Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh

207 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Mental illness, Violence, Medical content, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

spellbindingtomes's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, War, and Injury/Injury detail

elocinrhom's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Violence, Medical content, Grief, War, and Injury/Injury detail

lisa_hewett's review against another edition

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? It's complicated

5.0

The book started a little slow but then the pace grabbed me and I couldn't stop listening to the audiobook. 

Iwas very emotionally invested in this book and was glad to hear the Epilogue

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Medical content, Grief, Sexual harassment, and War

crayoncrayonn's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Vomit, and War

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Medical content

Minor: Sexual violence

hello_lovely13's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Sexual assault, Grief, and War

Moderate: Rape, Blood, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Torture

ellaa_aahhh's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment

Minor: Rape and Torture

jstark's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Blood, Medical content, and War

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Gun violence, Sexual assault, and Mass/school shootings

handowskie's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, War, and Injury/Injury detail

foeksia's review against another edition

dark hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail