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sammymcglone's review
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
tex2flo's review against another edition
4.0
solid 4.5 stars
I was able to read this through almost in a sitting while waiting on a delayed flight. Amidst all the hustle of airline travel, it was humbling to be shown so much of interconnected nature. Just shy of 5 stars because it kept feeling like it was ending and then there was more story—at least three different times. Lovely to read more about Cyprus and the international couple of Dephne and Kostas. TheTurk and the Greek.
I was able to read this through almost in a sitting while waiting on a delayed flight. Amidst all the hustle of airline travel, it was humbling to be shown so much of interconnected nature. Just shy of 5 stars because it kept feeling like it was ending and then there was more story—at least three different times. Lovely to read more about Cyprus and the international couple of Dephne and Kostas. TheTurk and the Greek.
linka1000's review against another edition
5.0
How does one write a book so beautiful but also so engaging and quick to read? I want to know!
turquoisespiff's review
3.0
Not long after I started this book I said to my husband, in exasperation, "sometimes a plot device hasn't been used because it shouldn't be used".
This is the story of recently-bereaved young girl who's grown up in London but whose parents came from Cyprus. It's the story of her parents' early lives and it's the story of a fig tree. And therein lies a lot of my problem with the book. I find nature, and humanity's impact on and interaction with nature, fascinating, but I don't like to be given my information by a talking (only on the page) fig tree.
The story told in The Island of Missing Trees is an important one and one that I knew little about, but I didn't feel that having a fig tree as one of the narrators helped enormously in the telling of that story.
This is the story of recently-bereaved young girl who's grown up in London but whose parents came from Cyprus. It's the story of her parents' early lives and it's the story of a fig tree. And therein lies a lot of my problem with the book. I find nature, and humanity's impact on and interaction with nature, fascinating, but I don't like to be given my information by a talking (only on the page) fig tree.
The story told in The Island of Missing Trees is an important one and one that I knew little about, but I didn't feel that having a fig tree as one of the narrators helped enormously in the telling of that story.
vivekisms's review against another edition
5.0
The thing about books like The Island of Missing Trees is that they never slip from memory. They are always fresh and clear. The plot, the characters, and sometimes even certain lines. The Island of Missing Trees is so much and only Shafak could’ve skillfully managed to string it all together, without any thread going to waste.
The Island of Missing Trees is a love story – not just of two people, but also of a fig tree, of a teenager and her family, of love that we have for our homelands from which we are forced to flee, or have to in order to lead better lives, and more than anything else, it is a love story of people and nature.
Two teenagers fall in love in Cyprus – one Turkish, the other Greek. They meet at a taverna which is home to them. Kostas and Defne meet in secret, away from people’s prying eyes, in a tavern with a fig tree at its center. The fig tree watching all, observing their love, and jotting memories as time goes by. A war breaks out. The lovers are separated only to meet decades later, and what happens after that is one of the plot points of the book I don’t want to reveal.
The book travels between the past and the present, giving the readers the perspective of the fig tree, of Kostas and Defne’s daughter Ada, and more importantly of what happens to countries when borders are most sought after.
Shafak’s writing is emotional, it is gut-wrenching in so many places – when she speaks of home, of what it is to be driven away, to see neighbours turning on you – it makes you think of the countries currently in conflict and it is all about this – land for them, home for the people who live there.
The layers to this novel are plenty. On one hand, Shafak tackles mental health and its navigation, on the other – the country at war not only with outsiders, but with itself when it comes to love, of ties that are thicker than blood, and ultimately on the idea of what is home and what makes it familiar. I hope this novel makes it to the shortlist of the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2022.
The Island of Missing Trees is a love story – not just of two people, but also of a fig tree, of a teenager and her family, of love that we have for our homelands from which we are forced to flee, or have to in order to lead better lives, and more than anything else, it is a love story of people and nature.
Two teenagers fall in love in Cyprus – one Turkish, the other Greek. They meet at a taverna which is home to them. Kostas and Defne meet in secret, away from people’s prying eyes, in a tavern with a fig tree at its center. The fig tree watching all, observing their love, and jotting memories as time goes by. A war breaks out. The lovers are separated only to meet decades later, and what happens after that is one of the plot points of the book I don’t want to reveal.
The book travels between the past and the present, giving the readers the perspective of the fig tree, of Kostas and Defne’s daughter Ada, and more importantly of what happens to countries when borders are most sought after.
Shafak’s writing is emotional, it is gut-wrenching in so many places – when she speaks of home, of what it is to be driven away, to see neighbours turning on you – it makes you think of the countries currently in conflict and it is all about this – land for them, home for the people who live there.
The layers to this novel are plenty. On one hand, Shafak tackles mental health and its navigation, on the other – the country at war not only with outsiders, but with itself when it comes to love, of ties that are thicker than blood, and ultimately on the idea of what is home and what makes it familiar. I hope this novel makes it to the shortlist of the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2022.
amyedreger's review against another edition
5.0
This book was achingly beautiful. I found myself going back and rereading passages that touched me deeply. There are so many interesting themes covered in this book and I cannot wait to discuss it with my book club. This is one of those books that you continue to think about long after you finish reading the last page.
panbrae's review against another edition
5.0
A book 50% of which is written from the perspective of a tree set in three eras of Cypriot history including the time of the invasion in 1974. Lyrical, beautifully written and heart rending.
shedonist's review against another edition
4.0
I loved the flavor and texture of this book. The ficus tress being a narrator / character in the book was unexpected and lovely. This book was a joy to read and I loved the characters and the family connections.
sdefelice's review against another edition
5.0
Oh my gosh, this book is beautiful. The writing is beautiful, the story is beautiful, the characters are beautifully messy. I want to visit Cyprus.