Reviews with content warning for Abortion - Against the Loveless World

I wasn't sure how to feel about this book when I first started reading. It took me a while to finish it. I found myself wanting to know what happened next in Nahr's life. I learned much from this book. This book a heavy and beautifully written. It is sad but fills you with hope.

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nicoleisalwaysreading's review against another edition

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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

3.5

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nineinchnails's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

this was another heartwrenching book from abulhawa. there's something about the way she weaves a story that really draws me in. just like Mornings in Jenin this deals with some very topics, so it was hard to read huge chunks in one sitting. despite being a work of fiction it's very clearly grounded in and inspired by real historical (and current) events so it's hard to "enjoy" this for its story without feeling an immense sense of grief for the countless victims of israel. the main character was initially fairly detached from and unmoved by palestine, and experiencing her (re)discovery of her homeland was incredibly touching. the writing in general was beautiful, and both the setting and the pacing were very intriguing. despite all the horror and trauma the characters find community with one another and i found myself almost forgetting how painful the rest of the book was at parts.

i particularly enjoy more character driven novels so while i noticed a change in pace later on, i didn't ever feel like it dragged before that point - this might be a slight issue for some readers. i'd recommend this to anyone and everyone but there is a big focus on sexual violence in the first part of this novel, so i think it's worth checking the trigger warnings before you pick this one up.

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reading_while_fat's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

A displaced then imprisoned Palestinian woman shares her story from prison. Her story includes heavy topics including sexual assault, prostitution, displacement and imprisonment as well as love - platonic, familial, romantic and for her people. It took a little bit for this book to hit its stride for me, but once it did I devoured it. Beautifully and honestly written, a compelling novelization of the realities that face many Palestinian women under Israeli occupation. It was not at all surprising that this book is so highly rated.

Fat-friendly? 💛 some negative comments about fatness, cultural expectation of thinness and references to weight loss

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carliej's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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