Play Book Tag discussion

The Map of Salt and Stars by Zeyn Joukhadar
4 stars

I really enjoyed this book, but my brain is currently mush because I am studying for the bar exam, so my review probably won't be super insightful...

This book takes the (bit overused) dual storyline plot, alternating between Nour and her family's flight from war-torn Syria in search of a country that will take refuges and Rawiya who lived 800 years before and traveled the same path with a famous mapmaker.

Rawiya's story is the one that I devoured. I wanted to read more and more to hear her tale of adventure. She left home, disguised herself as a boy, and accompanied a real-life famous mapmaker Al-Idrisi around seven countries to document the area for King Roger II of Sicily. She was fearless and badass, and a killer with the slingshot.

Nour's story was good for other reasons. It shed important insight to Syrian refugees, but I just wasn't as invested in her story despite there being characters that were wonderful (Abu Sayeed was maybe my favorite). That is until the last quarter of the book. The weaving in the importance of maps and sense of place was brilliant. And I did love that Nour's path mirrored that of Rawiya's.

A solid read for my year and I am glad I picked it up, but I probably would have gleaned more from it if I picked it up at a different time....

Glad you got to enjoy it during this stressful time for you Nicole!

We are opposite, that I enjoyed Nour's side of things a bit more. I think it was the synthesia as I had little knowledge of it and it just made me feel and think a bit more about the story.

The synthesia was definitely an interesting aspect of the book, and my favorite part what when she realized that her mom had made the map in code that so only she would be able to read it! I loved that part.

I have a friend with synthesia and I chucked when the mom always asked Nour what colors certain letters were because I used to always ask him the same thing! I was fascinated...though I never thought to make a cool coded map out of it! lol

I am impressed you can read outside of your studying! I have been with friends when they're studying for the bar exam, so I can appreciate how much time is involved. Glad you enjoyed this book, Nicole. I enjoyed it too.