Tag: Nadia Hashimi

Book Review – The Pearl That Broke Its Shell

The Pearl That Broke Its Shell by Nadia Hashimi / Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis

In Kabul, 2007, with a drug-addicted father and no brothers, Rahima and her sisters can only sporadically attend school, and can rarely leave the house. Their only hope lies in the ancient custom of bacha posh, which allows young Rahima to dress and be treated as a boy until she is of marriageable age. As a son, she can attend school, go to the market, and chaperone her older sisters.

But Rahima is not the first in her family to adopt this unusual custom. A century earlier, her great-great grandmother, Shekiba, left orphaned by an epidemic, saved herself and built a new life the same way.

Crisscrossing in time, The Pearl the Broke Its Shell interweaves the tales of these two women separated by a century who share similar destinies. But what will happen once Rahima is of marriageable age? Will Shekiba always live as a man? And if Rahima cannot adapt to life as a bride, how will she survive?

Thoughts

This is the second book I’ve read by Nadia Hashimi and I absolutely loved it! It is such an emotional heartbreaking portrayal of how Afghan women were treated in the distant and not so distant past. It makes me wonder if this is what will begin again in light of recent events. The stories of Shekiba and Rahima will stay with me for a long time.

I gave this book 5 stars.

Book Review – Sparks Like Stars

Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi / Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis

Kabul, 1978: The daughter of a prominent family, Sitara Zamani lives a privileged life in Afghanistan’s thriving cosmopolitan capital. The 1970s are a time of remarkable promise under the leadership of people like Sardar Daoud, Afghanistan’s progressive president, and Sitara’s beloved father, his right-hand man. But the ten-year-old Sitara’s world is shattered when communists stage a coup, assassinating the president and Sitara’s entire family. Only she survives. 

Smuggled out of the palace by a guard named Shair, Sitara finds her way to the home of a female American diplomat, who adopts her and raises her in America. In her new country, Sitara takes on a new name—Aryana Shepherd—and throws herself into her studies, eventually becoming a renowned surgeon.

New York, 2008: Thirty years after that fatal night in Kabul, Aryana’s world is rocked again when an elderly patient appears in her examination room—a man she never expected to see again. It is Shair, the soldier who saved her, yet may have murdered her entire family. Seeing him awakens Aryana’s fury and desire for answers—and, perhaps, revenge.

Thoughts

I loved this book!!

The story started out a little slow but that isn’t a bad thing as it quickly picked up and kept me interested until the very end.

This book will definitely tug at your heartstrings as it is pretty emotional throughout and I gave it 5 stars.