The provocative title and the setting in Syria made me want to read this book. I have read many translated books but this one was tough going. The historical aspects were enlightening and I come away from reading this book realizing how little I understand of this culture. …more I liked the 2nd half of the book better and felt the author resolved the title well. (less)

I enjoyed this book and it's characters. I found the way Jacob dealt with his grief and desire for revenge very satisfying. The book's ending was good without being too neat and perfect.

I'm not sure what I think of To the Moon and Timbuktu by Nina Sovich. The writing was pleasant and readable in this memoir of the author's travel through western Africa. The insight into the countries where Nina traveled was revealing because those are areas that do not …more have a lot of 'personal 'written about them. I share Nina's interest in Mary Kinsley and other early explorers and appreciated her research. The part of the memoir that bothers me is the risks Nina took in her travels. I laud her adventurous spirit in traveling alone, but am unsettled by the risks she took.

An example of the writing in To the Moon and Timbuktu.
"I remember thinking in Paris that I would pour African into me like some kind of magic elixir. Then I would be seen. Then I would exist." (less)

You are immediately caught up with one of the main characters in Children of the Jacaranda Tree. The book covers the protests in Iran over the years from 1983 to 2011 –.28 years, enough time for babies to grow up and fight their own political battles. The story is told from …more more than one side and there are many characters to follow.
The two prisons, Evin and Kahrizak in the novel are real. The three Americans who wandered into Iran while hiking and were accused of spying by Iran were held in Evin. The writing is very subtle concerning the torture in the prison. Only in the 2nd reading did I catch the significance of the timing of the sisters going to prison and the age of their babies now in the care of the grandparents and the last sister.
Shahar Delijani's writing has phrasing that has kept me pondering; 'soon she realized memories were heavier than her will to move on'.
The scenes and characters change abruptly. Once the scene changed without the character names being mentioned; that left me struggling to fit the scene into my frame of reference. After reading the few pages I thought that by not naming the characters the scene became more universal. Many of the characters had the experience described.
Although in aforementioned example the abrupt scene change worked others did not. Early in the book a character that you came to care about very quickly is in a life threatening condition. The next paragraph it is a month later with no mention how that was resolved.
The ending did contain a surprise about the twist and turns lives take. The book was a good 1st read and the re-reading it is even more compelling. (less)