Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
The Arsonists' City
The Arsonists' City | Hala Alyan
30 posts | 17 read | 31 to read
The Arsonists City delivers all the pleasures of a good old-fashioned saga, but in Alyans hands, one familys tale becomes the story of a nationLebanon and Syria, yes, but also the United States. Its the kind of book we are lucky to have.Rumaan Alam A rich family story, a personal look at the legacy of war in the Middle East, and an indelible rendering of how we hold on to the people and places we call home The Nasr family is spread across the globeBeirut, Brooklyn, Austin, the California desert. A Syrian mother, a Lebanese father, and three American children: all have lived a life of migration. Still, theyve always had their ancestral home in Beiruta constant touchstoneand the complicated, messy family love that binds them. But following his father's recent death, Idris, the family's new patriarch, has decided to sell. The decision brings the family to Beirut, where everyone unites against Idris in a fight to save the house. They all have secretslost loves, bitter jealousies, abandoned passions, deep-set shamethat distance has helped smother. But in a city smoldering with the legacy of war, an ongoing flow of refugees, religious tension, and political protest, those secrets ignite, imperiling the fragile ties that hold this family together. In a novel teeming with wisdom, warmth, and characters born of remarkable human insight, award-winning author Hala Alyan shows us again that fiction is often the best filter for the real world around us (NPR).
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
Pick icon
100%
blurb
GatheringBooks
The Arsonists' City | Hala Alyan
post image

#AboutABook Day 14: This brilliant novel #WithDualTimeline is paired with this heavenly concoction called mafrouket ashta with pistachio (pistachio dough filled with homemade ice cream topped wih ashta and cotton candy). It is like tasting clouds. Since part of the book‘s setting is in Beirut, I made sure to find the best Lebanese restaurant which happens to be cave-themed, overlooking waterfalls in Khorfakkan, Fujairah.

Eggs How enchanting to taste clouds ☁️ 3mo
40 likes1 stack add1 comment
blurb
GatheringBooks
The Arsonists' City | Hala Alyan
post image

#CoverLove Day 24: Some #DarkBlue in this cover - paired with our colorful mocktails: frozen virgin daiquiri for moi (forest berries, lime juice and honey), virgin mojito for husband (fresh mint, lemon juice, and sugar syrup), and virgin colada for our college kid (coconut cream, pineapple juice and brown sugar).🍹🍹🍹All delish by the way. 💕

lil1inblue Those mocktails look so delightful! 3mo
Eggs They all sound delicious 😋 3mo
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Beautiful 💙 3mo
Bookwormjillk Pretty 😍 3mo
43 likes4 comments
review
Michellesibs
The Arsonists' City | Hala Alyan
post image
Pickpick

A family saga set primarily in Lebanon, yes please!

It took me a good 60 pages to ease into this but then I was more than comfortable surrounded by 3 messy adult siblings born and raised in the US and their mother (Syrian) and father (Lebanese) and their return to Lebanon to sell their grandfather's house.

Spanning over 40 ish years, we get to know our characters pasts and presents along with all their flaws, secrets, hopes and reasons.

46 likes1 stack add
blurb
GatheringBooks
The Arsonists' City | Hala Alyan
post image

#HumbleHarvest Day 27: An epic story of a #Family displaced across various countries and the secrets they keep. This was supposed to be our #EmiratesLiteratureFoundation book club pick for December - but it has been changed to Salt Houses instead by same author. 💕

Eggs Lovely 🥰 📚☕️ 11mo
51 likes1 comment
blurb
GatheringBooks
The Arsonists' City | Hala Alyan
post image

#HumbleHarvest Day 14: Straw #Berries in this cheesecake from Olive Garden during our Sunday lunch in Orlando. Now back in sleepy quaint Al Ain. 🍓🍓🍓

Ladygodiva7 Yumm!! 12mo
Eggs Looks delicious 🤤 12mo
56 likes3 comments
blurb
GatheringBooks
The Arsonists' City | Hala Alyan
post image

#HumbleHarvest Day 12: For our final day in the deep South of America, we just had to make one last visit to Olive Garden with the unlimited #Bread sticks. 💕 Paired with the book of the month (December) for the Emirates Lit Foundation bookclub. 💕

BookNAround I have this one on my list because I quite liked Alyan‘s The Salt Houses. 12mo
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks They are so delicious 😋 🥖 12mo
48 likes2 comments
review
bookandbedandtea
The Arsonists' City | Hala Alyan
post image
Pickpick

Reading at the airport. 😊
This is a sweeping family saga set in Beirut, Damascus, Brooklyn, Austin, and Blythe CA. The 5 members of the Nasr family have complicated relationships and lots of secrets. They're all fairly unlikable but I ended up loving them and their story.

review
MonicaLoves2Read
The Arsonists' City | Hala Alyan
Pickpick

A soft pick for me. I liked the multiple POV's, family drama and little secrets kept from each other. Reason for a soft pick is it's multi generational and the kids parts seemed to get bogged down. I think because their chapters were so long. It would have been better, if she would have made their chapters into more or even shortened them.

#AwesomeApril @Andrew65 Book 2 finished
#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2y
Andrew65 Well done 👏👏👏 I hate books where the chapters are too long, or where there aren‘t any chapters. They do seem to make the book drag. 2y
19 likes3 comments
blurb
MonicaLoves2Read
The Arsonists' City | Hala Alyan
post image

Book ✔️
Hot Tea ✔️

Decided to set outside this morning. Hoping to finish this book today 😊

18 likes1 stack add
blurb
MonicaLoves2Read
The Arsonists' City | Hala Alyan
post image

'TONIGHT THE MAN will die.'

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

dabbe That sentence got my attention! 😲 2y
MonicaLoves2Read Mine, too, when I first read it 😊 2y
16 likes2 comments
review
readswellwithothers
The Arsonists' City | Hala Alyan
post image
Pickpick

5⭐️ An extraordinary pick if you enjoy: •multiple POV (of characters you‘ll become quite attached to) •dual timelines (not jarring in their alternations) •a foreign setting (Palestine, Beirut) •family saga (spouse/sibling/parent-child, the whole kit and caboodle!) •medium pacing (settle in, let things unfold, invest). Humans are complex and complicated and I do adore a book that places me firmly into the hearts and minds of characters like these!

Megabooks Oh this makes me feel so good about having picked this one up! 2y
12 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
suvata
The Arsonists' City | Hala Alyan
post image
Pickpick

#MMDBookClub book club pick for October 2022

A family story, a personal look at the legacy of war in the Middle East, and an indelible rendering of how we hold on to the people and places we call home The Nasr family is spread across the globe—Beirut, Brooklyn, Austin, the California desert. A Syrian mother, a Lebanese father, and three American children: all have lived a life of migration. Still, they always had their ancestral home in Beirut.

blurb
suvata
The Arsonists' City | Hala Alyan
post image

I like to listen and read at the same time.
#kindle #scribd #booklyapp #mmdbookclub #bookstagram

Allylu Oooh! I‘m in MMDbookclub, too. Where do you listen to your books? 2y
suvata @Allylu I have the Scribd app. It‘s amazing how many great audiobooks I get for $12 a month. No limits to how many you can borrow. 2y
Erinsuereads Holy moly that would scramble my brain 2y
See All 12 Comments
suvata @ErinSueMreads Mine is already scrambled, so … 🙃 2y
Erinsuereads 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 2y
Allylu @suvata I like reading with my eyes and my ears, too. 2y
tpixie I especially like to do this on Books I‘m having a hard time focusing on when I‘m just doing one or the other. 2y
tpixie Do you have a kindle oasis? I have a Kindle Paperwhite, which is great to read at night for my eyes. But I so much prefer how more responsive reading on my phone Kindle app is when it comes to highlighting and access to google when I want to research more. I‘m wondering how the Kindle oasis is on the eyes and whether it‘s quicker when you highlight it and whether you can search Google on it. 2y
suvata @tpixie I used to have a Paperwhite but I gave it to my husband and upgraded to the Oasis. I think the Oasis is much easier on my eyes, it is lighter and smaller also. But, it is rather expensive compared to the Paperwhite. 2y
tpixie @suvata thanks for info. How is the highlighting? Is it faster than the paper white? And can you Google the Internet on it if you have Wi-Fi? 2y
suvata @tpixie Highlighting is very quick but it only comes out and gray. I have a Wi-Fi version and never try to Google anything because the Internet is pretty slow on the Kindle. 2y
tpixie @suvata thanks! The new Kindle oasis just came out and I‘m tempted to upgrade … 2y
48 likes12 comments
review
Bookwormjillk
The Arsonists' City | Hala Alyan
post image
Pickpick

This was a good family drama set at various times in Syria, Lebanon, and America. It would have been great if not for all the backstory. #ReadingAsia2021

Librarybelle Looks interesting! 3y
58 likes1 comment
blurb
Bookwormjillk
The Arsonists' City | Hala Alyan
post image

I was audio walking and admiring this cloud when I realized I hadn‘t posted a #BFC21 update in months. I‘m still trucking with the goals I set at the beginning of the year- eating more vegetables and trying to get a blackout on #BookspinBingo

Summer makes it easier!

wanderinglynn Way to go! 🙌🏻 3y
55 likes1 comment
blurb
EliNeedsMoreShelves
The Arsonists' City | Hala Alyan
post image

Current audio - really loving all the complex family relationships here.

review
Mitch
The Arsonists' City | Hala Alyan
post image
Pickpick

A multi generational story - where the socio political situation of Palestinian is both backdrop & glue to the story. Everyone hordes secrets & the past refuses to be contained, it infuses every characters present. The novel takes place mainly in Beirut - the city boils with anxiety, tensions of violence and the complexities of assimilation, it oozes both homeliness and despair whilst the sea absorbs waste and the city goes dark every night.

66 likes1 stack add
blurb
Mitch
The Arsonists' City | Hala Alyan
post image

For the first time this year - reading in the garden 💕

LeslieO Lovely! 3y
Suet624 Ahhhh... lovely. 3y
61 likes3 comments
review
brandierickson
The Arsonists' City | Hala Alyan
post image
Pickpick

This book made me so anxious in the best way possible. I loved it. Apparently intergenerational family stories are my wheelhouse.

blurb
amdsarahjenkins
The Arsonists' City | Hala Alyan
post image

My current read. Can‘t wait to get started with this one.

blurb
Mitch
The Arsonists' City | Hala Alyan
post image

The tagged looks great - I‘m a sucker for a cross generational saga

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-lists/12-most-addictive-books-2021-so-far/hic...

review
cathysaid
The Arsonists' City | Hala Alyan
post image
Pickpick

While there are a few minor weaknesses, overall this was an engrossing family saga spanning several decades and locales including California, Damascus and Beirut. Love, loss, familial loyalty and personal ambition all converge to make this a thoroughly engaging and pleasurable read. 4/5 ⭐️

blurb
cathysaid
The Arsonists' City | Hala Alyan
post image

Nevermind that my TBR is over one hundred books. If one goes into the library to renew a library card, one can‘t possibly be expected to leave without any beauties...can they!!?! #LitsyLovesLibraries #WhatTBR

EvieBee Okay, that 🍸 looks soooo good!!! 4y
Tamra Pish Posh, never mind about a TBR. 😉 4y
cathysaid @EvieBee Extra dirty because otherwise what‘s the point? 4y
cathysaid @Tamra Right? I 99% believe that 😂 4y
52 likes4 comments
review
CindiB
The Arsonists' City | Hala Alyan
Pickpick

A novel about immigration, moving, surviving, hiding, and letting go. This will go onto my reread shelf. Because it is that good. Because there are nuances I missed-maybe. After the first chapter, the next 3 slowed and changed direction. I continued, but I was bored and what did I miss as a result? (Was it simply over-hyped?) Not everything is answered in this novel; the layers are too thick. But perhaps I missed more than I think. 4/5

review
Read_By_Red
The Arsonists' City | Hala Alyan
post image
Pickpick

One of the things I really like about this novel is the structure, alternating between the present and the past. Alyan gives you just enough about the present so you can form an opinion and perception regarding the events, but then the events shift to the past, affecting those opinions about the people and circumstances, only for the narrative to jump forward and mold those opinions all over again.

review
Lauren.Archer
The Arsonists' City | Hala Alyan
post image
Pickpick

If you love epic family stories, this book will fit the bill, providing all the emotions that you would expect from this type of story. It felt completely genuine throughout and all I wanted was to spend a little more time with these characters.

Chelsea.Poole Added! I love epic family stories! 4y
72 likes5 stack adds1 comment
blurb
Well-ReadNeck
The Arsonists' City | Hala Alyan
post image
41 likes2 stack adds
review
Cinfhen
The Arsonists' City | Hala Alyan
post image
Mehso-so

Mixed feelings - told in dual timelines the story set in #Lebanon 1970‘s was really engaging. Immersive in history, culture, foods and conflict, the story of Idris & Mazna. The parts that focus on their three grown children were long winded, cliche and dull. Even when the family reunites in present day Beirut the actions surrounding them all were tiresome and predictable. Book needed better editing. #BorrowNotBuy #ARC #ReadingAsia21

Librarybelle Gorgeous flowers! 4y
Cinfhen Thanks @Librarybelle 🧡💛 4y
82 likes1 stack add2 comments
blurb
Cinfhen
The Arsonists' City | Hala Alyan
post image

#NetGalley #ARC #ReadingAsia21 #Lebanon Publishes Tuesday♥️So far, it‘s very engaging- Ava an Arab American is drawn back to Beirut to help sell her grandfather‘s ancestral home.

BarbaraBB Nice to have an ARC that fits a prompt! 4y
Cinfhen Right?!?? I was so excited @BarbaraBB (edited) 4y
Librarybelle Great!! I‘m curious to hear what you think of this one. 4y
See All 6 Comments
squirrelbrain Sounds great so far! 4y
Well-ReadNeck I loooooooved this book! 4y
Cinfhen I really liked the 1970‘s timeline but I wasn‘t a fan of the modern day storyline with the 3 grown children... it felt overly drawn out @Well-ReadNeck but I‘m so glad it worked for you!! 4y
100 likes1 stack add6 comments
review
Well-ReadNeck
The Arsonists' City | Hala Alyan
post image
Pickpick

Yaaaaaaasssss! OMG, y‘all!

I adored this novel. A beautiful family saga that lets you sink into its world. The characters are flawed and tragic and I was rooting for each of them. This will absolutely be one of my favorite reads of the year.

#ARC #netgalley

72 likes4 stack adds