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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
hslemmons's review against another edition
3.5
I felt this was most likely a very accurate depiction of life for women in Iraq but the storyline was slow. I liked the book but I wish there was more.
ekoozmin's review
3.0
This book was effective not for its storyline, which was unrelentingly slow, but for its depiction of life under one of the world’s most notorious dictators. We learn how people act in order to survive: they do what they are told, they have no choice, their lives are degraded and if they try to change their circumstances, they could be killed for doing so. That was the frightening message of this book.
molhog93's review
adventurous
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? Yes
4.0
veloci_rachel's review
2.0
*I won an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
I really wanted to like this book more, but something about it felt lacking. It's hard to put my finger on it, but I never felt invested in any of the characters, even though I was really interested in learning more about this period in Iraqi history. There's a lot of tell-and-not-show writing happening here. At one point I was about 30% in and put it down for months, and probably wouldn't have picked it up again if I hadn't felt obligated to finish it.
I do think the author does a good job giving you a sense of the time and place, which based on her bio is about as much as she was qualified to do (she lived there for a year during Hussain's rule). If anything, this book motivated me to find more work written by Iraqi authors. While the author herself notes that people's stories should be written in their own voices, she then makes an exception for herself. It never sat well with me that a white author who lived in Iraq temporarily wrote a story predominantly in the voices of Iraqi women, and throughout the book makes a lot of generalized claims about what Iraqi people think/feel/believe. Maybe that's why I always held those characters at arm's length, and read their narratives with a grain of salt.
I gave this book two stars because despite these issues, the story didn't feel contrived, and I was pleasantly surprised by the resolution to Ally's quest for answers. I appreciate that the author took care to highlight the very real costs of privileged ignorance. I also think the book raises interesting questions about the nature of friendships and what friends owe each other in times of extreme danger and uncertainty. I just wished those relationships had been more fleshed out earlier in the narrative, because I felt like the story was very heavy, but had to jump off of a pretty flimsy foundation.
I really wanted to like this book more, but something about it felt lacking. It's hard to put my finger on it, but I never felt invested in any of the characters, even though I was really interested in learning more about this period in Iraqi history. There's a lot of tell-and-not-show writing happening here. At one point I was about 30% in and put it down for months, and probably wouldn't have picked it up again if I hadn't felt obligated to finish it.
I do think the author does a good job giving you a sense of the time and place, which based on her bio is about as much as she was qualified to do (she lived there for a year during Hussain's rule). If anything, this book motivated me to find more work written by Iraqi authors. While the author herself notes that people's stories should be written in their own voices, she then makes an exception for herself. It never sat well with me that a white author who lived in Iraq temporarily wrote a story predominantly in the voices of Iraqi women, and throughout the book makes a lot of generalized claims about what Iraqi people think/feel/believe. Maybe that's why I always held those characters at arm's length, and read their narratives with a grain of salt.
I gave this book two stars because despite these issues, the story didn't feel contrived, and I was pleasantly surprised by the resolution to Ally's quest for answers. I appreciate that the author took care to highlight the very real costs of privileged ignorance. I also think the book raises interesting questions about the nature of friendships and what friends owe each other in times of extreme danger and uncertainty. I just wished those relationships had been more fleshed out earlier in the narrative, because I felt like the story was very heavy, but had to jump off of a pretty flimsy foundation.
longcm14's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
megmonte8's review
4.0
Overall it was a pretty good read. It started out a bit slow but as I continued to read more and more questions were raised that added to the suspense of the book. It did a very good job of giving just the right amount of information to keep me interested but withholding enough that it kept me wanting to read on to discover the answers.
amyheap's review against another edition
3.0
In the early 2000s, during the time of Saddam Hussein, an Australian woman comes to Baghdad with her diplomat husband. She becomes involved in the lives of two Iraqi women and their families as they are all embroiled in dangerous secrets and betrayals. I didn't find it especially suspenseful, and couldn't quite connect with the Australian character and her motive for taking such risks. I did find it interesting to consider how difficult it must be to find your own country unsafe, and what women are capable of when their families are threatened.
kiwiflora's review
3.0
It's always good to write about what you know. Exactly what this author has done - ex journalist/foreign correspondent who was based in Baghdad as a 'dependent spouse' when her husband was posted there during the time of Saddam Hussein's rule. She couldn't work but she could observe and that is what she did. She was also befriended by a local woman who had been instructed to spy on this Western woman. And what a story she has created with this background. A story of friendship, betrayal, ethical and moral dilemmas, being a woman in an oppressive society, religious dogma, the power of tyranny, and how absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Baghdad is a very scary place during the time of Hussein. The writer recreates the city of her time there - the traffic, the bustling crazy labyrinth markets, the secret deals, the dust, the heat, everyone working their butts off to make a living, stay safe, eyes and ears everywhere, the feel of fear - incredibly visual. Into this environment comes Ally, the young wife of a diplomat, Tom, at the Australian Embassy. Prior to becoming the travelling spouse she used to be a journalist, although she didn't put this on her visa application so the Iraqis don't know her history. Otherwise she wouldn't be there - no foreign press, even ex journalists are permitted in Iraq. On the instructions of the local secret police, she is befriended by Tom's secretary Huda. Huda's unwilling task is to pass onto the secret police any information she can about anything from the West.
Huda is of peasant origins, but managed to learn English which gives her some standing. Huda grew up in a village with her parents and two brothers. She was best friends - blood friends - with Rania, the daughter of the sheikh of the village. Rania has quite a different life from Huda - being educated in England, a father with influence, which stood her in good stead when the revolution took place. Things however didn't end so well for Huda's family, and the girls go their separate ways. Now, years later in Baghdad they are reconnected through Ally - not happily, not trusting each other. Amidst the climate of fear and horror around them, they have to learn to trust again, as the lives of their children depend on them working together.
This is a good story, friendship and the bonds of childhood at its heart. It is also a story of courage, women using their own intelligence and intuition to beat the evil around them, to get the better of the violence and danger of the men around them. The strength and characters of the women grew as the story went on, I liked them all, finding ways to deceive those around them and solve a big problem. And yet again, so grateful I live where I live.
xmiiirte's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0