cpoole91's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mypinksofa's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
aniastef86's review against another edition
4.0
Da Nagasaki alla guerra in Afghanistan, passando per il dominio inglese sull’India, la Partizione del Pakistan e l’11 settembre, la Shamsie ripercorre 60 anni di storia attraverso due famiglie molto diverse tra loro, legate indissolubilmente l’una all’altra dalla bomba atomica del 9 agosto 1945.
È una storia devastante, segnata dalle atrocità della guerra, dal dolore della perdità, dal rincorrere una pace che sembra non arrivare mai; in questo teatro di violenza, però, l’amore trova sempre uno spazio e la nostra protagonista, Hiroko, ci dimostra che dentro di noi possiamo trovare la forza per andare avanti e il coraggio di perdonare. Ombre bruciate è un libro che mi ha fatto pensare, commuovere e anche incazzare; inoltre è un valido contenitore di riflessioni e leggerlo oggi, in questo periodo dove la storia si sta ripetendo, penso che potrebbe portare un po’ di luce in certe menti assopite.
Ps. Unica nota negativa che ho trovato è lo stile narrativo della Shamsie: non è accattivante, a tratti l’ho trovato pure piatto e per nulla stimolante. Per fortuna la storia ha un peso talmente grande che si regge da sola.
È una storia devastante, segnata dalle atrocità della guerra, dal dolore della perdità, dal rincorrere una pace che sembra non arrivare mai; in questo teatro di violenza, però, l’amore trova sempre uno spazio e la nostra protagonista, Hiroko, ci dimostra che dentro di noi possiamo trovare la forza per andare avanti e il coraggio di perdonare. Ombre bruciate è un libro che mi ha fatto pensare, commuovere e anche incazzare; inoltre è un valido contenitore di riflessioni e leggerlo oggi, in questo periodo dove la storia si sta ripetendo, penso che potrebbe portare un po’ di luce in certe menti assopite.
Ps. Unica nota negativa che ho trovato è lo stile narrativo della Shamsie: non è accattivante, a tratti l’ho trovato pure piatto e per nulla stimolante. Per fortuna la storia ha un peso talmente grande che si regge da sola.
verlo's review against another edition
4.5
I am always impressed by the depth and complexity of the relationships between Shamsie's characters, who in this case make up three generations of two very different families. She also manages to string together an intricate plot that spans decades. This is the third novel of Shamsie's that I have read, and I can see why it is considered one of her most, if not the most, ambitious of her works. I don't think I've read a book like this before that is able to tie a strong, cohesive plot between seemingly distinct, yet equally significant, historical events: WWII, the Partition of India, the rise of terrorism, 9/11. It is very much an epic, though I suspect what readers deem heroic in this book is highly debatable. I also appreciate that Shamsie treats her subjects with care and nuance, and is willing to challenge Western narratives about war. I found the novel's anger at the devastation Western powers caused both resonant and affirming. As a child of Asian immigrants in the US, I wrestle with a version of that same anger alongside a desire to find my own place in the country. More often than not, I land on the side of anger.
carolina2's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.75
marshmalison's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: War and Islamophobia
suchikaashyap's review against another edition
5.0
Spanning 5 countries and 6 decades, Burnt Shadows begins where the world as we knew ended, in Nagasaki, on August 9 1945. The day began as a perfectly blue day but only the survivors, among them Hiroko, would associate it with a certain greyness. The greyness clouding the world, when war has removed all the vibrant colors.
War remains at the core of Burnt Shadows, not the horrors of war as you see it happening before you, but picking up from broken shards of a former life, in the aftermath of war itself. Every country that it encompasses, begins at a point when it has been razed down by hatred. Hiroko Tanaka loses her lover, Konrad, a German translator, on that fateful August day and her life changes forever. Two years later...
Read more of the review @ http://suchisbookshelf.blogspot.com/2010/03/burnt-shadows-kamila-shamsie.html
War remains at the core of Burnt Shadows, not the horrors of war as you see it happening before you, but picking up from broken shards of a former life, in the aftermath of war itself. Every country that it encompasses, begins at a point when it has been razed down by hatred. Hiroko Tanaka loses her lover, Konrad, a German translator, on that fateful August day and her life changes forever. Two years later...
Read more of the review @ http://suchisbookshelf.blogspot.com/2010/03/burnt-shadows-kamila-shamsie.html
jenniferw88's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
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? Yes
5.0