marywahlmeierbracciano's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Colonisation and Confinement
Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Trafficking, Sexual violence, War, Blood, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Murder, Police brutality, Antisemitism, and Sexism
Minor: Pregnancy, Child death, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, and Cancer
aaronjdilkes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, Hate crime, Murder, Blood, Colonisation, Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Physical abuse, War, Confinement, Genocide, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Violence, and Rape
sirissacgluten's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Violence, Rape, Sexual assault, War, Colonisation, Genocide, and Grief
Moderate: Blood, Islamophobia, Abortion, and Sexism
Minor: Death of parent, Drug use, Excrement, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Police brutality, Vomit, Alcohol, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Terminal illness, Torture, Antisemitism, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Medical content, and Medical trauma
fromjuliereads's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
I think it was a hard read because you know even though this is fiction, there are people with stories like this, people like other characters in the book.
Definitely recommend but check the trigger warnings.
I will admit that it has a slower start and I struggled with the pacing and the plot at the beginning, just with it being such graphic and difficult experiences written for a long portion. But as the story evolved and broadened it made more sense why it started out that way.
Graphic: Abortion, Blood, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Child death, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Outing
Minor: Cancer, Terminal illness, and Vomit
sjanke2's review
- 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
Graphic: Abortion, Blood, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, and Xenophobia
Minor: Cancer, Car accident, Dementia, Death of parent, Excrement, and Fire/Fire injury
sarahholliday's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Abulhawa paints an unflinching picture of life as a refugee, of settler colonialism, and of the complexity of womanhood in the modern Arab world.
Nahr is a beautifully complex protagonist, moving through life with the same spirit that captures her while dancing, but grounded by a devotion to family and, eventually, her people's land and history.
This might end up being my favorite book of 2021, and I can't recommend it highly enough.
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Genocide, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Homophobia
tatitos's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Graphic: Antisemitism, Blood, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Abortion, Antisemitism, Child death, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Murder, and Sexism
Minor: Alcoholism
gabriellejane's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Abortion, Blood, Confinement, Death, Excrement, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Vomit, and Violence
claudia_bow's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Abortion, Blood, Child death, Confinement, Death, Medical trauma, Police brutality, Rape, and Violence
shelfmadewoman's review
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, and Violence