As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow
Ratings26
Average rating4.4
15
Ratings26
Average rating4.4
A love letter to Syria and its people, As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow is a speculative novel set amid the Syrian Revolution, burning with the fires of hope, love, and possibility. Perfect for fans of The Book Thief and Salt to the Sea. Salama Kassab was a pharmacy student when the cries for freedom broke out in Syria. She still had her parents and her big brother; she still had her home. She had a normal teenager’s life. Now Salama volunteers at a hospital in Homs, helping the wounded who flood through the doors daily. Secretly, though, she is desperate to find a way out of her beloved country before her sister-in-law, Layla, gives birth. So desperate, that she has manifested a physical embodiment of her fear in the form of her imagined companion, Khawf, who haunts her every move in an effort to keep her safe. But even with Khawf pressing her to leave, Salama is torn between her loyalty to her country and her conviction to survive. Salama must contend with bullets and bombs, military assaults, and her shifting sense of morality before she might finally breathe free. And when she crosses paths with the boy she was supposed to meet one fateful day, she starts to doubt her resolve in leaving home at all. Soon, Salama must learn to see the events around her for what they truly are—not a war, but a revolution—and decide how she, too, will cry for Syria’s freedom.
Reviews with the most likes.
He and I are owed a love story that doesn't end in tragedy.”
Do you know that feeling of anger you feel towards yourself when you pick up a book and realise you wish you would've picked it up sooner? That was my exact feeling for this book and I knew it from the very first chapters.
The fact that this is a debut astounds me and makes me so excited for what comes next from this author. There is not one fault that I can think of when it comes to this book.
It may say fiction next to this book but the truth is that this is very much a reality for many people and I truly believe that this is such an important book for people to read.
These characters will now forever hold a very special place in my heart.
I find it difficult to try to express in words how much I love this book and how it made me feel but I don't think there are words.
This is a book I will be recommending to everyone.
This book was... I have no words. It was sad, heartbreaking, painful, brutal, but beautiful nonetheless. It broke my heart, it made me cry so much and it also made me laugh. It's written in such a beautiful way that will make you feel like you're part of the story. I am so glad I decided to pick it up thanks to a bookstagram friend of mine, I will never forget the beauty of this story.
“Every lemon will bring forth a child, and the lemons will never die out.”
will add more to this when i stop sobbing<3 (probably not anytime soon) is it too early to say this is my favorite book of the year?
“It reminds me that as long as the lemon trees grow, hope will never die.”
