The Map of Salt and Stars

By: Zeyn Joukhadar

Narrated by: Lara Sawalha

Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

This rich, moving, and lyrical debut novel is to Syria what The Kite Runner was to Afghanistan; the story of two girls living 800 years apart - a modern-day Syrian refugee seeking safety and a medieval adventurer apprenticed to a legendary mapmaker - places today's headlines in the sweep of history, where the pain of exile and the triumph of courage echo again and again.

It is the summer of 2011, and Nour has just lost her father to cancer. Her mother, a cartographer who creates unusual, hand-painted maps, decides to move Nour and her sisters from New York City back to Syria to be closer to their family. But the country Nour's mother once knew is changing, and it isn't long before protests and shelling threaten their quiet Homs neighborhood. When a shell destroys Nour's house and almost takes her life, she and her family are forced to choose: stay and risk more violence or flee as refugees across seven countries of the Middle East and North Africa in search of safety. As their journey becomes more and more challenging, Nour's idea of home becomes a dream she struggles to remember and a hope she cannot live without.

More than 800 years earlier, Rawiya, 16 and a widow's daughter, knows she must do something to help her impoverished mother. Restless and longing to see the world, she leaves home to seek her fortune. Disguising herself as a boy named Rami, she becomes an apprentice to al-Idrisi, who has been commissioned by King Roger II of Sicily to create a map of the world. In his employ, Rawiya embarks on an epic journey across the Middle East and the north of Africa, where she encounters ferocious mythical beasts, epic battles, and real historical figures.

A deep immersion into the richly varied cultures of the Middle East and North Africa, The Map of Salt and Stars follows the journeys of Nour and Rawiya as they travel along identical paths across the region 800 years apart, braving the unknown beside their companions as they are pulled by the promise of reaching home at last.

©2018 Zeynab Joukhadar. All rights reserved. (P)2018 Orion Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

Intricate weaving of tales

An intricately woven story with the warp and weft merging two tales into a heartbreaking, joyful, detailed tapestry. Read beautifully be the narrator.

Amazing book

I loved listening to this book!
It touched my heart to journey in past and present with the characters through Syria, Africa and Spain.

It highlighted for me the reality of so many refugees, which seems so far away from my western reality.

Zeyn’s writing is beautiful. The way she speaks of color is unlike anything I’ve read or heard before. Very unique and inspiring.

I highly recommend this book, and would listen again.

Beautiful

Beautiful and creative with an excellent understanding of grief, the way that wounds change us, and home - all poetically told.

Perfectly Done

This is an exquisite story, two actually. Perfectly told story by th narrator Lara Sawalha. The stories are woven together, ancient and contemporary, in a unique way. I don't know if it could be read (told) by anyone else with such nuance and feeling. Don't expect fast action, but do expect to be swept away. For the record, the first time I listened I missed a lot at the beginning. But I think that was on me. On second listening (once I realized I had missed so much) this has become one of my all time favorite audible experiences. Take the time and give the stories your full attention. You won't be sorry.

Tedious but good

Lovely writing, lovely narration. however, at times, I felt the book went on and on forever.

highly recommend

this is a beautifully written journey full of evocative images and lines of exploration into both outer and inner landscapes.

Eye-opening debut

Two beautifully intertwined stories and one of my favorite reads of the year. Parallel stories of two girls, 800 years apart, and their courageous journeys.

A different view on the world

A truly lovely book and I thoroughly enjoyed the poetic and lyrical descriptions the main character gives about everything. I cried, I laughed, and I cried some more. I can’t recommend this book enough as both a wake up call to be kind and to not judge to those who may different than you.

Beautifully Written

If you liked "Reading Lolita in Iran" or the "Kite Runner" then you will enjoy this more.

I love, love this story

This was one of the most enjoyable, interesting and moving books I have ever listened to. The narration was spot on. At first the jump between the two time periods was confusing. Once I became more familiar with the characters' names (which happened surprisingly quickly) this was not an issue. I love learning about other cultures and hearing their stories. Highly recommended.