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zachn97's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Incest, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Islamophobia, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation
avisreadsandreads'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? No
Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Racism, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Antisemitism, Dementia, and Kidnapping
Minor: Rape
deckleeditproof's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Genocide, Hate crime, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Child death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Torture, and Murder
Minor: Alcoholism, Blood, Dementia, and Death of parent
amberinpieces's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Violence, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Gun violence, Blood, Dementia, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Racism, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy
chi__'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
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Blood, Dementia, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Deportation
Moderate: Alcoholism and Pregnancy
kimschouwenaar's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Woah. And I mean that in every sense of the expression. This multi-generational story about a Palestinian family grabs you by the throat, nails digging in, and does not relent. I expect it to retain its hold on me for months to come. Abulhawa takes you by the hand and leads you through history and grief, leads you through the relentless suffering of Palestinians, and does not hold back.
Each chapter I was left questioning Can this really happen? Can a people be this ruthless and arrogant to believe they have the rights to invade a country and act like they are the only victims?
Yes. In fact, it is happening and has been happening for decades. We need to stop trying to justify genocide. The safety of one people should not come at the cost of another country and culture.
"The roots of out grief coil so deeply into loss that death has come to live with us like a family member who makes you happy by avoiding you, but who is still one of the family. Our anger is a rage that Westerners cannot understand. Our sadness can make the stones weep. And the way we love is no exception, Amal."
It's a tough read, but I strongly believe it's one that we should all know.
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racism and Kidnapping
Minor: Alcoholism, Pedophilia, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Dementia, and Deportation
nineinchnails'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? No
5.0
it feels weird to rate this book like i would other fiction novels, since many of these fictional events are recurring as we speak. what i will say is that anyone even slightly interested in learning about palestine stands to gain a lot from reading this book. while it is definitely heavy and dark, it shows so much beauty in the land and culture too. the story switches hands between characters a fair amount here but i think it works in its favour and is necessary to tell this particular story. i don't think anything i write here could do this book justice but i loved this book from front to cover and i don't think the contents will ever leave my mind.
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Violence, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Confinement, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Blood, Antisemitism, Dementia, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy
Minor: Child abuse, Incest, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, and Rape
nodogsonthemoon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Racism, Blood, Islamophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Rape, Violence, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Dementia, and Kidnapping
writingcaia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
It’s hard to transmit all I’ve felt during it, even now after a few hours.
This book is not only informative and deeply meshed into the history of Palestine, the culture, the family ties, the smell and love of that country, it is also a very open window into the invasion/occupation and conflict with Israel, the camps, the ethnic cleansing, and all the atrocities of the apartheid since.
Although this is the fictional story of a Palestinian family going back three generations when they’re first taken from their ancestral home in 1967 and forced into the Jenin refugee camp travelling time and countries to end in 2003, this is still based on hundreds of real stories that happened during those 40 years.
A book that I now consider a must read to all that want to understand humanity at its most intense level of experience, from love to hatred, loss and despair to hope, from war to art.
The writing is poetic and deeply resonating, and the way it tells of the love of country and people even through such severe loss is humbling and takes you on a journey inside your own feelings as you follow those in this tale.
I cried, despaired, and raged, and still feel the aftershock of all the information, all this history, all these feelings, this is definitely not a book for the faint hearted still I cannot recommend it enough, and will be doing so forever more.
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Islamophobia, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual violence
Minor: Miscarriage, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
annainthebooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Sexual content and Torture
Minor: Child abuse, Incest, Rape, and Dementia