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bookswithlauren's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcoholism, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Child death, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Police brutality, Sexism, Vomit, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Gore, Child abuse, Excrement, Hate crime, Islamophobia, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death, Grief, Racism, Slavery, Suicide, Trafficking, Violence, Body shaming, and War
gabriella_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Body shaming, Genocide, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Adult/minor relationship, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Torture, Confinement, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Murder, Gaslighting, Grief, Sexual violence, Miscarriage, War, Abandonment, Child death, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Racism, Violence, Vomit, and Cursing
berrymuffin's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Classism, Adult/minor relationship, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Misogyny, Torture, Body horror, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Child death, Grief, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, War, Body shaming, Bullying, Death of parent, Sexism, and Racism
kiwichill's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Torture, Violence, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Death, Medical trauma, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Blood, Body horror, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Trafficking, Body shaming, Racial slurs, Grief, Infertility, Rape, War, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Pregnancy, and Gore
Moderate: Chronic illness, Sexual content, Abandonment, Infidelity, Cursing, Gun violence, Murder, Hate crime, Police brutality, Self harm, and Sexism
rene_reads02's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Genocide, War, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, Adult/minor relationship, and Grief
Moderate: Child abuse, Medical trauma, Police brutality, Torture, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Body horror, Body shaming, Classism, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Medical content
Minor: Child death, Alcohol, Miscarriage, and Abortion
thetearex's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Cultural appropriation, Murder, Suicide, Abandonment, Ableism, Gore, Islamophobia, War, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Grief, Infertility, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Colonisation, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Violence, Gun violence, Rape, and Sexual content
keiwald's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Sexual assault, Misogyny, War, Body shaming, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, and Infertility
Moderate: Abortion and Cursing
Very intense book about a lot of violence and war in Afghanistan. Can get detailed aboutbookishdaylight's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
It's about family, love, and loss and how the characters experienced one of the most traumatic things a child, a woman could ever go through. This was set in Afghanistan in where this was during a war that occurred in that country that changed the lives of so many people.
I couldn't imagine thinking about being a woman in that time and in that place going through so many hardships in life where they hardly even lived. They were disregarded and had to go abide by a lot of regulations and if those rules were broken, even if it was simply going outside then they would be punished, beaten, or terminated. So many cruelties that women had to suffer through at the hand of men.
The most inspiring thing that happened was how resilient Mariam and Laila were despite all the things that they had to went through. They had each other when no one could even save them where It was such comfort how they found solace in one another.
This was truly an amazing read and it has touched my heart and will forever be remembered.
Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Violence, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Miscarriage, War, and Slavery
mxkenzie_11's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Death, Medical content, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Gore
Moderate: Abandonment, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, War, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Gun violence, Misogyny, and Grief
angelikatha's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Khaled has this detached but magnetic way of storytelling as if he's just passing on some news he overheard from the streets, as if these are all so common and prevalent that there's no other way to convey them than in a matter-of-fact manner. He surely knows how to make it sting even more. Truth be told, once and for all. Hurts hurled. No one spared. And it's horrible, horrible to think this is the truth in this fiction, that these are happening in Afghanistan, and probably in still some other parts of the world, probably somewhere nearer, somewhere just outside of here.
There is a main theme about life, particularly a woman's life, being an ode to quiet endurance. That what is visible in a woman's facade is only just a "slight tremor" of what is at the highest magnitude of suffering in the core. That most times women are indeed helplessly left with no other choice but to endure--and so silently for so long-- the unjust, unspeakable, undeserved violence and deprivation, because what else is there but an even more terrible oppression as a consequence of fighting for our rights?
Mariam had been bruised and battered for so long for no other reason than being a woman, taught by the world at such a young age, in the cruelest way, that she is no match for a man-- as if she had to match them to begin with. But for love, for her children, she fought back once and for all, and with all her might.
Afghanistan is a woman. And so are all countries where war is waged, where misogynists rule, where corruption takes over compassion in the hearts of supposedly capable people more than anything else.
This is a reminder of what we have been fighting for alongside other things And this is my hope for women that we all may find courage in the face of oppression. That so should we, amid faltering knees and a quivering heart. So should we fight. That we fight nonetheless.
PS: Although Khalil dedicates this book to the women of Afghanistan, I think he also wants to remind us that some men are just victims too, because the real victims here are children in general, and the real opponent is a larger misguided system that teaches boys and girls these false, unethical, self-serving beliefs.
PPS: Not saying that what Mariam resulted in doing in the end was the rightest thing to do. But see the tragedy, where the "no other way" leads to in the face of injustice, how she was just acting in self-defense and for someone else's salvation, and still she paid for it with her life, as if she did it only out of self-indulgence the way Rasheed did so all those years of abuse, and despite her life being an atonement already just for the "sin" of being born, and being born a woman.
Graphic: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Violence
Moderate: War
Minor: Abortion, Body shaming, Death of parent, Murder, and Suicide