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mrs_b_reading 's review for:
Oranges in No Man's Land
by Elizabeth Laird
‘What were they all fighting for?...sometimes I wonder if the fighters themselves knew what they were doing’
Oranges In No Man’s Land follows 10 year old Ayesha as she encounters the realities of war in Beirut, Lebanon. The bravery (or naive and bullheaded determination) she shows in order to save her remaining family is inspiring, terrifying and yet somehow typical of Primary school age children. I enjoyed reading Laird as a child because I felt that she understood the core thoughts and feelings of a child. Now, as an adult, I still find this the case, though I see the actions and feelings of her characters mirrored in my own daughter. Laird writes the novel with Ayesha looking back on events, so the book is constantly coloured by both the young Ayesha’s perspective, as well as the older one. This allows the reader to take comfort in knowing that she survives, whilst also providing a wide age range of readers with something to take from the book.
Oranges In No Man’s Land follows 10 year old Ayesha as she encounters the realities of war in Beirut, Lebanon. The bravery (or naive and bullheaded determination) she shows in order to save her remaining family is inspiring, terrifying and yet somehow typical of Primary school age children. I enjoyed reading Laird as a child because I felt that she understood the core thoughts and feelings of a child. Now, as an adult, I still find this the case, though I see the actions and feelings of her characters mirrored in my own daughter. Laird writes the novel with Ayesha looking back on events, so the book is constantly coloured by both the young Ayesha’s perspective, as well as the older one. This allows the reader to take comfort in knowing that she survives, whilst also providing a wide age range of readers with something to take from the book.