As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow
- Downloads：9588
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-09-26 05:52:00
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Zoulfa Katouh
- ISBN：1526648512
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
A love letter to Syria and its people， As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow is a speculative novel set amid the Syrian Revolution， burning with the fires of hope， love， and possibility。 Perfect for fans of The Book Thief and Salt to the Sea。
Salama Kassab was a pharmacy student when the cries for freedom broke out in Syria。 She still had her parents and her big brother; she still had her home。 She had a normal teenager’s life。
Now Salama volunteers at a hospital in Homs， helping the wounded who flood through the doors daily。 Secretly， though， she is desperate to find a way out of her beloved country before her sister-in-law， Layla， gives birth。 So desperate， that she has manifested a physical embodiment of her fear in the form of her imagined companion， Khawf， who haunts her every move in an effort to keep her safe。
But even with Khawf pressing her to leave， Salama is torn between her loyalty to her country and her conviction to survive。 Salama must contend with bullets and bombs， military assaults， and her shifting sense of morality before she might finally breathe free。 And when she crosses paths with the boy she was supposed to meet one fateful day， she starts to doubt her resolve in leaving home at all。
Soon， Salama must learn to see the events around her for what they truly are—not a war， but a revolution—and decide how she， too， will cry for Syria’s freedom。
Salama Kassab was a pharmacy student when the cries for freedom broke out in Syria。 She still had her parents and her big brother; she still had her home。 She had a normal teenager’s life。
Now Salama volunteers at a hospital in Homs， helping the wounded who flood through the doors daily。 Secretly， though， she is desperate to find a way out of her beloved country before her sister-in-law， Layla， gives birth。 So desperate， that she has manifested a physical embodiment of her fear in the form of her imagined companion， Khawf， who haunts her every move in an effort to keep her safe。
But even with Khawf pressing her to leave， Salama is torn between her loyalty to her country and her conviction to survive。 Salama must contend with bullets and bombs， military assaults， and her shifting sense of morality before she might finally breathe free。 And when she crosses paths with the boy she was supposed to meet one fateful day， she starts to doubt her resolve in leaving home at all。
Soon， Salama must learn to see the events around her for what they truly are—not a war， but a revolution—and decide how she， too， will cry for Syria’s freedom。
Reviews
samya
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cried 432 times in a span of 24 hrs。。。。GO READ THIS BOOK OR ELSE 🥋🗡️
Khadeejah
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Please please please I’m begging everyone to read this book
gauri （A Book and Chai）
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my emotional health downgraded after reading this book
Emma Brimfield
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What an amazingly beautiful story， totally poignant and heartbreaking， Salema is volunteering in a hospital dealing with all the harrowing sights and sounds that this war is doing too her country， it made me cry reading about the atrocities， The burgeoning love affair was a little light relief and necessary，
Hana
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This book is everything。 RTC when I’ve stopped crying。CW: bombings; death; gore/medical trauma; shootings; hallucinations; injury and death of children; panic attacks; PTSD; grief; starvation; violence; attempted rape
DeAnna Kalk
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I am SPEECHLESS。 This book is SO FREAKING GOOD！
Tazrin
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My heart is bruised and battered。 My stomach is churning and my eyes sting from tears both shed and unshed。 And YET。 There is starry-eyed hopefulness that is rooted in my chest。 I love girls who carry strength in their bones and boys with resistance etched in their souls。 This book was everything and I sincerely believe it should be required reading in high schools across the Western Hemisphere。 Longer review to come later when it’s not 2am and I’m not aching。
Diya
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MUSLIM GIRLIES PLEASE READ
ru
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i finished this a full week ago and usually i would have forgotten about it by now but i was crying about it yesterday so 。。 HIGHLY recommend。 so so so so so good。 SO MANY EMOTIONS
Samya E。 Junedi
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Loved everything about this book。 Highly recommend。
Lynn
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I'd give one million starts if I could。This book had me smiling， crying and contemplating my existence。Do yourself a favour and read it I'd give one million starts if I could。This book had me smiling， crying and contemplating my existence。Do yourself a favour and read it 。。。more
ZZ
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I am emotionally destroyed。 What an absolutely heart wrenching， beautiful story😭
Astrid Arditi
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Can’t count the number of times I cried， yet I finish this novel elated and full of hope。 A must read 💗
Cheyenne Langevelde
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I'm not sure where to begin with this review。 I have so many thoughts and feelings about this book， but I want to be coherent to anyone who reads this review。。。I suppose I'll begin with the fact that I knew this book would break me。 I hoped it would break me， I didn't want to be disappointed in it。 Well， I definitely wasn't disappointed in it。 I think I would go so far as to say that this book exceeded all my expectations。 It takes a lot for me to cry or even tear up while reading a book。 I tear I'm not sure where to begin with this review。 I have so many thoughts and feelings about this book， but I want to be coherent to anyone who reads this review。。。I suppose I'll begin with the fact that I knew this book would break me。 I hoped it would break me， I didn't want to be disappointed in it。 Well， I definitely wasn't disappointed in it。 I think I would go so far as to say that this book exceeded all my expectations。 It takes a lot for me to cry or even tear up while reading a book。 I teared up while still in Chapters 5-6。 I also want to mention that I NEVER sob while reading。 Well。。。that is， until I read this book。 I sobbed not once， but three times。 And I've been struggling not to start crying again while writing this review。 There are few fiction books that I can say that I read them when I needed them most。 Lemon Trees is one of those books。 I'm not Syrian， but I remember learning about this period in history。 But aside from that small section in my textbook， all I knew about the revolutions was another book， Third Winter's War， in which the author stated that 100% of profits from the sale of this book would go to helping the children affected by the bombings in Syria。 Lemon Trees taught me much about this neglected grief in recent history， and I frequently found myself researching stuff while reading BECAUSE I WANTED TO KNOW IF THIS TRULY DID HAPPEN！ I regret to say。。。it did。 This book is full of grief， full of the horrors of war， and yet it is full of hope。 There is nothing so special as watching an author fangirl about their characters and finally getting to read about those characters， and falling in love with them as well。 Salama is a darling and I found myself relating to her SO MUCH。 Layla。。。how do I describe her？ She's the sweetest， most precious daisy， and Chapter 29-30 about her was the first instance of me sobbing while reading。 IYKYK。 Kenan is like。。。the perfect male character ever written and I swear， my husband goals just shot up even further。 His and Salama's relationship is one of the BEST I've read EVER， let alone in YA fiction。 I was beginning to give up hoping for a clean， pure， sweet romance when Zoulfa took my face in her hands and went， "Look at them。" （Figuratively speaking， of course。） I will never stop gushing about the two of them。 #goals I need more romance like this in my books （and in my life pls thanks）。 Khawf。。。I know many readers *didn't* like him， but as someone who struggles with anxiety and depression， his placement made total sense and I hated him because I could relate to Salama， but also appreciated the reality of his existence in the story。 In terms of the story itself。。。 This story is dark。 I will warn you of that。 There are content warnings of violence and mentions of s*xual assult and minor language and mental health and PTSD for a reason。 It's not a book to read lightly。 But oh。。。it is worth reading。 It is dark， yes， but it is also so full of hope。 I had almost given up trying to find hopeful stories in traditionally published books， but this one has changed my mind。 It is one of the most beautifully hopeful books I've read in my life and is definitely on my top reads for this year for that alone （aside from all the other things！） The way the book is written is also so beautiful and poetic。 I want to be able to write like Zoulfa someday。 Perhaps this book is what I needed to finally push through burnout and begin writing again。 But this review is already way too long。 To put it simply， read this book。 The plot twists and character development are out of this world good。 The romance is beautiful and clean。 The story is full of hope amid grief。 Zoulfa has so much talent; I want to take a writing masterclass from her。 （She'll probably never see this review， but I'm saying that anyway。） Go read this。 Just make sure you have plenty of tissues and chocolate。 And maybe some heart glue。 "Every lemon will bring forth a child and the lemons will never die out。" ~ Nizar Qabbani 。。。more
mulberry
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I cried through this whole book。 I'll cry myself to bed。 I'll wake up and eat breakfast a little differently。 And when I sit down to tell you everything you need to know about lemons， I hope it makes you think differently too I cried through this whole book。 I'll cry myself to bed。 I'll wake up and eat breakfast a little differently。 And when I sit down to tell you everything you need to know about lemons， I hope it makes you think differently too 。。。more
Annemiek
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This book was beautiful and made me sad and hopeful at the same time。
Maleeha Siddiqui
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I cried。 A lot。 This book is absolutely DEVASTATING。
Izarah
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will share my thoughts later but man have i had an emotional couple hours reading this ♥️ ***please check tws before reading this***
Dirlas
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I don't really know what to say。 This was really hard to read。 It was devastating in so many ways。 I don't really know what to say。 This was really hard to read。 It was devastating in so many ways。 。。。more
kate
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As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow was one of the most devastating， harrowing， gut wrenching and beautifully written books I've ever read。 Shining a light on the resilience， bravery and determination of Syrian people， this book holds nothing back in its depiction of the terrifying， cruel and brutal reality of life in current day Syria。 With all that being said， in her authors note， Zoulfa Katouh says that she tried to weave the message of hope into every letter of this book and that is a feat she m As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow was one of the most devastating， harrowing， gut wrenching and beautifully written books I've ever read。 Shining a light on the resilience， bravery and determination of Syrian people， this book holds nothing back in its depiction of the terrifying， cruel and brutal reality of life in current day Syria。 With all that being said， in her authors note， Zoulfa Katouh says that she tried to weave the message of hope into every letter of this book and that is a feat she most definitely achieved。 With a heartwarming romance and characters fighting for both their lives， the lives of others and the love of a country they're determined not to lose， As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow is a story of love and loss， loyalty and devastation， grief and hope。 This is of the most memorable books I've read all year and I have no doubt it will be staying with me for a long time to come。 Zoulfa is a talent I can't wait to read more from。TW: discussion of rape， PTSD， sexual harassment 。。。more
Tatiana
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As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow: 4。5/5HEARTBREAKING。 I'll be honest I didn't see the twist coming at all。 This book shattered me。An incredibly difficult & heart-wrenching read about the struggles， triumph， hope， and loss the Syrian people have fought through。 I don't even know what to put in this review except to read the book。 Read。 It。 As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow: 4。5/5HEARTBREAKING。 I'll be honest I didn't see the twist coming at all。 This book shattered me。An incredibly difficult & heart-wrenching read about the struggles， triumph， hope， and loss the Syrian people have fought through。 I don't even know what to put in this review except to read the book。 Read。 It。 。。。more
Aqsaa Adil
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As Long as the Lemon Trees GrowBy Zoulfa Katouh⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5Synopsis:Salama Kassab is a pharmacy student-turned-surgeon， who’s life was flipped upside down when the Syrian Revolution started。 Living a full and happy life， Salama could not have foreseen that she would lose most of her family within a year。 With the whereabouts of father and brother unknown， Salama had to face the death of her mother when a bomb hits her home。Now， Salama is scraping through each day， trying to live her days with he As Long as the Lemon Trees GrowBy Zoulfa Katouh⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5Synopsis:Salama Kassab is a pharmacy student-turned-surgeon， who’s life was flipped upside down when the Syrian Revolution started。 Living a full and happy life， Salama could not have foreseen that she would lose most of her family within a year。 With the whereabouts of father and brother unknown， Salama had to face the death of her mother when a bomb hits her home。Now， Salama is scraping through each day， trying to live her days with her best friend and sister-in-law， eight -month pregnant， Layla。 Tormented by the promise made to her brother to keep his wife safe， Salama is torn between her love for her country and helping to treat the injured and getting Layla to safety abroad。Salama eventually learns to view the Revolution around her with a new outlook and accept it for what it is and what it means for her beloved country。✨Personal Review✨This book gives an insight into the Syrian Revolution that is pure， raw and utterly emotional。 This book left me emotionally drenched - such heartbreak， such raw feeling。 Zoulfa’s words have such a powerful impact。 I absolutely loved how the Muslim world was displayed in its true sense。 I would recommend this to each and everyone of you！ Be ready for some happy tears， but be more ready for heartbreaking， emotionally wrenching ones as well。 This was truly amazing！！ ✨ 。。。more
Diana
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I loved this book。 It's about war-torn Syria and how it affects families and especially kids and teens。 Salama was a pharmacy student before the war， but is now doing a doctor's/surgeon's tasks。 She is also having hallucinations from PTSD and trying to care for her pregnant sister in law-the only family that is alive for sure。 Salama meets Kenan who is caring for his younger siblings and trying to document through pictures and YouTube videos the violence and oppression and protests that are happ I loved this book。 It's about war-torn Syria and how it affects families and especially kids and teens。 Salama was a pharmacy student before the war， but is now doing a doctor's/surgeon's tasks。 She is also having hallucinations from PTSD and trying to care for her pregnant sister in law-the only family that is alive for sure。 Salama meets Kenan who is caring for his younger siblings and trying to document through pictures and YouTube videos the violence and oppression and protests that are happening。 I hope it wins the Printz！ 。。。more
Chloe Metzger
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One of the most beautiful and heartbreaking novels I’ve ever read。
Chai with Books
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This book was everything 💛It might be my new favourite book ever， it's definitely my fave of September。。and that's saying something cus I'm having a great reading month🤩I loved it so much that it also has the honour of being the 1st book I decided to highlight and sort of annotate 🤣I figured ey。。I'm never going to give this copy to anyone else so why not🤷🏾♀️The story is like the perfect balance btw 'The Beekeeper of Aleppo' and 'Love from A to Z'。 It gave me all the pain & soul crushing emotion This book was everything 💛It might be my new favourite book ever， it's definitely my fave of September。。and that's saying something cus I'm having a great reading month🤩I loved it so much that it also has the honour of being the 1st book I decided to highlight and sort of annotate 🤣I figured ey。。I'm never going to give this copy to anyone else so why not🤷🏾♀️The story is like the perfect balance btw 'The Beekeeper of Aleppo' and 'Love from A to Z'。 It gave me all the pain & soul crushing emotion when reading about everything Salama experienced， while somehow keeping it cozy and sweet enough to make me want to reread over and over again （literally every time I remember a scene）。 Kenan and Salama were the cutest🥰 The Studio Ghibli nostalgia， and Salama's 'might'/what if daydreams were so sweet。 My heart broke for her struggle and survivor's guilt on deciding whether she should flee her country or help treat the survivors。Khawf was an interesting addition to the story that helped us see Salama's trauma and deepest concerns。 Idk why I loved that her subconscious also wears a perfect all black suit 🤣🤷🏾♀️ definitely gave me Warner vibes。100% recommend this to anyone and especially those who don't know much about the Syrian revolution and want to know more， this explains it without being too bleak and depressing to continue reading 💛 I've tabbed and highlighted much more but didn't want to spoil anything for anyone。 Also， shout-out to ZoulfaFor having the best acknowledgements。。with the best author name drops，AoT， BTS， and your mother's beautiful message for writers 🥰Tw:on page death， sexual assault， PTSD， starvation & general descriptions of the horror that comes with war 。。。more
Iman
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never cried this much while reading a bookRTC
Roha Tahir
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I have been thinking about how to review this book for hours， I simply can't put into words how powerful and heart wrenching this story this。 Strike that， it isn't a story， it's actually a reality for so many of the muslims。。。。 The pain in this book is palpable， I sobbed while reading。 It's a story about grief， loss， hardship， resilience， hope and love ❤️❤️An exceptional debut author who writes so plainly yet so beautifully。 I loved the concept of Khawf （fear） being a separate entity who Salama I have been thinking about how to review this book for hours， I simply can't put into words how powerful and heart wrenching this story this。 Strike that， it isn't a story， it's actually a reality for so many of the muslims。。。。 The pain in this book is palpable， I sobbed while reading。 It's a story about grief， loss， hardship， resilience， hope and love ❤️❤️An exceptional debut author who writes so plainly yet so beautifully。 I loved the concept of Khawf （fear） being a separate entity who Salama needs to fight。 I loved the innocent love story or as we muslims like to call it Halal Romance。。。 This is a book that you need to experience first hand， no review will ever bring it justice。 All I'll say is Its an important read because it truly enlightens you to what is happening in Syria and how devastated the people are， how much they've lost and how much fight and love they still have left in them 。。 。。。more
Neelam
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TW: death （adult & children）， torture， sexual assault， murder， war， starvation， PTSD， griefThis book is devastating and hauntingly beautiful and a story that I will be thinking about for a long time。 There are scenes that are seared into my memory， scenes that utterly broke me and I had to stop reading。 This book made me sob and it is one of the most beautiful stories I have read。 This story is set just after the Syrian revolution began and deals with what happens to the people who are living in TW: death （adult & children）， torture， sexual assault， murder， war， starvation， PTSD， griefThis book is devastating and hauntingly beautiful and a story that I will be thinking about for a long time。 There are scenes that are seared into my memory， scenes that utterly broke me and I had to stop reading。 This book made me sob and it is one of the most beautiful stories I have read。 This story is set just after the Syrian revolution began and deals with what happens to the people who are living in a war torn country。 We meet Salama who wanted to become a pharmacist but those dreams are shattered when the revelation begins and now helps at the hospital saving as many people as she can。 She meets Kenan who wanted to study animation but now films what is happening in Syria and uploads it to youtube so people can see what is happening。 Together they bring back hope into their lives despite the circumstances they live in。As long as the lemon trees grow hope will never die。There is also Layla， Salama’s sister in law and only family left after her parents are murdered and her brother imprisoned。 And Kenan’s younger brother and sister that he is doing his best to protect。 These people are Salama and Kenan’s lifelines。 Seeing how they feel terrified that anything could happen to them and there would be nothing that they could do。 There are several scenes that are inspired by real life events and that made it even more chilling and devastating to read。This land is me。 And I am her。 My history， my ancestors， my family， we’re all here。We also meet Khawf who is part of Salama’s hallucination， he is the one that keeps pushing her to find a way to leave Syria to find safety but she feels guilty for leaving while there is so many people who need her help。 She has learnt on the job but she always has a wealth of pharmacological knowledge that helps so many people。 Kenan feels like he needs to fight for his home and share with the world what is happening。 I really loved seeing the different aspects and how they struggled with the choices they made。 It was so raw and real and I felt that struggle with them。 Zoulfa has written these characters so beautifully and they are complex and feel so real and I completely fell in love with them。 I also loved seeing how they carved out some joy for themselves amidst all the sorrow。When they realise they will not survive long enough to make any impact they decide they need to leave to keep their family safe。 But even the journey to escape is harrowing。 Zoulfa doesn’t shy away from the realities of what has happened and continues to happen in Syria and everyone needs to read it。 This is a book that everyone needs to read。 It gives voice to the voiceless and shows us the strength and resilience of the Syrians and their fight for justice and freedom and how hope can be find in even the most difficult circumstances。 。。。more
Ainun Zahra
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Heartiest gratitude to Netgalley， @tbrbeyondtours and @thelemonwitch_ for the ARC！❤️What a PHENOMENAL story！ Zoulfa totally knocked it out off the park。 It was an automatic choice for me not only because of the gorgeous cover but also because of the representation of Muslim community。 I gladly announce that I was not let down。 It will shatter your heart into pieces， make you weep and yet you will be captured by the beauty， the tragedy and the unfairness of it all。 The narration is brilliantly wr Heartiest gratitude to Netgalley， @tbrbeyondtours and @thelemonwitch_ for the ARC！❤️What a PHENOMENAL story！ Zoulfa totally knocked it out off the park。 It was an automatic choice for me not only because of the gorgeous cover but also because of the representation of Muslim community。 I gladly announce that I was not let down。 It will shatter your heart into pieces， make you weep and yet you will be captured by the beauty， the tragedy and the unfairness of it all。 The narration is brilliantly written。 The characters are so real and horribly， beautifully humane。 Highly recommended！ 。。。more
Hannah Grace
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