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zoevjester's review against another edition
This is such a hard book to read - if it isn't the style, with the lack of speech quotations, the constant back and forth between past and present and psychological metaphors, the massively chunky paragraphs, then it's the content of it itself.
Reading about WW1 is never a joyful thing, and the descriptions of war-torn bodies is visceral. I don't think I'll ever continue this book because it brought me no form of enjoyment and life is too short to read books you don't like.
Reading about WW1 is never a joyful thing, and the descriptions of war-torn bodies is visceral. I don't think I'll ever continue this book because it brought me no form of enjoyment and life is too short to read books you don't like.
burrowsi1's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
4.5
adep02's review against another edition
honestly i didn’t like how jumpy this book was. it wasn’t what i wanted it to be!
bogmanbugtime's review against another edition
dark
sad
fast-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
4.5
lottie1803's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
4.0
sydsnot71's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this. I found it incredibly moving. It covers so many themes: war, death, love, addiction, flight and fear. The story goes through several different countries, starting in Serbia in 1914, Sarajevo to be precise. And it ends on a ship leaving Singapore in 1947. In between we spend most of our time in flight across thousands of miles.
Our main character is Pinto, a Bosnian Jew. He's running a family apothecary and this is the day Archduke Ferdinand comes to visit Sarajevo. And we all know what happens then. Next we find Pinto in the Austro-Hungarian Empire fighting in Russia. He has met Osman, who will be the love of his life. They end up in a Russian prisoner-of-war camp in Uzbekistan. And that is just the beginning. Other characters weave in and out of the story and Hemon quotes from Josef Lazar's books. Lazar turns out not to be who you think he is - or more accurately he turns out to be exactly who Pinto thinks he is.
History keeps happening around them and what follows is a long and arduous trek across thousands of miles. There are losses. There are gains. Pinto ends up looking after Rahela, who is born on their flight and whose mother dies giving birth to her. As the story goes along it jumps years and locations. Their flight is horrific. In the time of Suella Braverman it is good to be reminded of what refugees might actually go through to get somewhere safe.
Like all refugees, the kept moving forward because they had nowhere else to go; being on the move meant being alive.
It is a story of survival. Not everyone survives, but everyone is named. And as the epilogue outlines there is an importance in the remembering. I can't remember where I got the quote from but I heard someone say once that you die twice. The first time physically, the second time when you name is spoken for the last time. If there's a thread in this book it is that. Pinto doesn't believe there is a God to remember you, which is why people created Gods in the first place - to give frightened lonely people hope of remembrance.
I thought the writing was great, although it is one of those books that can be stripped of quotes without context and turned into a source of quotes for tiktok or whatever. I noted several down myself, but it would be a sham for a book as good as this to be gutted like that.
It does interesting things with language too. Pinto and Rahela end up speaking a language of their own pulled from the languages Pinto already spoke and bits and pieces they learn on the way. A sentence will switch from English to German or to Spanjol or whatever. There's not necessarily a translation but you get an idea of how fluid their lives are by that mix of languages.
What more can I say? It's a fantastic read. I found myself in tears at the end and there are moments of darkness and horror. There are hints of magical realism, but I don't know if that's what I'd call it. Because why do we need to label everything.
You should read it.
Our main character is Pinto, a Bosnian Jew. He's running a family apothecary and this is the day Archduke Ferdinand comes to visit Sarajevo. And we all know what happens then. Next we find Pinto in the Austro-Hungarian Empire fighting in Russia. He has met Osman, who will be the love of his life. They end up in a Russian prisoner-of-war camp in Uzbekistan. And that is just the beginning. Other characters weave in and out of the story and Hemon quotes from Josef Lazar's books. Lazar turns out not to be who you think he is - or more accurately he turns out to be exactly who Pinto thinks he is.
History keeps happening around them and what follows is a long and arduous trek across thousands of miles. There are losses. There are gains. Pinto ends up looking after Rahela, who is born on their flight and whose mother dies giving birth to her. As the story goes along it jumps years and locations. Their flight is horrific. In the time of Suella Braverman it is good to be reminded of what refugees might actually go through to get somewhere safe.
Like all refugees, the kept moving forward because they had nowhere else to go; being on the move meant being alive.
It is a story of survival. Not everyone survives, but everyone is named. And as the epilogue outlines there is an importance in the remembering. I can't remember where I got the quote from but I heard someone say once that you die twice. The first time physically, the second time when you name is spoken for the last time. If there's a thread in this book it is that. Pinto doesn't believe there is a God to remember you, which is why people created Gods in the first place - to give frightened lonely people hope of remembrance.
I thought the writing was great, although it is one of those books that can be stripped of quotes without context and turned into a source of quotes for tiktok or whatever. I noted several down myself, but it would be a sham for a book as good as this to be gutted like that.
It does interesting things with language too. Pinto and Rahela end up speaking a language of their own pulled from the languages Pinto already spoke and bits and pieces they learn on the way. A sentence will switch from English to German or to Spanjol or whatever. There's not necessarily a translation but you get an idea of how fluid their lives are by that mix of languages.
What more can I say? It's a fantastic read. I found myself in tears at the end and there are moments of darkness and horror. There are hints of magical realism, but I don't know if that's what I'd call it. Because why do we need to label everything.
You should read it.
hayleyivy's review against another edition
challenging
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? It's complicated
4.25
mxae's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
- 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? No
4.75
Honestly, would be a five star review but it's so sad that it hurts me to read it.
It's so beautiful and full of stories and songs and love and language.
Gorgeous writing.
It's so beautiful and full of stories and songs and love and language.
Gorgeous writing.