As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow: The breathtaking story of love and loss in the Syrian revolution Paperback – 22 Jun. 2023

One of the best books I have ever read ,really beautiful . I cried so much ! So sad and moving too . A book written from the heart

One of the best books I've ever read. Wonderful!This heartbreakingly beautiful novel is about Syria's ongoing struggle against a brutal dictator who has killed far too many people and forced over 7 million Syrians to escape their country. The book/ author demonstrates the incredible power of love, hope, and resilience, even in difficult situations. It is a stunning, captivating read that I couldn't put down.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5As Long As The Lemon Trees Grow is a highly emotional and breathtaking story about love, loss, and trauma set during the civil war in Syria. It delves deep into fear and just how controlling fear can be in one's life, acting as a defence mechanism. But also how hope and love can set us free.While this may be a work of fiction, it's based on real-life events and the suffering of the Syrian people. War is devastating, and this book reflects and mirrors the lives of thousands in Syria. But if there's one takeaway, it's that they are so much more than their suffering and trauma. They are strong, resilient, awe-inspiring, and kind. Everything we should strive to be.Lemon Trees follows an 18 year old hijabi called Salama, who was a pharmacy student, but is forced into working at a hospital treating patients because of the war. And 19 year old boy called Kenan, who subverts all expectations and rejects toxic masculinity.Their shared story is one of pain, but also beauty. And Salama's pov is incredibly intense and haunting. There's one quote that really sums everything up, "We don't have to stop living because we might die." This book was just beautiful, I had to try and suppress my tears on the train at 8 am, going to uni 😭There's one major plot twist (and a couple of other small ones) that broke my heart. I had to stop reading and take a break. My body went fr cold, and I wanted to scream at my wall. It was written so well, and I could not have seen it coming, not in a million years.Also, this is the first bit of fiction I've read where I've absolutely loved and wholeheartedly appreciated the muslim representation. Katouh ticked all the boxes, and I loved her for it. Hijabi representation, fully halal romance, the emphasis on prayer and reading the Quran during hardship. It was truly inspiring, and as a muslim, it reaffirmed my belief and made me want to be better.To sum it up, this book was haunting and visceral, but also heartwarming and fluffy. I couldn't recommend it enough. It's truly eye-opening and forever relevant, especially now more than ever.

‘Every lemon will bring forth a child, and the lemons will never die out’ Nizar QabbaniI think I now know why I delayed reading this for so long, I wasn’t prepared for the heartbreak and sadness. Despite being aimed at younger readers, it provides so much insight into the hardship Syrians have had to endure for the longest time. It’s a work of fiction but based on true events, and the realisation of this makes it very difficult to digest.This is such an important book, a book which should be on every shelf and talked about on every syllabus. How you can read this and not shed a tear, I don’t know. I don’t want to ruin the story for anyone who has not read it yet but there was one chapter that completely broke my heart. I remember thinking, I’m going to read one more chapter before going to bed, but then I replayed that chapter over and over, all night. It played on my mind so much, that I then discussed it in detail with my husband, who had no knowledge of the book whatsoever at this point. He’s never understood why I pick up books that will make me sad, but I see it as gaining knowledge, about becoming aware of the extent of the hardships so we can make a difference. I love books that make me feel, whatever that feel may be, if it’s powerful, it’s a feeling like no other.I loved Salama and Layla, both characters warmed my heart and reminded me of the relationship I have with my sister. I know they were friends before sister in laws but it’s so rare to see this and it made my heart swell!Kenan and Salama, ahh these two! Young, sweet, simple love. I loved it! I won’t say too much more but just read it guys!

Would highly recommend this book if you like middle eastern genres and a fan of Khaled hosseini (Kite runner, Thousand splendid suns etc). Beautifully written and so many themes are covered. Quite a difficult, emotional read but one that really moves you!

The best read of 2024 by far for me. Very emotional, very difficult at times. I cried and I rejoiced. 100 million percent recommend.

Salama only got to do one year of her pharmacy degree before civil war broke out in Syria, and now she works every day in the hospital - not only giving drugs but doing surgery, helping everyone she can, even if it's just closing the eyes of the dead. With her family dead or arrested, the only person Salama has left is her pregnant sister-in-law Layla, and Khawf, a hallucination who mocks her with her fears. Torn between her duty to stay in Syria and help and her promise to get Layla to safety, Salama's dilemma only gets worse when she meets handsome activist Kenan. This is an incredibly hard-hitting book and some of it makes very difficult reading, but it's also a beautiful love story. Very glad I read this even if learning more about what's going on in Syria is very distressing.