sandcastle22's review against another edition
4.0
This is something of a coming-of-age novel, both for the characters and for Pakistan. Lots of humor -- wry, adolescent wit. The word-play was especially fun. The time I spent working in Karachi in the '60s at age 16 (when there was still an East and West Pakistan) made this novel especially intriguing to me. Lots of parallels with issues in this country, too -- the love-hate relationship that the characters have with their country, the ethnic/racial divides, the universal angst of each generation's youth. It rambles a bit, but kept me involved.
kalivha's review against another edition
5.0
I read this book 5 years too late, perhaps, 5 years after leaving Karachi.
It brought back many memories of Karachi, good and bad.
It taught me about the Bangladeshi independence war, which has touched the lives of people I know.
Most importantly, it so vividly describes why Karachi is such a complicated place. At times it reminded me why I kind of preferred Lahore, and it captured so well many feelings I had about Karachi when I worked there. It was really important for me to read on a personal level, and so well written for just that purpose. And maybe 5 years later was a good time to read it, after all.
The story of the people in the book was also nice, but it was nowhere near as outstanding as the picture of the city it painted.
It brought back many memories of Karachi, good and bad.
It taught me about the Bangladeshi independence war, which has touched the lives of people I know.
Most importantly, it so vividly describes why Karachi is such a complicated place. At times it reminded me why I kind of preferred Lahore, and it captured so well many feelings I had about Karachi when I worked there. It was really important for me to read on a personal level, and so well written for just that purpose. And maybe 5 years later was a good time to read it, after all.
The story of the people in the book was also nice, but it was nowhere near as outstanding as the picture of the city it painted.
shashwat's review against another edition
3.0
This book was easily a 4 star but the last 2 pages!? What was that? It was as if someone else wrote the ending, totally different writing style, very unclear and it was very frustrating to invest 300 pages of reading and then it all goes to waste in the last 2 pages. If you’re going to read this, just skip the end, not worth it.
The rest of book was great and a quick read.
The rest of book was great and a quick read.
vaishsviews's review against another edition
1.0
I wasn’t a fan of this book and that’s okay. Sometimes you’ll come across books that will be just what you’re looking for, but as you read, you’ll find it’s not for you. That’s okay, because that’s the beauty of reading more and more books; to find out what you like and don’t like.
For Raheen and Karim, 1971 is a poignant year. It’s the year India and Pakistan were at war with each other and the independence of Bangladesh (West Pakistan formerly). It’s also the year that formed the basis of all interactions between both of their parents. Raheen and Karim have been friends since they were born and see Karachi as their home. Years of a war tear at their friendship and it’s only when they’re reunited in a summer full of strikes and ethnic violences that they are forced to confront all that they know about each other and their parents.
I wanted to love it, I really did but it just didn’t live up to the expectations for me. I found myself super reluctant to pick it up or even read more than a few pages at a time. I also kept getting lost in the narrative and not really sure of what was happening.
For Raheen and Karim, 1971 is a poignant year. It’s the year India and Pakistan were at war with each other and the independence of Bangladesh (West Pakistan formerly). It’s also the year that formed the basis of all interactions between both of their parents. Raheen and Karim have been friends since they were born and see Karachi as their home. Years of a war tear at their friendship and it’s only when they’re reunited in a summer full of strikes and ethnic violences that they are forced to confront all that they know about each other and their parents.
I wanted to love it, I really did but it just didn’t live up to the expectations for me. I found myself super reluctant to pick it up or even read more than a few pages at a time. I also kept getting lost in the narrative and not really sure of what was happening.
mperna's review against another edition
3.0
An Xmas present from Anne :)
The story was good, but the author's writing is better. I love her use of imagery and words is awesome.
The story was good, but the author's writing is better. I love her use of imagery and words is awesome.
chrysalis11's review against another edition
5.0
Breathtaking, humorous and heartbreaking, this novel pulsates with the soul of Karachi and makes you live the city. Through the people, the sights, the feelings, the words. The story is about the city, the people who make the city, the history that shaped the people, and the maps that charted the history. Shamsie leaves you speechless. Karim and Raheen's story is one which you wouldn't wish to own yet would die to.
greyemk's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
This is one of those books that is mostly a love letter to a city and the human characters are incidental. Luckily, Shamsie is talented enough that not just our leads but our supporting characters and their supporting characters all feel real and lived-in. Like real people behaving like people do.
Raheen loves Karim. Always has and always will. This book is about how to take the parts of ourselves we can’t control, our histories and our childhoods, and make them make sense. Have them shape us into the people we want to be and not drag us into the worst parts of the past.
When we love something, a person or a city, we believe we know it better than anyone. But love can be naive or it can be complicated. It’s easy to love when we hide the unsavory bits, the pieces that make us uncomfortable, the hurt and pain. What means more is to see things as they are and love anyways.
I love these characters and this world. This was the first book I’ve read in a very long time where I wasn’t counting down to the end, thinking about what to read next (other than more by this author). I was immersed. The prose hit the sweet spot between poetic and straightforward, with its moments of beauty mixed with its readability.
This was just a really good book! I feel like I have more to say but I’ll leave this review at that so I don’t ramble incoherently for ages.
Raheen loves Karim. Always has and always will. This book is about how to take the parts of ourselves we can’t control, our histories and our childhoods, and make them make sense. Have them shape us into the people we want to be and not drag us into the worst parts of the past.
When we love something, a person or a city, we believe we know it better than anyone. But love can be naive or it can be complicated. It’s easy to love when we hide the unsavory bits, the pieces that make us uncomfortable, the hurt and pain. What means more is to see things as they are and love anyways.
I love these characters and this world. This was the first book I’ve read in a very long time where I wasn’t counting down to the end, thinking about what to read next (other than more by this author). I was immersed. The prose hit the sweet spot between poetic and straightforward, with its moments of beauty mixed with its readability.
This was just a really good book! I feel like I have more to say but I’ll leave this review at that so I don’t ramble incoherently for ages.
songmingi's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Kartography tells the tale of Karachi itself and the people that give the city life. Kartography covers so many important and complex themes, it speaks of a Pakistan I never got to experience but one I still recognise. It puts forward questions about love, identity, classicism and how we define the places we call home.
I enjoyed the writing style; it wasn't simplistic but wasn't too prose-heavy either. However, I didn't always enjoy the pacing, sometimes the flashbacks were too abrupt and spaced out a lot oddly leaving me a small bit confused at times. This book also delivers drama in a way only a desi person could write.
In regards to the character writing, I'm conflicted, the characters have their complexities, and they are in a way two dimensional or a mishmash of tropes. However I think they are unequally developed I could never wrap my mind around Karim, other than his obsession with maps and yearning for a connection who was he? While Raheen annoyed me, it was the point, she was someone self-centred and stubborn and had to learn the errors of her ways.
Despite its flaws I think Kartography is a beautiful exploration of the history of Karachi and captures its magic in a way I have never seen before.
I enjoyed the writing style; it wasn't simplistic but wasn't too prose-heavy either. However, I didn't always enjoy the pacing, sometimes the flashbacks were too abrupt and spaced out a lot oddly leaving me a small bit confused at times. This book also delivers drama in a way only a desi person could write.
In regards to the character writing, I'm conflicted, the characters have their complexities, and they are in a way two dimensional or a mishmash of tropes. However I think they are unequally developed I could never wrap my mind around Karim, other than his obsession with maps and yearning for a connection who was he? While Raheen annoyed me, it was the point, she was someone self-centred and stubborn and had to learn the errors of her ways.
Despite its flaws I think Kartography is a beautiful exploration of the history of Karachi and captures its magic in a way I have never seen before.
choirqueer's review against another edition
4.0
I did really like this book, but it was difficult to read, and not for the reasons I expected. I loved the first few chapters and was very excited to see how the story would unfold, but after that it felt like the narrative was rather uneven in terms of how compelling I found it. I was really looking forward to a story that focused on the friendship between the two main characters, and I felt like I didn't really get the story that I was excited about when the book began. The different love stories just seemed to take over the plot in ways that didn't hold my interest. Nonetheless, I'm glad I read it and would certainly give other work by this author a try. I felt like there were a lot of good things in this book that I just would really have liked to see more of in the overall story.