Bo Song Song itibaren West Chelborough itibaren West Chelborough

I could see how this book could be a compelling movie, but unfortunately it doesn't resonate as much in print. It's a feel good story (or about as feel good as any story about a stateless and ravaged nation can get) about a Palestinian girl who grows up and away from extremism. Jebreal's writing is stark and plain, but that style of writing fits the story. The author isn't worried about storytelling so much as telling a story, and she succeeds in a very average fashion. It's neither good or bad but it delivers in digestable bits the story of a nation and a people that many may not be familiar with. Personally, I found the main character Miral so much less interesting than her mother, a more damaged and vulnerable and multilayered character, and so when the book began to focus on Miral, the boredom set in. However, there are very strong female characters in this book, all very different from each other in passions, in their attitudes and their life choices, and that interplay is beautiful.

pleasure read, not for official review. I think what I like most about Luanne's books, are you never really know what to expect, except that they're good. She had a deft way of taking common emotions and expanding them into 300 plus pages, and yet you're never bored. This was one of her better ones.

A good friend of mine called this book "mental masturbation". hehe I liked it though. I never experienced life in lower-middle class america, so I can't judge if this book is accurately describing the situation there. But I like how the story was made very personal -- made it easy to relate to.