Reviews with content warning for Infertility - Against the Loveless World

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Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa

29 reviews

beanypole's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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thewordsdevourer's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

4.0

against the loveless world tells an important, often silenced story, and is one that's fortunately told well, much to all our benefit. it's a sprawling story of a palestinian woman and refugee, and a moving tale abt palestine and its courageous resistance, all brimming w/ love and empathy.

i like how the novel chronicles the personal, individual story - that of the main character nahr, specifically - in a way that nevertheless relays the bigger tale of palestine and its culture. nahr goes thru a lot of ups and downs, her incredibly difficult decisions shaped by larger political forces out of desperation for survival. her growth from a naive teenage girl, to a woman free of shame or care for social conventions, to a hardened political prisoner is a tumultuous one that im sure is similar to those of many palestinian refugees'. i also rly like her relationship w/ bilal, who's almost unrealistically understanding and loving, and the ending gives me much hope.

what touches me most abt this book, however, is the love so clearly seen and felt it has for palestine and its ppl. my fav scenes are those in palestine, particularly ones that take place in and around hajjeh um mhammad and bilal's home: the serene, expansive nature; the sense of community from everyone coming tgt for harvests, celebrations, homecomings; the culture lovingly relayed thru food, cooking, customs. despite the ever encroaching israeli settlements and violent political + military forces, palestinians survive and persist both above- and underground, finding joy in the small things, their love for their community and country ever present even in the face of outrageous injustice and hatred from both israel and the world that simply looks on.

i'd say that the novel's major weakness is the political activities by bilal and co, esp pertaining to the underground city. the covert activities occur thruout the second half in stops and starts, w/ too lil action imo for the amount of prep taken. the underground resistance always lurks on the fringes, and is perhaps a very fitting symbolism, but nahr's connection to it is too obscure for me personally. the last showdown also seems an uncharacteristic misstep on bilal's part esp considering not only the high stakes but his personal stakes in it all, and im still a lil confused at the timing and why it went down like that.

nevertheless, this is an important story - not only bc it's a voice from an oft silenced group of ppl whos been facing continuous oppression and colonization, but also as a story on its own. told from a fierce narrator who's inspiring in her no-fvcks-given ways, the novel brims w/ love for its community, culture and country, and would hopefully spur many of its readers into action, like it did me. last but not least, fvck israel.

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sirissacgluten's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

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jourdanicus's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful 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? No

5.0

I think this is going to be one of my favorite books ever. I kept forgetting I was reading a novel... Nahr and her family and friends felt so real. I've never been to Palestine, Jordan, or Kuwait but Abulhawa described them so vividly and with such love and care that I felt like I was there, and had as much respect and passion for the land as the characters did. This book also contained some of the most eloquent, tender, and accurate descriptions of what it's like to be in love that I have ever read.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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jeanniea's review

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dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

5.0

A bit slow in the beginning, but it picks up towards the end. Love the strength that the mc shares and the growth she goes thru. Love the messages of the story. The ending felt fulfilling in an open way.

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