Name: Kaitlyn Wendler's review of As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh
Item: As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow
Rating: 5
Author: Kaitlyn Wendler

Zoulfa Katouh

A love letter to Syria and its people, As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow is a speculative novel set amid the Syrian Revolution, burning with the fires of hope, love, and possibility. Perfect for fans of The Book Thief and Salt to the Sea.

Salama Kassab was a pharmacy student when the cries for freedom broke out in Syria. She still had her parents and her big brother; she still had her home. She had a normal teenager’s life. 
 
Now Salama volunteers at a hospital in Homs, helping the wounded who flood through the doors daily. Secretly, though, she is desperate to find a way out of her beloved country before her sister-in-law, Layla, gives birth. So desperate, that she has manifested a physical embodiment of her fear in the form of her imagined companion, Khawf, who haunts her every move in an effort to keep her safe. 
 
But even with Khawf pressing her to leave, Salama is torn between her loyalty to her country and her conviction to survive. Salama must contend with bullets and bombs, military assaults, and her shifting sense of morality before she might finally breathe free. And when she crosses paths with the boy she was supposed to meet one fateful day, she starts to doubt her resolve in leaving home at all.  
 
Soon, Salama must learn to see the events around her for what they truly are—not a war, but a revolution—and decide how she, too, will cry for Syria’s freedom.

As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow

elly

He smells like Syria on the old days. A hint of lemon picked from the gardens, mixed with the rubble and soil. He smells like home.

“I’d be cutting out my heart by leaving. This land is me and I am her.”

Your history is embedded in this soil. No

country in the world will love you as yours does.

🫖

“Aku berharap kau akan terus memegangnya. Apa pun yang terjadi, ingatlah bahwa dunia ini tidak sekedar duka dan nestapa. Kita 

 mendapatkan kebahagiaan, Salama. Mungkin bentuknya tidak utuh, tetapi serpihan-serpihan pun cukup karena kita bisa merekatkannya kembali.”

saidaa<3

"Bury me before I bury you," he whispers in prayer. "Please."

prawnie

“If that boy changes your mind, Salama,” Khawf continues, “I’ll make it so that you don’t even remember what flowers are.”

“Auntie—don’t cry—when I go to Heaven—I’ll tell God—everything,” he chokes out. I look up, and his face has gone still. His eyes are glassy, and it looks like little stars are caught in his blue irises.

“We fight while we’re still here, Salama, because this is our country. This is the land of your father, and his father before him. Your history is embedded in this soil. No country in the world will love you as yours does.”

nice

No country in the world will love you as yours does.

shadee

Alya Day

Empires have collapsed throughout history. They rise, they build and they fall. Nothing lasts forever. Not even our pain.

"There are enough people hurting you,' he whispers. Don't be one of them.

A few chapters before, Layla said to her 'Life is more than just survival.' But how can you call it life when so much of it has been stolen away from you? How can you call it life when your family, your people are still in your homeland, where your heart lies, and are suffering? It's so cruel, people are just expected to keep hoping and move on from their entire lives being destroyed. Is that humanity?

deniz

I may escape from Syria. My feet could touch European shores, the waves of the sea lapping against my shivering legs and the salt air coating my lips. I would be safer.

We don't have to stop living because we might die. Anyone might die at any given moment, anywhere in the world. We're not an exception. We just see death more regularly than they do.

'Revolution, Salama,' Kenan says. His smile is sad. 'It's a revolution.'

'Am I going to die?' he asks, and I see no fear. Do all six year olds know what death is? Or is it only children of war?

We fight while we're still here, Salama, because this is our country. This is the land of your father and his father before him. Your history is embedded in this soil. No country in the world will love you as yours does.

Beyza

Time Is the best medicine to turn out bleeding sounds to scare, and our bodies might forget the trauma, our eyes might learn to see colours as they should be seen, but that cure doesn't extend to our souls. 

It doesn't. Time doesn't forgive our sins, and it doesn't bring back the dead. 

I may escape Syria. My feet could touch European shores, the waves of the sea lapping against my shivering legs and the salt air coating my lips. I would be safer.

Because when you see the people who are dying. When you see the mutilated children and you hear them crying with fear and pain. Maybe then you'll know how lucky you are that you are OK. That you can leave.

"Auntie - don't cry - when I go to Heaven - I'll tell God - everything"

Do all six-year-olds know what death is? Or is it only children of war?

Irdha C

Going into this book I knew very little about the civil war in Syria. Finishing it, I’m still far from an expert, but have a newfound empathy for the people of Syria and refugees in general. Salama is a character that could very well stay with me for the rest of my life and weeks later I’m still recovering from chapter 29. 

Kaitlyn Wendler

Heartbreaking, beautiful, important. 

Going into this book I knew very little about the civil war in Syria. Finishing it, I’m still far from an expert, but have a newfound empathy for the people of Syria and refugees in general. Salama is a character that could very well stay with me for the rest of my life and weeks later I’m still recovering from chapter 29. 

anemia baca ini nangis sakit pusing meriang kok bisa ?!

𓇼 ⋆.˚ 𓆝⋆.˚ 𓇼o

That was such a great book! As a slow reader, it's hard for me to read books with more than 300 pages, but this one kept me engaged! It made me question my existence—do I truly deserve to relish every minute of my life worrying about eating day-old meals when, in fact, there are children my age trying to survive a day without throwing up for not eating enough? I am deeply disheartened to know that these people, natives of their own land, were being killed and tortured like mosquitoes in a cold and dark night. Hope is indeed a foreign word that seems to be a mighty thing to even touch.

This book can be a story of someone, and I am proud of what she would become.

jhet with an h

That was such a great book! As a slow reader, it's hard for me to read books with more than 300 pages, but this one kept me engaged! It made me question my existence—do I truly deserve to relish every minute of my life worrying about eating day-old meals when, in fact, there are children my age trying to survive a day without throwing up for not eating enough? I am deeply disheartened to know that these people, natives of their own land, were being killed and tortured like mosquitoes in a cold and dark night. Hope is indeed a foreign word that seems to be a mighty thing to even touch.

This book can be a story of someone, and I am proud of what she would become.

Absolutely moving and deep. So timely with the current political climate and humanitarian crisis in the Middle East. An incredibly profound book that has made me shed tears in many of its pages. 

Here's to finding love and light even in the midst of chaos and tragedy.

May Syria find freedom and may every Syrian find their way back to their motherland.

Absolutely moving and deep. So timely with the current political climate and humanitarian crisis in the Middle East. An incredibly profound book that has made me shed tears in many of its pages. 

Here's to finding love and light even in the midst of chaos and tragedy.

May Syria find freedom and may every Syrian find their way back to their motherland.

”selamanya. sampai kita tua, sampai jadi debu”.

Ana Belén

at every reading session i was on the cusp of crying. every piece of imagery carries weight and imbeds itself in you with every word and every sentence. i really want this to be translated to vietnamese so i could recommend it to more people.

violet nguyen

I wanted to love the book, I really do. The depiction of war and destruction in Syria is heartbreaking, but the overwhelming romance takes over the story in a way that doesn't quite work for me. Some parts of the writing also feel too cringeworthy. I think the romance doesn’t quite fit with the serious themes the author is trying to convey, which is probably why I can’t love it more than three stars.

gitsa

painfully beautiful, so much love in it. not quiet sure why i need longer to finish it but i suppose i'm not ready for any heartbreak greater than the ones i've read in the previous chapter.

How do we go on living when somewhere out there someone is suffering and dying from tyranny?

the twist hello? i didn't expect it at all (which makes me cry even harder)

bawling my eyes out.

the twist hello? i didn't expect it at all (which makes me cry even harder)

Ein sehr schönes und emotionales Buch. Fand es sehr schön geschrieben und an Spannung hat es auch nicht gefehlt. Man hat viel über den Krieg erfahren und das Leid der Menschen ist so ein Vergleich wie in Palästina. 

Die Liebesgeschichte zwischen den beiden war auch sehr schön (gescheit und m7tarem xd) 

Asmae

Ein sehr schönes und emotionales Buch. Fand es sehr schön geschrieben und an Spannung hat es auch nicht gefehlt. Man hat viel über den Krieg erfahren und das Leid der Menschen ist so ein Vergleich wie in Palästina. 

Die Liebesgeschichte zwischen den beiden war auch sehr schön (gescheit und m7tarem xd) 

Ein must reed!

big ab

this is a really incredibly difficult book to read, but also incredibly timely. it’s so tenderly written with so much love about an eighteen year old girl finding love and life in syria during the syrian civil war.

Alec Joven

One of the best books I have read this year.

It's crazy how this book can be both heartbreaking and full of hope at the same time. The plot twist left me flabbergasted, and I felt empty as I closed the last page. Every part is beautifully written, and each character has taught me something. Salama, for instance, shows incredible courage in standing up to whoever or whatever stands in her way. Kenan, I admire his fierce nationalism and willingness to fight for Syria, even at the cost of his own life. For Layla, I can imagine how bright and joyful she is.. But I swear to God "that" part is so unfair and break my heart into pieces. And so does the other incredible characters, I’ve learned something valuable from them too. I've come to realize that many people out there are still fighting for their lands and their rights, and we shouldn't ignore that. May Allah always be on the Syrian side, fighting for their rights. This is the first book I've ever given an immediate 5-star rating. Please be aware of the trigger warnings.

Here are my favorite parts in this book!

“Don’t focus on the darkness and sadness,” “If you do, you won’t see the light, even if it’s staring you in the face.”

“Auntie-don’t cry-when I go to Heaven - I’ll tell God - everything.”

“It might be difficult at first. The world might be too loud or too silent. It might be neon bright or pitch black, but slowly, it’ll put itself back together. It will resemble something normal. Then you’ll see the colours, Salama.”

“Aren’t you scared?” “Always. But I’ve got nothing to lose.”

“There’s life in the smallest, simplest of things. I see why this is happening. Freedom was never an easy price; it’s paid with blood. More than we ever thought possible.”

Fate has his strings, but we’re the ones who twist them together with our actions. My belief in what’s meant to be doesn’t make me a passive player. No. I fight and fight and fight for my life. Layla fought for hers. Kenan fights for his. And whatever happens, we accept the outcome, knowing we did everything.

There are no words I can say that can explain the unconditional love have for this book. This book gives me hope, peace and a new outlook on life that I never had before. It’s not everyday that a book makes you actually want to be a different person. I will never stop recommending this book.

Reread (8/4/24): I need this book in every single building and in the hands of every single person alive. This is by far the most powerful and beautiful piece of literature I’ve ever read. 

There are no words I can say that can explain the unconditional love have for this book. This book gives me hope, peace and a new outlook on life that I never had before. It’s not everyday that a book makes you actually want to be a different person. I will never stop recommending this book.

Reread (8/4/24): I need this book in every single building and in the hands of every single person alive. This is by far the most powerful and beautiful piece of literature I’ve ever read. 

safs

A book that made me sob as hard as this one did is deserving of 5*

A powerful story of love, hope and what it takes one girl to survive against all odds. Read alongside the playlist made by the author, it is well worth it!

Greer Andersson

5 ⭐️
Wow, this is one of the most beautifully written books I have ever read. I really, really struggled to put this one down. If I had it my way, I probably would have read it in one sitting.

The characters are complex, the plot is tragic, immersive and imaginative and I couldn’t get enough. I was bawling my eyes out multiple times throughout this book I must admit.

Kenan and Salama are absolutely everything to me, they are so so special. 

Please, do yourself a huge favour and read this book.

sani

this book was so painfully beautiful. it made me realise how much we take our homeland for granted.

buny

'as long as the lemon tress grow, hope will never die.' 

so beautiful.... so full of hope and tenderness and love.... quite honored and thankful that i was able to read this book at all. through my tears but yes thank you, zoulfa katouh, for writing this love letter of a novel and for enforcing that survivors are NOT their trauma

aleksandra

5/5

I’m speechless. It was absolutely amazing. I finally found a book that I could proudly recommend to everyone if they asked me for a book recommendation. This is this type of story which will stay with you for a long time, and I simply think that everyone should read it.

The main character Salma which deserves the whole world and more, Kenan and his siblings, the powerful message this story carries, the astronomical amount of tears I shed while reading it. Seriously, I cried at almost every chapter, but it was so worth it at the end. A very satisfying end. 


  
    “Whatever happens tomorrow, we’ll be okay. Even if…” He takes in a deep breath and presses his forehead against mine. “Know that even in death, you’re my life.”

“It doesn’t hurt for you to think about your future. We don’t have to stop living because we might die. Anyone might die at any given moment, anywhere in the world. We’re not an exception. We just see death more regularly than they do.”
  


I don’t even know what else to say, it was just beautiful. I can't wait for this book to get the more recognition it deserves.

A poignant narrative depicting the horrors of war in Syria with also telling the beauty of a halal romance. This book has raised my standards for men even higher, unfortunately..

Easily adding this to the top of my must-read reccomendations list! Read this with a heavy heart and eyes full of tears while acknowledging the genocide happening to this day and the plight of all the oppressed who are still having to fight for freedom every day.

The book describes the ongoing trauma within the strong characters that HAVE to fight for freedom and justice in order to survive, portraying real-life emotions from people who have no choice but to leave the country. While also beautifully explaing their profound love they hold for their country despite the suffering they endure…AAAAa💔

 (also i loved the taylor swift and BTS shoutout Zoulfa did at the acknowledgments part loll)

A poignant narrative depicting the horrors of war in Syria with also telling the beauty of a halal romance. This book has raised my standards for men even higher, unfortunately..

Easily adding this to the top of my must-read reccomendations list! Read this with a heavy heart and eyes full of tears while acknowledging the genocide happening to this day and the plight of all the oppressed who are still having to fight for freedom every day.

The book describes the ongoing trauma within the strong characters that HAVE to fight for freedom and justice in order to survive, portraying real-life emotions from people who have no choice but to leave the country. While also beautifully explaing their profound love they hold for their country despite the suffering they endure…AAAAa💔

 (also i loved the taylor swift and BTS shoutout Zoulfa did at the acknowledgments part loll)

lots of corny/cheesy writing. even the “good” writing wasn’t that good

bad writing is a pet peeve of mine but i stuck it out with this book because the story is interesting and so sad 

samiha

great, heart-wrenching story

lots of corny/cheesy writing. even the “good” writing wasn’t that good

bad writing is a pet peeve of mine but i stuck it out with this book because the story is interesting and so sad 

Irdha C &
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh

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As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh