great book club book
I laughed and cried my way through The Sweetness of Tears. Jo, the main character, is a young woman who discovers an evolving family and encounters both Christian and Muslim societies in far flung corners of the world as she delves into family secrets in a search for her own identity. She and all the characters are clearly defined and true to themselves. Some of the passages are achingly beautifully written - almost poetic as love, despair, tragedy and redemption are presented.
Because the book is written in first person by the various characters over three generations, you need to pay attention to who is speaking as you start each chapter. I did need to keep a list of all the characters and their relationship to each other as the book progressed. That said, the story carries you along easily. Especially helpful is the glossary of unfamiliar terms. Book groups will find a multitude of topics for discussion. I give this book 5 1/2 stars out of 5! Once I started reading I needed to quickly continue, staying up late to finish. Now I need to reread the book to savor the characters and their story.
Rated of 5
by Adelia S. (Livingston, MT)
The Sweetness of Tears
A wonderful book! A blending of two different worlds--Christian and Muslim. It is just a lovely story. I will recommend it to my book club.
Rated of 5
by Julie G. (West Hartford, CT)
The Sweetness of Tears
I found The Sweetness of Tears to be a thoroughly engrossing book. The book is told from the viewpoints of different characters in the story, and although occasionally I had to remind myself whose story I was reading, I found them all to be compelling and very real. While the author tackles a number of different topics: politics, war, family, religion and friendship, by the end she succeeds in tying everything together in both a thought provoking and thoroughly satisfying way.
Rated of 5
by Carole A. (Denver, CO)
The sweetness of the book!
Nafisa Haji engaged me and kept me involved from the first word to the last. For the first time in many books I was sorry to have the book conclude. This book is, in my opinion, a winner! The reality of all the characters, situations and connections felt strongly reality based and for many of the twists extremely timely. I actually double checked to be sure this was a novel and not a true story. While one could delve into more detail I would not want to spoil the story as told. Suffice to say insight into customs between the cultures of the countries and the religions was enlightening. The blending of the Christian and the Muslin families was wonderful. This is a book that I have already recommended to three book clubs and many friends.
Rated of 5
by Mary J. (Scottsdale, AZ)
Engrossing!!
Starts out rather slow but soon picks up speed. I wasn't able to put it down. Well written and full of surprises. A must read!!
Rated of 5
by Nancy L. (Denver, NC)
The New "Three Cups of Tea"
It's been a long time since I've read a book this good. The characters are from all over - an evangelical Christian family discovers their connection with Muslims from Pakistan and Iraq during the War on Terror. The Christian matriarch, Faith, is a woman of incredible compassion and bravery - in the world but not to her family. The world of the Muslim woman is heartbreaking. I love the meaning of the "sweetness of tears":"Tears are proof that there is love in the world. Tears are only bitter when we cry selfishly for ourselves...tears that flow from the love in your heart" for others are sweet tears - let them fall.
Rated of 5
by Susan R. (Julian, NC)
The Sweetness of Life
I was very close to giving up on this book for the first 50 pages but I continued reading because I had really enjoyed this author's first book (The Writing on my Forehead). I made a list of all of the characters as they appeared in the book so that could connect the families. Once I did that, I couldn't put the book down. I think that this author presents a unique view on the differences of the two cultures - but then lets us see that ultimately we all strive for the same things in our lives no matter where we are from. I highly recommend this book.
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of 5
by Becky H. (Chicago, IL)
