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weejman33's review against another edition
3.0
Jesus. Not the best book to end the summer on. The translation also left quite a bit to be desired.
fbroom's review against another edition
I remember how disturbing was this novel but i can't really rate it now ...
read it back in 2008 maybe?
read it back in 2008 maybe?
mx_lucacv's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I would absolutely recommend reading this book. It will make you uncomfortable, but it gives a good insight into the Lebanese civil war from the pov of a woman.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and Gun violence
Moderate: War, Death, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Murder, and Body horror
Minor: Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, and Abortion
kamckim's review against another edition
1.0
These are personal opinions, not professional reviews, so I just want to ask what all the hype over this book is about. The protagonist, Zahra, is unselfish and completely weird. She never finds her footing, and I don't have sympathy for any of the characters in this novel. They are selfish and cruel. The second part, in war-torn Beirut, is the best part. I kept trying to read the woman as the embodiment of the state (in this case, the country of Lebanon), but I just couldn't get through all the selfishness and opportunism. Those overrode any literary merit of the book. I know why it's banned by several Muslim countries--the sex and the types of sex in this book are gross and unredemptive. If this is a thinly veiled portrait of Lebanon at war, then the author seems to be saying that Lebanon is as dysfunctional as the "mad" narrator and her family. I wish Lebanese writers would move on from the war. It will never make sense, so don't subject the reader to your attempts to come to terms with it. This one was a waste of time.
mganier's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Xenophobia, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Islamophobia, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Sexism, Violence, Mental illness, Gun violence, and Abortion
smsr's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
worldlibraries's review against another edition
4.0
This was a hard book to read. Being only 214 pages I assumed I would breeze right through it. However, I didn't like any of the characters, I didn't identify with them, I didn't approve of their choices, and for a lot of the book they were so unhappy and doing everything for such wrong reasons (such as impressing their friends) it was hard to continue reading.
Then I finished the book and I understood that all of that had lead up to a very haunting finish that I know I shall never forget. Later, I understood from reading other reviews that I experienced these people the way we experience people with inner turmoil in real life - not having a clue about why they act that way. The novelist had given me, as a reader, an opportunity to see someone in crisis, and view her with the upmost empathy possible. Did I? That too, shall remain part of the haunting of this read.
Recommended review after you finished the book (but not before):
Jordan's review, with five likes, the first of Goodreads reviews of this book.
Then I finished the book and I understood that all of that had lead up to a very haunting finish that I know I shall never forget. Later, I understood from reading other reviews that I experienced these people the way we experience people with inner turmoil in real life - not having a clue about why they act that way. The novelist had given me, as a reader, an opportunity to see someone in crisis, and view her with the upmost empathy possible. Did I? That too, shall remain part of the haunting of this read.
Recommended review after you finished the book (but not before):
Jordan's review, with five likes, the first of Goodreads reviews of this book.
pakastajaelvi's review against another edition
2.0
En erityisesti pitänyt. Alku oli lupaava, mutta toisessa osassa kiinnostus pikkuhiljaa lopahti. Kerronta Libanonista ja elämästä siellä oli kirjan paras anti.
fatima13's review against another edition
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
This book is all tell no show. I feel no emotional connection to the main character even though it is set in my country. The book reads as though the writer is retelling a story she heard leaving out all depth and just relaying the main points of what happened.
Moreover, the writer mentions a lot of stuff that are considered as taboos in the Lebanese society only for the sake of shock factor without actually delving into them and their circumstances.
I was really bored and indifferent as I read the novel.
Moreover, the writer mentions a lot of stuff that are considered as taboos in the Lebanese society only for the sake of shock factor without actually delving into them and their circumstances.
I was really bored and indifferent as I read the novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and War
Moderate: War, Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
charlottedurham's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0