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lottie1803's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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? No
3.75
sammarei's review against another edition
2.0
I really wanted to like this book, but I found the pacing of the story and the use of language awkward and stilted. I kept waiting for the book to take off - it never did. There were a few well crafted moments and insights, but beyond that, it just didn't move me.
tiedyedude's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed the very accurate depiction of the main character's experience in her different ages: the way she only gets snippets of information when she's young, withdraws from older family members in the second stage, and gives up the search for explanations as she realizes when she's older and just spends time with her loved ones. It was very realistic and honest, but I feel that the lack of details kept me from fully enjoying the story. Promising for a debut novel, but just average.
tayocto's review against another edition
2.0
review will be up on my blog on October 11, 2016 taylorpalmwrites.wordpress.com
shannonrkline's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
slnewman89's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.0
jmiles758's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Xenophobia, and War
dominiq_ec's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
It's another "is it fiction? is it a biography?" book, and the ambiguity makes it very difficult to understand and enjoy.
shannonw19's review against another edition
3.0
This is the story of a girl who sees Egypt in three decades as she grows up. Her father, is gone and no one will tell her why or for how long. Her mother speaks French to avoid her daughter understanding what's going on. Her Uncle is a revolutionary. She decides to become a filmmaker.
That is the basic plot of Chronicle of a Last Summer. While this book is relatively short, it has depth beyond its pages. Ms. Rashidi's descriptions of Cairo are amazing. She uses language to vividly demonstrate what it feels, like, smells like and looks like.
I did enjoy this book. However, I did not like the ending. It just seemed to stop telling the story rather abruptly. That aside, I did like the book and would recommend it if you want to picture of Egypt from the 80s to today.
I won this book from Goodreads and received no other compensation for my review. The opinion expressed herein are mine and mine alone.
That is the basic plot of Chronicle of a Last Summer. While this book is relatively short, it has depth beyond its pages. Ms. Rashidi's descriptions of Cairo are amazing. She uses language to vividly demonstrate what it feels, like, smells like and looks like.
I did enjoy this book. However, I did not like the ending. It just seemed to stop telling the story rather abruptly. That aside, I did like the book and would recommend it if you want to picture of Egypt from the 80s to today.
I won this book from Goodreads and received no other compensation for my review. The opinion expressed herein are mine and mine alone.