. Hasan is overwhelmed by this news and his days are spent trying to find a way to free his beloved uncle.

This story is so cleverly told by using a child's eyes to throw light onto political events. Another masterpiece. Highly recommended.

bekahhclark's review against another edition

2.0

I absolutely adore Kamilia’s work but this book was just not for me

mairi96's review against another edition

inspiring reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

nabihakhan's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.25

olivia_rose1999's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

alexthepink's review against another edition

3.0

Enjoyable, with a likeable protagonist, not as plot driven as the books I usually enjoy. The novel is set in Karachi, Pakistan and centres around Hasan, an 11 year old boy growing up in a privileged household. One day he sees a boy flying a kite fall to his death from the roof of a house. His beloved uncle, an opposition politiican, is arrested for treason and Hasan's life is turned upside down.
I loved the sensory detail in this book and it made me feel like I could visualise Karachi, despite having never been there. The plot line was a bit gentle for my taste, but it's a very accomplished book and an enjoyable read.

saba_ts's review against another edition

3.0

Interesting read. But it wasn't exactly what I'd expected from the writer who gave me "Broken Verses".

smokeyshouse's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

The writing was not to my taste - Shamsie tried to make word-plays that weren't successful (unlike Tomb of Sand, where it was done brilliantly in the English translation).  In addition, the level of word-play did not seem to fit the age of the child protagonists (there were two).  Also, the use of a pre-teen narrator was not a good choice for conveying political ideas.  As one review noted, the interspersing of fantasy-scapes in the mind of the narrator was reminiscent of Calvin and Hobbes; but in this case it just made the scenes disengaging.  However, the story had enough interest, and was a good debut novel.  I will continue with my Shamsie reading project and read her subsequent books in order of publication.

iqazi's review

challenging emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0