The Map of Salt and Stars
- Downloads：9217
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-07-05 09:53:07
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Zeyn Joukhadar
- ISBN：150116905X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Nour has just lost her father to cancer， and her mother moves Nour and her sisters from New York City back to Syria to be closer to their family。 In order to keep her father’s spirit alive as she adjusts to her new home， Nour tells herself their favorite story—the tale of Rawiya， a twelfth-century girl who disguised herself as a boy in order to apprentice herself to a famous mapmaker。
But the Syria Nour’s parents knew is changing， and it isn’t long before the war reaches their quiet Homs neighborhood。 When a shell destroys Nour’s house and almost takes her life， she and her family are forced to choose: stay and risk more violence or flee across seven countries of the Middle East and North Africa in search of safety—along the very route Rawiya and her mapmaker took eight hundred years before in their quest to chart the world。 As Nour’s family decides to take the risk， their journey becomes more and more dangerous， until they face a choice that could mean the family will be separated forever。
Following alternating timelines and a pair of unforgettable heroines coming of age in perilous times， The Map of Salt and Stars is the “magical and heart-wrenching” （Christian Science Monitor） story of one girl telling herself the legend of another and learning that， if you listen to your own voice， some things can never be lost。
But the Syria Nour’s parents knew is changing， and it isn’t long before the war reaches their quiet Homs neighborhood。 When a shell destroys Nour’s house and almost takes her life， she and her family are forced to choose: stay and risk more violence or flee across seven countries of the Middle East and North Africa in search of safety—along the very route Rawiya and her mapmaker took eight hundred years before in their quest to chart the world。 As Nour’s family decides to take the risk， their journey becomes more and more dangerous， until they face a choice that could mean the family will be separated forever。
Following alternating timelines and a pair of unforgettable heroines coming of age in perilous times， The Map of Salt and Stars is the “magical and heart-wrenching” （Christian Science Monitor） story of one girl telling herself the legend of another and learning that， if you listen to your own voice， some things can never be lost。
Reviews
Nusaybah
，
Once I finish picking up all the broken pieces of my heart， I'll write a proper review。This book deserves all the stars in the world。 Once I finish picking up all the broken pieces of my heart， I'll write a proper review。This book deserves all the stars in the world。 。。。more
Marie McKenna
，
"It used to make me wonder whether the most important things we see in God are really in each other。" This is the deepest book I've read in awhile。 I highly recommend this！ Syrian refugees spurred by hope and strength intertwined with an 800 year old coming-of-age parallel story line。 This book is not lacking in perspective and depth。The colorful prose， the lingering landscapes， the beautiful maps that frame this exquisite story。。。。 l draws tight focus on family， grief， and finding your own stor "It used to make me wonder whether the most important things we see in God are really in each other。" This is the deepest book I've read in awhile。 I highly recommend this！ Syrian refugees spurred by hope and strength intertwined with an 800 year old coming-of-age parallel story line。 This book is not lacking in perspective and depth。The colorful prose， the lingering landscapes， the beautiful maps that frame this exquisite story。。。。 l draws tight focus on family， grief， and finding your own story。 。。。more
Joanne
，
3。5/5…。this story packs a lot into its pages。 I felt like I needed to slow down and read some parts again， especially when I hadn’t realized which narrator was telling her story。
Jill
，
This was an amazing parallel story！
Katie Schneider
，
When selecting this book， I purposefully set out to find a Middle East historical fictionish book。 After much searching， The Map of Salt and Stars hit my radar。 This book is so far outside of my wheelhouse， I was hesitant。 This book did something that no TV show， movie or interview has for me。 It gave me a full story， beginning to end， of what a refugee is and what they go through。 The loss they experience， the danger they go through in pursuit of safety， family， health and faith is harrowing。 T When selecting this book， I purposefully set out to find a Middle East historical fictionish book。 After much searching， The Map of Salt and Stars hit my radar。 This book is so far outside of my wheelhouse， I was hesitant。 This book did something that no TV show， movie or interview has for me。 It gave me a full story， beginning to end， of what a refugee is and what they go through。 The loss they experience， the danger they go through in pursuit of safety， family， health and faith is harrowing。 This thought provoking story illustrates just how short of a trip it is to become a refugee。 And how long of a journey it is after you become one。As I tend to do， I read so many books through my political lens。 As a politically conservative person， reading this book was truly eye opening。 Everyone has a story。 Everyone。 And this book is just one fictional story。 But it exemplifies the refugee experience。 Understand more， judge less。 A universal existential reminder。This book also weaves another story in along with it， with the ever popular dual timeline。 This a story of a 12th century Arab geographer。 I've certainly never read anything like that！ Yet， the story kept me captivated。 Something as simple as geography and mapmaking was high stakes in the 12th century-there's battles， kings riches， camels， and astrolabes。 If those are of interest to you， then you will love this story！The rich， long lost art of story telling is alive in the characters in this book， and the book's author。 。。。more
Autumn
，
I think of this book often。 The writing is so good。 The plot is so lively。
Tony
，
The most important quote from the book to me: “Wealth is no substitute for belonging。”
Janice
，
Really a 3。5
Heather Lisson
，
Finishing this book was like completing a puzzle I didn’t even know I was working on。 The connections between people， maps， time， and knowledge were expertly crafted by Syrian American author Zeyn Joukhadar。 The novel tells two stories - a tale of voyage and one of exile that moves between contemporary war-torn Syria and the area’s lost past。 Maps are central to both stories - both what they show and what they leave out。 Grief， trauma， anxiety， and stress are also themes that are attached to the Finishing this book was like completing a puzzle I didn’t even know I was working on。 The connections between people， maps， time， and knowledge were expertly crafted by Syrian American author Zeyn Joukhadar。 The novel tells two stories - a tale of voyage and one of exile that moves between contemporary war-torn Syria and the area’s lost past。 Maps are central to both stories - both what they show and what they leave out。 Grief， trauma， anxiety， and stress are also themes that are attached to these fascinating characters。 This book was a true joy to experience and the author is a beautiful storyteller。 It is a good reminder that all stories are part of a much larger tale， part of a much larger map。 。。。more
Annette
，
There is a strong connection between two stories。 One is contemporary the other is a mythological folk tale that takes place 800 years earlier。 The story encompasses the beginning of the original map maker and the ones that followed him。 The main strong characters are women。 I appreciated the author's great research。 I am not fond of mythology and how it dragged on in this book。 That is why I gave this novel 3 stars。 There is a strong connection between two stories。 One is contemporary the other is a mythological folk tale that takes place 800 years earlier。 The story encompasses the beginning of the original map maker and the ones that followed him。 The main strong characters are women。 I appreciated the author's great research。 I am not fond of mythology and how it dragged on in this book。 That is why I gave this novel 3 stars。 。。。more
Alina
，
This book was incredibly beautiful。 The writing was poetic and I loved the comparisons to how things *feel* like certain colors。 It brought everything to life。This book dealt with some heavy subject matter but told through the eyes of Nour， a 12 year old girl， it was very accessible。 At first I found it odd that the characters were Syrians who had lived in New York and wondered why the author had made that choice rather than just having Syrians with no US connection。 As the book went on and Nour This book was incredibly beautiful。 The writing was poetic and I loved the comparisons to how things *feel* like certain colors。 It brought everything to life。This book dealt with some heavy subject matter but told through the eyes of Nour， a 12 year old girl， it was very accessible。 At first I found it odd that the characters were Syrians who had lived in New York and wondered why the author had made that choice rather than just having Syrians with no US connection。 As the book went on and Nour was able to make comparisons between her journey as a refugee and life in New York I ended up liking it。 I'm sure for many readers like myself， this made the details relatable and made the terrible and incomprehensible situation of being a refugee， well， comprehensible。 It's clearly a book written for an American audience and I think this cross-cultural aspect really helped the book。 I listened to the audiobook and absolutely adored the reading。 The character voices were done very well。 I imagine if I had been reading it that the folk tales told in amongst the chapters might have felt slow but as an audiobook it was lovely。 I suspect the folk tale is why this book has a lower rating average on Goodreads than I think it deserves。 I actually really loved that story and how it reflected what was happening to Nour。 It also highlighted the power of story telling and folk tales/children's stories to get people through difficult times。 I loved that the story was also Nour's way of finding comfort from her dad even though he had passed years before。 Stories we learn as children shape us and the culture of who we are - they are a map of where we come from。 I really loved the parallels which the folk story brought to the book。This book is beautiful and I would recommend it to most everyone。 。。。more
Jill
，
This reminded me in some ways of American Dirt - the story of a refugee told in graphic detail as she seeks safety。 But the choice to have the narrator be a prepubescent girl changed the whole outlook， as did how Joukhadar weaves in the tale of Rawiya。 I did not know that this was not a "true" cultural story until reading the author's note at the end， but as it is based in other regional stories， it didn't bother me that much。 Having such a young narrator - and not one looking back as an older p This reminded me in some ways of American Dirt - the story of a refugee told in graphic detail as she seeks safety。 But the choice to have the narrator be a prepubescent girl changed the whole outlook， as did how Joukhadar weaves in the tale of Rawiya。 I did not know that this was not a "true" cultural story until reading the author's note at the end， but as it is based in other regional stories， it didn't bother me that much。 Having such a young narrator - and not one looking back as an older person - made the story simpler and more personal。 The complexities of adulthood did not get in the way of the heart of things that matter to all of us - family， belonging， etc。I'm not sure why I'm not rating it higher， but for all its good parts， it just didn't grip me。 I had to make myself finish it。 Maybe it just wasn't the right book at the right time。 。。。more
Noreen Joy
，
⭐3。5⭐
Kimberly
，
Beautiful and heartbreaking。 Yet somehow hopeful despite everything。 Highly recommend。
Rob Campbell
，
I read it for the refugee story but was quite in love with the lyrical writing。 This immerses you into the richly varied cultures of the Middle East and North Africa。 Excellent。
Viki Sonntag
，
4 for the beauty of the language。 A bit too many calamities for my taste。
Edie
，
This is our North Wales Library June 15， 2021 evening book group read。 I never would have picked up this book to read if not for our leader and librarian Jayne B。 However， I do recommend it for people to see what the Syrian refugees， especially the women， had to go through to seek safety。 It is a story of two Syrian girls， one NOUR， the narrator and living in modern day and Rawiya， living eight hundred years ago。 This back and forth confused me for quite a while as the back and forth occured wit This is our North Wales Library June 15， 2021 evening book group read。 I never would have picked up this book to read if not for our leader and librarian Jayne B。 However， I do recommend it for people to see what the Syrian refugees， especially the women， had to go through to seek safety。 It is a story of two Syrian girls， one NOUR， the narrator and living in modern day and Rawiya， living eight hundred years ago。 This back and forth confused me for quite a while as the back and forth occured within the same chapter。 Once I got used to it ， I enjoyed the book ， hence the four stars。 In the summer of 2011 in Manhattan， Nour and her family lost their father to cancer。 They were all devastated especially her mom who couldn't stop crying。 So her mom decided to move the family back to Syria in order to keep the memories of her dad alive。 In order to adjust to her new home， Nour tells herself repeatedly the story of Rawiya， about a 12th Century girl who leaves home and disguises herself as a boy to become an apprentice to the legendary mapmaker al-Idrisi， in his quest to map the world。 Some of the story is magical， mystical and unbelievable but the parts about what the refugees go through relates to what is going on in the world today。 I give it 4 stars and recommend the book。 。。。more
Myshia Liles-Moultrie
，
The format of this book did not work for me at all。 The audiobook is confusing and the two different storylines were distracting。
cfgreads
，
Read this if you:· strive to better understand the experiences of other people · are inspired by people who make incredible sacrifices to help others· enjoy a modern storyline with a historical retelling alongside itSynopsis:In the summer of 2011， after losing her father to cancer， Nour and her family move from New York City to Syria to be closer to their relatives。 It isn’t long before they start to notice changes in their Homs neighbourhood and one day， a shell destroys their home and almost t Read this if you:· strive to better understand the experiences of other people · are inspired by people who make incredible sacrifices to help others· enjoy a modern storyline with a historical retelling alongside itSynopsis:In the summer of 2011， after losing her father to cancer， Nour and her family move from New York City to Syria to be closer to their relatives。 It isn’t long before they start to notice changes in their Homs neighbourhood and one day， a shell destroys their home and almost takes their lives。 Nour’s mother decides that they will make the dangerous journey across several countries through the Middle East and North Africa in order to reach safety。Along their journey， Nour recalls the story of Rawiya who， 800 years earlier， set off disguised as a boy named Rami to become an apprentice to mapmaker al-Idrisi who was commission by King Roger to create a map of the world。 This undertaking leads Rawiya along an identical path to Nour’s， those hers is filled with mythical creatures and dangerous battles。My thoughts on the book: This book was so beautifully written and at times the story was so heartbreaking。 Although this book was a lot different from what I usually would choose to read， I felt as though it was one that I needed to read。 I loved reading about Nour and her family and their journey to Ceuta。 Their love for each other and the lengths they went to to take care of each other were inspiring， despite all of the hardships they experienced that put them in that position。 I didn’t love the historical story that was being told alongside Nour’s。 I thought the story of Rawiya and her friends dragged on a little bit and although I thought it was interesting that both girls were travelling along the same route， I could have done without this additional storyline。 I loved the inclusion of maps for each country that Nour visited but I would have loved to have seen a “big-picture” one showing both hers and Rawiya’s routes。 I found I was looking up how far apart certain destinations were throughout the story and it really gave me an appreciation for how long and treacherous the journey was。 。。。more
Mary Rohrbeck
，
Lengthy story with too many unknown references。 Didn't finish。 Lengthy story with too many unknown references。 Didn't finish。 。。。more
Clara
，
3，5 ⭐️
MRS A SHORT
，
A dual story set 800 years apart。 The contemporary story follows 11 year old Nour and her family relocating back to Syria after their fathers death in NY。 Their house in Homs is shelled and what follows is a harrowing story of their escape to Ceuta and the sanctuary of their uncle。 The earlier tale follows a story Nour was told by her Baba， and that tale tells of a journey also to sanctuary。 The early story is like a tale from 1001 Nights， full of marauding tribes and fantastical beasts such as A dual story set 800 years apart。 The contemporary story follows 11 year old Nour and her family relocating back to Syria after their fathers death in NY。 Their house in Homs is shelled and what follows is a harrowing story of their escape to Ceuta and the sanctuary of their uncle。 The earlier tale follows a story Nour was told by her Baba， and that tale tells of a journey also to sanctuary。 The early story is like a tale from 1001 Nights， full of marauding tribes and fantastical beasts such as the roc and giant serpents。The central theme of maps and map making is carried through both tales and I loved it。 。。。more
Anne
，
Emotional。 Challenging。 Adventurous。The combination， intertwining and intertextuality of Rawiya's and Nour's stories - their journeys - was breath-taking and intense。 Reading this book in 2021 knowing what has happened at the time the book is set， was heart-wrenching and eye-opening at the same time。 The aspect I liked the most is the way Nour's synaesthesia made the story what it is - giving it its own unique colour。 Emotional。 Challenging。 Adventurous。The combination， intertwining and intertextuality of Rawiya's and Nour's stories - their journeys - was breath-taking and intense。 Reading this book in 2021 knowing what has happened at the time the book is set， was heart-wrenching and eye-opening at the same time。 The aspect I liked the most is the way Nour's synaesthesia made the story what it is - giving it its own unique colour。 。。。more
Yumna
，
This book is now one of my favourites。 I could relate with Nour on so many levels， maybe because I'm grieving the death of my father as well。 The author has depicted the life of Nour and Rawiya in such a beautiful way。 The book is both heart wrenching and heart warming。 This book is now one of my favourites。 I could relate with Nour on so many levels， maybe because I'm grieving the death of my father as well。 The author has depicted the life of Nour and Rawiya in such a beautiful way。 The book is both heart wrenching and heart warming。 。。。more
Pipistrelle
，
One of the best books I've read in a while。 Couldn't put it down。 One of the best books I've read in a while。 Couldn't put it down。 。。。more
Karen Lowe
，
This book had a lot in it。 Descriptions were fabulous， yet at times overdone-so much so that I lots what the description was describing。 The 2 voyages were fraught with danger and separations and adventure。 The atmosphere was at times oppressive， hot and limiting; other times hopeful。 The characters of the sisters were rich and complex， strong and resilient。 I enjoyed the symbolism of the constellations and the power of stories。 A few plot holes （why the family didn't stay in NY， perhaps the pul This book had a lot in it。 Descriptions were fabulous， yet at times overdone-so much so that I lots what the description was describing。 The 2 voyages were fraught with danger and separations and adventure。 The atmosphere was at times oppressive， hot and limiting; other times hopeful。 The characters of the sisters were rich and complex， strong and resilient。 I enjoyed the symbolism of the constellations and the power of stories。 A few plot holes （why the family didn't stay in NY， perhaps the pull of culture？） detracted slightly from my enjoyment of the story。 。。。more
Beatriz Abarca
，
Los aromas y colores que nos recuerdan nuestro hogar， el vínculo familiar。 Dios no está decepcionado por las cosas terribles que suceden en el mundo？ Puede algo ser demasiado triste para Dios？ Quizá Dios puede soportarlo todo pero no sé si yo puedo。。。
Kari Budnik （checkedoutbooks）
，
5/10This has been on my tbr for a long time but I convinced a friend to read it with me and that got me to finally pick it up。 Overall I was disappointed。 This book had so much potential but I was bored almost the entire time and never wanted to pick the book up to keep reading。 I'm not sure how a book with such an interesting and heartbreaking story could be so bland but there I said it。 Really bummed out with this one。TW: bombings， attempted rape， violence related to war， death by drowning 5/10This has been on my tbr for a long time but I convinced a friend to read it with me and that got me to finally pick it up。 Overall I was disappointed。 This book had so much potential but I was bored almost the entire time and never wanted to pick the book up to keep reading。 I'm not sure how a book with such an interesting and heartbreaking story could be so bland but there I said it。 Really bummed out with this one。TW: bombings， attempted rape， violence related to war， death by drowning 。。。more
Fiera78
，
Nakonec to bylo vlastně úplně něco jiného než jsem čekala。 Ale rozhodně je to jedna z knih， která stojí za přečtení。 Tváří se obálkou jako pohádka， ale má hrozně moc co říct， hlavně o strastech života lidí， které vyhnala z domova válka。
Stevie Kitching
，