Ratings78
Average rating4.1
I'm out of words. Getting into it wasn't expecting it to be this, shook me to my core. Didn't realise I was crying until I closed the book. Honestly I don't know where to start..
Perfectly written, the mystery of Isra keeps you hooked till the end. Loved how we see POVs of every women, all three generations and somehow sympathise with all of them, it really is a cycle going on from centuries.
Also told with subtlety but beautifully shown how the genocide affected generations and generations of people, forcing everyone to do things they maybe wouldn't have ever done.
My heart breaks for Isra and her daughters, even for Fareeda? And that's the beauty of the writing.
The ending couldn't have been better, Isra went believing she was finally free and that she saved her daughters and in some way she did β€οΈβπ©Ή
The book made me cry, feel angry at the world and much more, heartbreakingly beautiful β€οΈβπ©Ή
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I put off reading this for a long time, which I shouldn't have because it was excellent, but it remains timely anyway. Every time I picked it up, I didn't want to put it down. It's about the lives of three generations of Palestinian women in particular, and Palestinian cultural and social expectations for women generally, even when said women had emigrated to New York in search of a life outside of a refugee camp. It was brutal, and ugly, and hopeless, even as the women - Deya, Isra and Fareedah - hoped for more, knowing that they were unlikely ever to get the things they wanted out of life. Things like being loved by someone, anyone. Like being respected for the sacrifices they made. Like not being shamed for only having daughters when sons are more highly valued. Like having a say in their own education, their own marriages, their own wishes for how to raise their children.
Told from all three perspectives and jumps around in time, so even though you know in advance what will happen, it's still chilling when you get there.
CW: domestic violence/abuse, murder, suicide, abortion, alcoholism. Possible infanticide, depending on whether you trust one of the narrators.
The chapters were very repetitive. It didn't feel like the story actually started progressing until I passed the 70% mark. Also the writing felt a bit simplistic, it read more like a Y/A novel than adult fiction to me.Β
It was infuriating to read all the shame and guilt women buried themselves with in this book simply for giving birth to a girl instead of a boy; especially the stupidity of their misogyny blaming women for birthing girls when it's THE MAN'S sperm that determines the gender!
It's a very bleak look into the patriarchal views of religion, and how religion oppress women still to this day. This past week four women have been killed by their current or ex partner and it's been pointed out that statistics show 60% of all partner violence is committed by men of non western backgrounds. To me there's no doubt there is violence - especially towards women and girls -in religion and in culture, and this book explored this topic only by scratching the surface. I wished it would've approached it a bit differently; it's like there was so much oppression, sadness and violence throughout the book that the ultimate climax of the plot didn't have the impact I'm sure the author was trying to convey. Also the simplistic writing didn't help, it was like it downplayed the entire story. It was giving βDisney princess but make it more depressing and tune up the oppression a bitβ to me π
Preciso de pensar muito bem em como me sinto sobre este livro....mas sem dΓΊvida que merece as 5 β¨ que lhe dei
Broke my heart. Very important book to read. I am a bit lost for words to even describe the magnitude of various emotions and thoughts it gave me. Side note - so grateful for all the dishes mentioned. Can't wait to learn to cook more of Palestinian dishes
I started this audiobook and didn't want to stop. I have always been interested in different cultures and how they treat women. This was such a sad story. Knowing that this is very likely how many women are still treated, even in the United States of America, is disgusting.
I will admit, I have been very naΓ―ve about the current tensions in Palestine/Israel. After reading this book, I did some digging to learn more about the conflicts, although I didn't learn more about the culture of women.
For any woman, or even man, who is in an unhappy or abusive relationship, I hope that you would be able to get the help you need before it's too late.
I would give this 3.5 stars. It was entertaining enough (albeit in a very sad way β and potentially triggering for anyone who has encountered abuse) but the real interest was in learning about the cultural struggles of Palestinian women/women from ultra conservative Islamic cultures. I thought the dialog felt contrived and the plot was predicatable; but would still recommend for the human interest component.
Yet another super hard to read but very important novel.
Palestine book around the world.
This was powerful and engaging, as well as a window into the life of Muslim immigrants in America. I think it would be even stronger if we had Fareeda's back story in parallel with Deya and Isra's stories. I felt the author was unsympathetic to Fareeda, even in Fareeda's chapters. It could be enlightening to see more of how Fareeda's life in the refugee camp shaped her future, and the lives of her daughters, daughters-in-law, and granddaughters.