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dianerc's review against another edition
5.0
I really loved this book. Heart-wrenching, for sure. But such beautiful character portraits - I was transported into their lives. Loved it. Loved it. Loved it.
lsparrow's review against another edition
3.0
such a powerful story about family and sisters.
a sister coming to terms with the death of her sister.
a sister coming to terms with the death of her sister.
90sinmyheart's review against another edition
Not feeling it. I am doing poorly on these Canada Reads books.
smalltownbookmom's review against another edition
3.0
It was just okay for me. Glad it didn't win Canada reads as I don't think it's a book all Canadians 'must' read. If it wasn't for Canada reads I probably wouldn't have read it and that would have been fine with me in hindsight. Not terrible - just didn't blow me away at all.
christajls's review against another edition
4.0
Bone & Bread was first published in 2012, but four years later it still feels timely. It opens with Beena Bone and Bread, Saleema Nawaz, House of Anansi, 2012coping with the death of her younger sister, Sadhana, but as it goes on it tells the story of their lives, from when they were children to when Beena’s own child is getting ready to leave home for the first time. And a story of young girls trying to find their place in the world will always be relevant. Both Sadhana and Beena come into contact with a family seeking asylum in Canada and with the recent arrival of Syrian refugees in real life, the anti-immigration positions of a (fictional) Canadian political party sounded uncomfortably familiar. But it really feels as though the central theme of this novel is that people are always starting over, and that’s something Canadians of every generation, gender or political affiliation can relate to.
Read the rest of this piece on Women Write About Comics
Read the rest of this piece on Women Write About Comics
jayceecee0716's review against another edition
2.0
This story held a lot of promise but did not deliver. The characters were each shallow and selfish. For two sisters that only had each other, I felt that their trials were not relatible. Disappointingly slow, with an anti-climatic ending. It started out wonderfully with beautifully written descriptions of Montreal, but the characters fell flat for me.
amn028's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting story with deeply flawed characters trying to deal with each other, their own lives and their personal demons. I would have enjoyed the Uncle character being a little more fleshed out, however the lack of a fuller character did not detract from the story.
osteoknits's review against another edition
5.0
In continuing my goal to read all five finalists for the Canada Reads contest, Bone and Bread was the third of the five that I read. At the time that I started the book, Canada Reads had already aired and I had watched the debates. This book was knocked out in the second round and I honestly think it should have made it further than it did.
Bone and Bread is about two sisters; Beena and Sadhana; children of a Sikh owner of a bagel shop and a white hippy mother. The girls suffer unbelievable tragedy, becoming orphaned as teenagers and continuously being faced with various obstacles.
The story follows Beena’s perspective after Sadhana has passed away. Eventually after putting it off for months, she has to empty her sister’s apartment. It is as she takes on this task that we get glimpses into their difficult past, as you would expect while unpacking boxes and revisiting old memories.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Personally, I saw so many parallels in my relationship with my brother and dealing with his own struggles with mental illness. I think what I appreciated about the book was its realness. People don’t always act rationally, they don’t always say the right thing. They make mistakes, sometimes they’re jerks, and that’s reality. It made me appreciate how fleeting life can be and want to treat the end of any conversation as if those might be the last words I say to that person. So far it is my favourite of the 2015 Canada Reads finalists. I loved the characters, and I really hope this isn’t the last we hear of Saleema Nawaz.
Bone and Bread is about two sisters; Beena and Sadhana; children of a Sikh owner of a bagel shop and a white hippy mother. The girls suffer unbelievable tragedy, becoming orphaned as teenagers and continuously being faced with various obstacles.
The story follows Beena’s perspective after Sadhana has passed away. Eventually after putting it off for months, she has to empty her sister’s apartment. It is as she takes on this task that we get glimpses into their difficult past, as you would expect while unpacking boxes and revisiting old memories.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Personally, I saw so many parallels in my relationship with my brother and dealing with his own struggles with mental illness. I think what I appreciated about the book was its realness. People don’t always act rationally, they don’t always say the right thing. They make mistakes, sometimes they’re jerks, and that’s reality. It made me appreciate how fleeting life can be and want to treat the end of any conversation as if those might be the last words I say to that person. So far it is my favourite of the 2015 Canada Reads finalists. I loved the characters, and I really hope this isn’t the last we hear of Saleema Nawaz.
edenpst's review against another edition
4.0
I found this book hard to get into at first but then hard to put down once I got into the story. The ending left me wanting to know more about the characters lives. Pretty cool to read a book set in Canada. Not a happily ever after book… Definitely a good read over all.
dessa's review against another edition
3.0
This was a frustrating narrator to live with for a while. This novel is on Canada Reads this year as part of the theme "starting over" and I think it's going to get kicked out tomorrow. Because this frustrating narrator never actually starts over. She whines, she shirks, she's petty, she's confused, she's muddled, and she has good excuses for being these things but she never really actually seems to give starting over an honest go.