Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa

171 reviews

vumalilli's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

My heart is on the floor. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

abidoodle's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

This is a beautiful and heartbreaking story that so delicately weaves stories of resistance with storytelling AS resistance. This book highlights how when you are part of a people trying to be erased, living and telling your story is an act of resistance. To be resilient and defiant is an act of resistance, and Nahr is all of those things. To love and to find beauty is a form of resistance, and we see that in her story, even in the brutal violence she experience. It’s definitely difficult to read and dives into sexual harassment in violence pretty explicitly, just as a CW, but every aspect of this story I’d important and a part of Nahr’s intricately woven narrative that makes her who she is. I really liked this book and the complexity and humanization it brings to Palestinians - those forced out of their land and those remaining living under a brutal apartheid in it. It brings complexity to being an Arab woman and the cultural strength and challenges that come with that. Highly recommend! 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

kshertz's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Wow this was a beautiful novel. It feels so real I kept having to remind myself it’s not an actual memoir. But it feels that way. The mix of actual history with this fictional life is just so phenomenally done. I learned so much about Palestinian history through this amazing protagonist and I think everyone would benefit from witnessing and reading this story 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

mayacymone's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

A beautiful, revolutionary love story against the backdrop of Palestinian occupation and refuge. Nahr’s character is complex and layered just like the politics of the situation. I feel so tethered to her character - crying with her, defending her, and cheering her on. I appreciated the writing so much, the different timelines, the descriptions of minute details, the gorgeous dialogue. Abulhawa does such a beautiful job of illustrating joy despite - the pockets of peace even under so much violence. Liberation to all people all around the world! 🙌🏽
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

crys_tel's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

This book will haunt me for a long time. 

It is a must-read that showcase the horrors and mundane daily life of living in occupation. Besides that, it’s a story of endurance and hope. I love Nahr, it is one of the best developed characters I’ve had got to know in a long time. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

rachelsmithpsyd's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

thechroniclesofnadia's review

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

kelseyvsy's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This book was so easy to devour, but so hard to read. What a beautiful and important book. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

stellenelcielo's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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

5.0

First book finished for 2025. 

This book was beautifully written, although jarring in the particular themes it included, such as: Trafficking/Prostitution, Sexual Assault, Solitary Confinement

The story follows a character, Nahr, as she recalls her life while spending 16 years in solitary confinement in an Israeli prison. From her childhood, born of Palestinian refugees in Kuwait after the 1967 war, to then Jordan after the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait was overcome, to Palestine before the 2nd Intifada. 

I really liked that it maintained a feminist theme to it. Characters like Nahr are a joy, she constantly advocates for herself, and is entertainingly snippy when she’s insulted. Her sense of humour is pretty sly, and she’s written realistically, in that she still has moments of introspection that doesn’t paint her in the best light, which she acknowledges and moves on to try and do better.

The events of her life, from a failure of her marriage, to being tricked and blackmailed into prostitution, to returning to Palestine and finding love there, drawn into acting against the occupation. It’s genuinely a powerful novel that broke my heart a few times. Definitely recommend.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

yunyee's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional sad medium-paced
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

Expand filter menu Content Warnings