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Daughters
From the one-room dwellings of a tiny village near Jerusalem to the elegant town houses of Georgetown; from a world steeped in ancient traditions to a world of independent women, comes this multilayered novel of the lives, loves, secrets, and strivings of three generations of Palestinian Christian women.
552 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 1988
1762 people are currently reading
4819 people want to read
About the author
Consuelo Saah Baehr
22 books131 followersTraveled with my mother by bus through Texas to join and be left with my father and his four brothers in Washington DC. My father and his brother, Charles owned a prestigious small department store, Jean Matou, la Maison de treussou, on the corner of Connecticut and M Street. The men soon placed me in a convent boarding school where I spent most of my growing up trying to figure out a plan. Writing was my only way.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 809 reviews
June 14, 2017
This book was really upsetting because I really really enjoyed the writing and the characters were all interesting as was the plot and the historical context of the book, but the author really made the plot much more convoluted than necessary and towards the end it felt like the book was just being dragged out. It had such a strong beginning but intertwining all the stories together was pointless, she literally could've just had three separate plot lines. Also the end was pretty terrible with all the sex and plot twists it felt like one of those TV series which goes on too long and by the twelfth season they run out of things plot lines.
July 9, 2016
There are two things about this book that kept me from reading it despite the super cheap Amazon price. (1) Is this Christian fiction? It's not. The main characters are Christian women, but this book isn't about being a Proverbs 31 woman. (Actually, these flawed women might be Proverbs 31 women. They just aren't snitty about it.) (2) The sex scenes aren't all that numerous, graphic, or grotesque. There were a few scenes that troubled me deeply, but I felt that every sex scene was important to the development of the story and the characters. This is a book about offspring, after all, and if you don't know where babies come from, I'm not going to be the one to tell you.
This is an intergenerational story of three women in Palestine in the early to middle twentieth century. Major world events serve as backgrounds to the everyday lives of Miriam, Nadia, and Nijmeh in their small town.
For all that the location was billed as "exotic," these women and their lives are highly relatable and compelling.
I loved the characters. I heard Miriam's story in my head as if my grandmother, mother, or aunts told it. I identified most with Nadia, and I liked the way Samir's and her stories entwined. Nijmeh was an enigma. I found myself cheering for her more than any other character. I wanted her to find her happiness. At the same time, I couldn't quite understand her goodness, beauty, and purity. I wanted to protect those characteristics of her.
If Miriam's and Nadia's stories read like neat (if tragic) fairy tales, Nijmeh's story seemed like it could happen to anybody. Perhaps that's why people were so put-off by the ending.
I want to recommend this book, but I also want to keep it to myself because I worry that others won't love it the way it deserves.
This is an intergenerational story of three women in Palestine in the early to middle twentieth century. Major world events serve as backgrounds to the everyday lives of Miriam, Nadia, and Nijmeh in their small town.
For all that the location was billed as "exotic," these women and their lives are highly relatable and compelling.
I loved the characters. I heard Miriam's story in my head as if my grandmother, mother, or aunts told it. I identified most with Nadia, and I liked the way Samir's and her stories entwined. Nijmeh was an enigma. I found myself cheering for her more than any other character. I wanted her to find her happiness. At the same time, I couldn't quite understand her goodness, beauty, and purity. I wanted to protect those characteristics of her.
If Miriam's and Nadia's stories read like neat (if tragic) fairy tales, Nijmeh's story seemed like it could happen to anybody. Perhaps that's why people were so put-off by the ending.
I want to recommend this book, but I also want to keep it to myself because I worry that others won't love it the way it deserves.
June 21, 2016
I found this book at random when I signed up for an Amazon Kindle Unlimited trial subscription and was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed the book. It's the type of book that follows a family of women through three generations and watches as the woman learn to grow into their roles as independent women in a war torn and ever changing middle eastern culture that's close knit. The women are all harboring secrets that build throughout the book and enrich the plot. The book has everything from social commentary about women being in control of their own lives, provoking thoughts about religion, to women coming to terms with being mothers and "sexual" beings.
I was enraptured for over 600+ pages! This book is super duper good!
I was enraptured for over 600+ pages! This book is super duper good!
April 11, 2015
I would give this book a minus star if I could.I learned from this reading torture (I call it a torture because I do not wish to have any of my book friends repeat reading this book) that I cannot read the reviews on Goodreads from general readers or trust them. All the reviews and ratings were high and positive so I read the book. It was supposed to be historical about Jerusalem and it's history. Maybe one or two total paragraphs were plopped in to fill the historical requirement. I should have stopped but I had already invested so much time into it. (over 700 pages) Books should have a rating. This book should have been rated double R. I couldn't believe that a woman wrote the things that were included in the book. There was soooooo much sex, unnecessary information that didn't help the story at all. My belief was that the sex was added to help sell the story which degraded the women in the story and totally distracted the reader from enjoying what little good there was in the book.
I will not be reading any more from this author and I definitely will not recommend it.
From now on I will only read books that have been recommended to me by people I know I am not into wasting my time reading slutty things.
I will not be reading any more from this author and I definitely will not recommend it.
From now on I will only read books that have been recommended to me by people I know I am not into wasting my time reading slutty things.
January 5, 2024
A compelling saga of mothers, daughters, and life changing choices. Against the backdrop of early 20th century Jerusalem, Three Daughters chronicles the repercussions of secrets kept by three generations of Christian Palestinian women. From romance to betrayal to the nuances of mother-daughter relationships, this sweeping novel takes an in depth look at the question of how far you would go to protect your heart; would you live a beautiful life at the expense of a foundation of lies? What truly makes a mother, and what makes a “good” daughter? Filled with longing and passion, each woman is a testament to the strength of love, and the power of forgiveness. Tender and carefully crafted to reflect the ways in which we mirror our mothers, the ways that we both repeat her mistakes and learn from them, and the ways in which we learn to understand them when we ourselves grow into a place of love and heartbreak.
September 9, 2015
What a waste of long weekend! I read Three Daughters on Kindle this past weekend, and even though the synopsis was promising and even the first half of the book was good also, but it went downhill really fast. I though I would learn a lot about Palestine, Syria and new State of Israel and their people's values, customs and culture, but 700 plus pages was basically wasted on sex, cheating and double crossing relatives. UGH....
July 29, 2014
The book kept me engaged throughout the three generations portrayed. I particularly enjoyed the first part of the book, reading about Miriam and about the developments in Palestina through the Otoman empire and WWI. I was hoping the rest would be like that but, disappointingly the author avoids talking about the changes in Palestina after WWII and how that affected to the culture and lives of the main characters. The last member of the saga moves to America and the story loses the romanticism and quality of the previous ones, becoming sordid and a bit boring, with some turns in the plot that don't make much sense and that are too novelistic. The end of the book is disappointing, after all you've suffer with the characters and their strive to keep their culture and traditions and the main character migrates to America leaving everything behind, it doesn't make much sense.
May 5, 2012
When I come across an author, the very first thing I do is check if they have a Wikipedia page. If they do not, my usual reaction is not to bother with them. After all, there are books and books everywhere. That has now changed with all those free books for Kindle and that is how I discovered this book.
Daughters is a 'saga' that traces the lives of three generations of women over the years. Set in the Middle East before it became the Middle East of today, the story weaves through the lives of Miriam, her daughter Nadia and her daughter Nijmeh in context of the changing times of the two world wars with the personal travesties of the characters and the effect of the times on the lead women in the foreground. Do not be fooled by the beginning of the book as, though it opens like a primer to Middle East history, it picks up right away and you are in the story before you know it.
Each of the women can be seen as rebels of their own times, saddled with something that set them apart - Miriam with her blue eyes, the result of a Russian father, Nadia with her mixed features and her height, the result of a German father and Nijmeh with her extraordinary beauty, and her shocking parentage. All three lead more than ordinary lives and Ms. Baehr does a wonderful job of making them seem extraordinary and yet, very ordinary.
The writing was surprisingly good (specially for a book that I got free) and the story had me engrossed. Coming from a family of seven girls, reading the book felt like I was listening to narration by a cousin. The only reason why I gave this book three stars was that despite the very good writing and the wonderful characters, the book did seem a bit too tragic with all the women having dark secrets of their own yet paling away immediately when the new daughter acquires a secret.
On the whole, a very well written book and I would recommend this to lovers of all saga fiction and to anyone who grew up amongst a lot of women, young and old.
Daughters is a 'saga' that traces the lives of three generations of women over the years. Set in the Middle East before it became the Middle East of today, the story weaves through the lives of Miriam, her daughter Nadia and her daughter Nijmeh in context of the changing times of the two world wars with the personal travesties of the characters and the effect of the times on the lead women in the foreground. Do not be fooled by the beginning of the book as, though it opens like a primer to Middle East history, it picks up right away and you are in the story before you know it.
Each of the women can be seen as rebels of their own times, saddled with something that set them apart - Miriam with her blue eyes, the result of a Russian father, Nadia with her mixed features and her height, the result of a German father and Nijmeh with her extraordinary beauty, and her shocking parentage. All three lead more than ordinary lives and Ms. Baehr does a wonderful job of making them seem extraordinary and yet, very ordinary.
The writing was surprisingly good (specially for a book that I got free) and the story had me engrossed. Coming from a family of seven girls, reading the book felt like I was listening to narration by a cousin. The only reason why I gave this book three stars was that despite the very good writing and the wonderful characters, the book did seem a bit too tragic with all the women having dark secrets of their own yet paling away immediately when the new daughter acquires a secret.
On the whole, a very well written book and I would recommend this to lovers of all saga fiction and to anyone who grew up amongst a lot of women, young and old.
July 17, 2016
This book started off with so much promise. A family saga spanning three generations of Palestinian Christian women over the first half of the 20th century, that turbulent and often brutal time of momentous change and political events with which we are still trying to come to terms. What could be more interesting than an historical novel set against such a background? Well, as it turns out, just about anything could be more interesting than this far-fetched and predictable tale which avoided every possible opportunity to actually explore with some depth women’s lives and experiences in Palestine. Admittedly the historical background is completely secondary to the loves and lives of the women, but even so there is a remarkable lack of attention paid to what is happening all around them. And a bit of basic fact-checking wouldn’t have come amiss either. I doubt very much that these Arab women would have been quite so obsessed with sex, even to the extent of one of them going off on an unchaperoned overnight trip with a man however “filled with love fluids” she might have been. The women also show a surprising tolerance for contraception (described with some glee) which as devout Catholics seems highly unlikely. Then there is the America-centric bias shown throughout, even to the extent of a French trader in France paying his bills in dollars. What about the good old French franc? I’m sure he must have had a few hanging about. And I really don’t think T E Lawrence would have introduced himself thus, “My name is Thomas Edward Lawrence”. No, Ms Baehr, English people don’t use their middle names like this. There were indeed a few cameo appearances by such real life historical figures but they came and went so quickly that they added nothing to historical veracity. And an English schoolgirl in the early part of the century commenting that her friend had a “high little ass”? Had to laugh at that one. And by the way, Ms Baehr (just where was your editor incidentally?) at that time UK universities didn’t work with semesters, but terms, and we have never had “sophomore” years. So a combination of Mills & Boon romance with some Black Lace sex and a disregard of cultural values meant that I only managed to keep reading in order to find the next egregious error.
August 6, 2013
This was a long book, but definitely worth the read. Some parts were a bit slower than others, though. Since it is a saga that spans 3 generations of Palestinian women, there are a lot of characters to keep track of. The writing is very good and kept my interest. My biggest complaint is that the story ended abruptly, after getting to know the characters so well.
November 3, 2015
I loved this beautiful story and hated to see it end. The dilemmas of women transcend time. We progress as a society in material ways without essentially changing the mother/daughter bond - and it can be a troubled relationship that creates that bond.
The cultural changes that occurred for the three generations of women were fascinating to read. I could see the fields and vineyards of Jerusalem and the political chaos of the area and feel the pull they had on these woman. I could also see the expanded world and opportunity the migration to the United States presented for the third generation.
The romance and relationships were tastefully articulated although other readers have disagreed. It made the women real and did not take away from the story. I am motivated to read another book by this author.
The cultural changes that occurred for the three generations of women were fascinating to read. I could see the fields and vineyards of Jerusalem and the political chaos of the area and feel the pull they had on these woman. I could also see the expanded world and opportunity the migration to the United States presented for the third generation.
The romance and relationships were tastefully articulated although other readers have disagreed. It made the women real and did not take away from the story. I am motivated to read another book by this author.
dnf
July 17, 2018Ugh, you know what, I'm out. It's just too much....book.
November 20, 2014
Starting from a village in Jerusalem we cross three generations of women and end up in Georgetown, America. We start from a traditional, very conservative woman who is stepping out or rather forced to step out of her environment to take over a business she knows nothing about. No knowledge of the world, no knowledge of accounts, mother and wife and how she transforms not just her life but those of her children holding in trust the business for her husband to return to from a war which destroys their homeland.
Three women, Miriam her daughter Nadia given opportunities beyond her dreams of an education, flying in the face of clan opposition as to what good this is all going to be and then her daughter Nijmeh facing deviousness from her own cousin who is determined to lay waste to Nijmeh's dreams and hopes and take it all for herself. All three women live their lives in the face of vast change - both to their country and within their own families. They each in turn face opposition from within when they try to do something different as the clan influence is great and the good name of the clan is more important than the ambitions of the individual.
How these three women live their lives very bravely is the story told by this author. I loved the descriptiveness in this story. Not just the cultural background but the nitty gritty of daily life - how they lived, what they ate and especially the camaraderie amongst the various groups.
Three women, Miriam her daughter Nadia given opportunities beyond her dreams of an education, flying in the face of clan opposition as to what good this is all going to be and then her daughter Nijmeh facing deviousness from her own cousin who is determined to lay waste to Nijmeh's dreams and hopes and take it all for herself. All three women live their lives in the face of vast change - both to their country and within their own families. They each in turn face opposition from within when they try to do something different as the clan influence is great and the good name of the clan is more important than the ambitions of the individual.
How these three women live their lives very bravely is the story told by this author. I loved the descriptiveness in this story. Not just the cultural background but the nitty gritty of daily life - how they lived, what they ate and especially the camaraderie amongst the various groups.
December 16, 2018
I have a love/hate relationship with historical fiction. I don't mind the embellishment of a fictional story to introduce you to a culture and time, but I HATE SAPPY. I had to put this down at my Kindle 20%. If it had been 300 pages, I would have plowed through. I enjoyed the story and maybe I could get past the sappy parts, but I can't do it for 800 pages. If you love lifetime movies....and you love Phillipa Gregory....this is the book for you. It gets high ratings. I'm sure I'm in the minority. It just isn't for me. Sad, I really wanted the exposure to Palestine during this time period. Sometimes I think authors believe that women won't read history unless there is bodice ripping in it or women not able to find their identity without a man. Ugh. Give me Erik Larsen any day. I guess I prefer my history "straight up."
I've switched to reading "The Good Earth" and love it so far. Like night and day.
I've switched to reading "The Good Earth" and love it so far. Like night and day.
December 28, 2014
This was an interesting book, covering three generations of mothers and daughters. It covers as well, an expanse of history highlighting the changes and choices that women have encountered over the years.
This book surprised me in the experiences that each of the women faced. In my limited experiences with women from the Arab Palestinian culture I pictured the women as being more submissive, more restricted . . . more, cautious I guess. This is not the case with the three women in this story. Miriam, Nadia and Nijmeh each have their own story to tell.
Miriam is strong, traditional, smart, and enticed by the opportunities that wars (yes, multiple) bring to her as a woman in her country. Although her marriage is arranged, she and her husband form a marriage partnership that works for them. Even so, Miriam falls in love with another man and begins a relationship that could put her in real danger. She knows, however, that she can never, or will never, leave her husband. Eventually, she will come to realize that she deeply loves him.
Nadia, Miriam's daughter, is rebellious. Conventional marriages and the conventional life are not for her. She resists the arranged marriage her parents desire for her, and would rather be out riding horses than living out the traditional role a woman plays in her tribe. Nadia falls in love with an older man, but is tricked into a marriage with a person from her tribe and culture. She soon realizes that Samir loves her, and she loves him too. The only thing lacking in their relationship is children. Nijmeh,their daughter, ends up being their only child.
Nijmeh's story was my favorite. She is innocent and naive, but at the same time tough and smart. In preparation for her role as next in line when the Sheikh, her father dies, she learns to live on her own in the desert. Her father wants her to learn to love the land and traditions of her family. Nijmeh also falls in love, but her father disapproves and intervenes. Through a controlled circumstance, Nijmeh ends up marrying a doctor whose family is from her tribe, and then moves to America. Once Nijmeh is in America,we begin to see the real Nijmeh emerge.
The story of each of the daughters is different than the story that their families know. I enjoyed how the author allowed us to see what other characters in the book were thinking. Some of the descriptive paragraphs were a little long for me, but overall I really enjoyed this book.
Love shines through in the end, because family is, after all, more about heart than blood. The ending, which highlights this thought, was perfect!
This book surprised me in the experiences that each of the women faced. In my limited experiences with women from the Arab Palestinian culture I pictured the women as being more submissive, more restricted . . . more, cautious I guess. This is not the case with the three women in this story. Miriam, Nadia and Nijmeh each have their own story to tell.
Miriam is strong, traditional, smart, and enticed by the opportunities that wars (yes, multiple) bring to her as a woman in her country. Although her marriage is arranged, she and her husband form a marriage partnership that works for them. Even so, Miriam falls in love with another man and begins a relationship that could put her in real danger. She knows, however, that she can never, or will never, leave her husband. Eventually, she will come to realize that she deeply loves him.
Nadia, Miriam's daughter, is rebellious. Conventional marriages and the conventional life are not for her. She resists the arranged marriage her parents desire for her, and would rather be out riding horses than living out the traditional role a woman plays in her tribe. Nadia falls in love with an older man, but is tricked into a marriage with a person from her tribe and culture. She soon realizes that Samir loves her, and she loves him too. The only thing lacking in their relationship is children. Nijmeh,their daughter, ends up being their only child.
Nijmeh's story was my favorite. She is innocent and naive, but at the same time tough and smart. In preparation for her role as next in line when the Sheikh, her father dies, she learns to live on her own in the desert. Her father wants her to learn to love the land and traditions of her family. Nijmeh also falls in love, but her father disapproves and intervenes. Through a controlled circumstance, Nijmeh ends up marrying a doctor whose family is from her tribe, and then moves to America. Once Nijmeh is in America,we begin to see the real Nijmeh emerge.
The story of each of the daughters is different than the story that their families know. I enjoyed how the author allowed us to see what other characters in the book were thinking. Some of the descriptive paragraphs were a little long for me, but overall I really enjoyed this book.
Love shines through in the end, because family is, after all, more about heart than blood. The ending, which highlights this thought, was perfect!
December 17, 2015
I chose this book from the Kindle Unlimited lineup, and was so glad I did.
Three Daughters is a book is about three generations of women in Palestine, who happen to be Christian, but their religion doesn't have much to do with the story. (If anything, maybe it served as a historic and cultural difference for how these women lived, at that time, compared to their Muslim and Jewish neighbors, but that is just my personal speculation.)
After reading some of the negative reviews, I'm sure the majority of the reviewers picked this book thinking they were going to be reading about religious women, and this book is not about religion at all. That may also be the reason for the reviews from other readers who had such a problem with the sex in the book. I didn't have a problem with it, and thought it added to the passionate dynamic of the lives of each of the women. In a way, I think the author wanted to assign multiple archetypes to create a more developed sense of self and coming of age. There is one scene in which a secondary character has an encounter while on a date, that is so well written from the perspective of a woman making a sexual choice because she thinks it's one that will lead to a relationship development, when in fact it won't, you as the reader knows it won't, she has second thoughts and regrets, and it's just so well written...it really stuck with me.
It's a beautiful book about relationships with ourselves, our families, and the expectations we have as women and the outside influences that shape our decisions and outcomes. It's at times painful, but also filled with joy and opportunity. Forgiveness, for yourself and others is a strong theme, as is love, family, education, and hard work. I loved the setting of the book, and the backstory of Samir as a young boy was a favorite, as well as the first part of the book following the arc of Miriam's life.
The ending was okay...I am not sure I buy into who the author chose to leave off with as the potential future for the character in question, and thought it made much more sense to have her reach out to another potential connection, or have had more interaction with this random guy. The author wrote him into her life in a very stalker like fashion...that is my only complaint. Seems underdeveloped and not the direction I'd hoped for.
I won't forget these women and their lives any time soon, and highly recommend to my fellow Goodreads friends for their summer reading list.
Three Daughters is a book is about three generations of women in Palestine, who happen to be Christian, but their religion doesn't have much to do with the story. (If anything, maybe it served as a historic and cultural difference for how these women lived, at that time, compared to their Muslim and Jewish neighbors, but that is just my personal speculation.)
After reading some of the negative reviews, I'm sure the majority of the reviewers picked this book thinking they were going to be reading about religious women, and this book is not about religion at all. That may also be the reason for the reviews from other readers who had such a problem with the sex in the book. I didn't have a problem with it, and thought it added to the passionate dynamic of the lives of each of the women. In a way, I think the author wanted to assign multiple archetypes to create a more developed sense of self and coming of age. There is one scene in which a secondary character has an encounter while on a date, that is so well written from the perspective of a woman making a sexual choice because she thinks it's one that will lead to a relationship development, when in fact it won't, you as the reader knows it won't, she has second thoughts and regrets, and it's just so well written...it really stuck with me.
It's a beautiful book about relationships with ourselves, our families, and the expectations we have as women and the outside influences that shape our decisions and outcomes. It's at times painful, but also filled with joy and opportunity. Forgiveness, for yourself and others is a strong theme, as is love, family, education, and hard work. I loved the setting of the book, and the backstory of Samir as a young boy was a favorite, as well as the first part of the book following the arc of Miriam's life.
The ending was okay...I am not sure I buy into who the author chose to leave off with as the potential future for the character in question, and thought it made much more sense to have her reach out to another potential connection, or have had more interaction with this random guy. The author wrote him into her life in a very stalker like fashion...that is my only complaint. Seems underdeveloped and not the direction I'd hoped for.
I won't forget these women and their lives any time soon, and highly recommend to my fellow Goodreads friends for their summer reading list.
June 22, 2015
I knew this would be an epic tale, with the prologue painting the picture of Jerusalem in the 1800s. The story encompassed almost a century, and focused on the lives of three women: Miriam, her daughter Nadia, and Nadia’s daughter Nijmeh (Star). Much as it related their struggles as women in the Middle Eastern culture, it also highlighted their strength and power as women even in a restrictive society. Miriam and Nadia, related by blood, were the rebellious ones. Nijmeh, ironically the one descended from foreigners, was more adaptive to the beliefs and practices of the clan and country where she grew up. She found happiness in her compliance, and it was way into her adulthood (though not too late), that she discovered herself and what she really wanted.
I have always been drawn to historical fiction, showcasing a rich and exotic culture. I enjoy discovering new things about the history of people of other nations, not so much about the political climate, but more about how they lived and loved. This book is a good one from such a genre.
There were more than 700 pages, but however elaborate the story was, I would still like to read a sequel that will extend the story for both Nijmeh and Delal.
I have always been drawn to historical fiction, showcasing a rich and exotic culture. I enjoy discovering new things about the history of people of other nations, not so much about the political climate, but more about how they lived and loved. This book is a good one from such a genre.
There were more than 700 pages, but however elaborate the story was, I would still like to read a sequel that will extend the story for both Nijmeh and Delal.
February 1, 2016
Tradition vs. independent desire
The story follows 3 generations of mothers & daughters in Palestine. They each struggle with family traditions vs. their own desires. The history of the country was very interesting as was each women's life story.
The story follows 3 generations of mothers & daughters in Palestine. They each struggle with family traditions vs. their own desires. The history of the country was very interesting as was each women's life story.
December 8, 2014
Brilliant, Thought Provoking & Memorable!
January 22, 2015
Very good historical novel through three generations. Rich characters. Glad it was a lengthy book and I still didn't want it to end. Recommend.
September 25, 2018
Wow...
An emotional rollercoaster which lead me to read the book in 2 days. Amazing, heart wrenching, infuriating, beautiful and poignant. One of the best books I have read.
An emotional rollercoaster which lead me to read the book in 2 days. Amazing, heart wrenching, infuriating, beautiful and poignant. One of the best books I have read.
November 18, 2019
This was a pretty hard book to read...and I tried. The three stars are because I sympathize with the author for writing so much. I am sure her fingers must hurt.
The storyline is pretty interesting...you are following a generation of women as they navigate their world through the expectations of society, culture (often times defying it) and their personal experience, to include that of their parents. There is deception, there is lust and there is family- however one wants to put it together.
What makes the reader lose interest in the story is that it is too damn long! There is no reason for this story to be 720 pages!!! I mean, this story is longer than The Count of Monte Cristo!!! Go Figure!
There were areas of the story that did not need to be dragged out. The extra details provided by the author did not provide more depth or understanding, but confusion.
Books that cover generations often make for a good read- especially when a different culture is explored. However, the book should not be so exhaustive.
Many readers complained about the over usage of sex...well, those scenes went over my head. Though I feel they did not add or take away from the book, they also did not bother me. Some readers were turned off by the over usage of descriptions. I agree, I was one of them. Baehr paints a picture that puts the reader in the scene, but then after a few more unnecessary descriptive lines, the reader is screaming, "Let me out"!
I wish I could have rated this book higher, I wish I could have liked it more. However, considering that I have tried to complete this book since April of 2017, I am calling it quits more than 2 years later.
Good luck to whoever accepts this challenge.
The storyline is pretty interesting...you are following a generation of women as they navigate their world through the expectations of society, culture (often times defying it) and their personal experience, to include that of their parents. There is deception, there is lust and there is family- however one wants to put it together.
What makes the reader lose interest in the story is that it is too damn long! There is no reason for this story to be 720 pages!!! I mean, this story is longer than The Count of Monte Cristo!!! Go Figure!
There were areas of the story that did not need to be dragged out. The extra details provided by the author did not provide more depth or understanding, but confusion.
Books that cover generations often make for a good read- especially when a different culture is explored. However, the book should not be so exhaustive.
Many readers complained about the over usage of sex...well, those scenes went over my head. Though I feel they did not add or take away from the book, they also did not bother me. Some readers were turned off by the over usage of descriptions. I agree, I was one of them. Baehr paints a picture that puts the reader in the scene, but then after a few more unnecessary descriptive lines, the reader is screaming, "Let me out"!
I wish I could have rated this book higher, I wish I could have liked it more. However, considering that I have tried to complete this book since April of 2017, I am calling it quits more than 2 years later.
Good luck to whoever accepts this challenge.
September 11, 2020
The writing is really good- I felt like I knew all three of these women and even their family members. They were realistic and complex and I'm such a sucker for that. So my 5 stars are because I was so emotionally involved in the story... but I don't know enough about the region first hand, nor about Christians in that time period, to know how this story tracks with people actually from Palestine. I also don't know how someone from that culture would feel about the ways colonization influenced, interfered, and basically upended (and also completed?) the family story... But I'm still thinking about it- I was so drawn to the women who felt like they were so different but still steeped in their culture, and the really difficult and realistic-but-sort of good-but-too-realistic-to-be-'happy' ending... I'd like to hear someone's opinion with more ties to Israel/Palestine and the diaspora to understand where the author is coming from more. But I appreciated the window into that subset of people from that brief window of time.
Addendum: Thinking about my own grandmother/mother/me situation, and the secrets, lies, (sex, ha, or lack of it), relationship tragedies, and trauma involved... maybe that's why the characters seemed so real to me and I connected with the book so much.
Addendum: Thinking about my own grandmother/mother/me situation, and the secrets, lies, (sex, ha, or lack of it), relationship tragedies, and trauma involved... maybe that's why the characters seemed so real to me and I connected with the book so much.
May 6, 2015
While there are some good and interesting parts of this book, I was generally underwhelmed. I like the occasional steamy romance as much as the next person, but I found the three romances to be pretty formulaic and felt like the frequent sex scenes were distracting from (what I found to be) the more interesting character development and historical context. The minimal discussion of the post WWII political situation in Israel/Palestine also made the story seem unfinished to me- especially after so richly delving into prior eras. One thing I liked from this author was the way she shifted focus of the stories based on the stage of the women's lives- the dramatic tumultuous times of youth took center stage in each story - with the more settled, quiet times blending into the background. I also liked her pragmatism around relationships- both the romantic and familial ones.
January 16, 2015
Three Daughters: A Novel by Consuelo Saah Baehr
I loved this book, especially the long time period covering different generations. I've always been interested in the Bedouins and their traditions. Learning about this time in Palestine and Beirut was eye opening without the religious argument. This is a hard read, but worth every page, it is like a romance but not the soapy kind, although it is quite sexual toward the end. One thing I didn't like was the ending, almost felt like this could've been a trilogy and the author quit before the story was over. I really dislike bad endings, that leave you feeling confused and robbed!
I loved this book, especially the long time period covering different generations. I've always been interested in the Bedouins and their traditions. Learning about this time in Palestine and Beirut was eye opening without the religious argument. This is a hard read, but worth every page, it is like a romance but not the soapy kind, although it is quite sexual toward the end. One thing I didn't like was the ending, almost felt like this could've been a trilogy and the author quit before the story was over. I really dislike bad endings, that leave you feeling confused and robbed!
August 2, 2017
Updated thoughts on August 2nd.... see below
I loved this book. An interesting take on a romance novel with historical cultures taking on the premise for this story. It kept my interest, loved the good and bad characters, with all the secrets they held. An easy summertime read. .....The detailed sex scenes in the later part of the book were unnecessary to show the love of the characters and perhaps the book should have ended a few pages earlier.
I loved this book. An interesting take on a romance novel with historical cultures taking on the premise for this story. It kept my interest, loved the good and bad characters, with all the secrets they held. An easy summertime read. .....The detailed sex scenes in the later part of the book were unnecessary to show the love of the characters and perhaps the book should have ended a few pages earlier.
November 10, 2017
Epic!
The story spans three generations or more of history. Both world wars and the fastly changing world that followed are a compelling backdrop to a presentation of a family’s generational struggles in the West Bank area and in the world beyond.
The story spans three generations or more of history. Both world wars and the fastly changing world that followed are a compelling backdrop to a presentation of a family’s generational struggles in the West Bank area and in the world beyond.
July 5, 2012
Palestine from the 1890s until the mid 1950s.
Three generations of Arab Christian daughters each with their own heartaches and secrets.
Some sex and abusive language
very limited violence
Three generations of Arab Christian daughters each with their own heartaches and secrets.
Some sex and abusive language
very limited violence
March 4, 2021
700 pages of Incredible storytelling. I love this book and historical setting. I hope someone turns it into a movie/series
April 17, 2021
I loved the story telling in this book, it starts off slow and draws you in with the telling of three generations!
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