sahleen's review against another edition
4.0
Another beautifully woven story from Elif Safak. This wasn’t my favorite novel by her, but it was a great read. I loved the magical realism and learning more about the history of Cyprus. Some of the characters were a little too similar to other characters in Safak books and the dialogue felt forced in certain spots, but there were also some passages that really stuck with me. I’m curious what reading this in Turkish would have been like and may come back and do that at some point.
emma_nag's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
verafey's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
4.75
Elif Shafak got me to feel empathy for and even fall a little bit in love with a tree. Yes, a tree. To be specific, a fig tree. That alone should tell you what an amazing writer she is.
nelleplett's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
sheryls's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed the historical story and did not mind the tree narration or other magical elements. However, I wasn't that interested in the modern-day story/characters and think this just dragged the book out unnecessarily. I wish authors of historical fiction would just keep it in one timeline as I find this problem with many HF books. I rated this four stars due to the historical elements which were very interesting.
felbooks1975's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
maryambsf's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0