Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

L'isola degli alberi scomparsi by Elif Shafak

62 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

2treads's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

Shafak evoked such emotion with this story of loss, grief, and illness linked to a history of violence through a family formed out of this painful period. Ada is an awkward teen who is curious about her parents' past while dealing with her emotionally distant father and his lack of interaction in her pursuit.

It is the empathic way in which Shafak deals with certain themes that attracts me to her writing and stories.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Alcoholism, Abortion, and Pregnancy

sophiestasyna's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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

love letter to Cyprus, trees, and the circle of life.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Abortion, Pregnancy, and War

divinehealer14's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

What a beautiful, compassionate, infinitely wise and empathic book, that explores the depths of grief, hope, love and the devastation of war with tender touch. 
The choice of giving a fig tree personality and perspective was truly unique and fascinating to me, and I was deeply interested and mesmerised by the lyrical witty observations on nature and humanity, and how they intertwine. Truly a wonderful book, and a necessary one 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Abortion, Pregnancy, and War

eemadeeberry's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective 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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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Suicide, Violence, Alcohol, and War

Minor: Child death and Pregnancy

saskia_ej's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Homophobia, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, and War

Moderate: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide, and Pregnancy

maria_silv_reads's review against another edition

emotional informative mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

4.0

Emotional rollercoaster and unlike any historical fiction I have read before! Something I loved about this book was the combination of genres used and weaved together for the story to be the way it was. The writing of the jumps in time could have gone either way but thr author wrote them in a way that made really good sense and was so easy to piece them together with the main/'current' events. I loved the story from the fig tree's perspective being seen as a person but not in too much of a religious way where its preaching it too much. I did think the ending and discussions about Ada's mum's death were a bit rushed which was the downside to this book. However overall, this book takes many difficult themes and really thinks through how to communicate these in a delicate but in an educational and interesting storyline.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Suicide, Violence, Abortion, and Pregnancy

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