Take What You Can Carry
- Downloads：3766
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-12 08:32:35
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Gian Sardar
- ISBN：B088JXXW67
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
An aspiring photographer follows her dreams and faces her fears in a poignant novel about finding beauty， promise， and love amid the chaos of war-torn Kurdistan。
It’s 1979。 Olivia Murray， a secretary at a Los Angeles newspaper， is determined to become a photojournalist and make a difference with her work。 When opportunity arrives， she seizes it， accompanying her Kurdish boyfriend， Delan， to northern Iraq for a family wedding， hoping to capture an image that lands her a job in the photo department。 More important， though， the trip is a chance to understand Delan’s childhood and bridge the differences of their pasts。 Yet when the return home proves less safe than Delan believed， Olivia is confronted with a reality she had not expected， and is awakened to the dangers of a town patrolled by Iraqi military under curfew and constant threat。
But in this world torn apart by war， there are intoxicating sights and scents， Delan’s loving family， innocence not yet compromised， and small acts of kindness that flourish unexpectedly。 All of it will be tested when Olivia captures a shattering， tragic moment on film， one that upends all their lives and proves that true bravery begins with an open heart。
It’s 1979。 Olivia Murray， a secretary at a Los Angeles newspaper， is determined to become a photojournalist and make a difference with her work。 When opportunity arrives， she seizes it， accompanying her Kurdish boyfriend， Delan， to northern Iraq for a family wedding， hoping to capture an image that lands her a job in the photo department。 More important， though， the trip is a chance to understand Delan’s childhood and bridge the differences of their pasts。 Yet when the return home proves less safe than Delan believed， Olivia is confronted with a reality she had not expected， and is awakened to the dangers of a town patrolled by Iraqi military under curfew and constant threat。
But in this world torn apart by war， there are intoxicating sights and scents， Delan’s loving family， innocence not yet compromised， and small acts of kindness that flourish unexpectedly。 All of it will be tested when Olivia captures a shattering， tragic moment on film， one that upends all their lives and proves that true bravery begins with an open heart。
Reviews
Kathleen Smith
，
Excellent ReadThis is a beautifully written book which captures the Kurdish culture and the emotional stress of a persecuted minority。 It is also an enthralling story filled with love and loyalty。
Laura
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A book that captures all of your sensesThis book captured me from the beginning。。。 the sights， the smells， the tastes all beautifully woven into the story。 It is a story of love， truth， beauty， betrayel， and acceptance of what is real， and it is mesmerizing。
Liz Dz
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This book was spellbinding and heartbreaking。 Exceptionally well written， this book tackles many challenges - gender， race， love， family， genocide， violence and ptsd。 Most prominently the author invokes so many senses throughout the book that make you really feel like you are there。 I could picture the hot desert of Southern Iraq and the peaceful， green garden in Kurdistan。 Highly recommend
Paul Henry
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Partway through this novel， I'm reading about the two protagonists flying to Iraq but are diverted to Geneva。 Then suddenly they're in Iraq。 What happened here， did my Kindle have a meltdown？ Am I this disinterested in the story that I can't remember reading about them flying to Iraq？ Once in Iraq a concern about safety is raised。 Hasn't Iraq always been unsafe？ Wouldn't you take that into consideration before flying there？ I'm not sure about back in the days of the monarchy， but since the ba'at Partway through this novel， I'm reading about the two protagonists flying to Iraq but are diverted to Geneva。 Then suddenly they're in Iraq。 What happened here， did my Kindle have a meltdown？ Am I this disinterested in the story that I can't remember reading about them flying to Iraq？ Once in Iraq a concern about safety is raised。 Hasn't Iraq always been unsafe？ Wouldn't you take that into consideration before flying there？ I'm not sure about back in the days of the monarchy， but since the ba'athists took over in the '60s there has been little rule of law， it's basically whatever the military and secret police wanted to do with you。 The book is set in the '70s and I didn't see any author's note detailing why this particular time period was chosen。 This book， in my opinion， is poorly edited/written with syntactical gaffes such as dangling participles within LONG sentences， sentences ending in prepositions， and just confusing sentence structures。 Okay in dialogue or first person narrative， but not okay for third person narrative。 And the dialogue itself is sterile， akin to narration with quotes。 。。。more
Faye Rix
，
I really love your story， it deserves a lot of audience。 If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top
Lindy
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Now I can breathe。。。I couldn't just sit down and read this well crafted story through- I had to take breaks， step away， resume breathing。 I wanted to have hope， when there was simply dread。 I was with Liv in every life threatening situation。 I found myself holding my breath， then reminding myself， it's 'just a story'。 Now I can breathe。。。I couldn't just sit down and read this well crafted story through- I had to take breaks， step away， resume breathing。 I wanted to have hope， when there was simply dread。 I was with Liv in every life threatening situation。 I found myself holding my breath， then reminding myself， it's 'just a story'。 。。。more
Gina Holmgren
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Wow！What a wonderful book！ A beautifully crafted story that kept me mesmerized！ I want to thank the author for writing such a captivating book full of writing that takes the reader into the story making it come to life。
Marybeth Russell
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I loved this book。 I didn't want to put it down。 I loved this book。 I didn't want to put it down。 。。。more
Janine Morley
，
Incredible book！Wow！ An incredible story about an amazing place written in beautiful， descriptive， poetic prose。 How can a story be both heavy and light？
Heather
，
Incredible story and characters This is the very best book I have read in a very long time。 I couldn't put it down。 Just wonderful。 Incredible story and characters This is the very best book I have read in a very long time。 I couldn't put it down。 Just wonderful。 。。。more
Carol
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I can't recall the last time I read a book this engaging or beautifully written。 The story is gripping; I was involved with the characters from the beginning， my heart pounded with them。 The writing itself is exquisite- my review won't do it justice- just read the book。 I can't recall the last time I read a book this engaging or beautifully written。 The story is gripping; I was involved with the characters from the beginning， my heart pounded with them。 The writing itself is exquisite- my review won't do it justice- just read the book。 。。。more
Lynn
，
I just finished Take What You Can Carry by Gian Sadar。 What an amazing book。。。。love for one’s family during the most horrific times， an unrelenting spirit of hope and optimism when there is much tragedy and sadness in the lives of the people who live in a country where they experience endless fear and terror， yet exhibit generosity and kindness to strangers as well as family， friends and neighbors。 So powerful and beautifully written。
Robyn Parker
，
This book follows an American woman， Olivia， and her Kurdish boyfriend， Delan， who live in Los Angeles in 1979。 The couple really love each other， but also have a lot of issues due to their different cultures and histories。When Delan invites Olivia to a family wedding in Iraq， they both become embroiled in danger due to the political conflict between the Kurds and Arabs in the country。 When tragedy strikes， each of them needs to decide if their differences are too great， or if they can bridge th This book follows an American woman， Olivia， and her Kurdish boyfriend， Delan， who live in Los Angeles in 1979。 The couple really love each other， but also have a lot of issues due to their different cultures and histories。When Delan invites Olivia to a family wedding in Iraq， they both become embroiled in danger due to the political conflict between the Kurds and Arabs in the country。 When tragedy strikes， each of them needs to decide if their differences are too great， or if they can bridge them together。This is a powerful and moving story which provides the reader with a glimpse of both the beauty and treachery of Kurdistan at the time。 The author also uses rich imagery throughout the book which makes the reader really feel everything that is happening。 This was my Kindle First Reads Choice for this month and it was a great pick。 It did start out slow but was well worth reading。The novel was inspired by true events from the author’s own life and family stories。 。。。more
Kirsten Cutler
，
This story of an American woman who travels with her Kurdish partner to his homeland to attend a family wedding is painfully visceral。 A photographer， she takes what she knows are poignant shots but she also misses other shots as she escapes dangerous incidents， and becomes immersed in observing and experiencing the daily fears and suffering of the family members she lives with on this eye-opening visit to a country beset by sectarian violence。 She spends much time musing over her relationship w This story of an American woman who travels with her Kurdish partner to his homeland to attend a family wedding is painfully visceral。 A photographer， she takes what she knows are poignant shots but she also misses other shots as she escapes dangerous incidents， and becomes immersed in observing and experiencing the daily fears and suffering of the family members she lives with on this eye-opening visit to a country beset by sectarian violence。 She spends much time musing over her relationship with the man she loves and questioning their ability to remain committed given their significant cultural differences。 。。。more
Michele Vaughan
，
I really wanted to love this book。 The premise attracted me。 I enjoyed learning about a culture I knew nothing about。 I can't even begin to imagine the heartbreak and pain from living in a war torn area。 I loved the characters。 I did not enjoy the tedious and endless descriptions of every last scene。 It felt like the author took a creative writing class and tried to fit every creative writing technique she learned into each chapter。 Sometimes just saying a thing is fine。 There were scenes that I I really wanted to love this book。 The premise attracted me。 I enjoyed learning about a culture I knew nothing about。 I can't even begin to imagine the heartbreak and pain from living in a war torn area。 I loved the characters。 I did not enjoy the tedious and endless descriptions of every last scene。 It felt like the author took a creative writing class and tried to fit every creative writing technique she learned into each chapter。 Sometimes just saying a thing is fine。 There were scenes that I read and left wondering what just happened。 I re-read a few and still didn't figure it out。 I'm not attracted to that style。 Just say what happened。 。。。more
Stephanie S。
，
Wow。 This book is why I love reading。 While absorbed in a fiery， passionate love story I also learned the gripping political situations of the often overlooked Kurds of Iraq。 Both worlds - Kurdistan and Los Angeles - were equally captivating because of the characters， even the minor ones。 Set in 1979， Sardar convincingly takes the reader back to the music & styles （fun reading！） to the misogyny， prejudice and ignorance that also existed at that time in society。 The characters will break your hea Wow。 This book is why I love reading。 While absorbed in a fiery， passionate love story I also learned the gripping political situations of the often overlooked Kurds of Iraq。 Both worlds - Kurdistan and Los Angeles - were equally captivating because of the characters， even the minor ones。 Set in 1979， Sardar convincingly takes the reader back to the music & styles （fun reading！） to the misogyny， prejudice and ignorance that also existed at that time in society。 The characters will break your heart but also lift your spirits and give you hope for the future。 Beautifully written and a fabulous read。 Highly recommend。 。。。more
Beverly
，
The near history of war torn 1979 Kurdistan is the setting for this story of family bonds。 loss and betrayal as seen through the eyes of an American woman travelling with her boyfriend to his homeland。 Sardar's lush descriptions of the landscapes & gardens， the beauty of the birds & flowers AND the sharp clarity of the destruction war brings SO adds to the telling。 The main characters were fully developed making the reader become fully invested in their fates。 Gives us an insight in to that worl The near history of war torn 1979 Kurdistan is the setting for this story of family bonds。 loss and betrayal as seen through the eyes of an American woman travelling with her boyfriend to his homeland。 Sardar's lush descriptions of the landscapes & gardens， the beauty of the birds & flowers AND the sharp clarity of the destruction war brings SO adds to the telling。 The main characters were fully developed making the reader become fully invested in their fates。 Gives us an insight in to that world ， Iraq。 。。。more
Susan Jackson-Rafter
，
If there were 10 stars， I'd choose that。 If there were 10 stars， I'd choose that。 。。。more
Melody
，
Read this Book！I chose to read this book because I wanted to know more about the Kurds。 And what I learned is that fear， anger， love， loyalty， grief， all the extreme points of emotion are universal。 Humanity can override political division。 And I got a glimpse into how when savagery is at your doorstep， every breath， every blink， can telegraph a message that determines the outcome。 This is a wonderful， powerful book — read it。
Betty
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A complex read This book is complex and multifaceted。 It tells of women who were not utilized to their qualifications and ability in the news papers。 It tells of an era of abuse and ethnic cleansing in Iran。 How families turned in other beloved family members to save their families and self。 The continued story of what is true and of most value in life well lived。 A sad and shameful story of mans inability to tolerate difference yet ability to sometimes love and care despite intolerance。 I love A complex read This book is complex and multifaceted。 It tells of women who were not utilized to their qualifications and ability in the news papers。 It tells of an era of abuse and ethnic cleansing in Iran。 How families turned in other beloved family members to save their families and self。 The continued story of what is true and of most value in life well lived。 A sad and shameful story of mans inability to tolerate difference yet ability to sometimes love and care despite intolerance。 I love the title in relation to only take what matters toward。 。。。more
Nancy J。 Kelley
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An Amazing，Beautiful StoryI highly recommend this novel as it is a powerful love story， full of tension and danger。 Most people don’t know about the troubles of the Kurdish people but by reading books like this they will get an understanding of what is and has been happening in that part of the world。 Book clubs should consider this well written book to discuss and ponder。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Take What You Can Carry
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Take What You Can Carry&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft