The Island of Missing Trees
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-11-04 02:21:32
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Elif Shafak
- ISBN：1635578590
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
A rich， magical new novel on belonging and identity， love and trauma， nature and renewal， from the Booker-shortlisted author of 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World。
Two teenagers， a Greek Cypriot and a Turkish Cypriot， meet at a taverna on the island they both call home。 The taverna is the only place that Kostas and Defne can meet in secret， hidden beneath the blackened beams from which hang garlands of garlic and chilli peppers， creeping honeysuckle， and in the centre， growing through a cavity in the roof， a fig tree。 The fig tree witnesses their hushed， happy meetings; their silent， surreptitious departures。 The fig tree is there， too， when war breaks out， when the capital is reduced to ashes and rubble， when the teenagers vanish。 Decades later， Kostas returns—a botanist， looking for native species—looking， really， for Defne。 The two lovers return to the taverna to take a clipping from the fig tree and smuggle it into their suitcase， bound for London。 Years later， the fig tree in the garden is their daughter Ada's only knowledge of a home she has never visited， as she seeks to untangle years of secrets and silence， and find her place in the world。
A moving， beautifully written and delicately constructed story of love， division， transcendence， history， and eco-consciousness， The Island of Missing Trees is Elif Shafak's best work yet。
Two teenagers， a Greek Cypriot and a Turkish Cypriot， meet at a taverna on the island they both call home。 The taverna is the only place that Kostas and Defne can meet in secret， hidden beneath the blackened beams from which hang garlands of garlic and chilli peppers， creeping honeysuckle， and in the centre， growing through a cavity in the roof， a fig tree。 The fig tree witnesses their hushed， happy meetings; their silent， surreptitious departures。 The fig tree is there， too， when war breaks out， when the capital is reduced to ashes and rubble， when the teenagers vanish。 Decades later， Kostas returns—a botanist， looking for native species—looking， really， for Defne。 The two lovers return to the taverna to take a clipping from the fig tree and smuggle it into their suitcase， bound for London。 Years later， the fig tree in the garden is their daughter Ada's only knowledge of a home she has never visited， as she seeks to untangle years of secrets and silence， and find her place in the world。
A moving， beautifully written and delicately constructed story of love， division， transcendence， history， and eco-consciousness， The Island of Missing Trees is Elif Shafak's best work yet。
Reviews
Jennie
，
What a beautiful and moving book this is。 Told in alternating narratives， one of which is a Fig Tree， you'll be swept away by this magical story of pain， loss， war， family， and most of all enduring love。This was my first time reading a book by Elif Shafak， but it won't be my last。 What a beautiful and moving book this is。 Told in alternating narratives， one of which is a Fig Tree， you'll be swept away by this magical story of pain， loss， war， family， and most of all enduring love。This was my first time reading a book by Elif Shafak， but it won't be my last。 。。。more
Sammy-Jo Brindley
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This book makes me want to be better， & know more。 Powerful poetic prose。
Paddy
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Amazing， wise， tender， beautiful and unforgettable - without doubt the best book I have read this year。 Finishing this is like losing an old friend。
Ashley
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The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafik is a beautiful story！ After being in a bit of a reading slump， this story caught my attention and kept me wanting more！ The storytelling by this author is so well done。 I was able to sit down for extended periods of time to read this book。 The words on the pages grabbed me and drew me in！ This story is set in Cyprus and London with two different time periods。 Ada is from London and is given an assignment to learn about her family’s past。 However， she do The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafik is a beautiful story！ After being in a bit of a reading slump， this story caught my attention and kept me wanting more！ The storytelling by this author is so well done。 I was able to sit down for extended periods of time to read this book。 The words on the pages grabbed me and drew me in！ This story is set in Cyprus and London with two different time periods。 Ada is from London and is given an assignment to learn about her family’s past。 However， she doesn’t know anything about it。 This causes her to want to find out more information as she discovers who she really is and where she belongs。 The fig tree’s narration is so heartwarming！ It makes me want to talk to my Fiddle Leaf Fig and I’ve started thinking about all that my tree has witnessed （just like in the story）。 Im so thankful to the publisher and author for allowing me to have an ARC of this sweet story。I highly recommend this book！ 。。。more
Katrina
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This is not a bad book but was a bad choice of book for me。 I'm just not a big fan of romance novels or magical realism so a book where the narrator is a talking fig tree was never going to win me over。 That said， I did like learning something about Cyprus。 This is not a bad book but was a bad choice of book for me。 I'm just not a big fan of romance novels or magical realism so a book where the narrator is a talking fig tree was never going to win me over。 That said， I did like learning something about Cyprus。 。。。more
Ann
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4，5
Lolly K Dandeneau
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via my blog: https://bookstalkerblog。wordpress。com/𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐮𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧。The novel begins with the beautiful island of Cyprus ‘golden beaches and turquoise waters’， shadowed by a demarcation line。 There is also a well， with a tragic story waiting to unfold， one of love that met with horror， a cruelty that time cannot hide forever。 But we begin in the 2010s England， with a girl named Ada （Island） Kazantzakis， age sixteen。 Ada’s mother Defne has passed away， l via my blog: https://bookstalkerblog。wordpress。com/𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐮𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧。The novel begins with the beautiful island of Cyprus ‘golden beaches and turquoise waters’， shadowed by a demarcation line。 There is also a well， with a tragic story waiting to unfold， one of love that met with horror， a cruelty that time cannot hide forever。 But we begin in the 2010s England， with a girl named Ada （Island） Kazantzakis， age sixteen。 Ada’s mother Defne has passed away， leaving her alone with her eccentric father Kostas， an evolutionary ecologist and botanist who is far better with trees than people。 She has little to no understanding of her parents past nor their lives on Cyprus and only a weak link to her relatives。 With a Greek father and a Turkish mother， her looks stand out as foreign， but she is English， doesn’t even speak either of her parent’s language。 She has never traveled to meet either side of the family nor has family ever visited them， not even for her beloved mother’s funeral。 So much about her parents are a mystery， and how can she understand who she is without their history？ Defne was her light， and now that she is gone， so much is dark。 Her father has always seemed unsteady， fragile and Defne kept him centered。 Ada knows only one thing， she cannot burden him with her sadness。 She has buried her grief， but it will force its way to the surface， and in a humiliating scene in front of her peers。Kostas is wrapped up in tending to a fig tree in their garden， and it is this beautiful fig that speaks to the reader。 A descendant in a long line and an earthbound sentient being that understands the suffering of immigrants。 If only Ada felt as connected as the fig， had a deeper understanding of how her parents arrived at the place they settled and made a family。 She is a child born of division， her wound is now open for the world to see， and the exposure is unstoppable。 It is when her Aunt Meryem， whom Ada is reluctant to accept， arrives that her mother’s history spills out and she begins connecting to her own roots。 It is a story of forbidden love， and a special meeting place where burning hearts go to find shelter， happiness， and escape from violent reality。 A place where Greeks， Turks， Armenians， UN soldiers， Maronites， and visitors break down barriers， share stories and become friends。 This unique tavern is owned by two men who know all about division be it religion， love， family， country， culture or deeply guarded secrets。 It is here that Kostas and Defne can tuck into their love openly。 The men， Yiorgos and Yusuf， have created a place of celebration conceived for the purpose of triumph， joy， and small miracles。 It touches many lives， and yet darkness is waiting to undo it all。One cannot remain in a safe place， the world comes crashing in， decisions must be made and some are life or death。 In choosing each other， Defne and Kostas have to promise to keep the weight of the past off their daughter’s shoulders。 Naturally there are consequences， a child who has no story， no connection feels rootless， lost。 She aches for her identity as much as she aches over the loss of her mother。 It is a fate many face when leaving their homeland， particularly if they wish to cut ties with pain。 You can reinvent yourself， but you can never fully discard the earlier selves， for we are formed by the places we have grown up in。 How do we fit in with the people of our adopted country and what does the next generation make of the remnants of our past？ At our core， humans long for their family history， for roots。 This is such a sad story and yet overwhelming beautiful too。 A fig tree as a symbol， rich in history- yes read it！Publication Date: November 2， 2021Bloomsbury USA 。。。more
Lynne
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A lyrically written story filled with magical realism， about a couple’s relationship that began on the island of Cyprus。 One is Greek， the other Turk， and the island is divided by those identities。 One other theme of this story is sexual orientation。 Also， the biology woven through makes this a very interesting story， filled with new-to-me knowledge， beautiful scenery， and historical events that make this a fascinating read。 Thank you NetGalley for the ARC。
Rosie
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My first Elif Shafak and it didn’t disappoint！ I loved the multigenerational aspect and how the author weaves nature into the conflict in 1970s Cyprus。 I especially loved the characters of Yiorgos and Yusuf， but I wish there had been a bit more depth to Defne and Ada！ I didn’t love the fig tree perspectives but I appreciate what they did for the novel。 Super excited to read more of her work :）Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for my gifted e-ARC of this book！ Review coming to @ro My first Elif Shafak and it didn’t disappoint！ I loved the multigenerational aspect and how the author weaves nature into the conflict in 1970s Cyprus。 I especially loved the characters of Yiorgos and Yusuf， but I wish there had been a bit more depth to Defne and Ada！ I didn’t love the fig tree perspectives but I appreciate what they did for the novel。 Super excited to read more of her work :）Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for my gifted e-ARC of this book！ Review coming to @rosies。book。shelf bookstagram page soon xx 。。。more
Diane
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Magical。 The experience of reading this historical fiction novel was much like reading Perla by Carolina De Robertis。 I found The Island of Missing Trees to be poetic， despite being rooted in the dark history of Cyprus and the years of conflict and division and lost people。 It's amazing to create such a beautiful story from such a horrifc past。 Fascinating story telling from the perspective of insects and trees and birds。 Even the UK paperback version cover art is enchanting。 A passage that rema Magical。 The experience of reading this historical fiction novel was much like reading Perla by Carolina De Robertis。 I found The Island of Missing Trees to be poetic， despite being rooted in the dark history of Cyprus and the years of conflict and division and lost people。 It's amazing to create such a beautiful story from such a horrifc past。 Fascinating story telling from the perspective of insects and trees and birds。 Even the UK paperback version cover art is enchanting。 A passage that remained with me after reading， because I have felt this fear of happiness since I was small and had not seen it described anyplace before in words: "We are scared of happiness， you see。 From a tender age we have been taught that in the air， in the Etesian wind， an uncanny exchange is at work， so that for every morsel of contentment there will follow a morsel of suffering， for every peal of laughter there is a drop of tear ready to roll， because that is the way of this strange world， and hence we try not to look too happy， even on days when we might feel so inside。" 。。。more
Starlight Wymore
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Told from multiple points of view in a non-linear timeline， this novel introduces us to Defne and Kostas in the 1970s: their love， their daughter， their island， their pain。 We learn of the devastation that tore apart the beautiful island of Cyprus， home of Defne， a Turkish girl， and Kostas， a Greek boy。 Despite a political climate that prohibited their relationship and destroyed their home， Kostas and Defne share a deep loyalty to their families， as well as their island。 As the novel progresses， Told from multiple points of view in a non-linear timeline， this novel introduces us to Defne and Kostas in the 1970s: their love， their daughter， their island， their pain。 We learn of the devastation that tore apart the beautiful island of Cyprus， home of Defne， a Turkish girl， and Kostas， a Greek boy。 Despite a political climate that prohibited their relationship and destroyed their home， Kostas and Defne share a deep loyalty to their families， as well as their island。 As the novel progresses， we are privy to the conflicting emotions that accompany the realization that their home is no longer the safe and comforting place they once knew。 The novel is also told from the point of view of Ada， Defne and Kostas’s teenage daughter who is growing up in London。 As she struggles to come to terms with her mother’s death， her family’s strained relationship with the island of Cyprus and its people， and what it means to be a teenager in today’s world， she stumbles upon pieces of her identity she never knew she was missing。I really enjoyed the book。 Very well written。 Elif Shafak has a beautiful way of making scientific facts not only readable and understandable， but entertaining。 I learned more from this novel than I ever learned in any science class。 Shafak was able to transport me to a foreign land in a way that very few writers can。 For those of us who struggle to understand our own patriotism while living in a country that doesn’t always provide for and protect its people， the book was relatable and insightful。 I usually reflect on whether I “liked” the characters when doing a review， but with this novel， I found myself reflecting more on whether I understood the characters。 Shafak crafted characters with depth and complexity。 They were challenging for me to completely understand， which made the book even more intriguing。 This book comes out on November 2， 2021 and I recommend checking it out。 Be prepared to think， feel， and learn。 Please don’t read through it quickly and definitely do not skim over the detailed passages。 This book is a gift。 Read it slowly and savor it。Thanks to Elif Shafak， Bloomsbury， and Netgalley for this ARC in return for my honest review。 。。。more
Charlotte
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The best dedication and first opening page I have read all year。 I am in for a treat！！ "an antique pocket watch。。。 engraved with lines from a poem:Arriving there is what you are destined for， But do not hurry the journey at all"。Filled with little nuggets of one line proverbs。 The stuff I like to read。Meaningful， layered， beautiful。 "And then they were silent once again， drifting back to the painful place they both shared but could only occupy separately。" Shafak is something special， her writin The best dedication and first opening page I have read all year。 I am in for a treat！！ "an antique pocket watch。。。 engraved with lines from a poem:Arriving there is what you are destined for， But do not hurry the journey at all"。Filled with little nuggets of one line proverbs。 The stuff I like to read。Meaningful， layered， beautiful。 "And then they were silent once again， drifting back to the painful place they both shared but could only occupy separately。" Shafak is something special， her writing， her stories， her meanings are powerful and beautiful and poignant。Magical realism， a love story， a conscious tree， what more do you want？ 。。。more
leggere。con。leggerezza
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L'isola degli alberi scomparsi è una saga familiare ambientata a Cipro durante la partizione degli anni '70 e nell'odierna Londra。 Suddiviso in una serie di POV a linee temporali ， il filone principale è quello narrato da una pianta di fico。 Ada e il padre Kostas abitano a Londra mentre tutto il resto delle famiglie di origine vivono a Cipro。La madre di Ada è morta da poco e il dolore che porta dentro causerà in lei dei problemi che si riverseranno in particolar modo nell'ambiente scolastico。 A L'isola degli alberi scomparsi è una saga familiare ambientata a Cipro durante la partizione degli anni '70 e nell'odierna Londra。 Suddiviso in una serie di POV a linee temporali ， il filone principale è quello narrato da una pianta di fico。 Ada e il padre Kostas abitano a Londra mentre tutto il resto delle famiglie di origine vivono a Cipro。La madre di Ada è morta da poco e il dolore che porta dentro causerà in lei dei problemi che si riverseranno in particolar modo nell'ambiente scolastico。 Ada non ha mai conosciuto i suoi parenti， e quando sua zia Meryem， sorella di Defne， avvisa all'ultimo minuto che sarà ospite da loro a Londra per un periodo， Ada non accoglie bene questa notizia。 La zia invece si rivelerà un ponte di comunicazione con le culture di origine dei suoi genitori e grazie a lei verrà a conoscenza della storia dei suoi genitori con i problemi che hanno dovuto affrontare da giovani a causa del loro amore。La loro unione a Cipro non era ben vista， non era tollerato il legame tra due culture diverse。 Kostas greco e cattolico e Defne turca e mussulmana。I genitori furono costretti a scappare da Cipro per raggiungere Londra， con una valigia di cuoio con all'interno un piccolo germoglio di albero di fico。 La pianta di fico è a tutti gli effetti la voce narrante e racconterà la storia di Kostas e Defne ambientata nella Cipro degli anni 70。 Ho amato moltissimo le descrizioni dei paesaggi idilliaci di un'isola graziosa e pittoresca che splendevano di colore nelle fioriture e nelle colline ondulate ma ho sofferto molto quando raccontava della tensione e della violenza che questa terra dovette subire durante la guerra civile。 E。 S。 ha fatto una scelta curiosa e direi azzardata， una pianta che si rivolge a noi e sembra avere un'anima， che ci parla al femminile ed è legata ad un amore profondo nei confronti di Kostas， il padre di Ada。 L'idea è assolutamente particolare， ha aggiunto un'ulteriore dimensione narrativa al libro，。。。。。。。evidenziandone sicuramente il poco rispetto che a volte noi umani abbiamo con la natura。 •Ha scatenato in me riflessioni profonde sulla poca importanza che a volte do alle piante non considerandole propriamente delle creature viventi alla parità di quelle umane。 Posso dire con certezza che d'ora in poi guarderò il mondo vegetale e interagirò con lui con un approccio e una consapevolezza diversa。 Solo per questo motivo， questo libro ha un valore veramente altissimo。 •••✍ 𝑮𝒍𝒊 𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊 𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒊 𝒄𝒊 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒂𝒏𝒐 𝒅𝒂𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒊 𝒕𝒖𝒕𝒕𝒊 𝒊 𝒈𝒊𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒊， 𝒔𝒊 𝒔𝒊𝒆𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒐 𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒐， 𝒇𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒐 𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒐 𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒂 𝒏𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂 𝒐𝒎𝒃𝒓𝒂， 𝒄𝒊 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒐 𝒍𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒈𝒍𝒊𝒆 𝒆 𝒔𝒊 𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒐𝒛𝒛𝒂𝒏𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒏 𝒊 𝒏𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊 𝒇𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒕𝒊， 𝒄𝒊 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒛𝒛𝒂𝒏𝒐 𝒊 𝒓𝒂𝒎𝒊 𝒄𝒂𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒍𝒊 𝒅𝒂 𝒃𝒂𝒎𝒃𝒊𝒏𝒊 𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒖𝒔𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒍𝒊 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒔𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒛𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒐𝒈𝒈𝒊𝒐𝒈𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒍 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒎𝒐 𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒐 𝒅𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒐 𝒑𝒊ù 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒊 𝒆 𝒑𝒊ù 𝒄𝒓𝒖𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒊， 𝒄𝒊 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒐 𝒊𝒍。 𝒏𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒍'𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒂 𝒔𝒖𝒍 𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒐 𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒈𝒊𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒐， 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒊 𝒏𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊 𝒂𝒈𝒉𝒊 𝒆 𝒎𝒖𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒐 𝒊 𝒏𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊 𝒇𝒊𝒐𝒓𝒊 𝒊𝒏 𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒅'𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒆， 𝒄𝒊 𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒐 𝒂 𝒄𝒊𝒐𝒄𝒄𝒉𝒊 𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒔𝒊 𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒂 𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒕𝒂 𝒄𝒊 𝒂𝒃𝒃𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒐𝒏𝒐 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒐 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒉é 𝒈𝒍𝒊 𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒊𝒂𝒎𝒐 𝒍𝒂 𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂; 𝒇𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐 𝒅𝒊 𝒏𝒐𝒊 𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒆 𝒆 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒊𝒐𝒍𝒊， 𝒈𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆 𝒅𝒂 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊 𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒊， 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒈𝒐𝒏𝒐 𝒅𝒂 𝒏𝒐𝒊 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒄𝒂 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒆 𝒄𝒊 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒔𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒐 𝒊𝒏 𝒍𝒊𝒃𝒓𝒊 𝒏𝒆𝒊 𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒊 𝒔𝒊 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒐 𝒏𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒅𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒅'𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒐， 𝒖𝒔𝒂𝒏𝒐 𝒊𝒍 𝒏𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐 𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒏𝒐 𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒃𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒍𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒄𝒖𝒊 𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒐 𝒊 𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒐 𝒈𝒊𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒊， 𝒕𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒓𝒊 𝒔𝒐𝒕𝒕𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒂 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒆𝒎𝒆 𝒂 𝒏𝒐𝒊， 𝒆 𝒂𝒅𝒅𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒂 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒐𝒏𝒐 𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒏𝒐𝒊 𝒑𝒐𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒆 𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒉𝒆， 𝒂𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒐 𝒄𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒊𝒂𝒎𝒐 𝒍'𝒂𝒏𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒐 𝒅𝒊 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒊𝒖𝒏𝒛𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒂 𝒍𝒂 𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒂 𝒆 𝒊𝒍 𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒍𝒐， 𝒆𝒑𝒑𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒂𝒏𝒐 𝒂 𝒏𝒐𝒏 𝒗𝒆𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒊。•Sebbene abbia apprezzato moltissimo tutta la narrazione rivolta alla storia dell'isola di Cipro e all'amore dei genitori di Ada， in alcune parti la narrazione prende una piega in flussi di coscienza che ho trovato spesso noiosi。•È libro che potrebbe dividere， questo genere di lettura penso possa essere sorprendente per alcuni lettori e tutto il contrario per altri。•Ma posso promettervi che affronterete un viaggio in un'isola accattivante e seducente dove sarete spettatori di una magica storia di amore proibito， di storie non raccontate， di segreti e leggende e superstizioni ， dove tutto questo convive in una splendida armonia。。•L'autrice è nota per abbracciare il filone letterario di realismo magico， un genere che amo particolarmente e con il quale mi trovo completamente a mio agio。 •Nella prima parte del libro ho fatto fatica ad entrare nella storia ma nel proseguimento della lettura sono stata sopraffatta dalla bellezza e dalla potenza vibrante della penna di Elif Sahfak ma anche così poetica e musicale 。 。 。。。more
Joanna
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The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak set in the 1970s Cyprus and contemporary London of 2010s is a tale narrated partly by a fig tree， partly by humans about the transgeneretional trauma， the burden of the past on the current and future generations when it comes to dealing with wars， pogroms， ethnic cleansing， enforced borders drawn on a piece of paper at one time in history and how it affects the lives of the future generations。Shafak has created a beautiful tale of wonder and nostalgia， The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak set in the 1970s Cyprus and contemporary London of 2010s is a tale narrated partly by a fig tree， partly by humans about the transgeneretional trauma， the burden of the past on the current and future generations when it comes to dealing with wars， pogroms， ethnic cleansing， enforced borders drawn on a piece of paper at one time in history and how it affects the lives of the future generations。Shafak has created a beautiful tale of wonder and nostalgia， pointing out to the connections between the past， present， and future as well as between the physical and the spiritual。 It is also a profoundly moving ode to the natural world: world of non-human animals and plants。‘ Sometimes family trauma skips a generation altogether and redoubles its hold on the following one。 You may encounter grandchildren who silently shoulder the hurts and sufferings of their grandparents’。Shafak weaves together a stunning story full of the references to both Turkish and Greek Cypriot cultures which connects the destruction of a natural world to the destruction caused by the human ego， hatred。The meaning of ‘home’， migration， memory， stories in our lives， being uprooted or rootless， human rights versus animal rights especially during the times of war， fanaticism， nationalism， the passage of time， sensitivity treated often as a curse among many cultures rather than a noble virtue， the suffering on both sides of the conflict based on the past events in the 1970s Cyprus， also constitute a part of this novel’s diverse topicality。The Island of Missing Trees offers an in-depth exploration of one the most painful consequences of every conflict: missing persons。 There are reference not only to Cyprus， but also to the past events in Argentina， Chile， Guatemala， the Spanish Civil War， the Nuremberg trials， the former Yugoslavia， Rwanda， Cambodia。 When it comes to the darkest chapters of the history， the similarities can be found everywhere， regardless of the place and time。The difference between those who left and did not live through the conflict，and those who were left behind is also discussed at length; open wounds of the runaways and the pain of those who experienced death and suffering in all its forms first-hand。The novel offers such an interesting focus on animals who are always badly affected by human activities and particularly during the times of war their suffering is often disregarded。 。。。more
Khushboo Aneja
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The start was a little slow。 It took me a while to get into the story but once I did it was a smooth ride to the sunrise。 There's no denying the lyrical writing of Shafak。 The book is narrated by a fig tree， partly。 That was different。 It's a well-researched book and sometimes it felt like Shafak had too much to say about the trees than the actual story。 I would have loved to know if the fig tree in The Happy Fig survived and more about Defne's death。 How could Kostas let that happen？ It's a mus The start was a little slow。 It took me a while to get into the story but once I did it was a smooth ride to the sunrise。 There's no denying the lyrical writing of Shafak。 The book is narrated by a fig tree， partly。 That was different。 It's a well-researched book and sometimes it felt like Shafak had too much to say about the trees than the actual story。 I would have loved to know if the fig tree in The Happy Fig survived and more about Defne's death。 How could Kostas let that happen？ It's a must-read for nature lovers and history lovers 。。。more
Amy Naidoo
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*Spoilers*Where to start with this book！？ Elif Shafak really created a beautiful piece of art in this novel， I'm so glad to have read it。 At it's heart this is a a story about intergenerational trauma。 The story revolves around a few different characters and is told from their different perspectives。 Kostas， a Greek Cypriot， and Dephne， a Turkish Cypriot， are young lovers and their tale follows them from their youth in Cypress to their 'current' life together。 Ada， their 16 year old daughter is *Spoilers*Where to start with this book！？ Elif Shafak really created a beautiful piece of art in this novel， I'm so glad to have read it。 At it's heart this is a a story about intergenerational trauma。 The story revolves around a few different characters and is told from their different perspectives。 Kostas， a Greek Cypriot， and Dephne， a Turkish Cypriot， are young lovers and their tale follows them from their youth in Cypress to their 'current' life together。 Ada， their 16 year old daughter is struggling socially at school and with not knowing much about her parents' cultural identities and subsequently her own。 Most unusually， the narration from the Fig Tree growing in the families back yard， smuggled from Crete， tells the tale of all characters as it has observed them over the many years。 There are a lot of themes to follow including the dangers of climate change， the repercussions of colonialism， how trauma affects many generations and the dangers of perceived differences。 Though these are all heavy subjects， the writing is lyrical and beautifully easy to take in; it is informative without leaving you feeling heavy and overburdened by its words。 Shafak brings the story of the ongoing Turkish-Greek conflict into the spotlight with this tale， and I for one was tremendously affected by the stories she wove together， many of which were based on true life events。 The author lifts the veil on the lives of individuals from both sides in an honest， unbiased way which serves as a reminder of the humanity of the individuals which make up each side。This read was thoroughly enjoyable， touching。 and heartbreaking all while serving a larger purpose of informing us of one of the great human atrocities to take place in the very near past。 *This review was from an Advanced Reader Copy I received from the publisher， however， the review is entirely my own。 。。。more
Shazia Wahab
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"Love is the bold affirmation of hope" "Once it's inside your head， whether it's your own memory or your parent's， or your grandparents， this f***ing pain becomes part of your flesh。 It stays with you and marks you permanently。 It messes up your psychology and shapes how you think of yourself and others" "Love is the bold affirmation of hope" "Once it's inside your head， whether it's your own memory or your parent's， or your grandparents， this f***ing pain becomes part of your flesh。 It stays with you and marks you permanently。 It messes up your psychology and shapes how you think of yourself and others" 。。。more
Liz
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Out today！Rumored to be Reese’s Book Club November pick， The Island of Missing Trees is a story that intertwines nature with human relationships。The book rotates between present day London where 16 year old Ada struggles as she has just lost her mother Defne。 Her father Kostas， a botanist， is preoccupied with his love of his plants and trees。 We are also taken back to Defne and Kostas’ youth on the island of Cyprus where they fall in love among Turkish and Greek conflict（s）。 And finally we are g Out today！Rumored to be Reese’s Book Club November pick， The Island of Missing Trees is a story that intertwines nature with human relationships。The book rotates between present day London where 16 year old Ada struggles as she has just lost her mother Defne。 Her father Kostas， a botanist， is preoccupied with his love of his plants and trees。 We are also taken back to Defne and Kostas’ youth on the island of Cyprus where they fall in love among Turkish and Greek conflict（s）。 And finally we are given the perspective of a Fig tree who sees the fallout of war in Cyprus and is brought to London years later by the couple。 ✨My thoughts✨This is a gorgeously written book really unlike any I’ve ever read。 The fact that a tree is a character that I cared for and enjoyed reading about should tell you something。 Every incredible description of food， natural life， the animals that visit the tree or the interactions each character has are rich and meaty。 I learned a lot about trees， bats， bees， butterflies but in a way that was exciting rather than a slog through a textbook。 I can see why this would be picked by a celebrity book club because there is so much to talk about from trans generational grief to finding one’s place in the world。 There’s so much more I didn’t even describe here to do this book justice！ Please someone else read it stat so we can discuss it:） Loved it！ My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ （4。25/5 stars） The Island of Missing Trees is out Nov 2。 Thanks to #netgalley and #bloomsburypublishing for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Alexis
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DNF。 I quite liked her last book and I thought this one sounded interesting。 However， after a promising start， it just starts to feel more and more like a YA book and the writing is correspondingly clunky and clichéd。 Shafak is clearly aiming to attract more literary plaudits for dabbling in magic realism and dealing with themes such as identity， nationality， migration and heritage， all such ‘now’ themes （yawn）。 However， everything is just so obvious， like the ‘salt of the earth’ aunt who visits DNF。 I quite liked her last book and I thought this one sounded interesting。 However， after a promising start， it just starts to feel more and more like a YA book and the writing is correspondingly clunky and clichéd。 Shafak is clearly aiming to attract more literary plaudits for dabbling in magic realism and dealing with themes such as identity， nationality， migration and heritage， all such ‘now’ themes （yawn）。 However， everything is just so obvious， like the ‘salt of the earth’ aunt who visits， lugging a samovar in her luggage all the way from Cyprus （really？） and makes a completely OTT breakfast of exotic food。 Because， of course， no-one apart from someone from an eastern Mediterranean country really understands food or would think of having hawthorn jelly or black olives。 And I’m sure， along with introducing such food， she’ll help her niece understand her heritage and ‘who she really is’ （double yawn）。 。。。more
Vaibhav
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If sad books make great stories， Elif Shafak is the best there is。 In this yet another beautiful fiction penned down by her， she brings up the real human losses to life。 Narrated through the eyes of a fig tree， you’ll meet Defne who’s haunted by the past and the same past drove her melancholy and ended her life; you’ll meet Kostas who prefers the company of trees and animals over humans for they are true to who they’re; you’ll know that trauma descends across generations and how it affected Ada， If sad books make great stories， Elif Shafak is the best there is。 In this yet another beautiful fiction penned down by her， she brings up the real human losses to life。 Narrated through the eyes of a fig tree， you’ll meet Defne who’s haunted by the past and the same past drove her melancholy and ended her life; you’ll meet Kostas who prefers the company of trees and animals over humans for they are true to who they’re; you’ll know that trauma descends across generations and how it affected Ada， Kostas and Defne’s daughter; you’ll meet Yiorgos and Yusuf， whose only crime apart from being Greek and Turk Cypriot was that they were lovers。 The island of missing trees will evoke that hole amidst you and make you wonder whether many such wars fought across the world as we know it were worth it。 。。。more
Daisy
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The second book this year that I have rated 5 stars。The Island of Missing Trees is written in such a poetic style。 I wouldn’t say that it is necessary a gripping story， however the emotion and writing of this book alone was enough for me to read in in 3 days。As I have previously lived in Cyprus， and been to Nicosia， this is a story which I feel almost protective about。 There were many times in the book where I had tears in my eyes， and I was so attached to each character for different reasons。 T The second book this year that I have rated 5 stars。The Island of Missing Trees is written in such a poetic style。 I wouldn’t say that it is necessary a gripping story， however the emotion and writing of this book alone was enough for me to read in in 3 days。As I have previously lived in Cyprus， and been to Nicosia， this is a story which I feel almost protective about。 There were many times in the book where I had tears in my eyes， and I was so attached to each character for different reasons。 This book is a must read， it touched my heart。 。。。more
Jasmine
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The Island of Missing Trees is a magnificent story about love， loss， identity， and nature。 Set in 1974 Cyprus， the country is in turmoil between the two religious groups on the island。 Despite the danger it presents， Kostas， a Greek Cypriot， and Defne， a Turkish Cypriot， are young and in love at a time when there is a lot of turmoil between the two groups living on the island。 The only place safe for the two to meet is at a tavern called The Happy Fig。 The Happy Fig gets its name from a fig tree The Island of Missing Trees is a magnificent story about love， loss， identity， and nature。 Set in 1974 Cyprus， the country is in turmoil between the two religious groups on the island。 Despite the danger it presents， Kostas， a Greek Cypriot， and Defne， a Turkish Cypriot， are young and in love at a time when there is a lot of turmoil between the two groups living on the island。 The only place safe for the two to meet is at a tavern called The Happy Fig。 The Happy Fig gets its name from a fig tree planted in the centre。 This tree remembers everything that goes on in the tavern。 The tree remembers the lover’s secret meetings， war breaking out， and what came after。 Fast forward to present-day London， Ada is grieving the death of her mother。 She feels that she can’t open up to Kostas， her father， because he is always buried in his work and talking to the fig tree in their backyard。 Ada’s parents raised her in an English-speaking household and have never revealed much about their life in Cyprus。 With the help of her visiting aunt， she begins to learn what her parents have left unsaid and discover her identity。 This story has beautiful and lyrical prose with a sprinkle of magical realism。 It’s told from the perspectives of Ada， Kostas， and the fig tree。 The chapters are short， making this easy to fly through， even though I didn’t want it to end。 There is also a helpful glossary of terms。 It explores the harsh realities of war on civilians， the resulting traumas， and ways to heal from it。 I forgot to mention that there’s also a talking parrot。 This is the second book I’ve read this month that had one。 I see a trend and， authors， I would like all future novels to have one too， please。 This was my first Elif Shafak novel， but it will in no way be my last。 Thank you to Bloomsbury Publishing for the arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 For more book reviews， see my blog: https://booksandwheels。com/blog/ 。。。more
Rachel Grate
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 3。5。 Would have been better if they’d sped up part 1 a lot and deleted the final chapter when the mom “became” the tree。
Terry Barlow
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Big fan of the Author。 Signed Copy。 Narrated by a fig tree。 Covers the troubles in Cyprus。 A love story。 Book is well researched。 A comfort & Good feeling Read。 Author deserves all her plaudits。
Salomée Lou
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Elif Shafak never disappoints。 One of my favourite author。
Katarina Jozinović
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▪ "Jer u stvarnom životu priče nam ne dolaze kao u povijesnim udžbenicima; ne dolaze cijele， nego u komadićima， razlomljenim segmentima i djelomičnim odjecima， ovdje puna rečenica， ondje samo dio， a između njih skriven trag。Za razliku od knjiga， u životu moramo iskati svoje priče od niti tankih kao najtanje žilice u krilima leptira。"▪ "Možda tuzi dajemo druga imena zato što se previše bojimo nazvati je njezinim。"♡ ▪ "Jer u stvarnom životu priče nam ne dolaze kao u povijesnim udžbenicima; ne dolaze cijele， nego u komadićima， razlomljenim segmentima i djelomičnim odjecima， ovdje puna rečenica， ondje samo dio， a između njih skriven trag。Za razliku od knjiga， u životu moramo iskati svoje priče od niti tankih kao najtanje žilice u krilima leptira。"▪ "Možda tuzi dajemo druga imena zato što se previše bojimo nazvati je njezinim。"♡ 。。。more
Jan Dewitte
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Since i met the souls in the stories of Elif Shafak and i could be at her presentation in Brussels， i can see and feel the soul of everything and anything。Thanks a lot
Gillian
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