____emily____'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Sexism, Physical abuse, Rape, and Pregnancy
sarahmarie094's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Abortion, Alcohol, and Child death
briana7'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
4.5
Minor: Sexual violence, Child death, Sexual assault, Rape, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Mental illness, Abortion, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Suicide, and Violence
achiunicorn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Death of parent
ourxstorybegins's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Isra comes to America from Palestine in the early 90's after marrying Adam. The small amount of time we spend with Isra's family shows that her parents consider her a burden since she can't support the family like their sons are able to. She is hopeful that things will change as she moves to Brooklyn with her family, but as she starts giving birth to only girls, she becomes the victim of physical abuse from her husband as well as verbal abuse from her mother-in-law, Fareeda. We meet Deya, Isra's oldest daughter, in 2008. Isra and Adam have died, and Fareeda is now taking care of all four of their daughters. Again, we see the ongoing attitude that a woman's ultimate goal in life is marriage and children (sons, specifically). Deya has some memories of her parents, but as the book progresses we learn more about Isra's abuse, subsequent depression, and what led to the death of her and her husband.
SPOILER-FILLED REVIEW:
Spoiler
There were multiple times where I was waiting for some kind of plot twist, but it never really came. I hoped Isra faked her death -- while the story of her death was a lie, the death did indeed happen. I looked forward to Fareeda's perspective so that I could better understand her behaviors, but she was so deeply engrained in the patriarchal and abusive expectations set up by generations before her (as well as the major guilt she felt for the death of her first children), her chapters ended up making me dislike her even more. I hoped Adam came around and had some positive moments with her toward the end of their lives -- he ended up murdering her (and later killing himself) after she tried to escape from him with their daughters. Most times when something positive happened, it was always overshadowed by something painful or by Isra's fear.There was one actually good experience: Once Deya learned the truth about her parents, she was able to stand up to her grandparents, get the full truth that Sarah didn't know, and determine what she actually wanted in her life and go for it. By the end of Deya's story in the book, we can see that she was taking the first steps to finally break the cycle that had been going for far too long with this family.
This was a really hard book to read! I had to take a lot of breaks to get through it due to how dark the themes were. As a white woman, there were just some things about this story that I couldn't fully wrap my head around. Nonetheless, this story was important and I do highly recommend it.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Violence, Death of parent, and Misogyny
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Child death, Alcoholism, and Murder
bookhoarder2022's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Abortion, Alcoholism, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, and Pregnancy
Minor: Car accident
ljtademy3's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Addiction, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Suicide
lydiareadingbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual assault, Child death, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcoholism
gemin1reader's review against another edition
3.5
I had some issues with the execution of the story - some of the characterisation felt slightly lacking and at times it was quite repetitive.
Graphic: Violence, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Sexism, and Misogyny
Moderate: Grief, Miscarriage, Injury/injury detail, and War
britmo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Murder, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Rape, and Misogyny
Moderate: Child abuse, Grief, and Alcoholism
Minor: Abortion