Reviews

La collezionista di storie by Randa Jarrar

nadzieja2004's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

chaistainedpages's review against another edition

The book seems to be written by two different authors - one captivating and funny and the other bores you to death. I skimmed over paragraphs amounting to at least a dozen pages because they were filled with unwanted details and never-ending descriptions. And that one chapter (14) in which she refers to herself in second person is almost unbearable. The author as a kid is unrelatable because she sounds too old for 6, 8 and sometimes even 13. There is incessant cussing - at first adding hilarity and then just seeming like the useless words students tack on to meet their word counts for essays. The author drones on about mundane details of everyday life and yet zips past the details when Nidali runs away from home. When I started reading the book, I had a solid 4-star rating in mind which has dwindled down to the two stars I am rating it now.

goose_121121's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense medium-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

5.0

storytimed's review against another edition

3.0

Read this about a year ago. Cute-ish memoir vibes.

smalefowles's review against another edition

3.0

I liked this book because it gave me a glimpse into worlds I don't know much about. The narrator was a child in Kuwait, fled from Saddam's invasion, lived in Egypt, and then ultimately Texas. Her voice was funny, if affected, and there's a natural, casual incorporation of striking detail which I enjoyed.

It's allegedly a novel (seems like memoir to me), and it's more of a picaresque than anything plot-driven. There's a character arc, of sorts, but there's not much direction overall.

It's also pretty obscene, if you're into that.

makealongstorycourt's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring reflective slow-paced

3.5

It was unmemorable until the last 30% of the book. The first 70% felt like any other coming of age novel, yet there wasn’t enough climax and resolution and way too much exposition for a 300 page book. It felt rushed towards the end when Nidali starts to come into her own as a Greek, Palestinian American. Her mother’s character was underdeveloped and her father’s character was all over the place - which felt intentional- but there wasn’t enough meat in the book to truly become invested in the characters as a whole family. 

x3xbesito's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective tense medium-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

5.0

fatamo's review against another edition

5.0

THIS WAS AWESOME. Podcast episode to follow, which will look into this in detail.

emmascc's review against another edition

4.0

Actual rating: 4.5 stars
This book feels like an autobiography, I was enthralled from the start and it really felt like Nidali was an actual person rather than a character. Highly recommend this!

darkspirit's review against another edition

funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

5.0

Living through the lens of Nidali's life, seeing her perspective in life , her witty banters with no ounce of boredom in her evolving lifestyle. It was a comforting book to read