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Island of a Thousand Mirrors
Island of a Thousand Mirrors | Nayomi Munaweera
'Nayomi Munaweera writes with ferocity, fire and poetry of the incomprehensible madness of civil war and its effects upon those caught within it, whether in the villages and cities of Sri Lanka, or half a world away. A masterful, incendiary debut.'Janet Fitch, author of White Oleander Before civil war tears the tapestry of Sri Lanka apart, the lives of two young women from two very different families are fatefully linked by one chance encounter. In Colombo, Yasodhara lives a full life with her Sinhala family, rich in love and everything she could ask for, though shaped subtly by social hierarchies, her parents' ambitions, and the differences between the Tamil and Sinhala people. All is well until the family's serene existence is shattered by the outbreak of violence. Saraswathi, a Tamil, is living in the active war zone and dreams of becoming a teacher. But her hopes for the future are trampled when she is arrested by a group of Sinhala soldiers and pulled into the heart of a conflict she has tried desperately to avoid. A powerful saga that strikes mercilessly at the heart of war, Island of a Thousand Mirrors marks the arrival of a spellbinding new literary talent. 'By turns tender, beautiful, and devastating, Island of A Thousand Mirrors is a deeply resonant tale of an unraveling Sri Lanka. Incredibly moving, complex, and with prose you may want to eat, this debut is a triumph.' NoViolet Bulawayo, award-winning author of We Need New Names
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Bookwormjillk
Island of a Thousand Mirrors | Nayomi Munaweera
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Pickpick

This little book about Sri Lanka‘s civil war packed a mighty punch. I was a little confused by the characters at first, but I went with it and this book swept me away.

Still working on #ReadingAsia2021 😃

BarbaraBB Happy to hear that! 2y
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Bookwormjillk
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❤️

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kwmg40
Island of a Thousand Mirrors | Nayomi Munaweera
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Pickpick

A hard-hitting and engrossing novel about the Sri Lankan Civil War in the 80's and 90's. There is a lot of tragedy in this story, but joy too, and interesting descriptions of Sri Lankan culture and food.

This is my third book finished for the #MarvellousMay readathon, and it is also my #DoubleSpin choice for #BookSpinBingo. @Andrew65 @TheAromaofBooks

Andrew65 Sounds great, well done 👏👏👏 2y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2y
32 likes2 comments
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hissingpotatoes
Island of a Thousand Mirrors | Nayomi Munaweera
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Pickpick

3.5/5⭐ A hard-hitting story about the physical, psychological, and cultural devastation of war. #bookspinbingo

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hissingpotatoes
Island of a Thousand Mirrors | Nayomi Munaweera
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It eats up my body until I am gone. But I am no longer important. This tree will bear fruit like the mango tree that I once danced under. It will provide cover for us and give us roots to anchor us in this land where we are displaced and despised. And yet, it is a tree fed upon blood at its roots; I wonder about the taste of its fruit. #bookspinbingo

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Sapphire
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A rifle toting tiger. A sword gripping lion. This is a war that will be waged between related beasts.

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Sapphire
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Starting my Saturday with this amazing pairing from Churchill‘s fine Teas in Cincinnati Ohio. A Sri Lankan blend paired with the beautifully written fictional Yasodhara‘s tale of her family on the island of Ceylon during the Sri Lankan civil war.

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LeafingThroughLife
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Hard to believe it‘s July already. That‘s probably because time has lost virtually all meaning this year. It‘s definitely not a case of time flying because I‘m having so much fun. 🤦‍♀️ Anyhow, one thing I can say for 2020 is that the reading has definitely been good! Here are my #top6reads of the year so far.

britt_brooke I loved Goodbye, Vitamin! 4y
31 likes1 comment
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LeafingThroughLife
Island of a Thousand Mirrors | Nayomi Munaweera
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Pickpick

This book was vivid in both wonderful and terrible ways. Sri Lanka comes alive in Munaweera‘s hands, a beautiful island nation but also a nation troubled by hate and by civil war. Through narrator Yasodhara‘s eyes, I learned to love her homeland and consequently felt the pain of watching it ruined by hate and brutal atrocity the likes of which took my breath away. This is a powerful book and an important one. #bookspinbonanza number 4

TheAromaofBooks Wow, fabulous review! My best friend in high school had an uncle in diplomatic service who lived in Sri Lanka, and my friend was able to stay with them several times. He always came back with so many pictures and stories that I've had a soft spot for Sri Lanka ever since! 4y
27 likes1 comment
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LeafingThroughLife
Island of a Thousand Mirrors | Nayomi Munaweera
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It‘s finally nice out for some balcony reading! Island of a Thousand Mirrors is Book 4 on my #bookspinbonanza list. It‘s a tough read but a good one. Glad book spin finally got it off my shelf. I hope to finish this one today and be on to book 5 by tomorrow!

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 4y
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BekaReid
Island of a Thousand Mirrors | Nayomi Munaweera
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New library book in. Promising start!
"But we are always interlopers into history, dropped into a story that has been going on far before we are born"

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Gitanjali
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The omnipresent curse of colorism

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Gitanjali
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alisonrose
Island of a Thousand Mirrors | Nayomi Munaweera
Pickpick

Absolutely beautiful but also harrowing and upsetting. She does so well at weaving very different stories in equally powerful ways, even if you are naturally repelled by some of the characters. A pretty full saga for such a short novel. Definite TW/CN for some graphic violence including sexual violence. 4/5 ⭐️

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alisonrose
Island of a Thousand Mirrors | Nayomi Munaweera

The greatest thing about America to me was the constant availability of books. The first time I walked into an American library, bells rang and cherubs sang about my head.

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alisonrose
Island of a Thousand Mirrors | Nayomi Munaweera
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Had a difficult day, finally able to get some reading time in, thank God. #nowreading

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DivineDiana
Island of a Thousand Mirrors | Nayomi Munaweera
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Pickpick

This book will stay with me for a long time. Devastating story of a civil war that took place in Sri Lanka. Young women are forced to become soldiers. Brutal, violent, disturbing images filled me with much sadness.

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DivineDiana
Island of a Thousand Mirrors | Nayomi Munaweera
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"The greatest thing about America to me was the constant availability of books. The first time I walked into an American library, bells rang and cherubs sang above my head."

Hobbinol What a wonderful bookish quote! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 7y
DivineDiana @Hobbinol Thank you! Sometimes I forget how lucky I am! 📚 (edited) 7y
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DivineDiana
Island of a Thousand Mirrors | Nayomi Munaweera
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Searching for a book for today's prompt for #junetunz. Then thanks to a fellow Litsyian @RealLifeReading , I discovered the book that I was reading could work! Not Spanish, but #laislabonita

Cinfhen How's the book so far? 7y
DivineDiana @cinfhen I'm learning about Sri Lanka of which I was very uninformed. Now, some characters have moved to LA, and the stories of immigrants always move me. (edited) 7y
Cinfhen I started this last summer but I had to return it to library ~ maybe it deserves #oneMoreTry 7y
DivineDiana @cinfhen I'll let you know my thoughts when I finish! 7y
Cinfhen 🙏🏻 7y
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DivineDiana
Island of a Thousand Mirrors | Nayomi Munaweera
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Current read.

Cinfhen I may have once borrowed that exact copy 😍💞😀#BClibrary 7y
DivineDiana Kismet! I thought you might catch that little sticker! 😉 7y
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SarahTheSpectator
Island of a Thousand Mirrors | Nayomi Munaweera
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"Eyes open against the stinging salt, he sees coral like a crowded, crumbling city, busy with variously marked, spotted, dotted, striped, lit, pompous, and playful sea creatures...at a certain time of day a tribe of flat silver fish gather in their thousands...a thousand mirrors shattering about him."

#Day10 of the #AugustPhotoChallenge brings me to the beauty of this book - it's one of the VERY few I've given a 5 star review to #LaidBackBooks

BookishFeminist I need to read this! I LOVED her other one 8y
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Sandwavesandbooks
Island of a Thousand Mirrors | Nayomi Munaweera
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Sandwavesandbooks A wonderful but sad story of a period of history I knew nothing about 8y
5 likes1 comment