Beautiful writing… 

 

The line that for me sums up the feeling you get from this story and the writing style is: ‘What trauma? I don’t have any trauma.’ And as it falls drily and with candour off the lips of an Iranian war correspondent, the last image in his mind of starving children scavenging amid the rubble of a smouldering city and the leg of his friend—only the leg—he sees dangling from beneath the shroud as they carry away the body through the settling crumbs of cement, wiped from the skyline by another zealous martyr, this one line sums up a novel that turns the page on one trauma only to present the next in the same calm tone you might be asked what you take in your coffee. 

 

But that’s just it: the disconnect; the fantasy and the horror of it; the senselessness of war and continued war and man’s need to always be at war, when the children suffer starvation and loss and still manage to play footie between the landmines and the scattered buildings and bodies; the deep down necessity to focus on normal mundane daily activities when the heightened awareness, the adrenaline of wondering when the next person with nothing left to live for will walk through the door wearing a cardigan, which reminds you of your grandfather, packed with explosives. 

 

In stark relatable dialogue, Abdoh brings us to the fringes to sit behind the protective glass of a cosy Starbucks while we watch the horror unfold in the streets of Syria, Iraq, and Iran, as we scroll through stories on our phones and the reporters enchant us with rich, vibrant language that transports us… as we watch the tv series that will twist and turn the plot of facts into something more palatable to boost viewership… but oh, we feel like we can relate now, now we know, now we feel like we were there too, now we feel like we can also have an opinion…as we sip that skinny-decaf-latte-hold-the-whipped-cream... 

 

At times melancholic, often tragic, with bouts of hope strewn recklessly amid the preposterous, Abdoh draws a contrast  between modern Western life and freedoms, and the rigid yet raging realities of things we see every day on the news from the Middle East in a never-ending barrage of wars and rumours of wars. 

 

Such captivating writing. Reminiscent in bits of Hemingway in style and content, a war correspondent with a tendency towards being a philosopher of few words, making sudden bald pronouncements at the end of probing monologues. 

 

I smiled a lot while reading this, which worries me, since it was so so sad… 

Took quite a while to dig hooks into my interest. Exactly 40% of insipid story. But then a hint of a spark flashed as a major reveal unfolded its purpose and a timeline divided unexpectedly, but still: 

 

5 stars to me for finishing this 484 page window-wedge. 

 

Sure, there was a lot of action, fast-paced adventure in deserts and on seas, a few noggin-scratching twists, predictable juvenile romances [parenthesis here: apart from beginning with a scene implying forced sex, there isn’t any gag-me smut in this novel, and for that I was grateful, but I still wouldn’t recommend it to younger than 15 year olds for suggestiveness and other mature themes], and I don’t know if it’s that I’ve now read way too many in this genre that they begin to blend…? or that this one just didn’t have the spark of djinn magic I was hoping for…? The main characters did naught to convince me I needed to ‘give two figs’ about them or their people, and they were a fickle group of young adults, jumping from one thing to the next, changing lovers and brothers by chapters, never tucking in their chairs nor cleaning up their messes as they flew willy-nilly to the next disastrous relationship. They were a shockingly shallow group of 20-somethings, utterly absorbed in themselves and their own perspectives on politics and people—like I’ve never seen that before. How strange. 

 

However, this story did stab several points of political interest square in the chest; a none-too-subtle allegory for anyone who’s been paying attention to Middle Eastern politics and governments for the last half-century (or this year). The social commentary behind the fiction churned in the old thinker, suggesting that the generations-old conflicts between neighbouring nations, thought to be based on their spiritual or religious leanings, really has its roots in something older, far older, some entity entirely other... 

 

Considering the political landscape from the Red Sea to the borders of The Stans at the edge of Mesopotamia, these are issues and ideologies ripe for consideration (when are they not?). They were the meat and bones of the novel, but I found that the characters—in dialogue, relationships and action—detracted from the severity of the issues with their pettiness and narcissism, and while this all ended on a ding with a lightbulb, it took far too long with too many flighty fickle types to get there. 

 

I have heard that this is a spin-off from another, more complex series with characters that grip you by the guts and garters. I’d go for that by this author, she certainly can tell a story. 

(Oh, please let me I finish this before the votes for the historical fiction of the year open up… I need Quinn to WIN…)

SIX BLOODY STARS. 

Kate Quinn is the best American author of our time. My admiration is turning into a bit of hero worship now; I’d geek out to meet this woman. I don’t love the idea of unchecked capitalism, though I understand a foreigner’s draw towards America enough. But this woman ignites a love for an America that could be beneath all the conflict and racism and nationalism and the confused politics…and wow…

A sharp-witted commentary on America’s starkly differing ideologies and philosophies and religions, the borrowed mismatched commentary of new immigrants and generations of American-born original immigrants— told through the lives of several women as they rub shoulders living in the same Washington DC boarding house in 1950-1954; the backdrop for a murder case that weaves its way through and acts as bookends to their irresistible stories. These women (and a few men) are all grateful for the America that saved them, that welcomed them, that opened its doors to giving them a new life—even if it had been somewhat reluctantly … and an America that allows for differing ideologies to come together at the table and talk about their ideas and learn to live with differences of opinion amid religious and cultural diversity. And each character speaks with a unique individual voice, every distinct personality peppers the pages in a way that sparks and carries your interest. 

These intertwined stories are heartbreaking and empowering and beautiful. I loved the recipes—and now I need to buy the book. What a big bountiful caress for all the wonderful multifaceted varietals the bowl of America contains…

Yes, Kate, keep your wrists healthy and active—and Saskia is LONG OVERDUE for an Audie. Long overdue.

One of the many good quotes: ‘This country did take me in. She’s my country now, yes, but does that mean she gets a pass on criticism forever, even when she’s wrong? Wouldn’t that go against freedom of speech and all that?’

3.75 stars, I’d say. I do love a book with a map.

Perfect for 14-19 year olds; a fast-paced adventure, a touch of multiple romances (or the promise of), loads of political intrigue, and a landscape of battles and bloodshed. People with magic powers and powerful people without—across a fantasy world that crosses unique cultures and glowing seas. 

A great wee original story, taking an unexpected turn from the opening novel in the series (4 stars), that continues with the same complex characters and some new ones along the way.

My only criticism would be the somewhat repetitive phrasing and clichés used throughout, but the focus isn’t the language as much as the story. And the story here is complex and entertaining. 

This is fine for teen readers.

In gorgeous language, this folk tale lures us beyond the creeping vines and into the heart of a forbidden forest where dark and mystical creatures thrive in silent invisibility—and it does it all most delightfully in a Welsh accent. (I love a Welsh accent. 5 stars to the narrator of the audiobook!)

Here, entwined in the tense uncertainty of fragile alliances, romance and friendship bloom in the blinds amid the quiet anticipation of the wild hunt. Meanwhile, on the fringes, a political power-play between multiple neighbouring kingdoms affects the hunters in ways they can’t yet see. The forest is full of people we’re not sure we can trust, as lies and deceptions and changing alliances abound between conversations that leave us wondering and wanting and wary. 

A truly unexpected and incredibly satisfying (mature) ending. Beautiful storytelling all round. 

One of my fave reads of the year. 

Cannot stand rats nor the talk of them—and there was a lot of that in this novel. Unfortunately. After a while, I was hoping it might create some kind of desensitisation, but no such luck. Yuck. But to the story... 

 

This was a quick read and easy to follow--though involved sufficient complexities. The mystery unravelled at a perfect pace, but the romance was a bit lacking, leaving me unconvinced as to the depth of the couple's interaction during the previous 9 months. Austin's lie seemed too much for Alexis not to have noticed—but I suppose this happens, can happen... Sadly. But, like her mother, I won’t judge... 

 

A very well organised plot with decent characters; not the sweeping sort of literary work one might expect from this author, but still a worthwhile wee novel for a continental plane journey. 

Subject matter was grim and unappealing, but was a real representation of the grim and unappealing reality of life for women during this period of time in America. Simply awful. 

A yuck story of misery and hopelessness told by an addictive storyteller. An utterly unlikeable reality, yet somehow, Bohjalian brings hope and redemption into the pages—shines a light onto the dim lives of these powerless women. Told in as real-to-life voice as possible, using language the religiously staunch earliest pilgrims would have employed— and despite the disgust this story incited in me, I couldn’t put it down. 

Intricate.

You get glimpses into the thought processes of all major—and some minor—characters, a thorough insight into culture, language, and the distinct differences between the ways Englishmen, Portuguese, and Japanese think—including the differing thought-processing of each in relation to the nuances of religious and nonreligious, seaman and landlubber, nobles and paupers represented by each culture. Which explains the exhaustive (ghastly) length of the novel.

But it is worth it— and this first part ends on a very satisfying high note...if you can put blinders on to shield your sixth-sense knowing and the glaring foreshadowing that beams in from every peripheral direction…

WHAT an end to an engaging trilogy— packed with action, romance, intrigue, politics, deception, jealousy, intertwined plots, set in a unique world across dimensions, seas, lands, palaces and kingdoms and floating black-markets, and stock-full of pirates, scoundrels, lovers, thieves, princes, kings, bastards, orphans, a creeping sinister enemy and the lingering light of hope… whew!! What a sweeping tale!!

This is one fantasy trilogy I can get into and disappear…

The story is a walk with varied characters across a century whose lives intertwine in one particular apartment building in the city of Krung Thep (Krung Them Maha Nakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahin Thara Ayuthaya Maha Dilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Maha Sathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit…), modern day Bangkok.

The writer transports us to the City of Angels of old with it’s tastes and smells, floating markets and towering pagodas, into the present technological age of towering skyscrapers and its obsession with the Lifestyles & Faces of the West & Famous, and delivering a compelling possible future of a flooded unstable structure where the Plastic and the Palpable still thrive despite the impossibilities a crumbling ozone has left us to endure. 

A journey across interwoven timelines of the lives of multiple characters as they pass one another in realtime or through the generations, occupying the same space if not the same time, exploring their loves and losses, experiencing their journeys within the complex city, and going with them too, as life takes them far away from the place that made them to lands where their identity becomes a thing of confusion, and is perceived either as exotic or a means of exclusion.

The writing is beautiful, poetic, and in a sense epic, though often understated. This literary work of art is a piece that crosses the millennial marker and awakens memories we didn’t know we contained…