Today I read another long awaited book Jasmine In The Wind by Ayesha Desai.
Jasmine In The Wind is a quick read. It is a story of a little girl from Syria.
Author - Ayesha Desai
Cover art by Jenny Reynish
The story follows a young Syrian girl, Afraa and her harrowing journey to safety and freedom. Whilst she learns to love her new home, a part of her heart will always be buried in the roots of the jasmine bush outside her parent’s room window in Syria.
‘… Nostalgia is smelling the scent of Jasmine in the florist shop, and remembering the great bush of white flowers outside her parent’s room window, that fragrance that danced in the night breeze, and carried with it the sweet possibility of hope.’
About the Author - This is Ayesha Desai’s debut novel. We get to see her love and passion for things close to her heart. Ayesha is passionate about reading and this has evolved into a love of writing. Whilst this is her first published book, she has been writing for the last 20 years, and blogging since 2013. She lives in South Africa.
Ayesha's narration is beautiful and emotional. I loved her writing style. With each words, she has painted the picture of the challenges that every Syrians face and, I was moved by the entire story.
Jasmine in the Wind is a touching tale of Afraa who was traveling out of Syria. It is all about her journey and how she deals with her situation. She was safe in another land but there was a hollow in her heart, as she misses her home. Far away from her home, being a refugee in another country, she was trying to accommodate while she still longed for the scent of her home. Also she never missed an opportunity to educate herself and to make a better tomorrow. This short novel is a nice read.
I particularly loved the poem in the end.
....Tell me whirling swirling wind
Do you carry messages across the lands?
Can you take my Salaam to Aleppo and Homs?
Can you take my prayers to Gaza?
Can you convey my solidarity to Myanmar?
Can you tell the world we care....
The story ends with hope and it is the beginning of a new life. The story and the poetry both poignant and touching.
Jasmine In The Wind is a heartwarming tale and it is sure worth the read.
Buy this book at Amazon India
Jasmine In The Wind is a heartwarming tale and it is sure worth the read.
Buy this book at Amazon India
This sounds like a beautiful book! Thanks for the recommendation I will definitely check it out
ReplyDeleteSometimes I like to slide a quick read in. To follow this little Syrian refugee sounds like an interesting story to a world I don't know.
ReplyDeleteWow reading about the experience of a Syrian sounds really neat. I know I could never fully understand what she has gone through, but I feel like this book would help us all to understand just a bit better.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review. It sounds like a well written book about a poignant subject. I will have to add this to my reading list.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a really great book. I'll have to pick it up. I imagine my heart will squeeze as I read it.
ReplyDeleteThat poem brought chills to me! It's seems so full of emotion and the books sounds like an interesting read.
ReplyDeleteOH it sounds like a really good and insightful read, not to mention emotional. I'll definitely look out for it.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an important book! I'm going to look into getting it for my little sister who is currently reading YA novels.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like an interesting story. As a person who lives away for my hometown, I can relate, but not to her level. Thank yours for sharing.
ReplyDeleteSeems a beautiful book with an intriguing story. Should be apt for my 10year old niece.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteTeary eyed while reading your review. It's such a beautiful touching read of yearning and making the most of what we have now. I can relate to her in a way as I had to leave my homeland behind and i still get the pang of missing my home from time to time but I'm pushing through,.,Thank you for sharing this with us
ReplyDeleteLooking at the cover of the book makes me interested to read this. It gave me a hint about something related to journey and reading your post makes me say, ahhhh.. I hope I can be able to read this too. -ANOSA
ReplyDeleteA story of the challenges, trials, and unending optimism and strength of a young Syrian refugee... This sounds a story of hope amidst the darkness. It is also a sad reminder of hard times we live in. Thanks for the book recommendation :-)
ReplyDeleteWe all live with challenges and it's good to know there is always hope, no matter how dark it seems. Great book choice.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThe plot of the book reflects reality of current times. I will try to get my hands on this book.
ReplyDelete