Books and Jams Readalong discussion

Another book finished! Great job!

What were your thoughts about the ending? Was it satisfying? Leave you wanting more?
How did the second half compare to the first half?
Did any characters have a strong arc or change from beginning to end?
Which characters did you like best? Or were they pretty unlikeable?
Did the author draw out your feelings throughout this book?
What are your final thoughts about this one?
What will you rate it?

Finished! I really liked this book- 4 stars. By the end, I found the way the author presented different characters' viewpoints of the same situations very powerful. It enabled me to see the situations like a puzzle, adding pieces with each person's perspective to be able to see the whole picture. Having the father's at the end made a big impact. I had made assumptions about him throughout the whole book without really knowing what his motivations, perspectives, etc. were and I definitely changed my opinion after reading Part 4. I didn't completely love the ending. I think I was just hoping for it to be wrapped into a neater feel-good package!

My favorite quote (as an empty-nest mother of a college-freshman son): “Just one more moment. Just give us one more. But maybe her heart would never be satisfied; maybe it was ever-enlarging in its want for me. Because she knew that if she were granted one more moment, then another one was what she would ask for. She could live around her son for a hundred years and even then, when it was time to part, she would think - but it has been too brief.”
― Fatima Farheen Mirza, A Place for Us

Beautiful!

I found this novel to be pretty good. I would give it 3.75-4 stars. Where I enjoyed the last part of the book with Rafiq’s voice I just kept thinking how much stronger this book would have been if it had been told in chapters from each character’s point of view. Ending it with a much different narration than the start feels a bit disjointed to me. I really love exploring family struggles and the idea of seeing a situation so differently depending on whose point of view we are following. Mirza did an excellent job making the issues complex and simple at the same time. This book made me rethink certain times from my own life and how harshly I have judged my own parents in choices they made without knowing how hard it is to be a parent. Now that I am a parent I can give my parents some grace in how tough of a job that is and how most parents are trying to do the best they can.

Overall, I liked this and found the story easy enough to be invested in. I don’t think it will make any favorites lists for me though.

I liked parts 3-4 better than the first two parts. I think Rafiq was way too hard on himself. My father traveled for his job too and it was hard to parent us when he came home on week-ends. But he had to support us the best way he could. Rafiq just wanted what was best for the family and his son just couldn't see that. Amar was the baby and mama's always spoil their youngest. Perhaps losing a her fourth baby son made her spoil Amar all the more.

I wish the ending could have been written different. I know my opinion is among the minority but this was only a 3 star book for me.

I absolutely loved this book. I admit, I’m not very familiar with most of the rituals, traditions, holidays of the Muslim faith, so I really enjoyed the educational aspect to begin with. And the story just tore at my heartstrings from Amar to Haida, Layla and Rafiq. Being a parent now, I can empathize with the parents and some of their decision-making and I also remember those first love feelings where you feel you’ll never recover when there’s a break-up. I wish the end had been different, but I also am kind of glad it wasn’t tidied into a neat package. I look forward to reading other books by Mirza. 5 🌟. I had debated between 4-1/2 and 5, but I think it’s definitely worthy of 5, in my opinion.

I gave this book 4 stars. I really liked Part 4 where you saw the dad's perspective of things and how much he loved his son. I just wish that he would have gotten the chance to tell him. I really enjoyed this book. Thanks for a great read.

For me, this was a 4 or 4.5 star read. I loved the honesty and tenderness with which Mirza described each of the characters. I loved how they were all so multidimensional and human, and how the readers' sympathies changed and shifted as the book went on. The non-linear narrative structure took a little getting used to, but the story was so powerful and beautifully told that for the most part, that didn't bother me. In fact, I think it ultimately contributed to the author's characterizations and allowed them to be more nuanced and complex. As others have said, getting Rafiq's perspective at the end really added to my respect for him, and for me, this was also perhaps the most powerful section of the book. It's amazing to think this is only Mirza's first novel, that she completed it at only 27 years old and is still under 30. I will definitely follow this author and can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

Well, I finished this book a few days ago and wanted to sit with it a bit before writing my thoughts. I honestly think I have a different opinion than those of you who wrote your thoughts already. I was so completely bored by the end! haha. I have decided character driven books just aren't for me. I enjoyed the first part of the book, but once we started revisiting scenes but from different perspectives I just lost a ton of interest. It was so hard for me to finish the last section from the dad's point of view. I did like that we got his perspective, but I kept falling asleep! I didn't get the emotion I was expecting. The whole book was pretty sad, but it didn't bring me to tears. I was frustrated at the lack of resolution at the end. Can you see why I love middle grade so much! We always get that resolution. hahaha

I did think the writing was fantastic. I did love the complexity and depth of these characters. I can absolutely see why others love this book, but I am going to give it just 3 stars. It didn't work for me by the end. Bummer.

Krista wrote: "Well, I finished this book a few days ago and wanted to sit with it a bit before writing my thoughts. I honestly think I have a different opinion than those of you who wrote your thoughts already. ..."

Krista, I told you we have similar reading tastes. This book just didn't do it for me too. I gave it 3 stars.

I agree with you Krista... I had a hard time finishing this book... even though I grew to care about the family... I wasn't drawn to pick the book up and had to force myself to read it to finish the "read along"...