As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow ( Certified reading)

I don’t quite know how to put this book into words, but I’ll try, because it deserves that. There’s a tenderness in the way this book handles fear, guilt, love, and hope and somehow, it makes space for all of it. The book follows Salama, a pharmacy student turned volunteer at a hospital. Someone who never imagined she'd be in the middle of a revolution, let alone choosing between survival and loyalty. She’s lost family, safety, a sense of home and yet, she stays. Every day, she faces unbearable choices. But in the middle of that darkness, there’s love. There’s hope. There’s even laughter. And there's Kenan, the boy who appears like a whisper of something normal, something kind, in a world that’s been anything but. The author wrote every page so beautifully that it felt like a prayer, or a promise: that even in the worst moments, life finds a way to reach for the sun. There are books you read. And then there are books that stay with you, like the scent of something sweet on your hands hours later. As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow is the latter.

It was one of the most beautiful books i have ever read,now it's my favourite and once i started to read it ,i couldn't keep it down,every line has such deep emotions in it that your tears would fall down. It focus on many important topics and affect you deeply.Must read for everyone ✨

I had not realised that this was a YA genre when I picked it up. I started as a middle-aged reader but eventually attuned myself to the mindset of the teenage protagonist, Salma. This is a rather difficult read. I had not expected it to be so detailed in its recounting of the Syrian revolution. Reading about the atrocities meted out by the military on the poor civilians, and their physical as well as emotional repercussions on the people, was disturbing. It enlightened me about the history and psyche behind the revolution. In India, we have grown up with stories of sacrifice by our freedom fighters who helped to end the two-century-old colonisation by the British. Hence, I could identify with the idealism behind the cause. Hats off to the author for being bold enough to bring out the horrors of war AND navigate a romance amid this backdrop! The plot twist was definitely unexpected. I kept turning the pages to know what happened to Salma. The other characters are well-etched, too. The author has underlined how humanity survives even in the worst of times, and resilience is the only way to overcome impossible obstacles. I did feel that having two teenagers, aged 18 and 19, dealing with so much trauma so early in life seemed inhuman, but I guess that's the truth about this generation. They have had to deal with so much at such a young age that their normal is very different from ours. No wonder their love stories are about broken people (physically, medically or emotionally). They have accepted the grey shades of humanity very early on. Read this only if you can withstand vivid descriptions of terrorism, blood and gore. Though the author has steered clear of whitewashing reality, she has done it with a lot of grace. A fine balancing act indeed!

This story is vivid and heartfelt . Really touching story and loved the way it’s written and keeps you engaged though out

“The most beautiful sunsets are always the ones that come after a rain.” It is a story of hope surviving chaos, and of love that begins in confinement yet learns how to walk into open, unguarded skies.

It’s a beautiful book about survival, taking care of each other, finding love, working with inspiring people and so much more. This book gets quite emotional, I was sad and thinking about some events for days, even now. It moves you. But it is beautiful and soft.

As Long As The Lemon Trees Grow is part autobiographical, part journalistic, part fiction and part retelling of true events. But it is wholly heart and pain and desperation. It is about the will to live, the will to escape and the will to save those you love. It is a coming of age love story, but in a cruel world that has taken away everything from you, that threatens your existence every minute and that forces your mind to imagine things that don't exist, or else how would you get the will to live. The haunting title is what drew me to pick this up - it has a lyrical lilt to it that hints of a promise made to oneself in the dark and the desire to hold on to hope even when everything around you burns.

There are few books which will always have a special place in my heart and this is one among them As long as the lemon trees grow is a historical fiction set in the backdrop of Syria, 2011 when Syrian civil war began. The story follows Salama, an eighteen-year-old pharmacy student finds herself in the position of a war nurse, trying to help and save the lives of innocent civilians, also trying to find a way out of Syria before her sister in law Layla gives birth. She has PTSD due to which she suffers from hallucinations of a man called Kauf (Fear) which seems a bit too real. But her life is changed when she meets a 19 year old boy named Kenan. This may be a fictional story, but it is the reality of so many people out there. This book was extremely sad, heartbreaking and heavy. The main purpose of this book is to raise awareness. Awareness of a reality that happens at the same time as our reality but it's completely different, like a world apart. It is a reminder that good still exists in a world of evil. it is a reminder that even when you think all hope is gone, there's still a little flicker to light the way. This book documents the life of so many Syrians who lost everything they had and somehow found it in themselves to keep fighting, to keep surviving. it is a reminder that happiness can be found even in times of pain and agony and hardship. This is one such book that i will carry with me for the rest of my life. Toh i don't even find right words to describe what i feel but all i can say is that this book is a masterpiece.

As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow ist ein Buch, das man nicht einfach liest, man fühlt es. Die Geschichte gibt einen erschütternd ehrlichen Einblick in den Krieg in Syrien und zeigt, was er mit jungen Menschen, ihren Träumen und ihrer Hoffnung macht. Die Hauptfigur Salama ist unglaublich stark und gleichzeitig zerbrechlich, was sie sehr real wirken lässt. Besonders berührend ist der innere Konflikt zwischen Überleben, Schuldgefühlen und dem Wunsch nach Freiheit. Der Schreibstil ist poetisch, emotional und bleibt lange im Kopf. Viele Szenen gehen unter die Haut und lassen einen auch nach dem Lesen nicht los. Ein wichtiges Buch, das Empathie schafft und zum Nachdenken anregt. Das Buch hat mich so bewegt, dass ich sogar eine Collage dazu erstellt habe, um meine Gefühle und Gedanken nach dem Lesen auszudrücken. Ein wichtiges, emotionales Buch, das man nicht vergisst.

Good read

The quality of book is so good I like it so much thank you ! Im probably order again 🫶🏻🌷

Da non perdere

Beklijvend verhaal dat zich afspeelt in een setting die zich jammer genoeg de dag van vandaag in veel landen afspeelt. De plaats waar je geboren werd is allesbepalend...zéker wanneer je de pech hebt in een dictatoriaal regime je roots te hebben.