Kelly N. - reviewed on 10/16/2009

Helpful Score: 2

I don't know what it was about this book but it was very touching to me. The author was born in Lebanon and has written several books, most of them about struggles of women. But this book was written at the constant request of her mother, Kamila, who wanted her daughter to write a book about her life. The main setting of the story is in Beirut, but also travels to Lebanon, Kuwait, even San Diego. It's a story about growing up as a woman in the middle east. I grew to love Kamila as I read this book. She was a colorful, passionate person who made a lot of tough decisions in her life. She was forced into marrying her brother-in-law when she was only 14 after her sister died, became pregnant with her first child before she even truly understood what it meant to menstruate. She fell in love with a man her age and eventually had to choose between staying married to a much older man that she didn't love, or asking for a divorce so she could be free to marry the man she did love. However, divorce meant she would have to leave her two daughters with their father, a decision that was heartbreaking.

This is a beautifully written story about a strained relationship between a mother and daughter. Along the way of writing this book, they both learned something about forgiving, difficult choices and hope.

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