This novel was exquisitely, heartfully written. It felt so authentic and what was really unusual about it was that you got such a powerful evocation of the smells, sights, land and people. It was vividly evoked in every way. I don't like novels which are afraid to show the darker sides to mother and daughters and this was subtle, not a melodrama, but it beautifully and sensitively showed the struggle a young 14 year old girl has with her overwhelming mother. The mother is both wonderful, charismatic, loving but also suffocating and without boundaries to her love. Very nuanced.

Since this novel is poetically written and about place and character, it's for those who prefer literary fiction to plot-driven commercial fiction. You have to patient with it and pay attention to each sentence but our club loved reading it aloud for its gorgeous sentences and analyzing the characters presented in such depth. We also loved the picture it painted of Israel and Palestine in the 1960's.

A wonderful, thought-provoking read.