Reviews with content warning for Murder - Honour

What an amazing book! I feel like I almost read it too fast with how much I enjoyed it.
It took me minute to get everyone in the family straight and to keep the storylines in check, but overall I loved this novel.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again Shafak is one of the most beautiful writers I think I’ll ever read. She has such a way of describing the way characters feel and the setting around them it blows me away every time. I never want to stop writing down her quotes.
Some of this book was honestly a little hard to read because of how intense and obviously toxic this family was. Seeing that tradition and honor can destroy a family so completely and horrifically put it in a new view for me. The writing was so intense and luring that it almost felt like it was from a personal point of view that really made me feel what was happening in the story.
The ending really threw me for a loop! I did not expect the twist at all and I enjoyed that It happened. I thought it was going to end differently so I was glad for the surprise.
I would absolutely read this book, but I would check trigger warnings before hand as well.

Content Warnings

lorees_reading_nook's review

Go to review page

emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

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

3.75

As the title states, this is a book about honour, family honour, to be exact. It is the story of a young Turkish family that emigrated to London in the 1970s. It is told from the perspective of people from an Eastern culture trying to integrate into a Western one without completely losing their sense of identity by trying to keep some of their traditions alive.

But it is also a story about internalised misogyny, about the cultural perception that exists in many countries that there is a set of weights and measures for men and another one for women -with men allowed to do pretty much as they please while women suffer the consequences. Honour is not one of those books that you pick up and read in one sitting. There are many passages that will make you stop and think, not only to question the actions of the characters in the book, but perhaps to also prod you into dissecting your own preconceived notions about certain subjects.

Honour is not Elif Shafak's best known book but I believe her intention was to raise awareness about a subject that is very close to her heart.

Content Warnings

yetanothernastya's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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

5.0

I’ve heard Elif Shafak is wonderful. It’s true. I loved the book. I needed to get used to so many characters’ perspective, but it worked out extremely well in the end of the story. A story of a few generations from different families, spread from Turkey, Kurdistan and the UK, even a bit in United Arab Emirates. But these scenes and places, what I found extremely well done, are not overpowering the plot, they’re not the center of our attention, they’re always there as a background to characters’ stories. And wow it’s so well written.

Content Warnings

the_literarylinguist's review

Go to review page

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

Content Warnings

More...