Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh

44 reviews

czoltak's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

“No matter what happens, you remember that this world is more than the agony it contains.”

🍋💙🍋💙🍋💙🍋💙🍋💙🍋💙🍋💙

I am honestly speechless after this book. I am in shock over how many intense emotions I just experienced over the course of 400 pages. I want to start by saying first and foremost that this should absolutely be required reading in schools. People need to read this and understand a larger scope of the world. This book is so important for spreading the importance of how deeply a war destroys regardless of who’s shores it’s on. The messages and themes of survival, PTSD, and the loss of innocence were heartbreaking and yet so necessary especially in today’s world. For fans of ‘The Book Thief’ and ‘The Hunger Games’, As Long As The Lemon Trees Grow is an incredibly moving story about one girl’s journey to survive war torn Syria. Salama must find a way to save herself and her sanity while the world around her is torn apart and the life she has always known is completely obliterated. With a hallucinatory form of fear as one of her only constant companions, Salama struggles with the need to stay alive but also to stay true to her roots and her home country. Her strength and bravery is so deeply infectious, you’ll be unable to do anything other than root and hope for her over the course of the story. Much like ‘The Book Thief’, the personification of darker themes (death/fear) and the blunt descriptions of the destruction will draw you in and won’t let go even after you turn that final page. This book needs to be picked up and read by so many more. Please pick this up and spread its influence if you’re able. In today’s world this is the kind of literature we need and should be promoting.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Blood, Islamophobia, Medical content, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Torture and Xenophobia

blakeandbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Torture and Xenophobia

Minor: Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Pregnancy

augie_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, War, and Injury/Injury detail

froyobaggns's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail

sara_b_reads's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad 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? Yes

5.0

You have to read this.

This book was absolutely devastating, heartbreaking, soulwrenching, and yet through all of that pain was such a beautiful silver lining with hope and love that shone through the entire book. The writing was beautiful. This story explores oppressive governments in a thoughtful way, and taught me so much about the Syrian revolution that I hadn’t known about. What has stuck with me most since I finished this book is the heartfelt depth in Salama’s relationships and the tension she feels about the actions she takes. And then don’t get me started on the last third of the book. I was on the edge of my seat and then absolutely sobbing in the middle of the night as I finished the book. I couldn’t stop until I knew how this book ended and was up until almost 3am finishing it. This book will stay with me.

A few favorites:
- Morally grey MC and her internal monologue and relationship with herself
- Kenan and his love for his country and his family
- Mental illness representation
- Finding hope in a terrible time

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, and War

oddity123's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

I had high hopes, but overly purple prose and too much “tell” instead of “show” about the characters thoughts did it in. Oh, and the romance. It did end up being important for plot, not it was written in that YA-kismet style that kind of made me gag. Interesting premise, good twist but not well written 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Medical trauma, War, and Injury/Injury detail

achazsa's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Islamophobia, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, and War

Minor: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Police brutality

aericsson's review against another edition

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

aimee_aj's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Brilliant. Harrowing. Heartbreaking. This is an important book in highlighting the atrocities occurring in Syria and also the plight of refugees. I strongly advise you to check the trigger warnings.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, and War

kato_dg's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Vomit, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual harassment