Amazon.in:Customer reviews: The Island of Missing Trees

There are 0 reviews and 22 ratings from Indiawith 3 star

Nangu

Disappointing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 29 October 2022

I was left feeling disappointed in this book. I love Elif Shafak and have been a fan for many years, however this novel really wasn't up to her usual standard. As a Cypriot person, who has a personal connection to this story I was pleased to see she had added certain nuances to the dialogue and characteristics of our culture, however it is clear this is written by a person who views us "Islanders" as she puts it through the separate "Greek" and "Turkish" narratives which have been and continue to be forced upon us. There are a couple of places where she describes our cuisine for example; the aunt is cooking a breakfast spread and most of these dishes are Turkish -not Cypriot. There is also a menu for 'The Happy Fig' which fails to use Cypriot language in places, preferring Greek or Turkish. The work "Karpuz" for the goat's name really annoyed me -anyone growing up in 1960s Cyprus would have used the word 'batiha' -the Cypriot word for watermelon. It was not just these small things that annoyed me; the overall narrative is so far fetched it was difficult to sympathise with the characters or picture them as real people. I have parents who grew up in this time and immigrated to London from Cyprus, this foundations of this story are incredibly familiar to me. However, what could have been a powerful and deeply moving insight into the Cypriot plight has been exaggerated to the point of it being distorted and lost in the trappings of fiction. A real shame Elif!

18 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

Disappointing.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 19 January 2023

Verified Purchase

Found this book a bit disappointing, failed to hold my attention, was looking forward to it too.

Bing

magical and whimsical at times but at the expense of characters and plot

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 17 August 2022

Verified Purchase

It appears to be a really popular book, but I didn't highly rate it. The author has a wonderful backdrop of Cyprus and the forgotten conflict there and is able to make the flowers, foods and traditions of the region come alive. However, that masks a less good set of main characters and lack of a compelling story. The book's opening section is based on the teenage daughter living in London, but then the story shifts to a huge backfill around her parents from Cyprus in the 70's and 80's. And so the characters in the present don't do anything meaningful or achieve anything - it's all just backstory. Not a bad book at all, just not as good as many of the reviews on the cover

2 people found this helpful

Mary D

Good enough, but not memorable.

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on 9 January 2023

Verified Purchase

Although I was very interested to read a novel set in Cyprus, and this is well- researched, I found it somewhat disappointing. The point of view of a tree did not fit, intersperced with the points of view of human characters (who all seemed flat). Many interesting ideas and facts, but they did not all work well together.

annablume

Ger den inblick in landet

Reviewed in Sweden 🇸🇪 on 8 January 2023

Verified Purchase

Lite för lång , texten höll inte för tempot Annars jättefin

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kazz

Couldn't finish

Reviewed in Australia 🇦🇺 on 12 December 2022

Verified Purchase

I really tried to like this book, but couldn't get through it. I think that rests on personal opinion and it is not to dissuade readers from purchasing it. The people who recommended it to me, loved it. I say try it. Give it a go, and then reply to my review. I would like to know your opinion

roz tornatore

the fig tree most interesting narrator

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 8 October 2022

Verified Purchase

this book started out as an interesting story---very young star crossed lovers, a beautiful island and a civil war. however, i'm not sure why , it all ran out of steam. the fig tree's point of view on history and facts about trees in general and fig trees in particular held my attention for longer. i did not finish the book. i didn't dislike it as i do other books. it didn't annoy me as "the alice network" did. it just faded away.

3 people found this helpful

JSYTW

Quality Control not good

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 9 June 2022

Verified Purchase

Received the book fyy try on Amazon. The book jacket was too narrow to cover the pages of text and the cover had been applied upside down and back to front . Don’t want to return it but would appreciate a discount!
The ‘story’ however is wonderful, beautiful, rich vocabulary used for description and an intriguing tale is being woven.

armi

Book club read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 19 May 2022

Verified Purchase

Found it very difficult to get into in the beginning.
I was more interested in the life of Kosta, Defne and Ada and the extended family’s and the past history and the future than the fig trees. The more I read it the more I enjoyed it. Also when the fig tree was talking and telling her story.

One person found this helpful

Linda Romito

Trees that think and feel things

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on 6 August 2022

Verified Purchase

The book was interesting from the human and history aspect, but found the aspect of trees expressing themselves was off-putting. It took me a while to get through this book. Ending seemed weak.

5 star		60%
4 star		26%
3 star		10%
2 star		2%
1 star		1%

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