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A Girl Made of Dust
A rich and beautiful novel set during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in the early 1980s, and based on the author's personal experiences of the conflict. Ten-year-old Ruba lives in a village outside Beirut. From her family home, she can see the buildings shimmering on the horizon and the sea stretched out beside them. She can also hear the rumble of the shelling – this is Lebanon in the 1980s and civil war is tearing the country apart. Ruba however has her own worries. Her father hardly ever speaks and spends most of his days sitting in his armchair, avoiding work and family. Her mother looks so sad that Ruba thinks her heart might have withered in the heat like a fig. Her elder brother, Naji, has started to spend his time with older boys – and some of them have guns. When Ruba decides she has to save her father, and when she uncovers his secret, she begins a journey which takes her from childhood to the beginnings of adulthood. As Israeli troops invade and danger comes ever closer, she realises that she may not be able to keep her family safe. This is a first novel with tremendous heart, which captures both a country and a childhood in turmoil.
320 pages, Paperback
Published August 4, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
December 2, 2011
The problems with child narrators is that they need to be authentic, because the reader wants to believe the story is told by an eight year old but at the same time the reader doesn't want to feel that the book was actually written by an eight year old. Here lies the catch-22, the book needs to be told by an eight year old but written by an adult.
Many authors resort to writing simple sentences and just dumbing down everything but that's not the way, of course. Nathalie Abi-Ezzi didn't fall into this trap. Her writing is exquisite but it is not done at cost of authenticity of her eight year old narrator, Ruba. Abi-Ezzie managed to capture the world as it is perceived by a child. There is a thin line between the real and the fantasy and the logical order of causes and consequences is often muddled.
We follow Ruba as she is trying to save her family in the midst of the civil war in Lebanon. Her father stopped speaking and caring for the world and spends most of his time sitting in his armchair and staring into space. Her mother cleans and cooks, cleans and cooks, as if afraid that if she stops she might realize the ruin that her family has come to. And her brother has secrets.
It is a beautiful story that analyses the madness of a civil war in a very interesting way. It raises an important question if you can (and should) lead a normal life when the world around you is falling apart. If you like poetic imagery and ephemeral style you should give "A Girl Made of Dust" a go.
Many authors resort to writing simple sentences and just dumbing down everything but that's not the way, of course. Nathalie Abi-Ezzi didn't fall into this trap. Her writing is exquisite but it is not done at cost of authenticity of her eight year old narrator, Ruba. Abi-Ezzie managed to capture the world as it is perceived by a child. There is a thin line between the real and the fantasy and the logical order of causes and consequences is often muddled.
We follow Ruba as she is trying to save her family in the midst of the civil war in Lebanon. Her father stopped speaking and caring for the world and spends most of his time sitting in his armchair and staring into space. Her mother cleans and cooks, cleans and cooks, as if afraid that if she stops she might realize the ruin that her family has come to. And her brother has secrets.
It is a beautiful story that analyses the madness of a civil war in a very interesting way. It raises an important question if you can (and should) lead a normal life when the world around you is falling apart. If you like poetic imagery and ephemeral style you should give "A Girl Made of Dust" a go.
April 21, 2016
This book was a great surprise pick. I picked it up from the Skokie Library paperback book sale shelf to take on our trip to Florida. Since I am pretty low-tech, this is how I get my travel reading material. Sometimes I end up reading things I'd never read otherwise and sometimes I read gems. This is one of them.
I had never heard of Nathalie Abi-Ezzi, but now that I've read "A Girl Made of Dust," I will look for her other books. The backdrop of the book is Lebanon in the early 1980's during the war with Israel and several factions within Lebanon some of whom sided with Israel and some who fought against them. Ten year old Ruba and her family spend their lives dodging bullets, bombs, and shrapnel as they try to survive, living their lives as normally as they can. While before in her village, Ruba has known Muslims and Christians, now most of the Muslims have been banished. Only her friend Kareem remains there as he is subject to jeers and hatred from the other villagers. Without giving away the plot, I have to recommend this book. It will undoubtedly make you think twice before advocating getting America embroiled in any more wars in the Middle East.
I had never heard of Nathalie Abi-Ezzi, but now that I've read "A Girl Made of Dust," I will look for her other books. The backdrop of the book is Lebanon in the early 1980's during the war with Israel and several factions within Lebanon some of whom sided with Israel and some who fought against them. Ten year old Ruba and her family spend their lives dodging bullets, bombs, and shrapnel as they try to survive, living their lives as normally as they can. While before in her village, Ruba has known Muslims and Christians, now most of the Muslims have been banished. Only her friend Kareem remains there as he is subject to jeers and hatred from the other villagers. Without giving away the plot, I have to recommend this book. It will undoubtedly make you think twice before advocating getting America embroiled in any more wars in the Middle East.
March 13, 2010
This is a beautifully written novel that is, I think, suitable for both children and adults. The author is able to show the horrors of war without compromising the authenticity of the child's narrative voice -- and that's a very delicate balancing act. She was also able to let the reader know what was going on without being overly didactic -- I know NOTHING about Israel's invasion of Lebanon, but I could get just enough from this book to be able to understand the story, and it made me curious to learn more.
May 5, 2023
RTC inshallah
February 7, 2017
It took a while to get into the story but it ended up being quite moving and an interesting insight into the war in Lebanon in the early eighties.
October 3, 2009
some people are calling this book "a coming of age story," but i'm calling it a page-turner. the *only* thing that ever took me out of the story was the occasional heavy handed and unrealistic dialogue between the eight year old narrator and her ten year old brother. otherwise, the book is great all around. two unexpected delights in this book, entwined but distinct, are the narrator's imagination and the author's descriptions of the surrounding geography and flora & fauna.
while set in a christian village in 1980's wartime lebanon and obviously commenting on this condition, the real story is a mystery involving a glass eyeball, a silent child, a sullen dad, a grandmother who has foreseen a death, an uncle who refuses to leave the dangers of beirut for implausible reasons, and some eternal questions about religious intolerance.
while set in a christian village in 1980's wartime lebanon and obviously commenting on this condition, the real story is a mystery involving a glass eyeball, a silent child, a sullen dad, a grandmother who has foreseen a death, an uncle who refuses to leave the dangers of beirut for implausible reasons, and some eternal questions about religious intolerance.
April 29, 2015
This book was just okay.
May 14, 2009
Nathalie writes as an 8 year old living her live in a town near Beruit. She sees the war and the terror as an 8 year old would not understanding why her friends are having to leave or why her people turn against another. And ponders on the strange way her father behaves -the family know, but won't tell her. She sees her older brother slowly getting sucked into the dark world that surrounds them. The book ends as the shelling gets nearer and nearer to their home and they all huddle together in fear. Although the book resolves the central question (about her father) it leaves you, just as a war would, feeling beaten up and with many many questions. A real gripping read. That I read this from cover to cover in less than 5 days is pretty amazing.
I found a pre-publication of this novel in the Oxfam shop on the Byres road (thanks marybel). "should have" bought it and played spot the differences. I think it might be valuable one day.
I found a pre-publication of this novel in the Oxfam shop on the Byres road (thanks marybel). "should have" bought it and played spot the differences. I think it might be valuable one day.
March 8, 2013
Well written but very slow moving!
May 9, 2025
•4.5 stars•
i do enjoy books where there is a child narrator. when done right they are unfiltered, real. this was very beautiful.
i do enjoy books where there is a child narrator. when done right they are unfiltered, real. this was very beautiful.
September 4, 2020
Favorite parts of the book:
"Teta, tell me a story."
She blinked as though I'd woken her. "what?"
"A story."
"Not now, habibti."
"Please. Tell me the one about the boy who wants the moon." Even if she didn't feel like it, she might tell her favourite story, the one she told most often.
Teta spoke slowly, as if she was making up the story for the first time. "She would look up at the moon, this girl, and my God, how beautiful it was."
"Girl? I thought it was a boy. It's always a boy."
Teta tipped her head back to say no. "Tonight it's a girl. And the moon was so beautiful she couldn't stop looking at it. Night after night, all she could do was sit and look, always up, up at the moon.
"Well, so she went to her mother and she said, "I want the moon."
There was a long silence. "Aren't you going to finish it?"
Teta nodded. "The mother said, "You want the moon?" But she couldn't do anything to help her child. So what could the girl do? She tried jumping but that didn't work. She reached up as high as she could but that didn't work either. So she got a ladder, the longest ladder she could find, and she started to climb."
I saw a girl hauling herself slowly up the ladder in Papi's shop, past the pots and pans, past the roof and up into the sky.
"There were hundreds of stars, thousands of them, but they weren't good enough--no, not good enough for this girl. This girl wanted the moon."
I crunched another almond.
"She carried on climbing and climbing, never stopping to rest, never stopping at all, getting further and further away. But then she began to miss her family."
"You mean her mother," I said.
"Yes, yes, her mother."
"What did the girl do?" I'd heard this story dozens of times, but still hoped it would end differently.
"Do?" Teta looked up. "She missed her home, that's all."
Teta never told what happened--whether the boy who had turned into a girl tonight ever reached the moon. It always ended this way.
Also loved:
"Uncle said there's no such thing as silence. He said that every silence says something: the silences between words, between notes in music and between people."
"Perhaps he's right."
We sat there, listening to the silence.
Beautifully poignant book. Very thought provoking and emotional.
"Teta, tell me a story."
She blinked as though I'd woken her. "what?"
"A story."
"Not now, habibti."
"Please. Tell me the one about the boy who wants the moon." Even if she didn't feel like it, she might tell her favourite story, the one she told most often.
Teta spoke slowly, as if she was making up the story for the first time. "She would look up at the moon, this girl, and my God, how beautiful it was."
"Girl? I thought it was a boy. It's always a boy."
Teta tipped her head back to say no. "Tonight it's a girl. And the moon was so beautiful she couldn't stop looking at it. Night after night, all she could do was sit and look, always up, up at the moon.
"Well, so she went to her mother and she said, "I want the moon."
There was a long silence. "Aren't you going to finish it?"
Teta nodded. "The mother said, "You want the moon?" But she couldn't do anything to help her child. So what could the girl do? She tried jumping but that didn't work. She reached up as high as she could but that didn't work either. So she got a ladder, the longest ladder she could find, and she started to climb."
I saw a girl hauling herself slowly up the ladder in Papi's shop, past the pots and pans, past the roof and up into the sky.
"There were hundreds of stars, thousands of them, but they weren't good enough--no, not good enough for this girl. This girl wanted the moon."
I crunched another almond.
"She carried on climbing and climbing, never stopping to rest, never stopping at all, getting further and further away. But then she began to miss her family."
"You mean her mother," I said.
"Yes, yes, her mother."
"What did the girl do?" I'd heard this story dozens of times, but still hoped it would end differently.
"Do?" Teta looked up. "She missed her home, that's all."
Teta never told what happened--whether the boy who had turned into a girl tonight ever reached the moon. It always ended this way.
Also loved:
"Uncle said there's no such thing as silence. He said that every silence says something: the silences between words, between notes in music and between people."
"Perhaps he's right."
We sat there, listening to the silence.
Beautifully poignant book. Very thought provoking and emotional.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 15, 2016
A Girl Made of Dust is a semi-autobiographical novel by Nathalie Abi-Ezzi who, like some of the characters in her story, moved to the safety of England in 1983 when Israel invaded Lebanon. She has written the novel from the perspective of an eight-year-old, but overcame my resistance to child narrators with a vivid story. This point-of-view enables the portrayal of the baffled dismay that many of us naïvely feel about religious hatreds, and, sadly, it also shows us how children adapt to living in war zones, and have no concept of living in peace. The novel also raises issues which, since the destruction of cultural artefacts by religious extremists, have become more topical than when the book was published back in 2008.
For Ruba and her older brother Naji, living in the village of Ein Dowra outside Beirut, the civil war means the rumble of shelling in the city, and they do not connect it with her father’s strange behaviour, which readers will recognise as PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Papi (Nabeel) sits in his chair for most of the day, saying very little, leaving his shop closed and bringing grave financial and emotional stress to the family. The long-suffering women, (his wife and his mother), have had to make adjustments: they can no longer afford a maid so Mami (Aida) has had to learn to cook and iron (and isn’t very good at either). Mami also has to put up with being patronised by a former friend who takes pleasure in complaining about the servant problem and how difficult it is to pack her many possessions in preparation for her exodus to safety. While all around them families are leaving, Ruba’s friends among them, their family has no money and must take what comes.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2016/05/15/a...
For Ruba and her older brother Naji, living in the village of Ein Dowra outside Beirut, the civil war means the rumble of shelling in the city, and they do not connect it with her father’s strange behaviour, which readers will recognise as PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Papi (Nabeel) sits in his chair for most of the day, saying very little, leaving his shop closed and bringing grave financial and emotional stress to the family. The long-suffering women, (his wife and his mother), have had to make adjustments: they can no longer afford a maid so Mami (Aida) has had to learn to cook and iron (and isn’t very good at either). Mami also has to put up with being patronised by a former friend who takes pleasure in complaining about the servant problem and how difficult it is to pack her many possessions in preparation for her exodus to safety. While all around them families are leaving, Ruba’s friends among them, their family has no money and must take what comes.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2016/05/15/a...
September 27, 2015
first of all :the name of the book is really appealing :) loved the name
while reading the first chapters i wasnot quite interested in the book but when i kept reading i really enjoyed the book i loved the details that ruba mentioned details so precise that i felt through the whole novel i was there i smelled what ruba smelled i touched and felt the textures of what what she touched ...those details made the novel vivid and captivating
I loved the characters
ruba :her curiosity and her constant question that i felt like she is this little sister of mine who kept nagging me with questions all the time
naji: i actually love naji's character best he is the sweetest brother i would say patient and keeps answering ruba's questions all the time ,i teared up when he got injured i could have not bear the idea of him dying
the grandmother :so loving i felt like i would like to sink in and have a hug from her
the mother : a strong character a patient powerful woman i would have cracked if i were in her position
The father (nabeel) :at first i was angry at his character i hated him slacking not doing anything leaving the mother doing everything which was an overload but when i found out what happened to him i felt sorry for him sad for what happened ..i teared up with him crying when naji got hurt
i loved the whole novel found out many details i didnot know about especially those considering palestine and lebanon i need to find about the whole thing cause it's alittle bit shocking
Natalie i loved your book the way you describe everything in detail i felt i was living the whole thing seeing the whole scene in front of me :)looking forward to reading another book by you
while reading the first chapters i wasnot quite interested in the book but when i kept reading i really enjoyed the book i loved the details that ruba mentioned details so precise that i felt through the whole novel i was there i smelled what ruba smelled i touched and felt the textures of what what she touched ...those details made the novel vivid and captivating
I loved the characters
ruba :her curiosity and her constant question that i felt like she is this little sister of mine who kept nagging me with questions all the time
naji: i actually love naji's character best he is the sweetest brother i would say patient and keeps answering ruba's questions all the time ,i teared up when he got injured i could have not bear the idea of him dying
the grandmother :so loving i felt like i would like to sink in and have a hug from her
the mother : a strong character a patient powerful woman i would have cracked if i were in her position
The father (nabeel) :at first i was angry at his character i hated him slacking not doing anything leaving the mother doing everything which was an overload but when i found out what happened to him i felt sorry for him sad for what happened ..i teared up with him crying when naji got hurt
i loved the whole novel found out many details i didnot know about especially those considering palestine and lebanon i need to find about the whole thing cause it's alittle bit shocking
Natalie i loved your book the way you describe everything in detail i felt i was living the whole thing seeing the whole scene in front of me :)looking forward to reading another book by you
Want to read
September 6, 2016Kinga:
civil war in Lebanon
The problems with child narrators is that they need to be authentic, because the reader wants to believe the story is told by an eight year old but at the same time the reader doesn't want to feel that the book was actually written by an eight year old. Here lies the catch-22, the book needs to be told by an eight year old but written by an adult.
Many authors resort to writing simple sentences and just dumbing down everything but that's not the way, of course. Nathalie Abi-Ezzi didn't fall into this trap. Her writing is exquisite but it is not done at cost of authenticity of her eight year old narrator, Ruba. Abi-Ezzie managed to capture the world as it is perceived by a child. There is a thin line between the real and the fantasy and the logical order of causes and consequences is often muddled.
We follow Ruba as she is trying to save her family in the midst of the civil war in Lebanon. Her father stopped speaking and caring for the world and spends most of his time sitting in his armchair and staring into space. Her mother cleans and cooks, cleans and cooks, as if afraid that if she stops she might realize the ruin that her family has come to. And her brother has secrets.
It is a beautiful story that analyses the madness of a civil war in a very interesting way. It raises an important question if you can (and should) lead a normal life when the world around you is falling apart. If you like poetic imagery and ephemeral style you should give "A Girl Made of Dust" a go.
civil war in Lebanon
The problems with child narrators is that they need to be authentic, because the reader wants to believe the story is told by an eight year old but at the same time the reader doesn't want to feel that the book was actually written by an eight year old. Here lies the catch-22, the book needs to be told by an eight year old but written by an adult.
Many authors resort to writing simple sentences and just dumbing down everything but that's not the way, of course. Nathalie Abi-Ezzi didn't fall into this trap. Her writing is exquisite but it is not done at cost of authenticity of her eight year old narrator, Ruba. Abi-Ezzie managed to capture the world as it is perceived by a child. There is a thin line between the real and the fantasy and the logical order of causes and consequences is often muddled.
We follow Ruba as she is trying to save her family in the midst of the civil war in Lebanon. Her father stopped speaking and caring for the world and spends most of his time sitting in his armchair and staring into space. Her mother cleans and cooks, cleans and cooks, as if afraid that if she stops she might realize the ruin that her family has come to. And her brother has secrets.
It is a beautiful story that analyses the madness of a civil war in a very interesting way. It raises an important question if you can (and should) lead a normal life when the world around you is falling apart. If you like poetic imagery and ephemeral style you should give "A Girl Made of Dust" a go.
May 30, 2021
A story set in Lebanon during the 1980s civil war, it has a timeless quality, being narrated by a 8 year old girl, Ruba, who doesn’t understand the politics of the war, or really fear it till it comes really close. She is much more afraid of the old lady up the hill she thinks is a witch. She is in a Maronite Christian family, she has a Muslim schoolfriend Karim
The less than happy family are deftly described, the silent, disturbed father, Mami obsessed with housework to block out her husbands passivity. Naji , brother and confidant, is becoming an adolescent and like all boys is excited by soldiers, the war and shelling, and picking up shrapnel and more. The businessman uncle Wadih, is a mystery, occasional visitor, cheery and flash. They live in a small town in the hills above Beirut, but the war comes to them.
There is a family mystery at the heart of this story, a slow build to its resolution. It is also a story about silence, the hurt and damage of those that can’t or won’t talk, Papi and Amal, a mute girl at school Ruba begins to befriend. It also details how brutal reality crashes through childish innocence.
It is well written. I found the child’s voice, amusing at times, blended well with the adult discussion she didn’t really follow. Written from personal experience., it has the ring of authenticity in its description of the attractive scenery, the rumbling war, the communal tensions, and eventual horrors.
Quite short and spare, I found it a very worthwhile read.
I had this book via the Shelterbox book club, a UK disaster relief charity.
The less than happy family are deftly described, the silent, disturbed father, Mami obsessed with housework to block out her husbands passivity. Naji , brother and confidant, is becoming an adolescent and like all boys is excited by soldiers, the war and shelling, and picking up shrapnel and more. The businessman uncle Wadih, is a mystery, occasional visitor, cheery and flash. They live in a small town in the hills above Beirut, but the war comes to them.
There is a family mystery at the heart of this story, a slow build to its resolution. It is also a story about silence, the hurt and damage of those that can’t or won’t talk, Papi and Amal, a mute girl at school Ruba begins to befriend. It also details how brutal reality crashes through childish innocence.
It is well written. I found the child’s voice, amusing at times, blended well with the adult discussion she didn’t really follow. Written from personal experience., it has the ring of authenticity in its description of the attractive scenery, the rumbling war, the communal tensions, and eventual horrors.
Quite short and spare, I found it a very worthwhile read.
I had this book via the Shelterbox book club, a UK disaster relief charity.
Read
June 30, 2024a moving and detailed portrait of the Lebanese civil war, seen from a child's eyes. It's a short book but it's heavy reading. The book shows how war causes agony and suffering. It robs children of their innocence. The children in the book, one of them likes to play with small boxes of wood and string bits and toy cars, he ends up enamoured of militias that use guns. The other children, they are made aware of how they are 'different' based on religion, when they used to play and go to school with each other. War also causes acute mental pain, despite the lack of visible wounds. There's a scene that resolves the main mystery of the book, the depression of the father, in a flashback where War is horrendous, in the book some parties act dirty and dishonorably. They deliberately use cluster bombs and phosphorus that hurt so many of the civilian population. War makes a hard world for children, in the book they used to love playing in their forests and watching their mother cook, but a lot of the city has been reduced to rubble or pummelled by shrapnel, and the people look at their once-glittering city and aim to flee for relief. This city, it was said, was the oldest in the world. It was crossroads for so many civilizations, Phoenician, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman.
May 26, 2011
"A Girl Made of Dust" starts with a deceptively slow pace. After all, it is narrated by the eight year old girl Ruba. Its power accumulates deliberately and relentlessly. The novel takes place during the early eighties outside Beirut. The slow beginning colors in the portrait of a family already in crisis over the nervous breakdown of the father whose shop feeds it. Rufa's family is Christian but not biased against Muslims; one of Ruba's friends in a Muslim boy. As the violence intensifies, the community is fractured--Muslims are murdered or flee--then family. A brother is wounded, the father's secret exposed, a businessman uncle bankrupted despite turning to crime. In at least one sense, the violence is a symptom of an irrational and inflexible society. The sins of the past are visited on the present with a fury. And religion is no solace for this not especially churchy family for whom God is still very present, even in the midst of insanity. "What was God thinking?" asks the grandmother of a senseless death. Another character speculates that they are living through the nightmares of a sleeping God. The only balm is to take a mute girl into an already small, jammed home. This is real horror, not the kind that lulls insomniacs to sleep or gives teenagers a thrill, and it is a remarkable achievement that lingers, however painfully, in memory.
September 25, 2009
Ruba, an eight-year-old Lebanese Maronite Christian girl is of an age where she is becoming more aware of family tensions, as well as being concerned with real and imaginary childhood issues such as the taunting of her Muslim friend, Karim at school, and her belief that a neighbor woman is a witch who must have put a curse on her depressed father to cause his nearly immobilized condition.
Her older brother, Naji is spending less and less time playing with her as he falls in with some older boys who are engaging in dangerous play.
Her mother and grandmother try to hold the family together emotionally and financially, and the visit of Uncle Wadih lightens the mood temporarily. Ruba, however, discovers that there is a family secret, which everyone but she knows, and which somehow explains her father's depression and strange rages.
Meanwhile, Israel has invaded Lebanon, and the shelling comes closer and closer to their town. When the bombing finally arrives, the whole family is forced to deal not just with the present danger, but with the painful past.
An interesting book about a culture and history that may be unfamiliar to many Western readers, but with which we can identify emotionally through Abi-Ezzi's strong writing, even as we learn from it.
Her older brother, Naji is spending less and less time playing with her as he falls in with some older boys who are engaging in dangerous play.
Her mother and grandmother try to hold the family together emotionally and financially, and the visit of Uncle Wadih lightens the mood temporarily. Ruba, however, discovers that there is a family secret, which everyone but she knows, and which somehow explains her father's depression and strange rages.
Meanwhile, Israel has invaded Lebanon, and the shelling comes closer and closer to their town. When the bombing finally arrives, the whole family is forced to deal not just with the present danger, but with the painful past.
An interesting book about a culture and history that may be unfamiliar to many Western readers, but with which we can identify emotionally through Abi-Ezzi's strong writing, even as we learn from it.
July 28, 2009
A fictional story of the Israeli and Palestinian invasions into Lebanon, told from the point of view of an eight-year-old Christian girl, Ruba. The story is told completely from her observations of what is happening to her family and her village. Her father has changed, never works, just sits in his chair. Her uncle has a mysterious job in Beirut. Her friend Karim is Muslim, and why would that matter? Her mother is voicelessly unhappy with the situation. Her grandmother is the rock of the family, but won't answer all questions. Her brother sneaks out of his window to be with older boys. And all around them is bombing, shelling, and destruction. Although I wish I had learned a little more history and current events by reading this book, I was fascinated by the author's ability to stay in Ruba's character. I really liked this book.
December 3, 2015
This book is a little gem, I really loved it.
It's a tale of a child's life in Lebanon during the civil war.
It's well crafted, with several interweaving story lines and very well formed and believable characters. The author has a light touch and it's an easy read. The ending is unexpected and uplifting.
The remarkable aspect of this is the surreal context of life in a war zone, where the sound of gunfire is routine, and pieces of shrapnel & spent bullets become playthings. Death and injury are almost routine, but still people try to have a normal life and agonise over the consequences of their actions.
As I write this review, I think of present day Syria and the lives of people who are either living there or fleeing.
It's a tale of a child's life in Lebanon during the civil war.
It's well crafted, with several interweaving story lines and very well formed and believable characters. The author has a light touch and it's an easy read. The ending is unexpected and uplifting.
The remarkable aspect of this is the surreal context of life in a war zone, where the sound of gunfire is routine, and pieces of shrapnel & spent bullets become playthings. Death and injury are almost routine, but still people try to have a normal life and agonise over the consequences of their actions.
As I write this review, I think of present day Syria and the lives of people who are either living there or fleeing.
October 26, 2015
This is very much a book of two halves. The first half was nicely written, atmospheric in the threat and conflict of burgeoning war, but slow as a wet week. Then at about the halfway point, a plot appeared! Actually giving the characters something to do made such a difference.
Look, I'm all for atmosphere, but a book can't survive on that alone. And when you're padding out the intro to the midway point, you've rambled on for far too long. It should have moved beyond the molasses of minutiae a good hundred pages earlier - especially as the effects of war were shown so much more clearly in the second half than in the first, which pretty much negates the reason for the whole sad drag to begin with.
Look, I'm all for atmosphere, but a book can't survive on that alone. And when you're padding out the intro to the midway point, you've rambled on for far too long. It should have moved beyond the molasses of minutiae a good hundred pages earlier - especially as the effects of war were shown so much more clearly in the second half than in the first, which pretty much negates the reason for the whole sad drag to begin with.
September 22, 2019
This is the first book I read for Abi-Ezzi and I fell in love with the vivid descriptions of Lebanon’s beautiful flora and fauna. Also,reading about the Lebanese war from the perspective of an eight-year-old gave me a new perspective on the experience. I always thought of the war in terms of political factions and who did what. However, Abi-Ezzi concludes her book by saying that ‘we’re all the same’ emphasizing how war affects everyone in the same way. ‘Death is all around us’.
I did find Nabeel’s change in temperament a bit abrupt. However, it didn’t affect my experience.
I’ve read several books on the Lebanese war and it is books like this, that transport me to a different time and allow me to vicariously live a war I’ve never lived, yet heard about frequently since I was a teenager.
I did find Nabeel’s change in temperament a bit abrupt. However, it didn’t affect my experience.
I’ve read several books on the Lebanese war and it is books like this, that transport me to a different time and allow me to vicariously live a war I’ve never lived, yet heard about frequently since I was a teenager.
August 19, 2009
This story takes place in Lebanon during the 1982 Israeli invasion where we see the war through the eyes of an eight-year-old girl and are invited into her innocence. It is beautifully told: "[t:]he hot sky had bleached itself white and cicadas hummed back and forth, back and forth, as if they were sawing the trees. Teta had said once that each time they stopped a person had died, but they didn't stop often.." By the end of the book, as the family hudles in their home, their once peaceful Christian village under bombardment, the cicadas have stopped. Although the book deals with brutality and violence, there also is hope and redemption.
February 2, 2011
A child narrator is a hard act to pull off, but it works very well here. Beautiful, small book about childhood, war, and family. It's very gentle given what's going on (the Israeli invasion of Lebanon), and Abi-Ezzi's voice is wonderful. It made me think a little of the film The Spirit of the Beehive, another version of a child surrounded by events she doesn't quite understand. And I thought the resolution, which really explored the implications of the title, worked perfectly.
I bought this more or less on a whim, and now I'm surprised it's not better known!
I bought this more or less on a whim, and now I'm surprised it's not better known!
August 2, 2011
A bittersweet coming of age story told through the eyes of a 10-year-old girl in Lebanon. I read one reviewer who claimed that the narrator was awkward and forced, but I found her believable and engaging. I suspect he (the reviewer) had never been a little girl, so maybe that was his problem. At any rate, the descriptions of war-torn Lebanon (or any country ravaged by war) and the differences of attitude between Christians, Muslims and Jews, even within the family, seemed to come from a perspective of experience.
June 3, 2013
Glad I picked this one off the shelf to read! The author does an incredible job of taking you on a journey through the eyes and mind of a young girl living outside Beirut during the civil war in Lebanon.
Just like Pasternak's "Dr. Zhivago", this story begins with a series of threads that seem jumbled rather than connected, but as the book goes along the threads begin to wend together into a vivid and climatic ending that pulls it all together.
Definitely hoping Ms Abi-Ezzi will write another fictional novel.
Just like Pasternak's "Dr. Zhivago", this story begins with a series of threads that seem jumbled rather than connected, but as the book goes along the threads begin to wend together into a vivid and climatic ending that pulls it all together.
Definitely hoping Ms Abi-Ezzi will write another fictional novel.
June 10, 2016
Ten-year-old Ruba lives in a village outside Beirut. From her family home, she can see the buildings shimmering on the horizon and the sea stretched out beside them. She can also hear the rumble of the shelling - this is Lebanon in the 1980s and civil war is tearing the country apart.
This is a beautifully written account of life through a child's eyes, from her brother not wanting to play with her any more, to her father who just sits in a chair not participating in life. It is a lovely book and story.
This is a beautifully written account of life through a child's eyes, from her brother not wanting to play with her any more, to her father who just sits in a chair not participating in life. It is a lovely book and story.
March 8, 2017
My favorite thing about this book is that it is narrated through first person "8 year old Ruba".
It was interesting to me because it is through her narration that you get to see all the small details that only a child would notice.
I found the main conflict isn't of much importance, in other words "not a real big problem" YET you will find yourself obliged to sympathize with her and consequently driven to finish the story to know the resolution.
It was interesting to me because it is through her narration that you get to see all the small details that only a child would notice.
I found the main conflict isn't of much importance, in other words "not a real big problem" YET you will find yourself obliged to sympathize with her and consequently driven to finish the story to know the resolution.
March 10, 2020
I kept waiting for this book to get exciting, but sadly that never happened.
I'm not even sure why I read it to the end!
10 year-old Ruba lives in a village outside war-torn Beirut.
The blurb suggested that there was a mystery regarding her father to be uncovered!
It was not until half way through that it was mentioned, and even then it did not make the book more interesting.
I only gave it one star because I figured it must have a little something to keep me reading!
I'm not even sure why I read it to the end!
10 year-old Ruba lives in a village outside war-torn Beirut.
The blurb suggested that there was a mystery regarding her father to be uncovered!
It was not until half way through that it was mentioned, and even then it did not make the book more interesting.
I only gave it one star because I figured it must have a little something to keep me reading!
July 25, 2017
the writing is so simple yet profound at times, and the story just sucks you in, and you find yourself reading and reading and not wanting stop. its the most curious feeling. and i love love love the fact that this story is told from ruba's pov because the world through a child's eyes is incredible to read about. definitely recommended.
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