lazygal's review against another edition
3.0
Yet another "Romeo & Juliet"-esque story, this time against the setting of Afghanistan and the threat of the Taliban. She's from the Hazara tribe, daughter of a peasant farmer who works land owned by a Pashtun khan. He's the beloved son of the Pashtun landlord, and they grew up together, friends until puberty and he went to a madrassas. In such a proscribed society, can their love flourish? Add to the mix his cousin, a Taliban member. Sadly, the plot doesn't deviate from the usual.
It's the injection of Afghanistan and its tribes, tribal customs that differentiates this from the normal R&J story. If only Rashid (the Taliban cousin) had been slightly different, this would have been a four-star.
ARC provided by publisher.
It's the injection of Afghanistan and its tribes, tribal customs that differentiates this from the normal R&J story. If only Rashid (the Taliban cousin) had been slightly different, this would have been a four-star.
ARC provided by publisher.
sdurr's review against another edition
4.0
This book has been sitting on my YA shelf for almost a year. Because I had nothing else appropriate on my shelves, I grabbed it on the way out the door yesterday for some light bus reading. Was I surprised!
Yes, it's a quick and easy read for me; I breezed through it in a day. But the content was far heavier than I imagined it would be. As I always, I love books that give me characters I truly care about.
Since Sami and Fatima's story share some characteristics of Romeo and Juliet's, I hoped their love story would not with the same useless tragedy. There is tragedy in this novel but Sami and Fatima do not cause the tragedy. Yes. They have the families on opposite sides of a long-running conflict but the families do not have the Montague and Capulet animosity. Yes. They have their version of Friar Laurence but the Mullah is a wise advisor and rather a hero of the story for me. There's even a Paris parallel but he is not the villain of our story. There are many villains -- the one we suspect from the beginning and others we don't expect -- but the worse of them is also the flattest character highlighted in the story. The others are multi-dimensional and very real.
The story and the characters are far more complex than this simple story suggests on the surface -- as complex as the political chaos of modern-day Afghanistan, the setting of the novel.
Abawi almost makes me understand that complex reality of this war-torn country. The only flaw: the only happy ending is escape. I suppose this is a tragedy after all.
Yes, it's a quick and easy read for me; I breezed through it in a day. But the content was far heavier than I imagined it would be. As I always, I love books that give me characters I truly care about.
Since Sami and Fatima's story share some characteristics of Romeo and Juliet's, I hoped their love story would not with the same useless tragedy. There is tragedy in this novel but Sami and Fatima do not cause the tragedy. Yes. They have the families on opposite sides of a long-running conflict but the families do not have the Montague and Capulet animosity. Yes. They have their version of Friar Laurence but the Mullah is a wise advisor and rather a hero of the story for me. There's even a Paris parallel but he is not the villain of our story. There are many villains -- the one we suspect from the beginning and others we don't expect -- but the worse of them is also the flattest character highlighted in the story. The others are multi-dimensional and very real.
The story and the characters are far more complex than this simple story suggests on the surface -- as complex as the political chaos of modern-day Afghanistan, the setting of the novel.
Abawi almost makes me understand that complex reality of this war-torn country. The only flaw: the only happy ending is escape. I suppose this is a tragedy after all.
heisereads's review against another edition
5.0
An incredible story of the intersection of love and culture and family and trust told in a beautiful landscape with tragic circumstances. A strong debut YA novel telling a side to the story many won't have heard before.
herlifewithbooks's review against another edition
A quick-paced Romeo & Juliet-type romance about teenagers living in rural Afghanistan. Nothing terribly unexpected or awful about this one, but it was pretty interesting to see how the typical YA fantasy romance might play out in such a different culture, with different cultural values.
marinazala's review against another edition
3.0
** Books 29 - 2016 **
3,3 of 5 stars!
This books simply makes me amazed how ethnic cannot separate love between two young people in Afghanistan. Iam shocked and also sad there is an tragedy that being paid for Fatima and sammiullah's relationship in the end. >__<
Thank you Kony Books i've got this book only IDR 100k. I've found in the other online bookstore it should be IDR 145k XD
3,3 of 5 stars!
This books simply makes me amazed how ethnic cannot separate love between two young people in Afghanistan. Iam shocked and also sad there is an tragedy that being paid for Fatima and sammiullah's relationship in the end. >__<
Thank you Kony Books i've got this book only IDR 100k. I've found in the other online bookstore it should be IDR 145k XD
mezzythedragon's review against another edition
4.0
This is my first time doing audiobook, and I listened to this story in one sitting. The narration was a bit melodramatic at times, but I did swoon and cry over Samiullah’s POV.
This is not an easy book by any means. I know nothing about Afghan culture, nor the Pashtun and Hazara, so I had to stop myself from questioning the characters’ decisions, since I am not part of that culture. (Of course, abuse is never okay in any culture, and Fatima’s mother is reprehensible, not just to her but to all her children.) Also, religion is used to justify atrocities, and there were a lot here. Rashid was a hateful antagonist, and ultimately his overzealous beliefs brought him more suffering.
Still, it does follow the Romance format, but it’s an HFN. After everything that happened, that’s the best and most realistic you can hope for.
This is not an easy book by any means. I know nothing about Afghan culture, nor the Pashtun and Hazara, so I had to stop myself from questioning the characters’ decisions, since I am not part of that culture. (Of course, abuse is never okay in any culture, and Fatima’s mother is reprehensible, not just to her but to all her children.) Also, religion is used to justify atrocities, and there were a lot here. Rashid was a hateful antagonist, and ultimately his overzealous beliefs brought him more suffering.
Still, it does follow the Romance format, but it’s an HFN. After everything that happened, that’s the best and most realistic you can hope for.
in2reading's review against another edition
4.0
This young adult novel was written by a woman born to Afghan parents. Although she was not raised in Afghanistan, her background and her time as a foreign news correspondent in Kabul for almost 5 years give the culture portrayed in this story credibility. That is scary because some facets of the culture are harsh and cruel. Both of the main characters are disfigured and humiliated during their young lives, and several other characters are murdered. There are also loving and understanding characters portrayed, but I admit to feeling very sad about the lives of the Afghan people and the competing inflexible cultural and religious forces in their lives. This is not for the faint of heart but provides a small window on a society that operates very differently from Western norms.
queenclaire13's review against another edition
5.0
This is giving me The Kite Runner vibes. This book is very eye-opening. I want to cry but I’m more shocked and hurt by the events in this book. I am angry. Very very angry.
typedtruths's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Misogyny, and Child abuse
➸ Trigger warnings for racism, slut-shaming, forced and arranged marriage, child abuse, physical injuries including graphic burns, murder, and poverty.