Litsy

A Place for Us: A Novel | Fatima Farheen Mirza

pick

Complex examination of a family's coming of age. Mirza's novel flows beautifully from time to time, perspective to perspective, crafting a portrait based more on key moments than chronology. The times the characters reach clarity about each other and their relationships are as hopeful as the near misses are despairing. The consideration of faith, of status as second-generation Americans, of how to respond to persecution, is moving and lyrical.

UnabridgedPod #bookstagram #booknerd #bookworm #bibliophile #bookaddict #booklove #booklover #Booknerd #reader #teachersfollowteachers #englishteachers #reading #readingisfun #instabook #instabooks #igbooks #igreads #booksofinstagram #goodreads #bookstagrammer #bookish #bookreview #allthebooks #aplaceforus #fatimafarheenmirza #reesesbookclubxhellosunshine 6y

14 likes1 stack add1 comment

LitsyBuddyRead

A Place for Us: A Novel | Fatima Farheen Mirza

This post contains spoilers

show me

Discuss anything related to this book here. This is the final discussion. 👇🏼 Even if you didn‘t read along with us, if you have read this book please join! Just remember to tag people so they see your comments. 👇🏼👇🏼

#litsybuddyread #aplaceforus #lbr #finaldiscussion

Jess7, LitsyBuddyRead

janeycanuck I really enjoyed parts 1-3. 4 didn‘t quite do it for me though. I didn‘t like how we went from everything being anchored in Hadia‘s wedding to first-person from Rafiq‘s POV. But I loved 1-3, the story was so complicated and layered, it just sucked me right in. 6y

AnneCecilie Part 3 left me in tears more than once. For me everything came together in part 4, with the father‘s POV. I didn‘t know I was missing it until that point. Suddenly I saw everything in a new light, proving once again that there‘s at least two sides to every story @janeycanuck 6y

janeycanuck @AnneCecilie yeah, I‘m not sure I saw things differently enough to warrant the drastic change? Things like that are often lost on me, I like my stories nice & tidy with a big ol‘ bow stuck on them at the end 🤪 6y

See All 13 Comments

LitsyBuddyRead From @Currey : “It was rather shocking to me to flip from the daughter‘s and mother‘s perspective to the father‘s. I did not like him right up until I heard his story in his own voice. Incredibly sad that these people living together seemed to know so little about the deeper emotions each of them had. Glad 5e daughter was able to have a life of her own choosing though” - moving your comment here to the discussion post. :-) 6y

LitsyBuddyRead @janeycanuck @AnneCecilie - see the new comment from @Currey above 👆🏼 6y

Currey Thank you for moving my comment 6y

AnneCecilie @Currey I couldn‘t have agreed with you more. All the missed opportunities because of bad communication and family patterns they never managed to change. @janeycanuck (edited) 6y

Currey @AnneCecilie Exactly. I felt the beauty of the book was that it didn‘t irritate me throughout the reading, it just hit me over the head as I finished. 6y

kspenmoll @LitsyBuddyRead Having the ending be the father‘s voice & perspective helped me have sympathy for him. The relationship he had with his son was so tragic. I too did not like him much although I felt his religion was his structure & belief system & his son‘s ambivalence/rejection of that path hurt him. For his son, losing his best friend/ anchor devastated him & changed the trajectory of his life. 6y

kspenmoll I loved the phone relationship the son had with his sister‘s son, his nephew. 6y

Currey @kspenmoll Yes, I liked that also, it seemed to represent some hope 6y

GatheringBooks @janeycanuck i share your sentiments here. i felt that it was just needlessly repetitive and overly saturated. 6y

janeycanuck @GatheringBooks I get what people are saying about not liking the father until part 4 - I think for those folks, all of 4 was necessary. But I liked him - or at least understood things were more complicated than they seemed so a lot of 4 did feel repetitive to me, too. 6y

11 likes1 stack add13 comments

LitsyBuddyRead

A Place for Us: A Novel | Fatima Farheen Mirza

This post contains spoilers

show me

Discuss the Parts 1 and 2 (pp. 1-223) of #APlaceForUs HERE :👇🏼👇🏼 #LitsyBuddyRead

Jess7, LitsyBuddyRead

Jennifer3 Does anyone have a favorite character yet? (edited) 6y

TEArificbooks @Jennifer3 I really connected with the mom, her stories about what is like raising kids and all their unique needs as individuals, were spot on to some of my own experiences 6y

Currey I also connected with he Mom but she does seem consumed by doing what is right for her children without understanding that, at least her first daughter, may need to find out what is right for herself on her own. Also the father is definitely the force in the house. The daughters want his attention as they take their mother‘s attention for granted. @mdm139 6y

See All 13 Comments

Currey The other thing that is interesting is how everything is about what is happening specifically in the family. There is very little about anyone else except the Ali family. The back and force really stitches the character development in a unique way. @Jennifer3 6y

Jennifer3 @mdm139 @Currey I like how the story revolves around the family is a unique way to bring a story together. I seem to be liking Hadia as my favorite character, I can relate to the responsibilities she she feels she must carry. 6y

Jess7 I still trying to catch up, but I wish the timelines were more linear. I‘m not loving the jumping between different time periods, and then various ages within those periods. @Jennifer3 @Currey @mdm139 6y

Jennifer3 @Jess7 It can be challenging to keep track of where each part fits along their lives. 6y

Currey @Jess7 I felt this got easier in Part 2. In Part 1 it was really not easy and further I wasn‘t finding it an effective way to draw out the character development. I guess we will see if it comes together somehow in the second half of the book 6y

AnneCecilie So far I‘ve connected mostly with Hadia, maybe because we‘re both the oldest sister. I‘m not sure I would call the father the force in the family. I think it was early in part 2 that it was mentioned that Hadia had bruises on her arm and that Amar was drawing attention to himself deliberately. I think the siblings are afraid of their father so they‘re watching him closely so as not to anger him. @Jennifer3 @mdm139 @Currey @Jess7 6y

GatheringBooks like @Jess7 i feel that my reading is disrupted by the changing timelines, i find it jarring, like i am often losing my footing while reading. then there is the story within a story within a particular timeline which complicates matters even further. but am finding the writing quite lyrical - sometimes a bit over the top, but still effective. 6y

Jennifer3 @AnneCecilie I am an older sister myself but just a younger brother. Which is why I feel I relate to Hadia. 6y

janeycanuck Oops, didn‘t quite get this chunk finished yesterday like I‘d hoped. I‘m LOVING this so far. I did have a bit of a tough time getting used to the timeline changes but I‘ve fallen into the groove now and am enjoying how the memories are playing into the story. Mirza is weaving such a compelling story, I can‘t wait for the next part. 6y

Jess7 I‘m still way behind for this one. It‘s just a heavy book and hasn‘t grabbed my attention like I‘d hoped. I think it‘s my mood, and not the book. I‘m really sorry guys! I will post the discussion at 1 but I‘m not caught up. Hope everyone else is — I know this supposed to be such a beautiful story! 6y

14 likes13 comments

LitsyBuddyRead

A Place for Us: A Novel | Fatima Farheen Mirza

The FIRST discussion of #APlaceForUs starts at 1 PM EST today! I‘m not quite caught up, but if you are please join the discussion and discuss anything through part 2 on the next post. It will be marked “SPOILER” and you will need to click it to join in! #LitsyBuddyRead

Jess7, LitsyBuddyRead

LitsyBuddyRead @Kindredanne @mrozzz @AnneCecilie @Currey @marywag08 @Jennifer3 @sweetpealsd @janeycanuck 6y

janeycanuck I just finished part 1 so I‘ll check in when I‘ve finished part 2 in a few hours! 6y

Jennifer3 I am not caught up either, but am enjoying it! 6y

GatheringBooks haven‘t caught up yet, but so far so good. 6y

49 likes4 comments

LitsyHappenings

A Place for Us: A Novel | Fatima Farheen Mirza

Repost for @Jess7 :
Yay! It‘s time to start our Oct #LitsyBuddyRead of #APlaceForUs. Our 1st discussion is in 2 weeks! 🙋🏻‍♀️ Who is joining? #LitsyBuddyRead

Blurb: “The first novel from Sarah Jessica Parker‘s new imprint, SJP for Hogarth... [explores] the bonds that bring [this immigrant family] together, to the differences that pull them apart.. A Place For Us is a deeply moving and resonant story of love, identity, and belonging...”

51 likes1 stack add

LitsyBuddyRead

A Place for Us: A Novel | Fatima Farheen Mirza

Yay! It‘s time to start our October #LitsyBuddyRead of #APlaceForUs by Fatima Farheen Mirza. This is our October reading schedule. Our 1st discussion is in two weeks! 🤗

🙋🏻‍♀️ Are you joining us this month? Comment below ⬇️ so I can add you to the list!

➡️ Please REPOST to spread the word! Thank you! 🤗

Blurb: “A Place For Us is a deeply moving and resonant story of love, identity, and belonging...” #LitsyBuddyRead

Jess7, LitsyBuddyRead

Kindredanne I want to join! 6y

mrozzz Oh nice!! Might not read in time for the first discussion but I‘ll try to get to it by the end of the month 😄 6y

AnneCecilie I‘ll be joining in. Heard a lot of great things about this one. 6y

See All 14 Comments

Currey I am in and looking forward to it 6y

theokiereader I‘m joining! 6y

Jennifer3 I am in!!! 6y

Jess7 @Khuggins are you joining? 6y

Jess7 @AmyG 6y

Jess7 @britt_brooke are you joining? 6y

Jess7 @Pamwurtzler 6y

britt_brooke @Jess7 Passing, thanks though. 😉 6y

theokiereader I‘ll (hopefully) be joining if I can get the book!! 6y

sweetpealsd I‘ll be joining 6y

janeycanuck I got an ebook on super sale a few weeks ago, will have to see if I get get the first two parts done by the weekend! I‘ve heard amazing things about this. 6y

62 likes1 stack add14 comments

Jess7

A Place for Us: A Novel | Fatima Farheen Mirza

Yay! It‘s time to start our October #LitsyBuddyRead of #APlaceForUs by Fatima Farheen Mirza. Our 1st discussion is in two weeks! 🙋🏻‍♀️ Who is joining? #LitsyBuddyRead

Blurb: “The first novel from Sarah Jessica Parker‘s new imprint, SJP for Hogarth... [explores] the bonds that bring [this immigrant family] together, to the differences that pull them apart.. A Place For Us is a deeply moving and resonant story of love, identity, and belonging...”

Jess7, LitsyBuddyRead

Pamwurtzler Hopefully my library hold will come in time! 6y

hermyknee I used to have this book! It was taken from my classroom at some point by an interested kid who forgot to return it, but c‘est la vie ♥️ 🙌🏽 hey, as long as they‘re reading ☺️ 6y

Jess7 Instagram post: (people loved this book!): https://instagram.com/p/BoaMCtGFfcE/ 6y

See All 9 Comments

KarouBlue Oooh aaaahhh! 6y

GatheringBooks hello! count me in! 6y

Laughterhp I just requested this book from my lib. 🤞🏻 it comes in in time. 6y

Jess7 @LitsyHappenings @Avanders please repost #litsyhappenings thank you!!! 🤗🤗🤗 6y

Avanders Yes! Tonight! 😘 6y

Jess7 Thank you @Avanders 😘 6y

85 likes1 stack add9 comments

actualdisneyprincess

A Place for Us: A Novel | Fatima Farheen Mirza

Starting this one because it‘s due on Thursday. And because it‘s been sitting very patiently waiting for me. #aplaceforus #fatimafarheenmirza

13 likes1 stack add

Kristyh12

A Place for Us: A Novel | Fatima Farheen Mirza

One of my favorite parts so far. Loving this story so much. Have to keep a pencil handy so I can underline many of my favorite parts. The writing is gorgeous. Not even halfway through and I have fallen in love with these characters! 💗📚😍 #APlaceForUs #Favorite

5 likes