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Julie G. (West Hartford, CT)
The Sweetness of Tears
I found The Sweetness of Tears to be a thoroughly engrossing book. The book is told from the viewpoints of different characters in the story, and although occasionally I had to remind myself whose story I was reading, I found them all to be compelling and very real. While the author tackles a number of different topics: politics, war, family, religion and friendship, by the end she succeeds in tying everything together in both a thought provoking and thoroughly satisfying way.
Adelia S. (Livingston, MT)
The Sweetness of Tears
A wonderful book! A blending of two different worlds--Christian and Muslim. It is just a lovely story. I will recommend it to my book club.
Becky H. (Chicago, IL)
great book club book
I laughed and cried my way through
The Sweetness of Tears. Jo, the main character, is a young woman who discovers an evolving family and encounters both Christian and Muslim societies in far flung corners of the world as she delves into family secrets in a search for her own identity. She and all the characters are clearly defined and true to themselves. Some of the passages are achingly beautifully written - almost poetic as love, despair, tragedy and redemption are presented.
Because the book is written in first person by the various characters over three generations, you need to pay attention to who is
…more speaking as you start each chapter. I did need to keep a list of all the characters and their relationship to each other as the book progressed. That said, the story carries you along easily. Especially helpful is the glossary of unfamiliar terms. Book groups will find a multitude of topics for discussion. I give this book 5 1/2 stars out of 5! Once I started reading I needed to quickly continue, staying up late to finish. Now I need to reread the book to savor the characters and their story. (less)I struggled through the first 50 or so pages because there were so many characters - it was hard to keep track of how they were all connected. Once I got passed that, I was hooked! Haja does a terrific job exploring a multitude of difficult but import themes. In addition, she does a wonderful job explaining the Muslim religion, the differences between cultures and religions and drawing you into these characters worlds by moving you with their voices. I will be recommending it to my friends.
Nikki M. (Fort Wayne, IN)
Very good!
After loving "The Writing on My Forehead" by Nafisa Haji, I was looking forward to what proved to be a very interesting, if somewhat disjointed, novel. Much attention must be paid to what voice you are "listening" to. May be worth a re-read just to clarify some things!
Roni S. (Pittsburgh, PA)
The Sweetness of Tears
I enjoyed this book and now plan to read the first book by Nafisa Hasji, “The Writing on My Forehead.” People who enjoy the authors, Thrity Umrigar and Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, will enjoy this book although these settings are Pakistan, the United States, and Iraq.
One has to pay attention to the title of each chapter as the book is written in many voices. Different cultures, different religions, the Iraq war, PTSD, and the meaning of family are all explored.
I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 because the author tried to cover too many themes and I found the final chapter weak.
Susan Q. (East Williston, NY)
Wonderful
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. A great mix how one's culture defines them. The storyline kept me interested, as well as the characters themselves. There were some moments though when I had to go back to see which character was narrating. I will definitely be recommending this book to my friends.
Penny P. (Santa barbara, Calif)
Time for Tears
This was an interesting book that covered family,religion and tradition. It gave readers a view of the Pakistan culture.I found the writing style which included the interchange of generations,to be interesting but a bit difficult to follow. I did spend some time re-reading a section just to make sure I knew who was speaking. In this regard, the book was not as fluid as other books I have read. All in all, I do feel it is worth a read and I will recommend it to my book club.
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