What do readers think of The Sweetness of Tears by Nafisa Haji? Write your own review.

I enjoyed this book and now plan to read the first book by Nafisa Hasji, “The Writing on My Forehead.” People who enjoy the authors, Thrity Umrigar and Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, will enjoy this book although these settings are Pakistan, the United States, and Iraq.
   One has to pay attention to the title of each chapter as the book is written in many voices. Different cultures, different religions, the Iraq war, PTSD, and the meaning of family are all explored.
    I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 because the author tried to cover too many themes and I found the final chapter weak.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. A great mix how one's culture defines them. The storyline kept me interested, as well as the characters themselves. There were some moments though when I had to go back to see which character was narrating. I will definitely be recommending this book to my friends.

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.

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!!

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.

This was an interesting book that covered family,religion and tradition. It gave readers a view of the Pakistan culture.I found the writing style which included the interchange of generations,to be interesting but a bit difficult to follow. I did spend some time re-reading a section just to make sure I knew who was speaking. In this regard, the book was not as fluid as other books I have read. All in all, I do feel it is worth a read and I will recommend it to my book club.

I was disappointed by this book as the subject matter - Islam and Christianity - are so central to today's geopolitical policies. It was tedious, predictable and a bit disjointed. The characters are briefly introduced and then given a chapter to have their views expressed. I found the device distracting and the prose is full of cliches.

I enjoyed reading this take on the many ways that religion affects our lives and the ways we often struggle with faith and doubt. My one complaint is that there were too many narrators. I had trouble keeping the different voices separate.