To the Mansours, an Arab American family living in Seattle, love knows no borders. But despite our best efforts, sometimes loveand familyare foreign to us . . .American-born Margaret Mansour wants nothing more than to rekindle the struggling twenty-year marriage to her Palestinian husband, Ahmedbut not if it means uprooting their home and children in America and moving halfway across the world. halfway across the world.
Young and ambitious Alison Mansour has a degree in Near East Studies, but her American education and Syrian background are of no use when her new marriage begins to crumble under the weight of cultural and religious differences. The communication between Alison and her husband is already shaky; how will they cope with the arrival of their first child?
Zainab Mansour, the matriarch of her family, never expected to live in America, but after the death of her husband she finds herself lost in a faithless country and lonely within the walls of her eldest son’s home. She wants what’s best for her children but struggles to find her place in a new landscape.
Emerging from the interwoven perspectives of these three women comes a story of love and longing, culture and compromise, home and homeland. Exploring the complex political backdrop of the Middle East from a personal perspective, Where Jasmine Blooms travels from the suburbs of Seattle to the villas of Jordan and the refugee camps of the West Bank, on an emotional journey exploring what it means to be a family.
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A realistic and very informative novel about Arab culture and the difficulties inherent in marital cross cultural relationships. Very well written with an emphasis on Palestinians and their views…personal , political and cultural. Good story telling….four stars for what seemed like a contrived ending.
I loved learning about another cukture
Interesting to learn about different cultures and the reality of the world we live in.
Complications for couples of different cultures, their different ways of coping and solving their problems. Very interesting and I learned a lot. Recommend if you are interested in something different to read.
Confirming & eye opening, it’s a fine read.
Since our neighbors are Muslim and we lived in Egypt for a year I was not surprised. Enjoyed the book and know woman are never treated equally. Men are always hanging out without their wife’s or female’s at night.
This book revealed how many people using a green card to enter the US use them wisely and contribute to our society while yearning for their own culture and country. Loving and earnest people. It also revealed how many used their student visas and green card use to to marry a citizen and gain residence without being willing to assimilate into our society.
Loved this book. Hated to see it end. It was a page turner, hard to put down. Definitely recommend it.
Really enjoyed this book. Liked the characters and the large loving family. Learned a little about a different culture.
the book offered an inside view of the differences in the culture of the characters, and the impact the very different cultures has on the individuals. Very interesting,
Fascinating read about people from other cultures and what they go through to make a life in America – culturally mixed marriages and the pressures involved and the ways it feels to be Palestinian since I am more familiar with how Jewish people experience this very sad situation.
Loved this book. Look at cultural differences.
The lives, loves & conflicting goals of an Arab American family.
Enjoyed the insights into the lives and customs of devout Muslim (Palestinian) immigrants and the difficulties (and compromises) when trying to “blend” a marriage between two cultures successfully.
I really loved all of the culture that this book brings forth and I found myself reading it mostly for that purpose. I feel like it put the Muslim men in a bad light, but I can’t say if whether or not the portrayals are realistic. Muslim men already get a bad wrap and this book doesn’t offer a different perspective. The ending was rushed and I hated it. All in all it was a good enough book. It was a quick read and gave me something interesting to read for a few days. It’s not the best book ever, but I would still recommend it because of the cultural aspect.
This was a great book that kept me engaged from start to finish. The characters are believable and it’s an interesting look about multicultural marriages.
Great view into the American Muslim woman’s world
True to life
A realistic and seemingly candid view of two cultures and generations trying to merge together peacefully.
Great book!