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The Shadow of the Crescent Moon
- Narrated by: Riz Ahmed
- Length: 6 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Genre Fiction
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Summary
Longlisted – Baileys Women’s Prize 2014
Set over the course of one morning in a small town in Pakistan's tribal regions, close to the border with Afghanistan, The Shadow of the Crescent Moon is the story of three brothers living through a world on fire. Two women - the beautiful Samarra and the unsettling Mina - are at the heart of the novel and through them unfolds a story of love, of loss, and how the backdrop of continuous war forces the individual to make terrible choices; to choose hope over love, the future over the present. Devastatingly moving, fast-paced and a deeply resonant novel that goes to the heart of our times, The Shadow of the Crescent Moon is an extraordinary debut work of fiction and marks the beginning of a terrific career for this young novelist.
Fatima Bhutto was born in Kabul, Afghanistan in 1982. She is a poet, writer and journalist, author of the memoir Songs of Blood and Sword (2010). She is also the niece of former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto. Fatima's work has appeared in various publications including The Guardian, The Financial Times, and The New Statesman. The Shadow of the Crescent Moon is her first novel. She lives and writes in Karachi, Pakistan.
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Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Rochelle
- 12-12-13
Well crafted, enchanting story
I enjoyed this story greatly. It is beautifully written although I felt it stumbled at one or two points. It's easy to connect with the characters & the descriptive prose is delightful - neither over or under done. It was easy to read in one sitting as the story is a compelling one.
The stumbles were very small & barely detract from the story - a short cheesy kiss scene, and a brief but dated description of a mobile phone. It's a shame as without those two extremely minor points I felt the story could almost sit beside Khaled Hosseini's work (The Kite Runner). If you enjoy Khaled Hosseini's work you will probably enjoy this book as well. In spite of my comment about these stumbles they really were the only weak points in an otherwise great novel.
From this book I learned about the diversity that exists in the young country that is Pakistan. It added a further & fascinating dimension to news coverage & other stories I've read about the area.
It is a beautiful debut novel & I look forward to seeing more from Fatima Bhutto.
3 people found this helpful
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- Cynthia Johnson
- 21-04-15
What? It's over?
I really enjoyed the authors writing, but when the story was over, so many things were left undone. The story was enticing with the conclusion swept out from under our feet.
1 person found this helpful
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- Steve Leitman
- 30-04-15
Very good 😀. Liked getting a perspective from Th
Liked getting the perspective of
ordinary citizens instead of the warriors. Story was well paced and believable. Hate the review limits.