Reviews with content warning for Child death - As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow

Reviews tagging 'Child death'

As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh

333 reviews

abigailrsimard's review against another edition

hopeful informative sad medium-paced

5.0

this is one of the most heart wrenching books I have ever read. a rare book that sheds light on both the worst and the best of humanity, this is a must-read.

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spellbindingtomes's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful 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? No

5.0

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elocinrhom's review against another edition

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emotional funny 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

I went into this book completely blind. It was one of my book clubs' picks of the month and I was told it was historical fiction. Sold without even reading a synopsis. I did have to break out of the traditional "historical fiction" mindset because this conflict is so recent. I don't usually have Facebook in my historical fiction so that broke my brain slightly. But I was fully engaged in Salama's story from the very start. There are just enough twists and turns that make reading a book about a conflict you know a bit about new again. One particular twist threw me so hard that I had to stop reading and process for a bit before continuing. So good. Katouh wrote a book that embodies the whole range of human emotion so well that it's hard to believe that she's a young debut author. I would be sad, scared, and extremely angry at times, but it also would make me laugh and my heart swell in the next chapter. Highly recommend.

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hello_lovely13's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful 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? Yes

3.5

This unfortunately did not hit as I was expecting it to, and I think the primary reason is that I don't like how the character Khawf (hallucination/physical manifestation of Salama's fear) was utilized. For a majority of the book, but mainly the first half, he often felt like he was expressing Salama's fear in an overly cruel and aggressive way that felt more like fear-mongering rather than for survival. It got better at the very end when he popped up during crucial moments where Salama needed to make a decision or die (such as

when she suspected the bomb would drop on the hospital or when they had to jump into the water from the boat

). Another part of why I didn't really like Khawf's character is similar to why I didn't fully like I Fell in Love with Hope.

I was able to predict one of the main plot twists of the book pretty early on (

Layla already being dead

), so sometimes I was a bit impatient for it to be revealed, though I thought that the reveal was done well. After the halfway mark, not as much time was spent focused on the character the plot twist is based around (not in a bad way), so the reading experience got better.

I really liked the relationship between Salama and Kenan. It was very sweet, and their romance didn't feel unnecessary at all because the set-up was well done, and their chemistry made sense. I also like that all of Salama's secrets (apart from

Layla

, but she finds out when Kenan does, so it is done well) are revealed by her own volition and the conflicts between the two are resolved through healthy communication. I was surprised when Kenan

agreed to flee Syria with his siblings and Salama

, but I'm glad they got their version of a

happy ending

. I think that the references to Studio Ghibli usually felt randomly dropped in, except for references to Castle in the Sky, which were well-placed and reflected their relationship and circumstances well.

This book really does go into some brutal detail and makes the characters make tough decisions, each of which are done vividly and realistically. Overall, despite a couple details that I was nit-picky about, I would recommend this and could definitely picture myself rereading it.

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