nadia's Reviews (587)

I loved this book. I got pulled into the story of Kya and the marsh and, even now as I write this review an hour after finishing the book, I can still feel the strong emotional effect this book had on me. I felt close to tears at times and so tense at others.

I'm not one for extremely detailed descriptions of nature and the surroundings, and I noticed some reviewers complain about that in this book, but I didn't think the book suffered from that at all. For me the level of description was just enough to transport you, and done so well that even if nature and the great outdoors isn't normally your thing, you find yourself wanting it to be your thing. At least, that's how I felt.

The writing was brilliant, the characters great, the story moving and intriguing. I appreciated all of the different facets chucked in here and felt that Delia Owens weaved them together incredibly well.

Amazing!! I'm feeling so inspired and excited to improve The StoryGraph's UI now. 😁

I can't remember the last time I read a book that felt so lovely and warm while covering heavy subjects and happenings the whole way through.

I'm not sure if I'm being a little harsh, and I almost took my rating down a notch because of it, but I think this book was missing a little something something for me. I think there were some times where I wanted a little more tension in certain parts of the narrative arc or more explanation behind some of the characters' progression or development.

But, ultimately, this was a refreshing story, especially with our wonderful, bold, and strong protagonist.

There were points where I was really intrigued, but pretty much all of the characters were terrible people and I couldn't get a grip on their desires or motivations. There were also some key plot points that didn't seem fully believable.

I listed to this on audio and, on the whole, I thought the narration by Emily Woo Zeller was great!

I went into this not knowing what it was about at all, picking it up as I needed a winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction for Reading Women's 2020 reading challenge.  Some mentioned what Greek myth Home Fire is retelling of while I was reading it — I had no idea it was a retelling of anything — but luckily I couldn't recall the details of that particular story.

This was a fast-paced read, packed with a lot of dark and deep themes: identity, religion and Islam, terrorism, politics and patriotism, loyalty and love.

I particularly enjoyed the shifting perspectives — The book  felt balanced and they all of the sections fit together as one cohesive, compelling narrative.

So...I didn't cry. I think years of people telling me that this was the most heartbreaking read ever and someone sharing all of the content warnings for this book with me while I was researching the feature for The StoryGraph, meant that I was somewhat mentally and emotionally prepared for it. I went in expecting the worst.

It was indeed a lot, and I did, like so many readers of this book before me have done, wonder if it was all too much at points. About halfway through I was just like: "well, this is really not enjoyable to read at all, is it?".

But...I kept on going. Nearer the beginning, I would put it down and not feel like rushing to pick it up again. As I got further in, the desire to keep going got stronger and stronger. I found myself immersed in the characters' world and forgetting they weren't real.

I understand why some people hate this book. I also understand why many say it's their all-time favourite and they want to reread it, but...they just can't. I wasn't even sure what I was going to rate this book when I was done.

Upon reflection, this book was epic and it tugged at my heartstrings in a way that ultimately led to me reflecting to no end about the characters, the story, what certain people in my life have gone through and experience every day, and what I may have to endure. 

Initially, I wasn't sure what everyone was on about with the writing. By the end I thought: this writing is just amazing. Despite the difficult subject matter, the book was incredibly readable. The voices felt so natural and alive, evoking deep emotion. The imagery succinct and straightforward, and yet so evocative.

Do go into this book with extreme caution, having reviewed all the content warnings beforehand. This is a really dark, bleak, potentially traumatising book, and certainly should not be classed as a must read.

There were lots of great ideas and topics covered here. I was hoping for it to go a little bit deeper in places and for me to feel as if I had practical next steps for facing the current societal challenges Shafak raises. Though, of course, that is a big ask, especially for such a small book.

I read this to fulfil The Reading Women's 2020 Reading Challenge prompt for a book about food.

Something about this book didn't quite click for me, but there were moments that had me chuckling and did move me. The characters' dialogue and actions were rather quirky, I guess. Sometimes this really worked for me, especially for comic effect, and other times it just felt a little off. Sometimes Ephron's writing seemed great and other times it came off as meandering.

Overall, it's a fun, quick read. I saw a lot of reviews saying it hadn't aged well, and given some of the commentary in it, especially with respect to homosexuality, I can see why. I had to look up a lot of the food references, but it was interesting learning about some Jewish dishes, and the handful of short recipes weaved in were a nice touch.

I can’t remember the last time I read a children’s picture book cover to cover. This is why reading challenges are great — thank you, Reading Women! 🙌🏾

The illustrations in Sulwe were so vibrant and beautiful, and the message, about beauty and who defines it, is one you wish all children could internalise, especially those with dark skin.

I was hoping for a teeny bit more tension within the story and I felt it ended too abruptly given the build-up.  

I decided to bump my rating for this one up to 4 ⭐️  (from an original 3.75) because of the artwork and the important message.

Am I being way too demanding for a children’s book? 😅