
The Map of Salt and Stars
by Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: 9781982100766 Global Overview for this book
ISBN: 9781982100766 Global Overview for this book
2 journalers for this copy...

From the publisher:
This “beguiling” (Seattle Times) and stunning novel begins in the summer of 2011. Nour has just lost her father to cancer, and her mother moves Nour and her sisters from New York City back to Syria to be closer to their family. In order to keep her father’s spirit alive as she adjusts to her new home, Nour tells herself their favorite story—the tale of Rawiya, a twelfth-century girl who disguised herself as a boy in order to apprentice herself to a famous mapmaker.
But the Syria Nour’s parents knew is changing, and it isn’t long before the war reaches their quiet Homs neighborhood. When a shell destroys Nour’s house and almost takes her life, she and her family are forced to choose: stay and risk more violence or flee across seven countries of the Middle East and North Africa in search of safety—along the very route Rawiya and her mapmaker took eight hundred years before in their quest to chart the world. As Nour’s family decides to take the risk, their journey becomes more and more dangerous, until they face a choice that could mean the family will be separated forever.
Following alternating timelines and a pair of unforgettable heroines coming of age in perilous times, The Map of Salt and Stars is the “magical and heart-wrenching” (Christian Science Monitor) story of one girl telling herself the legend of another and learning that, if you listen to your own voice, some things can never be lost.
This “beguiling” (Seattle Times) and stunning novel begins in the summer of 2011. Nour has just lost her father to cancer, and her mother moves Nour and her sisters from New York City back to Syria to be closer to their family. In order to keep her father’s spirit alive as she adjusts to her new home, Nour tells herself their favorite story—the tale of Rawiya, a twelfth-century girl who disguised herself as a boy in order to apprentice herself to a famous mapmaker.
But the Syria Nour’s parents knew is changing, and it isn’t long before the war reaches their quiet Homs neighborhood. When a shell destroys Nour’s house and almost takes her life, she and her family are forced to choose: stay and risk more violence or flee across seven countries of the Middle East and North Africa in search of safety—along the very route Rawiya and her mapmaker took eight hundred years before in their quest to chart the world. As Nour’s family decides to take the risk, their journey becomes more and more dangerous, until they face a choice that could mean the family will be separated forever.
Following alternating timelines and a pair of unforgettable heroines coming of age in perilous times, The Map of Salt and Stars is the “magical and heart-wrenching” (Christian Science Monitor) story of one girl telling herself the legend of another and learning that, if you listen to your own voice, some things can never be lost.

Oh my goodness - what a wonderful story this was. Well, two stories in paralell of two strong girls who forge their way in life based on their instinct and their feelings, grounded in their love for their family.
I loved the history and the fairy - tale quality of Rawiya's story, of the The Book of Roger, the mapmaker and the roc. The present day story of Nour and her family's trials escaping Syria were timely and blended so well with Rawiya's story.
I loved how the author used a map of the world to illustrate the maps of stories that are our lives.
Such a great novel that I will be thinking about for some time.
I loved the history and the fairy - tale quality of Rawiya's story, of the The Book of Roger, the mapmaker and the roc. The present day story of Nour and her family's trials escaping Syria were timely and blended so well with Rawiya's story.
I loved how the author used a map of the world to illustrate the maps of stories that are our lives.
Such a great novel that I will be thinking about for some time.

Journal Entry 3 by
cestmoi
at Surprise via mail, A RABCK -- Controlled Releases on Wednesday, March 15, 2023


Released 2 mos ago (3/16/2023 UTC) at Surprise via mail, A RABCK -- Controlled Releases
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
From your wishlist.
Enjoy!
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A most excellent surprise! EIGHT books arrived today. Thank you!