Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak

43 reviews

joanna_banana's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad 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

4.0

I thoroughly enjoyed the story told by the fig tree that witnessed it all though overall I felt that some of the ways the tree felt or witnessed things was a little unbelievable…but I suppose that’s the magical realism part of the book! I liked Ada and Meryem’s relationship and how it changed, I liked learning more about Kosta and Defne’s love story. I was surprised the climax came a little soon and was somewhat overshadowed by other significant events. Glad I read it, learned much more about the history and current state of affairs in Cyprus, and enjoyed the details about trees and the natural world.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, and War

Moderate: Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Suicide, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Abortion, and Pregnancy

Minor: Hate crime and Homophobia

melreadsandrecs's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and War

halfcanine's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Homophobia, Xenophobia, and War

bootrat's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

I enjoyed this book, and I learnt some more about the history of Cyprus and the struggle of the people living there, but I struggled to connect with the characters. I found myself liking the fig tree more than any of the humans, I wish I'd been able to sympathise with them more. 
Beautiful prose, metaphors, and comparisons, so if you like that then you'll love this book (but that style of writing isn't usually my thing).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Xenophobia, Grief, Alcohol, and War

Moderate: Alcoholism, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, and Colonisation

Minor: Child death

kaanda's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad 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

4.75

So descriptive that I can clearly see the tavern and every character in it. A very beautiful and painful story with seamless flow. Loved it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Abandonment, and War

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, Murder, and Pregnancy

Minor: Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexual content, Colonisation, and Classism

mr_cain's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

I love the fig tree as a narrator!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Alcohol, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Alcoholism and Torture

neela's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

hmmm it’s hard to review cos i read a good bit then took a break for other books 🤭
once you get used to the points of view ( you know who i mean ;)) this is a lovely lovely book so well thought out and didn’t realise how well thought until reading the real life sources 
such a cool way for me to learn a bit about cypriot history
also the writing style is so descriptive in a really thoughtful way idk 
she just really thought about how to write this story u guys!!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence and Xenophobia

nineinchnails's review

with everything going on right now the last thing i want to read is coloniser sympathising. there’s something especially disturbing to me abt revisionism favoring the oppressors in historical fiction specifically - it had potential but left a really bad taste in my mouth

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Grief, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Abandonment

Partition/Segregation

pamc_1996's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Homophobia, Violence, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Genocide and Suicidal thoughts

jenlovesbooksandcoffee's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective relaxing sad 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? Yes

5.0

Sometimes, what you call the perpetrator was just another name for an unacknowledged victim.

The audio is so good!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Drug abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Xenophobia, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and War