bettyemanee's review against another edition
medium-paced
5.0
Ocean & shirin = best couple !! possibly the best romance i’ve ever read
simon_reads03's review against another edition
4.0
This was a delightful read. I think I underestimated how much this book was going to make me feel. I was on the edge of my seat, I was enraged, I was moved, I fell in love with the characters in a fairly short amount of time. The topic of racism and discrimination is one that is prevalent is many stories, but here, Tahereh Mafi depicts it in such a way that is extremely engaging, narratively beautiful, and plain serious all at the same time.
We are seeing the world through Shirin’s eyes, she is a teenager, she knows what she knows, she filters things the way she does because that’s what her instincts tell her. She is ultimately a teenager, a small seed in a sea of monsters, and nevertheless her narrative is wonderful.
I wonder how many children, how many teens, and even adults will read this and see themselves in Shirin’s shoes. How this will help them. How this will tell them that it’s okay to confront your perspective, how it’s okay to love yourself for yourself, even when it seems like the easiest way is to do otherwise.
Love and acceptance breaks all barriers, all hate, all stereotypes, all walls… I think everyone should read Tahereh Mafi’s A Very Large Expanse of Sea at least once. Assign this to children in middle/high school!
A refreshing and beautiful read.
We are seeing the world through Shirin’s eyes, she is a teenager, she knows what she knows, she filters things the way she does because that’s what her instincts tell her. She is ultimately a teenager, a small seed in a sea of monsters, and nevertheless her narrative is wonderful.
I wonder how many children, how many teens, and even adults will read this and see themselves in Shirin’s shoes. How this will help them. How this will tell them that it’s okay to confront your perspective, how it’s okay to love yourself for yourself, even when it seems like the easiest way is to do otherwise.
Love and acceptance breaks all barriers, all hate, all stereotypes, all walls… I think everyone should read Tahereh Mafi’s A Very Large Expanse of Sea at least once. Assign this to children in middle/high school!
A refreshing and beautiful read.
cmicali's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
sad
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? No
4.0
wizardbaker's review against another edition
5.0
This has been my favorite book that I've read all year.
stevendemo7's review against another edition
3.0
A Very Large Expanse of Sea is about a high school girl named Shirin who is feeling ostracized following the events of 9/11. As a Persian girl who wears Hijab, she is often the target of bullying and physical violence due to her appearance. Shirin has built walls to keep herself safe, but these walls are severely impacting her social life and mental health. At her new school, Shirin embarks on a romance with the star athlete who is white. He begins to chip away at her hard exterior but quickly learns that her walls are up for a reason.
This book was good, it was just too focused on the romance for me. Usually I can get into a romance novel if the plot is gripping enough to hold my attention. But this book was solely focused on developing the relationship. Yes there is other plot involved- break dancing-but nothing intrigued me enough to rate this higher.
This book was good, it was just too focused on the romance for me. Usually I can get into a romance novel if the plot is gripping enough to hold my attention. But this book was solely focused on developing the relationship. Yes there is other plot involved- break dancing-but nothing intrigued me enough to rate this higher.
christinasgobletofbooks's review against another edition
5.0
So much character development and beautifully written
juliterario's review against another edition
5.0
HELL YEAH! Creo que esas dos palabras son exactamente mis pensamientos sobre Al Otro Lado del Océano de Tahereh Mafi. ESTO ES EXACTAMENTE LO QUE QUIERO LEER Y LO QUE QUIERO DIFUNDIR EN ESTA COMUNIDAD. Esto es lo que quiero ver a autores poner ahí afuera y asdfyguhjy este libroooooooo. De lo mejor que he leído en mi vida, eso se los aseguro.
“If the decision you’ve made has brought you closer to humanity, then you’ve done the right thing.”
Al Otro Lado del Océano sigue la historia de Shirin, una adolescente musulmana en EEUU en el año 2002, muy cerca del atentado del 9/11. Es una historia de amor, si quieren ponerlo así. Para mí no lo es. Yo creo que esta novela es mucho más que eso, pero contiene una historia de amor. Si conocen la escritura de Tahereh Mafi, deberían saber que su escritura en este libro no es ni tan poética ni descriptiva ni hermosa como en libros anteriores, sino que en esta ocasión es 100% directa al grano y sincera, lo cual se ajusta perfectamente al libro. La construcción de Shirin como una protagonista es magnífica, así como de todos los personajes secundarios. No sé cómo ni cuándo la autora lo logró exactamente, pero creó un libro asombroso. Eran las 11pm cuando terminé este libro, mi familia dormía y yo sólo lloraba y me quedé tirada en mi cama mirando el techo por un buen rato hasta las 11:30. Y entre mis pensamientos no sólo estaba el asombroso trabajo de esta autora de la que oficialmente me he enamorado, o la tristeza de esta realidad, o la necesidad de ver más historias como esta compartidas en la literatura, o todo lo que me hizo sentir este libro. También me preguntaba cómo Tahereh Mafi había creado semejante obra maestra. Al Otro Lado del Océano es de las mejores novelas que he leído en mi vida y es todo lo que necesitamos ver. Y ES EXACTAMENTE LO QUE QUIERO ENCONTRAR. Novelas como esta contando verdades tan duras y REALES como esta... Porque es hora de hacerle lugar a eso que ha sido ignorado tanto tiempo.
“I mean, I wasn't fine. I would be fine. But I wasn't there yet.”
Como parte del movimiento #ownvoices de autores escribiendo sus propias historias (porque, sí, este libro está basando en gran parte en la vida de Mafi), habrán personas que se identificarán con esta novela como personas que no, pero está bien. Ese es el punto. Está es la historia de Tahereh Mafi, les guste o no. Tenemos taaantas historias contadas del lado privilegiado, del lado de siempre. ¿Cuántos personajes así hemos visto? TODOS merecen ser complicados, fuertes, deportistas, aristas, superestrellas y sentir lo que queramos sentir. Todos merecen ser superhéroes. #Ownvoices es de expandir nuestros horizontes y dejar de ver los mismos puntos de vista en la literatura. Y esto es todo lo que quiero leer.
“I understood too well what it was like to feel like you were defined by one superficial thing- to feel like you would never excape the box people had put you in."
mini00020's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25