As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow: The breathtaking story of love and loss in the Syrian revolution

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By Zoulfa Katouh
avg rating
12 reviews
An epic, emotional, breathtaking story of love and loss set amid the Syrian revolution. Burning with the fires of hope and possibility, AS LONG AS THE LEMON TREES GROW will sweep you up and never let you go.
This brand new paperback edition contains exclusive bonus short story Joy. Set in the world of Lemon Trees, it features never-before-seen moments between Salama and Kenan.
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A year ago, before the revolution, Salama watched her brother marry her best friend, Layla, and wondered when her own love story might begin. Now she works at the hospital – helping those she can, closing the eyes of those she can’t. Layla and her unborn baby are all Salama has left.
Unless you count Khawf. But he’s a hallucination; a symptom of the horrors she’s seen. Every day he urges Salama to leave. Every day she refuses. Until she crosses paths with Kenan, the boy with the vivid green eyes, who wants to stay and risk his life for everything Syria could be … TweetReviews
The descriptions of life during the revolution or civil war in Syria are unforgiving and really make clear how you can leave life ina place you love when the ravages of war and fighting impact heavily on every moment of your days. It is told by an 18 year old girl with PTSD. The grim nature of her life, serving in a hospital, is countered by memories of what her home town and teenage life was like before the conflict. A must-read, it also has a devastating plot twist and a passionate romance.
Brilliant book. Doesn't pull any punches over the horrors of living in a war zone, but always in a sensitive and human way. Great characters and very clever plot twists.
A young pharmacy student finds herself catapulted to the frontline of working in a hospital in war torn Homs - a city under siege. It's a love-letter to Syria and a story of the possibility of finding love and happiness again amongst the ruins of a life.
Brutal and honest about the destruction and trauma of a war brought on by a government acting against its own people, it's a powerful and important book but perhaps not the most enjoyable in terms of style.
Macclesfield Library Reading Group
While we were glad to have read this book, we didn’t exactly enjoy it. It’s not really a book to be enjoyed, mainly because of its subject matter, but we also didn’t care for the writing style. The central romance was, in places, handled in a rather clunky way but overall it was very readable. We hadn’t initially realised that the book was for a young adult audience, but some plot points and bits of the prose then seemed to make more sense once we did realise. The love story was very light and definitely appropriate for a teenage reader. We liked...
Read more...This is one of many recent books which present stories from war-torn Syria and the desperate attempts of its citizens to flee. For all the anguish and harrowing content (and this novel does go to some dark places), I really enjoyed it and was moved by it. The debut novel of Canadian Zoulfa Katouh, it places you there amongst the wreckage of a ruined city as the threat of annihilation looms large for the remaining population and the channel of escape gets narrower and narrower. One of my favourite moments is when the main characters finds a kind of escape as...
Read more...This is a wonderful young adult fiction story. It’s got all the hallmarks of a book teenagers and adults will love. Set in Syria, the background is about conflict, and the characters are faced with decisions and young love. Highly recommend.
A romantic saga set in the throes of war torn Syria.
A modern tale of love, hope and loss.
For a book meant for young adults I think it reaches a wider audience and with the added bonus of a twist towards the end which blows you away totally.
It is worth a read.
A wonderful novel.
Although I managed to finish it, I found this book to be rather slow and repetitive. It is a little wordy and has lots of inferences to PTSD which I found quite difficult. Not for me sadly.
Ark Academy received copies of this book from the publisher. This beautiful story pulls you in with the incredible character of Salama. Following her journey throughout the book is both joyous and heart breaking. The craft of the writer shines through, and the resilience of the characters serves as a symbol for the strength of the Syrian people.
Our Hythe Book Group received copies of this from the publishers Yvonne introduced As long as the lemon trees grow the debut novel by young Canadian/Syrian author Zoulfa Katouh A graphic, harrowing authentic feeling account of the siege of Homs and the events leading up to this massacre. Was aware that this had been marketed by publishers as a YA book but felt many teenagers would find it very distressing and wondered if they would have persevered with what at times were fairly lengthy and repetitive chapters. A love letter to Syria with a message of hope. Some diversion of views on the ending -...
Read more...When the revolution in Syria started Salama was living in Homs surrounded by a loving family and studying pharmacy at University. Now she is volunteering at the local hospital and contending daily with the horrors of war, not only from the constant stream of wounded and dying who arrive at the hospital but also from the brutal military attacks on her neighbourhood. Her parents and brother have all disappeared or died and she is desperate to leave the country with her pregnant sister-in-law before she gives birth. But part of her still remains loyal to her country and she has...
Read more...I did not manage to engage with this book, or to finish it. I was really interested in the setting – Homs in Syria just after the 2015 revolution. However, the plot and characters did not draw me in.