the thing with backman is he has grasped the concept of humanity so well. the complexity of his characters gives you a birds eye view of the world and the people living in it. how and why humans act and react to situations the way that they do. you can see yourself in many of the different characters’ thoughts and actions and it really makes you sit there and think deeply about the whys of human choices. his books always give me the opportunity to look inwards and sit with my thoughts and feelings. i love how his books evoke such profound emotions out of me and i believe its because he has perfected the essence of humanity within his novels.
you may think you understand a situation or you’ve formed your opinion on it, but you won’t feel the same once you keep reading. the books will continue to challenge your thinking and truly make you understand the nuances of the world and of people and of relationships. nothing is ever black and white. and with beartown you will go through the grey murky waters and come out of it a different person.
these characters will live with me forever. i will never forget them. i won’t forget what they went through. i won’t forget how hard they fought. i won’t forget what they did to each other. i have cried, i have mourned, i have been enraged, i have been terrified, i have loved. i won’t forget. i won’t forget. i won’t forget.
take these books slow. go through the motions. sit with your feelings. think about the characters. read between the lines. enjoy it. hate it. savour it. love it.
i could analyze this series for ages. i can’t wait to read this series again and see things in a different way. i will add more notes each time. i will feel differently with each reread. i will love it every time.
thank you backman for writing the greatest trilogy. thank you for making me understand humanity just a little bit more.
”life goes on. it doesn’t give us any other choice.”
backman’s words have a way of hitting me right in the heart. he manages to make me feel in the deepest parts of my soul. i always feel so connected tobackman’s words have a way of hitting me right in the heart. he manages to make me feel in the deepest parts of my soul. i always feel so connected to his books and characters. this book was no exception. he did it again. what a masterpiece.
the way the whole town was introduced and the development of the plot was so well done. i felt like i was living in beartown with them and i understood what drove each character. their personalities were all so distinctive from one another. these character are real to me. and it’s just so realistic how some are so lovable and need to be protected and others are terrible humans that don’t deserve anyones time of day. its such a heartbreaking but honest and amazing story. beautifully written. tearstearstears....more
”i haven’t done a single thing in my life to deserve you, schnecke, but i will never give up on you, and i won’t let you give up on me.”
g
”i haven’t done a single thing in my life to deserve you, schnecke, but i will never give up on you, and i won’t let you give up on me.”
guys i think i have a crush on this book.
omg ive finally made a good decision for once in my life by picking up this book exactly when i needed it.
was this book perfect?? absolutely not. but it was perfect to me and thats all that matters. im gonna forgive its flaws i love her enough for it i don’t wanna hear any slander.
anyone that knows me knows the repetition in mz’s books drives me CRAZY. her quirky writing is too much for me most times but the fact that i could overlook it in this book says so much.
the way i DEVOURED this book is not even funny. pls i could not put this book down. i read it in one sitting. who would’ve thunk it because not me!?
list of things it did to me:
➢ obliterated me. ➢ restored my will to live. ➢ brought me back to life. ➢ made me see hearts on the pages. ➢ made me believe in love again.
they are what dreams are made of im convinced of it.
”i had this one life, and if i didn’t make the best of it, then what was the point?”
sal - i loved her. she was a lil weirdo and i loved it all. i related with her connecting to her dad over their love of soccer because growing up, watching soccer games was one of those few things that united my family and i. her and her dad’s relationship was absolutely precious.
and omg the way my girl had a backbone i was so obsessed. i was scared she would be a doormat but this girl wouldn’t back down for anyone. she also knows when to shut up when she needs to. she’s just smart like that. the way she always tells sal off about himself has me screaming words of praise for her. whenever hes being a dickhead to her or anyone else she be side eyeing him and telling him to relax and check himself. as she fucking should.
her love for her family, her friends, and her sport was beautiful, spectacular, phenomenal.
”i am the man that i am, and i have done the things that i’ve done, to get me to you.”
kulti - men that dont speak >>>>. do i need to say anything else?? they will ALWAYS win. his actions spoke way louder than any words ever needed to. he was a little bitch at the start but its okay because he learned from his mistakes and slowly started opening up. i loved seeing his growth it was so natural and well done. the way he always pushed sal to not take shit lying down and wouldn’t hesitate to tell her what she should’ve done instead but still support her every move??? he had me smiling and giggling with every little step he took closer to sal gahhhshshsh.
he offered to pay her a thousand dollars to drive him home. imagine getting paid what you deserve? this man is sexy as fuck.
”i saw so much of me in you at first, but you aren’t like me at all. you’re you, and i will go to my grave before i let anyone change any part of you.”
”you are my best friend, my love, my playmate and my teammate. you’ll have a team with me wherever we are, with whatever we are playing.”
kultisal - THEYRE SO PERFECT. the way they became friends and started teasing each other and letting themselves unwind with each other was everything. their banter had me giggling. when he first started calling her ‘schnecke’ i searched it up and was like okkk its so them what cuties. but when he explained what it meant at the end?? I WAS ON MY KNEES. I ATE UP ALL THEIR SMALL MOMENTS. the slow burn was deliciousssnessss YUM.
➣ them watching the movie in bed on his tablet? heart palpitations. ➣ him calling her his best friend? swoon ➣ him pressing their foreheads together and wiping away her tears? trembling. ➣ her telling him she was stressed then him coming over later, doing face masks with her and massaging her feet? i have exited the planet.
the tension between them was intoxicating.
if you’re an acts of service / quality time girlie this is the book for you.
anyways wow mz blew me away with kulti. never thought i’d love any of her books but im so happy to be proven wrong. this book gave me all the laughter and happiness i needed right now <3
”there are no gray areas for me where you’re concerned.”
”What's the point of having a voice if you're gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn't be?”
this is one of the most important and imp
”What's the point of having a voice if you're gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn't be?”
this is one of the most important and impactful books i’ve ever read. i watched the movie a couple times and i love it so much i finally decided to read the book. it made me feel everything all over again and more. this story has so many layers within it. its a story about family, friendship, community, and dealing with the struggles of racism, fear, injustice and opression. each aspect of the book is so powerful.
this book takes you on a heartbreaking but eye opening journey. im so glad i decided to pick this up i loved it so much.
quotes:
“Pac said Thug Life stood for 'The Hate U Give Little Infants Fucks Everybody.’ Meaning what society give us as youth, it bites them in the ass when we wild out.”
“That’s the hate they’re giving us, a system designed against us.”
“Sometimes you can do everything right and things will still go wrong. The key is to never stop doing right.”
“Brave doesn't mean you're not scared. It means you go on even though you're scared.”
“To every kid in Georgetown and in all “the Gardens” of the world: your voices matter, your dreams matter, your lives matter. Be roses that grow in the concrete.”...more
magnolia and bj are not for everyone. but they are for me and i just get them. this book gave me everything i needed and more. i lost track of how manmagnolia and bj are not for everyone. but they are for me and i just get them. this book gave me everything i needed and more. i lost track of how many tears i’ve cried. this book made me an emotional wreck. but the way the grief was written and the way we saw magnolia navigate through her grief was so raw and honest and i appreciated it so much. this is a long book but i would gladly read several hundred more pages of bjparks fluff. we finally got to see them become more healthy and mature and grow as individuals as well as as a couple. we really took the long way home and i am not mad about it. they went through so much together and nobody will ever make sense for the other but them. they are truly made for each other. twin flames as beej would say. these books and characters will always hold a special place in my heart. their conclusion was perfect. i’ll never forget them. they are my babies forever. i have so much to say but i’ll just leave it at that. ...more
”learn this now and learn it well: like a compass needle that points north, a man's accusing finger always finds a woman. always.”
i sit he
”learn this now and learn it well: like a compass needle that points north, a man's accusing finger always finds a woman. always.”
i sit here with a tear-stained face, burning irritated nostrils, feeling as numb as ever. this book really put me and its characters through the absolute most.
from the opening sentence the book sets a melancholic tone and it stays there like a dull hum in the background as you read on.
this book managed to speak to the very depths of my soul. there were many aspects that felt close to home and felt deeply personal to me.
”there is only one skill a woman like you and me needs in this life. and it’s this: endure.” “endure what, nana?” “oh, don’t you fret about that. there won’t be any shortage of things.”
so many women every day experience pain and hardship at the hands of men. it is an unfortunate truth. but many of these women are underestimated and have a hidden strength within them carries them through their devastating circumstances.
mariam
“though there had been moments of beauty in it, mariam knew that life for the most part had been unkind to her.”
absolutely heart wrenching is how it feels to think of mariam. i see her, i feel her, and i want to hold her. life was so not very kind to her. she deserves better from everyone around her. i understand everything she’s ever done, and she dealt with her shitty cards so much better than many others would. she feels like such a real person to me, and to be honest, she is so many people out there. so many have lived a life of pain and disappointment. so many were forced into situations they had no say in, so many have no voice to speak up for themselves their entire life. so many get overlooked and forgotten by society. she endures, and endures, and endures. and still, she is standing. and still, she is able to open her heart. mariam will always hold a special place in my heart. i am taking a piece of her with me.
laila
“mammy’s heart was like a pallid beach where laila’s footprints would forever wash away beneath the waves of sorrow that swelled and crashed, swelled and crashed.”
she has one of the kindest hearts. in a world filled with absolute chaos, she is moonlight. she goes through so much no child should ever have to endure. throughout it all, she never loses herself. she is resiliency. she is strength. i admire her so much. i love her with my whole heart.
laila & tariq
”you know." "know what?" "that i only have eyes for you.”
two beautiful souls. i cherished every moment with them. they give us some of the rare moments of happiness amongst all the pain. the love they shared for one another was so pure.
“one could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs, or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls.”
this is a book i’ll never forget. it’s one i’ll never stop recommending. as painful as it was to read, i am so very glad i have this book to hold with me everyday in my heart.
”she is the noor of my eyes and the sultan of my heart.”
i wanna live in this book. i want every moment etched into my mind forever. i want every quote tattooed on my body. i never wanna let this book go. hoi wanna live in this book. i want every moment etched into my mind forever. i want every quote tattooed on my body. i never wanna let this book go. how did i breathe without them in my life.
there was actual crack in this book because i did not want it parted from me the entire time. i needed another hit as soon as i even thought of putting it down. i would break doors and scale walls and climb mountains to get back to them.
”jacks had been protecting her. he was always protecting her. and she needed to protect him.”
”he would have set the world on fire and then let it all burn just to keep holding her like this.”
evajacks - they are my everything. every moment between them was so special. whether it was them bantering back and forth or their more intimate moments filled with subtle touches and pure tension and angst, i was truly and utterly entranced by them. i was constantly making silent prayers and holding my breath they wouldn’t leave each other heartbroken. i shed countless tears for them out of pure fear and love for the two of them. they have bewitched me for real.
”i’d rather go up in flames with him than watch while he burns.”
eva - she’s grown so much as a character since the first book, and you actively see her learning from her mistakes and correcting them. she’s become such a strong character. i love that she never loses her faith or hope despite everything and everyone telling her to. she has her flaws but it’s what makes her human, and i would never fault her for anything. all the choices she makes are realistic and she puts so much heart into everything she does it’s incredible. going through this journey with her has been absolutely beautiful.
”i am a monster, but i’m your monster, evangeline.”
jacks - getting jacks’s pov was my one wish and its been granted. but i wanted more of it. he didn’t have nearly enough povs, but you best believe i cherished every moment inside his head. he’s so tortured and my heart was constantly aching for him. he has such a heartbreaking backstory. he’s just so terrified of things going wrong because they always do. he knows nothing but tragedy. he wouldn’t even let himself believe things can go right for once that he sabotages any chance at happiness he could get. i love his character so much words cannot even describe it. his charm, his aura, his essence is so intoxicating i could never get tired of him.
”love was more than a feeling. and it didn’t have to be the safe choice, because love was also more powerful than fear. it was the ultimate form of hope.”
this series was breathtaking. it has given me so much. i felt like a little kid again reading these books with wonder in my eyes and so much hope in my heart. i cried, i smiled, i laughed, and i longed for more time with them. i can’t move on from these books i will simply embrace them and hold them close to my heart forevermore.
—
this is the only thing that matters to me atm ...more
”I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell; I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would kn
”I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell; I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world.”
im seriously so heartbroken by this book. my heart is aching for all my beloved characters. patroclus briseis achilles pure pain pain pain.
the writing is so incredibly beautiful. it was so immersive and i instantly fell in love with the storytelling. each part of the book was so significant, and it all ties together wonderfully at the end.
the chapters of them in pelion with chiron will forever be my favourites. such comfort in those words and the love between them. seeing them fall in love and being so soft and sweet made me go weak. the way patroclus talks about achilles sighsighsigh. his love for achilles knows no bounds. he loves him so unconditionally.
the progression towards the end of the story was so well done. all the little signs, the prophesies, the foreshadowing. there was just this daunting feeling as you’re reading the book.
then the ending leaves you absolutely shattered. i can’t stop thinking about them and crying. my heart feels so heavy. straight pain and heartache.
to say this book wrecked me is an understatement. i have changed the entire ending in my h
”When you can’t beat the odds, change the game.”
to say this book wrecked me is an understatement. i have changed the entire ending in my head in order to sleep better at night. these characters have touched me in a way that goes beyond what i could have imagined going into this. this book blew my mind in the best and worst ways and i will forever hold it near and dear to my heart for this.
”We can endure all kinds of pain. It’s shame that eats men whole.”
writing this review and thinking about this book without getting emotional is really hard for me. these characters just feel so real to me, this story feels like so much more. and even though the ending is really hard for me to come to terms with, i do have a lot of appreciation for it in the sense that it feels very realistic. it’s hard because you expect everything to be tied together in this neat bow but that just isn’t how things work and having it end that way is devastating but also brings the story to another level for me. it makes this so much more memorable and meaningful.
characters
i’ve fallen in love with each and every character in the first book, and i’ve only been sucked in more by this book. they each have so much depth to them and each stand out from one another. there is so much to admire and learn from each character. i wasn’t going to go in depth but i couldn’t help myself:
kaz
”My mother is Ketterdam. She birthed me in the harbor. And my father is profit. I honor him daily.”
he somehow manages to outdo himself and everyone else in every situation by acting in the most ruthless way, yet still carries an element of charm and intrigue. i can’t fault him for any of the things he does. his character can be difficult to understand and accept but there is something so inspiring in the way that he doesn’t give up. when everyone else is ready to, his his promises to himself are what keep him moving. there’s no rest for the wicked and there is no one more wicked than kaz brekker but he will forever be loved.
inej
”What about the nobodies and the nothings, the invisible girls? We learn to hold our heads as if we wear crowns. We learn to wring magic from the ordinary. That was how you survived when you weren’t chosen, when there was no royal blood in your veins. When the world owed you nothing, you demanded something of it anyway.”
she has to be one of the strongest characters i’ve ever read about. whatever she puts her mind to, she excels at. her strength comes from her determination, her faith, her family, her people, her past. the way she spoke about her fears is something i’ll always carry with me. she uses her pain and her fears to grow and persevere. despite what she has gone through in the past, she fought hard and used it to become the person she is.
nina
”It’s good to feel foolish sometimes.”
thinking about nina always gives me this overwhelming sense of warmth. she’s such a comfort character for me. she manages to lighten every situation and her personality is unmatched. when it comes to the people she loves, she will always show up and do anything she can to save them. her love and loyalty for her country and her people never wavered and it made me respect and adore her so much more.
matthias
”Do not be afraid. Fear is how they control you. There's so much in the world you don't have to be afraid of, if you would only open your eyes.”
his character development was one of the greatest parts about this duology. he shifted his entire mindset and outlook on the world which must be one of the most challenging feats. he still always stayed true to who he was as a person and it was rewarding to see him be accepted in their group and for him to accept them. his journey was really one for the books.
jesper
“Jesper!” “Don’t worry, Da. People point guns at each other all the time in Ketterdam. It’s basically a handshake.”
oh jesper, i’ll always have the softest spot for him. his heart is so pure. his impulsive nature gets him into a lot of sticky situations but his heart is always in a good place. his relationship with his father and his history had such a huge impact on him, and exploring this gave us more insight into his character which only made me appreciate him more.
wylan
”They were his first friends, his only friends, and Wylan knew that even if he'd had his pick of a thousand companions, these would have been the people he chose.”
i am so happy we got his povs and delved more into his character. one thing i love about wylan is that he was never afraid to speak his mind. when everyone would tell him to learn to be more fearful, his courage came through. he went through some very difficult family situations and despite being told he was worthless, it was beautiful to see him find a place he belonged.
relationships
kanej (kaz + inej):
“I would have come for you. And if I couldn't walk, I'd crawl to you, and no matter how broken we were, we'd fight our way out together—knives drawn, pistols blazing. Because that's what we do. We never stop fighting.”
they broke me and healed me all at once. the depth of their relationship knows no bounds. they are so intertwined. they both have traumatic pasts that can’t be ignored, but they understand each other in ways others don’t. they’ve really taken us on an emotional journey.
helnik (matthias + nina):
"You're better than waffles, Matthias Helvar." "Let's not say things we don't mean, my love.”
the passion, the love, the protectiveness between them is everything you would want in a relationship and more. they really are twin flames and there’s no doubt about it.
wesper (jesper + wylan):
“You’re stupid about a lot of things, Wylan, but you are not stupid. And if I ever hear you call yourself a moron again, I’m going to tell Matthias you tried to kiss Nina. With tongue.” Wylan wiped his nose on his sleeve. “He’ll never believe it.” “Then I’ll tell Nina you tried to kiss Matthias. With tongue.”
they’re so adorable. i love how they were both there for each other throughout everything, and how they were the first to come to each other’s defence. they needed each other and it makes me so happy they found each other.
“You’re weak because you’re afraid of people seeing your weakness. You’re letting shame decide who you are.”
i can go on and on about how much i love these characters, their dynamics, the writing, the plot, the action, the scheming, etc. but you just need to go read these books for yourself to understand the hype. i am so grateful to everyone that pushed me to finally read these books because they’ve definitely become so special to me too.
“Why do you guys say that, anyway? No mourners, no funerals? Why not just say good luck or be safe?” “We like to keep our expectations low.”
this is like 90 pages and i have 50 highlights. fell in love is an understatement. backman’s words move me like no otsorry i cant see through my tears
this is like 90 pages and i have 50 highlights. fell in love is an understatement. backman’s words move me like no other. and it’s so crazy his work is translated yet still hits so good. i wanna learn swedish just to read his books in the og text.
its just something about couples that dance together in books that will instantly melt my heart. when he said ”falling in love with her meant having no room in his own body. that was why he danced.” I FELT THAT IN MY BONES. it’s just so so beautiful.
im just gonna ramble about some of my thoughts
”i only had you for the blink of an eye,” he says. she laughs. “you had me an entire lifetime.” “that wasn’t enough.”
➥ this one makes me tear up every time. their love is so pure. this is what i want.
”the amount i love you, the sky will never be that big.”
➥im trying to write this without crying it’s just the scenes are so powerful and the way they all describe their love in the book does something to me.
”why are you holding my hand so tight, grandpa?” “because all of this is disappearing, noahnoah. and i want to keep hold of you longest of all.” the boy nods. holds his grandpa’s hand tighter in return.
➥ noahnoah and grandpa <3 they’re so precious. their bond is everything. the way his grandpa is his biggest role model and you can tell. i love the way they have their traditions and the adventures they go on together. they just understand each other. that’s all anyone could ask for.
”i know that the way home is getting longer and longer every morning. but i loved you because your brain, your world, was always bigger than everyone else’s. there’s still a lot of it left.”
➥ i failed. im crying again. it’s the way they just love and accept each other. and it was conveyed with so little words.
“how did you fall in love with her?” “she got lost in my heart, i think. couldn’t find her way out.“
➥ this is the love that everyone dreams of having and it’s just the most beautiful kind. the story keeps the beauty alive the whole way through. it never loses it’s touch.
“it’s a big universe to be angry at but a long life to have company in.”
➥ it made me appreciate all the people around me so much more and hold onto them tight. this story will forever stay with me....more
”that’s the power of literature, you know, it can act like little love letters between two people who can only explain their feelings by point
”that’s the power of literature, you know, it can act like little love letters between two people who can only explain their feelings by pointing at other people's.”
fredrik backman just speaks to my soul. i don’t know how else to put it.
never in my life have i read a more relatable and more thought provoking book. it has genuinely altered my view of the world and of others. i cannot say that about many books. but this was phenomenal.
”it’s always very easy to declare that other people are idiots, but only if you forget how idiotically difficult being human is.”
this book made me question myself. it challenged my thinking. it made me empathize with those i never thought i could. it made me look so much deeper into myself. it calmed me, it broke me, it healed me, it changed me. this is a book that stays with you. it’s about so many things yet about one thing. we have so many interwoven stories. its about a bank robbery, an apartment viewing, a hostage situation. also a love story, a mental health story, a story about grief and guilt. but ultimately, it’s about what it means to be human. backman captures the essence of this; the very essence of who we are at our core.
”we need to be allowed to convince ourselves that we’re more than the mistakes we made yesterday. that we are all of our next choices, too, all of our tomorrows.”
the book was executed in a very unique way. it went nothing like how i expected it to go. i actually wasn’t sure how i was going to feel about it after the first few pages but then i realized it kept creeping into my thoughts and it honestly puzzled me. something about the whole ordeal. this is definitely a book where you have to trust the process. i found myself getting so emotional very early on, as is the case with every backman novel. and even though i wasn’t sure where exactly we were going with the story, i just felt so connected to it. each character brought something different to the story. and you can learn something from every one of them.
i see myself coming back to read this book again and again. i already miss these characters. this is such a special book. you should read it too.
“it’s such an odd thing, the way you can know someone so perfectly through what they read.”
—
”this book is dedicated to the voices in my head, the most remarkable of my friends.
reread: this hit way harder the second time around. i bawled my eyes out the entire last 50 pages. i’m unwell.
—
”Sorry to break your fairytale,
reread: this hit way harder the second time around. i bawled my eyes out the entire last 50 pages. i’m unwell.
—
”Sorry to break your fairytale, Little Fox, but ballads don’t end happily.”
not the book telling me this doesn’t end well like 20 times and everybody who’s read it telling me it doesn’t end well and me ! still ! hoping ! for ! a ! decent ? end ! WHY DO I DO THIS TO MYSELF
“I wish our story could have had another ending.”
no bc what the fuck was that ending? it feels like someone is squeezing my heart AND NOT.LETTING.GO. i feel like i’m at a standstill. i have not cried but i wish i could bawl my eyes out to release the feeling but nope. this empty, unsettled feeling is staying with me til october it seems. love that for me! <3
this book. this book was love at first word for me. the way i ate it up. i ate good.
this world is just so mesmerizing. i fell more and more in love with it with every page. its so beautiful and magical. but the book did have a very somber feel to it the whole way through.
i felt a range of emotions while reading this. i was giggling, screaming, shaking, gasping, choking up, cursing, jumping, squealing, thrashing. ALL AT ONCE.
”She wanted butterflies and kisses. She wanted it so much that sometimes she thought her heart would burst from it.”
eva our innocent naive little fox. she’s such an unreliable narrator. but i also loved seeing her thought process sometimes. she makes dumb decisions but i also understand them for the most part.
“Life is not a kind storyteller. And I’m not meant to be a savior.”
JACKS MY FAV GOLDEN HAIRED BLUE EYED BOY. he is OF COURSE the highlight of this book. nobody does it like him.
"I'm not going to kill anyone. And neither are you." "Then why are we even here?"
can we please get a jacks pov, im begging. i need to be in his head. i need it so bad. he’s so perfect to me he can do no wrong.
“I do not want you dead, and I’ll kill anyone who tries.”
EVAJACKS MY PRECIOUS SOULS. i was living for every single second of them. them tending to each others wounds healed something in me. and when jacks called her “love” i simply passed out.
“In the morning, you can forget it. You can go back to pretending you don’t like me, and I can pretend that I don’t care. But for tonight, let me pretend you’re mine.”
i am not okay. i am so so not okay. they have breathed life into me and then sucked it out.
“There is nothing of equal value to me.”
beautiful quotes:
“People called it heartbreak, but Evangeline thought that losing someone you loved broke more than just a heart. When she had lost her first love, it had shattered her entire world.”
“Evangeline didn’t want love that made sense, she wanted love that made her feel, love that made her want to fight and hope for the impossible.”
“Happy endings can be caught, but they are difficult to hold on to. They are dreams that want to escape the night. They are treasure with wings. They are wild, feral, reckless things that need to be constantly chased, or they will certainly run away.”
“Winning at love was less about succeeding in a battle and more about continuing to fight, to choose the person you loved as the one you were willing to die for, over and over.”
“It struck her how intimate words could be, how they could be spoken only once, for only one person, and they would never be heard again, they would disappear like a moment, gone almost as soon as you realized they were there.”
“He held her so tightly it hurt, but this pain she didn’t mind. She’d let him crush her, let him break her, just as long as he never let her go.”
**
p.s. i love when miss stephanie garber leaves things open to interpretation specifically with her use of the word “golden” in regard to jacks' hair colour. petition for her to never specify whether its golden brown or golden blond. tbh she can tell me it was blond right to my face and i would hear “brown” because delusion is not a temporary state of mind, it is the way of life.
on my reread, i have accepted he’s blond. he can be anything he wants. that’s my husband. he’s perfect. bye....more
this book is a literary masterpiece and no one can tell me otherwise.
this love story will always live in my heart. i simply don’t know how i lived withis book is a literary masterpiece and no one can tell me otherwise.
this love story will always live in my heart. i simply don’t know how i lived without them before.
“I love you so much that my heart feels like it beats within your body.”
oh my god the love. the love between scarlett and jameson is one i will never forget. it took place in the past during world war II, and their love was so heart wrenching. i ached for them. i cried so much. every letter means so much to me. i will cherish those letters forever. every word they exchanged tore me in two. every dance they shared is living in my head and heart for eternity. it found it’s home within me. i felt so much for these characters. the love between them was so palpable.
“It wasn’t that I was living for him, but that he simply made me want to live.”
there was a second love story going on in the present involving scarlett’s great granddaughter, georgia. the love between georgia and noah was truly healing. it was a beautiful story to read. noah understood her and what she needed before she even knew herself. he was so thoughtful and patient with her.
but one thing that was noteworthy was my investment in the two relationships. from the very first chapter, i found myself engrossed in the relationship between scarlett and jameson, but i didn’t find myself all that invested in georgia and noah. i think a huge reason is because the stakes were much higher with scarlett and jameson. they had so much riding on their relationship, and you just find yourself rooting for them and hoping for the best. in comparison, the relationship between georgia and noah seems less intense and is sort of overshadowed by scarlett and jameson. i kept wanting to go back to the past and read more about them.
but then, something happened. where it all just clicked. and there was this beauty emanating from georgia and noah.
“The epic, rare love story in this room isn’t Scarlett and Jameson. It’s you and me.”
^ i beg to differ BUT the book did what it needed to do. it showed me, as it showed georgia, that she was meant to have the love she deserved. that she came from generations of love. and learning everything that came before her made me appreciate the love georgia found so much more.
“You have been my compass all these years, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to find my way without you.”
the bond between scarlett and constance is everything. their sisterhood was a love that was so powerful. the way they were always there for each other, protected each other, and always included one another in their plans. they loved each other so much and just wanted the other to be happy. they were incomplete without each other. two beautiful souls.
“Life is too short to miss the lightning strike and too long to live it alone.”
i knew this book would break me, i just didn’t realize how badly. i cried an insane number of times. there was a melancholic feel throughout the book, and every little thing had me on the verge of tears. i loved every second of it.
beautiful quotes:
“I will wait for you every second, every hour, every day for the rest of my life, and if that’s not enough, then eternity, which is exactly how long I’ll love you.”
“Tonight, before I crept from our bed to write this, I tried to memorize everything about you.”
“I would give anything to reach through this paper, to stretch across the long miles between us just to touch you, to feel your heartbeat.”
“I am greedy when it comes to you.”
“I missed your arms around me, and the way my heart leaps whenever I see you.”
“Oh, love. I could never regret choosing you. You’re the very breath in my lungs and the beat of my heart. You were my choice before I even knew there was one to make.”
“Without the potential for disaster, would we ever really know what we have?”
“How could one person feel so much sorrow and not die from it?”
“Every lemon will bring forth a child, and the lemons will never die out.”
I literally have chills after finishing this book.
There are no
“Every lemon will bring forth a child, and the lemons will never die out.”
I literally have chills after finishing this book.
There are no words I can say that will do this book justice. I feel so empty yet I feel so much.
“No one will remember our names. No one will know our story.”
This may be a fictional story, but it is the reality of so many people out there. It is so powerful and incredibly heartbreaking but it’s important that this story exists.
“Fear is a cruel thing. The way it distorts thoughts, transforming them from molehills into mountains.”
Fear is one of the overarching themes in this book. It lives in every one of us. And when we’re backed into a corner, it drives our thoughts and actions. Fear takes over and we do things we never thought we could see ourselves doing. If you lived in a country where people all over you were dying, you didn’t know where the explosions would take place that day, you didn’t know if you would have enough water that day, and you had to live everyday not knowing whether you would come home and still see your family, just imagine how that fear would manifest itself. How are you meant to not let your fear take over?
“Don’t focus on the darkness and sadness. If you do, you won’t see the light even if it’s staring you in the face.”
Hope, love, light, dreams. This is what you hold onto. With all the death and sadness going on in this book, there was still so much beauty in the love between the characters and their families, the love they had for their country, and in the hope they had for their future and for Syria.
“We will come back home. We will plant new lemon trees. We will rebuild our cities. And we will be free.”
This quote is one that will stay with me for a long time. I love the power behind the words and you can feel the conviction it was spoken in.
“Promise me you’ll look for the joy. The memories are sweeter that way.”
I love these characters. They’ve all touched me in so many ways. Each one of them will give you something to walk away with. Salama taught me how to live with my fear, Kenan taught me how to fight for what I believe in, and Layla, my precious Layla taught me how to see the light and beauty in this world even when it seems so bleak.
More beautiful quotes:
“Your history is embedded in this soil. No country in the world will love you as yours does.”
“The exterior I’ve put up is nothing more than brittle twigs against a strong wind.”
“This world is more than the agony it contains.”
“A smile lights up his face. It’s as if I’m gazing at the sun.”
“A war rages inside me and it seems I’m the only casualty.”
“There are enough people hurting you. Don’t be one of them.”
“This blanket of darkness isn’t our forever. Their evil isn’t forever. Not as long as we have our faith and Syria’s history running through our veins.”
“With all the destruction happening down there, it’s so easy to forget the beauty thats up here. The sky is so beautiful after rainfall.”
"Might. What a word. It holds infinite possibilities of a life that could have been. So many options stacked one on top of the other, like cards waiting for a player to pick and choose."
“This is my land, and just like the lemon trees that have been growing here for centuries, spilled blood won’t stop us.”
“In the midst of all the death, he made me want to live.”
"We don't have to stop living because we might die."
“Bury me before I bury you. Please.”
“Know that even in death, you are my life.”
“I’m sure our souls met way before they found their way into our bodies.”
“Grief isn’t constant. It wavers, tugging and letting go like the waves on the sea.”
“You’re human. No matter what, you have a heart so soft, it easily bruises.”
“As long as the lemon trees grow, hope will never die.”
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i saw this fanart and fell in love <3
[image]
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“To all the Syrians who loved, lost, lived, and died for Syria. We will come back home one day.”
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