The Island of Missing Trees
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-03-27 00:51:36
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Elif Shafak
- ISBN：0241988721
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
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。
The Island of Missing Trees is a rich， magical tale of belonging and identity， love and trauma， nature and renewal。
The Island of Missing Trees is a rich， magical tale of belonging and identity， love and trauma， nature and renewal。
Reviews
Michelle
，
3。5 stars！ Lovely story， told from a few different character perspectives。 Interesting plot， the only thing giving me hesitation about rating 4 stars is the writing。 While beautiful， it just didn't flow very well to me。 Solid read。 Recommend！ 3。5 stars！ Lovely story， told from a few different character perspectives。 Interesting plot， the only thing giving me hesitation about rating 4 stars is the writing。 While beautiful， it just didn't flow very well to me。 Solid read。 Recommend！ 。。。more
Christine Landry
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This book was really hard for me to read。 Cliche plot of forbidden love which results in death and sacrifice。 Then the couple is never the same after what they went through。 All narrated by a FIG TREE。 I love the idea of connecting our human conflicts to the effects they have on animals and plants， but SO BORING！ I ended up skipping the fig tree chapters because they were pretty much all rants about nature。 This book sucked。 I hate to be harsh but it sucked。
Florence Yildiz
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Such a beautiful book。 I highly recommend it。
Sarah
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Lovely， haunting and with a touch of mystery。 The cliffhangers propelled me to read it in two days。 It reminds me of Anil's Ghost in some ways but a bit more emotional。 I finally learned a little bit about conflict in Cyprus （which as a person living in Greece whose father lived in both Turkey and Greece， I should have learned long ago）。 Her writing is so lush and poetic and the story of a daughter and father trapped in grief is familiar but still painful。 It is like she found all my favorite th Lovely， haunting and with a touch of mystery。 The cliffhangers propelled me to read it in two days。 It reminds me of Anil's Ghost in some ways but a bit more emotional。 I finally learned a little bit about conflict in Cyprus （which as a person living in Greece whose father lived in both Turkey and Greece， I should have learned long ago）。 Her writing is so lush and poetic and the story of a daughter and father trapped in grief is familiar but still painful。 It is like she found all my favorite things: history， food， trees， love， proverbs， grief and war crimes and combined them into a lovely poem。 。。。more
Pratibha Rohal
，
There are some writers whose words are beautiful but haunting， Elif Shafak is one such writer for me。 "The Island of Missing Trees" is a story of young love， nature， trees， flowers， birds， conflict and identity of those ravaged through that conflict。 But more than anything it's a story of loss， loss of your homeland， of the memories of your home that once was， of inter-generational trauma that comes with such kind of loss and how that comes to define generations。 But it's also a story of resilie There are some writers whose words are beautiful but haunting， Elif Shafak is one such writer for me。 "The Island of Missing Trees" is a story of young love， nature， trees， flowers， birds， conflict and identity of those ravaged through that conflict。 But more than anything it's a story of loss， loss of your homeland， of the memories of your home that once was， of inter-generational trauma that comes with such kind of loss and how that comes to define generations。 But it's also a story of resilience be it that of trees and birds and butterflies and us humans and how fleeing from conflict zones we find our footing though some more than the other。 Do read it for its unique narrator （I haven't read a book narrated by a tree）， for the way it tells you the history of a war-torn island and ultimately for Shafak's magnificent writing。 。。。more
Rhian Lorraine
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There is something haunting about books that delve deep into the untold stories of history that are often forgotten or overlooked by more well-known wars and conflicts such as World War One and Two。 I was never taught about Cyprus in school， had never known about the civil war there and all the atrocities and loss and grief happened during and afterwards until reading this book， but having just learned so much about the island's history， I wish I had known more about it sooner。 Though the charac There is something haunting about books that delve deep into the untold stories of history that are often forgotten or overlooked by more well-known wars and conflicts such as World War One and Two。 I was never taught about Cyprus in school， had never known about the civil war there and all the atrocities and loss and grief happened during and afterwards until reading this book， but having just learned so much about the island's history， I wish I had known more about it sooner。 Though the characters are fictional， their perspectives are real， and they offer a hint of what life was like for islanders then， and their children now， even generations later。 I really loved this book， particularly the parts told from the perspective of the fig tree， and recommend it to anyone looking for a profoundly gripping read that will make you think about what it is to be human and alive in an ever-changing， cultural world。 。。。more
Jos
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Sprechende Bäume mag ich eigentlich nicht sehr gerne。 Aber für diesen Feigenbaum habe ich immer mehr Sympathie gewonnen， weil er so viel zu erzählen weiß über die Natur。 Zugleich hält er die Zeitebenen der Geschichte zusammen。 Ein großartiger Liebes-， aber auch ein politischer， ja kosmopolitischer Roman！
Nicole
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A wonderful love story filled with beautiful imagery of Cyprus and nature。 The perspective of the Fig tree was original and enlightening。 I knew very little of the conflict in Cyprus and the author wrote about this history very well。 Definitely worth the read， I really enjoyed this one！
NicoleM
，
chefs kiss
Samantha Edmundson
，
Beautifully written with some real wisdom x
Lisa
，
I liked this book but don’t know if I’d read it again， if that makes sense。 It certainly had beautiful descriptions， particularly of the natural environments。 I really liked the connections between nature and war。 Possible spoilers below:I am not a huge fan of magical realism although I do try to read an appreciate it。 The talking tree just didn’t work for me。 That’s not to say it was a bad choice， just that it took me out of the story。 I also guessed the last point about the tree right off the I liked this book but don’t know if I’d read it again， if that makes sense。 It certainly had beautiful descriptions， particularly of the natural environments。 I really liked the connections between nature and war。 Possible spoilers below:I am not a huge fan of magical realism although I do try to read an appreciate it。 The talking tree just didn’t work for me。 That’s not to say it was a bad choice， just that it took me out of the story。 I also guessed the last point about the tree right off the bat。I think a few of the characters could’ve been fleshed out more or eliminated， like the aunt。 I would’ve loved to see things from her childhood and her marriage。 The daughter felt kind of flat as a character and was periodically insufferable。 I would have rather known more about her mom and that 25 year gap in their relationship。 The alcoholic thing wasn’t a total surprise but there was so much more to explore there。 I did enjoy the themes of historical and inherited trauma both with people and with the natural world。 。。。more
Stefani
，
not for me but I appreciate what it's trying to do。 not for me but I appreciate what it's trying to do。 。。。more
Danielle
，
This was slow going for me， as it’s not the typical type of book I’d pick up and fly through。 But it was beautifully written and a great story。
Joye
，
Sweet and sad ❤️
Kristiine Kukk
，
Picked up this audiobook before my 3rd trip to Cyprus。 While I usually don’t go for fiction， it was a beautiful discovery。 As well， I’m not as fascinated about nature compared to other topics， but truly enjoyed seeing life through the eyes of a fig tree。 The author goes through difficult topics from war to individual traumas， but does it through a spectrum of hope。 Beautiful read！
Jo
，
Wonderful in many ways。A beautiful tale spanning decades， cultures， love， magic and grief。A little too magical and whimsical at times for me。 I really just wanted to roll with it and accept the 'nonhuman' banter， but my reality check meter wo n out。 I still enjoyed it immensely。 Wonderful in many ways。A beautiful tale spanning decades， cultures， love， magic and grief。A little too magical and whimsical at times for me。 I really just wanted to roll with it and accept the 'nonhuman' banter， but my reality check meter wo n out。 I still enjoyed it immensely。 。。。more
Suzanne
，
Gosh。 One of my new favorite fictional characters is a fig tree。 That's not a sentence I'd ever expected to write。 But how wonderful。 <3One of my favorite parts was how the tree told us about all the animals and insects it knew in her lifetime。 And the stories those creatures told her。Really， what an original， beautiful and heartbreaking story。 Gosh。 One of my new favorite fictional characters is a fig tree。 That's not a sentence I'd ever expected to write。 But how wonderful。 <3One of my favorite parts was how the tree told us about all the animals and insects it knew in her lifetime。 And the stories those creatures told her。Really， what an original， beautiful and heartbreaking story。 。。。more
Abigail Sitton
，
This book was phenomenal。 It’s moved into my top 5 favorite books of all time。 It took me a little bit to fully grasp the perspectives I was reading from and to fully take in the meaning of things at times… not necessarily an easy read。 But the depth was 10/10。 The wisdom of this book touched my soul。
Miles Row
，
One of those books which get complexity by several characters and one of the more enjoyable nature books with the tree narrator。
Mollie
，
100000 STARS
Susan Comey
，
Loved this story！ Told in such a creative manner - through the perspective of the two main characters - from divergent cultures - juxoposed with the perspective of a fig tree。 Very well done - so creative！ Highly recommend
Evelyn Evertsen-Romp
，
I am so impressed and touched by this book！ I cried， not because it made me sad or happy， but for its sheer beauty。 It's magical， it's wise， it's heartbreaking， really: this is the kind of book that makes a bookmark unemployed。 This is all a bookworm could ask for。 I am so impressed and touched by this book！ I cried， not because it made me sad or happy， but for its sheer beauty。 It's magical， it's wise， it's heartbreaking， really: this is the kind of book that makes a bookmark unemployed。 This is all a bookworm could ask for。 。。。more
Lee Ann
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I don’t give many 5 stars， but this book， even though a grueling subject， was so beautiful written。
Ajeet Velankar
，
BeautifulI liked this more than her more popular books。 Probably because it's a lot about nature - trees， birds and a beautiful island。 BeautifulI liked this more than her more popular books。 Probably because it's a lot about nature - trees， birds and a beautiful island。 。。。more
Karl
，
Brilliant and engaging。 Even enjoyed the fig tree POV。
Maria Espadinha
，
Guerra， Amor e PoesiaEm 1974， enquanto Portugal andava ocupado com a revolução dos cravos， ocorreu um conflito armado na idílica ilha de Chipre que culminou com a sua cisão em duas regiões demarcadas por uma fronteira monitorizada por tropas da ONU — a zona norte foi ocupada por turcos muçulmanos e a zona sul por gregos cristãos:“A ilha foi dividida em duas partes — o norte e o sul。 Uma língua diferente， uma escrita diferente， uma memória diferente prevaleceu em cada uma， e sempre que os ilhéus Guerra， Amor e PoesiaEm 1974， enquanto Portugal andava ocupado com a revolução dos cravos， ocorreu um conflito armado na idílica ilha de Chipre que culminou com a sua cisão em duas regiões demarcadas por uma fronteira monitorizada por tropas da ONU — a zona norte foi ocupada por turcos muçulmanos e a zona sul por gregos cristãos:“A ilha foi dividida em duas partes — o norte e o sul。 Uma língua diferente， uma escrita diferente， uma memória diferente prevaleceu em cada uma， e sempre que os ilhéus rezavam， raramente era para o mesmo deus。”E como o Amor é um sentimento rebelde que desconhece diferenças e galga fronteiras， um romance proibido acontece — Kostas， um grego cristão apaixona-se por Defne， uma turca muçulmana …Numa prosa que rasa a poesia， Elif Shafak desenterra um passado recente e tumultuoso onde se sente a Guerra como um veneno que desenraiza e deprime， gerando marcas indeléveis que passam para as gerações seguintes … 。。。more
Pat
，
I thoroughly enjoyed this book。 I have decided to read it again immediately， and that’s a first。 I want to digest the words while I’m not preoccupied with learning the details of the story。 Elif Shafak’s writing is a thing of beauty。 She delivers a lovely introduction to Cyprus， past and present。 I never knew about the troubles between the Greeks and the Turks; never knew about the green line， the broken island。 Shafak gently weaves a tale of love and loss using strands of history， imagination， I thoroughly enjoyed this book。 I have decided to read it again immediately， and that’s a first。 I want to digest the words while I’m not preoccupied with learning the details of the story。 Elif Shafak’s writing is a thing of beauty。 She delivers a lovely introduction to Cyprus， past and present。 I never knew about the troubles between the Greeks and the Turks; never knew about the green line， the broken island。 Shafak gently weaves a tale of love and loss using strands of history， imagination， and heart; complete with interesting characters including the ecology and spirituality of the island。 The characters illuminated our shared humanity as Shafak tacitly addressed issues of immigration and war。 I enjoyed the magical realism。 I was surprised and amused by the secret the fig tree held in her heart。 。。。more
Γιάννης Ζαραμπούκας
，
Despite the differences between religions， traditions， prejudices， all the people remain the same at their core。They live to love and be loved！ Kostas is a Greek， Christian Cypriot。Defne is a Turkish， Muslim Cypriot。They are two teenagers who meet each other almost every day at a tavern， in the centre of which a fig tree is growing。The love story of Kostas and Defne unfolds during the recent， painful and bloody historical events of Cyprus。After years in London， their daughter Ada is looking for Despite the differences between religions， traditions， prejudices， all the people remain the same at their core。They live to love and be loved！ Kostas is a Greek， Christian Cypriot。Defne is a Turkish， Muslim Cypriot。They are two teenagers who meet each other almost every day at a tavern， in the centre of which a fig tree is growing。The love story of Kostas and Defne unfolds during the recent， painful and bloody historical events of Cyprus。After years in London， their daughter Ada is looking for answers。 She wants to know everything about her parents， her roots， her family’s history。Elif Safak creates a bittersweet novel about the magic of love， the pain of war and the immigration as a necessary solution。 “The island of missing trees” is a novel about the beneficial properties of forgiveness and the power of hope。 A novel which glorifies the Nature’s beauty and wisdom！ Reading that book， I came to the conclusion that if we want to understand our selves， we need to heal the unconscious trauma， by trying to reconcile with our family’s wreckage of past。 。。。more
J
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Loved it！
Hugh
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