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margaretrose's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I can't tell if she's wildly islamophobic or not. It feels as though the prejudices and negative personality traits of the characters come from islam, which is a twisting of the faith. And there is the issue of the "lemange" tree and it as a metaphor for interracial/intercultural marriage and children.
The first 20 or so pages were intense to read as a white foreigner married to a brown muslim man as Mathilde navigates her new existence. I worry for her. No character in the novel is blameless but some introspection would go a long way for Mathilde and Amine.
However, the prose is amazing and I would love to read some sentences for the first time again.
The first 20 or so pages were intense to read as a white foreigner married to a brown muslim man as Mathilde navigates her new existence. I worry for her. No character in the novel is blameless but some introspection would go a long way for Mathilde and Amine.
However, the prose is amazing and I would love to read some sentences for the first time again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Xenophobia and Islamophobia
amkclaes's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-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
3.5
a kind of meandering, but ultimately interesting account of a French woman adjusting to life with her husband in Morocco with a backdrop of the strengthening anti colonial movement
less plot, more vibes, it kind of finds a way to remain neutral in the face of pretty upsetting, tragic, otherwise incendiary content, so it leaves a fairly bland impression. The best scenes are at the end and through the eyes of the child, in my opinion.
less plot, more vibes, it kind of finds a way to remain neutral in the face of pretty upsetting, tragic, otherwise incendiary content, so it leaves a fairly bland impression. The best scenes are at the end and through the eyes of the child, in my opinion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Islamophobia, Colonisation, War, and Classism
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