Reviews

Roses, in the Mouth of a Lion by Bushra Rehman

Only show reviews with written explanations

mitskacir's review against another edition

4.0

I read this book on audio in fits and starts, so I really want to reread it with a paper book so that I can think about it more closely. The beginning seems more like a short story collection, vignettes of a young girl's life, so I didn't analyze them too closely. However, the story becomes more cohesive as she ages, and a lot of the symbolism comes back from the early chapters, making me wish I had thought more especially about the titular roses and lions mentioned frequently in the book. I felt like the main character's voice was quite young, maybe more of a middle schooler than high schooler, but I did appreciate that she wasn't unrealistically wise or overly hardened by the world like some teen portrayals are. I really loved this book because, until the very end, I didn't feel like anything significantly bad was going to happen - something about the author's calm narration or the many happy moments throughout made me trust that things would be ok.

elliv's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.75

Content Warnings

sarah999's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

ok i liked this book a lot but it was a little slow

notlikeshrek's review against another edition

Go to review page

reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

A little slow to start but man ❤️‍🩹

andheaventoo's review

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

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

4.75

a delightful reading experience. there is so much texture in this book, so much sadness and weight wrapped up in the details of razia's life in corona that when things finally come to a head towards the end of the book, it is impossible not to get swept up in it. i burst into tears at the final page and couldn't stop crying for 10 minutes, mainly because so much of this book hits so close to home. razia's incredible loneliness, the depth of her friendships, the expansiveness of her love for her mom, the irrevocable weight of her community, the exhilaration of her rebellion - just such a beautiful book. the prose is deceptively straightforward, and the magic of this book is simply in the details. the first two scenes of this book immediately told me it was worth my time. and there is such a haunting quality to the way bushra rehman writes, to the details she chooses to focus on, to the subtle flow of this book. incredible all around.