Reviews

El Azul Entre El Cielo Y El Agua by Susan Abulhawa

rosibook's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad tense medium-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? No

4.0

lepicentre's review against another edition

4.0

Cette lecture c’est une claque monumentale. Je ne comprends pas pourquoi je ne me suis pas lancé dedans avant. Nous avons une fresque de la vie après la nakba. C’est une fresque sur 3 générations. Nous pouvons voir l’évolution des trauma causé par le colonialisme. Les humiliations, la violence, la haine, mais ce qui prime dans ce roman c’est l’amour, l’amour pour sa famille, l’amour pour les siens, l’amour pour son prochain et l’amour pour Allah. Il y a de nombreux personnages, ce qui peut déstabilisé le lecteur, mais cela renforce le tissu qui coût cette histoire. Je me suis senti accueilli dans ce roman, je me suis senti révolté de voir que les situations n’ait pas évolué. 

turtletats's review against another edition

4.5

I laughed aloud and actually cried through this book. Both rare occurrences. Loved it.

jacquilogan's review against another edition

4.0

4) The Blue Between Sky and Water by Susan Abulhawa audiobook narrated by Jennifer Woodward, publisher Audible Studios for Bloomsbury. Listened to using Audible.
I had to think about this book before I wrote about it, there are bits that do not make it an easy comfortable read. It starts in 1947 in a small village in Palestine and the Baraka family, when Israeli forces gather outside the towns borders and terror descends and the village destroyed. The family must take the long road to Gaza, a walk that test them to the limits.
Sixty years have passed and the granddaughter to one of the family members, Nur who was born and living in America falls in love with a married man, a doctor working in Palestine. She follows him to Gaza and there she meets Alwan, the mother of Khaled, a boy trapped in his own body, unable to wake up from a deep blue dream. It is though her that Nur will at last discover the ties of kinship. The beloved Grandfather she lost as a young girl, and the treasured memories she built up with him before her life fell apart.

Be warned this is not a warm fuzzy read, there are some horrible descriptions of rape, murder, child abuse and the excess that comes from any conflict which has happened for millennia. I am not saying that is right, just warning that this book has quite a few examples of them. You can’t say you enjoy this type of story, but it did make me think and we really do need to treat our fellow humans better.

skorned's review against another edition

challenging emotional medium-paced

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

This is another sweeping story following a Gazan family through the Naqba and after- the characters are usual and yet extraordinary, as all people are, once you get to know them individually. 

Honestly this is not Susan Abulhawa's best work, but I still liked it. The ending just felt a bit abrupt.

juliemadsen's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

laura0506's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

amargada_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

One of the best books I’ve read this year. It reminded me of Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi because was a multigenerational storyline that managed to weave real life events into a fictional story. I haven’t wept this hard for a book in a while but it was hard not to when everything described in the book is actually happening to real life people. Like Homegoing, it also touches on mental illness and how cultures across the globe view things like schizophrenia as having “gifts.” In this case, one of the matriarchs is able to speak to Djinn but those around her see it as a power and look to her for guidance. 10/10 and a book I’m bound to reread.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and War

rociovoncina's review

5.0

Titulo: El azul entre el cielo y el agua
Autor: Susan Abulhawa
Año publicado: 2015
Motivo de lectura: #MarzoAsiatico
Lectura / Relectura: Lectura
Fisico / Electronico: Electronico
Mi edicion: -
Idioma: Español
Puntuacion: 5/5

Asi es como me siento. Como si no hubiese nada que me mantenga unida. Como si estuviese formada por un monton de pedazos de diferentes sitios pegados con cinta y todo fuera a resquebrajarse si me muevo bruscamente o hablo demasiado alto.

Que decir de la pluma de Susan Abulhawa? Realmente es una maravilla. Logra capturar a la perfeccion los sentimientos, leer a Abulhawa se asemeja a la experiencia de poder ver los sentimientos, es que su escritura traspasa y trascience las paginas.

La construccion de sus personajes (en su gran mayoria mujeres) es esplendida, como asi tambien como plantea la dinamica familiar balanceando entre cultura/costumbres y religion, pero por sobre todas las cosas, hace enfasis en el amor infinito que puede nacer en circunstancias tan espantosas como lo es una guerra (o mas bien un ataque) absolutamente injusto. Todo lo que se relata en el libro no es ni exagerado, ni inventado, es la realidad que los Palestinos pasan dia a dia desde hace muchisimas decadas. El dolor por la tierra es una herida que jamas cicatriza, ni tampoco se olvida.

Leer a Susan Abulhawa fue una experiencia muy personal para mi, donde en muchas partes me llevo a las lagrimas, y donde tambien encontre rastros de mi abuela, mi madre y mis tias. Esta historia hace que te duela partes del alma, es un viaje emocional poderoso. Pero a su vez Abulhawa nos entrega un sabor a esperanza, una tierra donde algun dia la libertad correra por las calles.

Siento que no habria estrellas suficientes para darle justicia a este libro absolutamente brillante, desde su escritura hasta su intencion.

princesstempura's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75