safekeeper's reviews
94 reviews

This is a gem of a book. It sends an important message, it's really well-written, and I love the 'pacing' of the art and text. An engaging and haunting read. I hope it can help young ones dealing with the same peer pressure as the protagonist.

I hope this leads to societal change. I never knew sleep was this important.

(DNF) Just didn't manage to hold me throughout.

Very informative. Walter goes into detail on the risk factors for civil war, in the process teaching us about the civil wars around the world, both recent and historical, from Ireland to Zimbabwe, and how they often devolve into genocides led by 'ethnic entrepenours' bent on bringing about surpremacy for their people. She discusses how authoritarianism has risen in different countries, again going through specific examples. Chillingly, she then goes on to show us how the same risk factors that led to other countries being torn apart by civil war increasingly exist in the United States today, and how ironically, United States-based social media platforms have contributed to making the country and people as polarized and militant as they are today. Finally, in the last chapter of the book, she discusses, citing South Africa as her example, how a country can back away from the brink and find peaceful solutions to its internal conflicts.

In short: highly recommended. You learn about civil war risk factors, how the wars themselves often play out, and in the process you get history lessons on the civil wars in a wide variety of countries.

Excellent book. Innocent, 'colour blind' children encounter and have to come to terms with racism and prejudice when they befriend a child their own age who has fled from a war in a distant country. The main characters are lovable and the book is heartwarm and full of love.

Only thing I slightly disliked is that it was the school bully who was the racist. Piling every bad trait onto the same 'villain' character is a bit of a tired trope. Then again I suppose it's realistic bully behaviour, in that they like to prey on the 'different' and vulnerable.

No idea what to rate this. Glad I read it, and it had an impact, but I'm not sure if it really gave me anything. Overall I'd say it works as a short story.

Eh. The writing is creative, and I appreciate the insight (and I always appreciate audio books read by the author), and it's a credit to the author that the writing is so realistic I had to go online to double check if it really was fiction. However, I also found it way too monotonously depressive, with some depictions of abuse and horrible animal suffering thrown in. Don't care for books that just wallow in sadness and misery. Can't bring myself to give it a lower grade, but would not recommend this.

Thanks for the insight into contemporary Ottoman culture and the royal miniaturist 'art scene'. Also loved how the book didn't take itself too seriously, and had humorous moments including chapters narrated by everything from a painting of a dog to a coin. The plot did take a long while to really get started, and I was more fascinated by the historical lesson than the murder mystery, but overall My Name is Red is worth your time if you can work your way through a 400+ pages read. It almost made me want to learn Turkish so I could read it in the orignal language.

All the feels. Love how it ebbs and flows, and you never know exactly when things are going to really go bad for the protagonist.

After my second Kristin Hannah novel, the first one being The Great Alone, I am now on a mission to read as much as I can of her bibliography, because this one impressed me nearly as much as the first (I loved The Great Alone so much that it's hard to top it in my eyes). This book's 4.49 rating is well-deserved.

The Nightingale tells the story of the occupation of France during World War II through the eyes of women, one of whom becomes a partisan while the other has to remain at home with her children, trying to find a balance between doing what she can for her community, and protecting herself and her children from the Nazis.

The Nightingale is well-written, exciting, and tugs at your heart strings, while giving you insight into everyday life for French civilians during the war and the hard choices and sacrifices regular civilians have to make to survive. Also,

bonus points for a realistic depiction of the after-effects of sexual assault. This is glossed over in way too many books.

  My only tiny gripe with the book is the sudden perspective changes in the middle of chapters, which can be a tiny bit disorienting.

All in all, I recommend this book strongly. Looking forward to reading my next Kristin Hannah novel.