The Island of Missing Trees

by Elif Shafak | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: 0241988721 Global Overview for this book
Registered by wingkinediwing of Rushyford, County Durham United Kingdom on 6/14/2022
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4 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by wingkinediwing from Rushyford, County Durham United Kingdom on Tuesday, June 14, 2022
Two teenagers, a Greek Cypriot and a Turkish Cypriot, meet at a taverna on the island they both call home. The taverna is the only place that Kostas and Defne can meet in secret, hidden beneath the blackened beams from which hang garlands of garlic and chilli peppers, creeping honeysuckle, and in the centre, growing through a cavity in the roof, a fig tree. The fig tree witnesses their hushed, happy meetings; their silent, surreptitious departures. The fig tree is there, too, when war breaks out, when the capital is reduced to ashes and rubble, when the teenagers vanish. Decades later, Kostas returns—a botanist, looking for native species—looking, really, for Defne. The two lovers return to the taverna to take a clipping from the fig tree and smuggle it into their suitcase, bound for London. Years later, the fig tree in the garden is their daughter Ada's only knowledge of a home she has never visited, as she seeks to untangle years of secrets and silence, and find her place in the world.

Bookclub July 2022

Journal Entry 2 by wingkinediwing at Rushyford, County Durham United Kingdom on Sunday, July 10, 2022
A beautiful novel, very evocative and emotional!

Journal Entry 3 by wingkinediwing at Rushyford, County Durham United Kingdom on Friday, July 29, 2022

Released 2 yrs ago (8/1/2022 UTC) at Rushyford, County Durham United Kingdom

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

On it's way to dacejav as spotted on her wishlist.
Happy reading


Journal Entry 4 by wingdacejavwing at Tbilisi, Tbilisi Georgia on Wednesday, September 7, 2022
Thank you so much for this RABCK! We wanted to travel to Cyprus this January, but then my in-laws got Covid and we got scared (we were contacts) and decided to cancel the trip. We did not get Covid, but it was raining all the time I think so maybe did not miss much. I still plan to travel to Cyprus some time... but that's how this book ended up on my wish list: nothing disturbs traveling by book :-)

Journal Entry 5 by lailaleaf at Tbilisi, Tbilisi Georgia on Friday, October 21, 2022
Picked this up at the monthly book swap at Lokal in Tbilisi, and so excited to read it!

[Later] WOW, this was a beautiful and heartbreaking read. I absolutely loved it! :)

Journal Entry 6 by lailaleaf at Tbilisi, Tbilisi Georgia on Monday, November 7, 2022

Released 2 yrs ago (11/8/2022 UTC) at Tbilisi, Tbilisi Georgia

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Passed to a friend during the monthly book swap at Lokal.

Journal Entry 7 by wingAnonymousFinderwing at Tbilisi, Tbilisi Georgia on Thursday, December 8, 2022
Picked up at Book Swap at Lokal - very much enjoyed, thank you for sharing!

Passing it back to the book swap group :)

Journal Entry 8 by wingdacejavwing at Tbilisi, Tbilisi Georgia on Monday, September 30, 2024
The book is back with me and starting to read it tomorrow.

Journal Entry 9 by wingdacejavwing at Tbilisi, Tbilisi Georgia on Tuesday, October 15, 2024
It was Tbilisi - Wine, Women and Wit Book Club pick for October. Yesterday we had a very nice discussion at a Middle Eastern restaurant Weller. I had some mezze of baba ganoush and beet hummus, which was very fitting.

I enjoyed the book, but I didn't love it. There was something missing, but I can't pinpoint exactly what. I enjoyed the fig tree perspective, learnt a bit about the civil war in Cyprus and I loved Meryem's proverbs.

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