Reviews tagging 'War'

Salt Houses by Hala Alyan

58 reviews

jinmichae's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious sad 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? Yes

4.25

I'd suggest writing down relationships and names, because this book covers many generations.

Slice of life, but all characters are connected through family. Place is another character, as the family is split and comes together across countries, often moved by war.

A line that especially struck me was the younger generation visiting Jaffa, and thinking of the privilege of families back in Boston who have hundreds of years of generations all buried in the same cemetery, while her ancestor's graves are--by was and against their will--spread across an entire region.

I found it a very compelling read, only held back by my having to remember who was who and related how.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Genocide, Violence, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Dementia, Grief, Alcohol, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent

emily_koopmann's review against another edition

informative reflective sad fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War

careinthelibrary's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

4.0

I didn't love all the characters' perspectives, but some of them I loved with my whole heart. They all contributed to the beautiful, complex tapestry that is this novel. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Dementia, Grief, Pregnancy, and Colonisation

Moderate: Genocide, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Grief, Murder, and War

Minor: Gun violence

nattiemoff's review

emotional reflective tense medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide and War

Moderate: Dementia and Grief

Minor: Racism, Rape, and Torture

amberinpieces's review

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Vomit, Dementia, Grief, Pregnancy, Alcohol, War, and Classism

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Drug use, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gun violence, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Excrement, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

marisazane's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative sad tense slow-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

2.75

Alia’s mother reads her future in her coffee dregs before her wedding. She predicts an “unsettled” life for Alia, and that’s exactly what this story is. Her early marriage starts with tragedy and being uprooted from her home in Palestine by the Six Day War. Alia and her husband relocate to Kuwait City, where she feels unsettled. She raises her three (very different) children there and remains until she’s once again uprooted by Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait. In her personal life, she’s unsettled by her children’s choices - of spouses, of college degrees, of where they move in the world. This book spans decades and chapters alternate focus on different characters in the family. 
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I wanted to love this book, and choosing it was a safe bet because I normally love multigenerational family sagas. But I found Alia’s character (and some of the others) really tiresome (like the daughter who refused to be aware of her sugar messes!) and that made the book tiresome for me. Being unsettled was super legit, and I understand that the book was supposed to be about this family trying to adapt and live their lives while absolute horror was going on around them. AND Alia’s personality was just not that great. 

⭐️⭐️✨✨💫(2.75)

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Content Warnings

Moderate: War

blynn817's review against another edition

challenging reflective tense slow-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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death

Minor: Xenophobia, Dementia, and War

lexcellent's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Fatphobia, Genocide, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

knaappers's review against another edition

3.75

“A story of palestinians without a palestine” Salt Houses follows a family though several generations from the 6 day war to present. A little slow at times, but a representation of the constant displacement of the palestinian people. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, and War

Moderate: Sexual assault

palejandro's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Dementia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, and War