Take What You Can Carry: A Novel

This book touched me deeply. The characters are so well drawn and the events so beautifully described. It will remain with me for a long time

This is a wonderful read. Worth reading slowly to savour the characters which seem so real, and a taste of another land and way of life which is infused with danger. A chance to see things A little differently.

I've just read an immensely powerful novel by Gian Sardar. I don't really enjoy reading 1st person present tense but this book is filled with images worded almost like photographs.Yes, there is violence - this book is set in Kurdistan, so you'd expect that. But the written word is somehow visually stunning.It's a little slow at first but I'd say Take What You Can Carry, by Gian Sardar, is well worth a read. As a bonus, it's also on KU.

A different read my normal choice, but a thoroughly enjoyable read non the less. Well worth investing some reading time

I have just finished reading this book and although I have never heard of the author prior to reading it I will look for more books written by her. The story tells of the love affair between an American woman and a Kurdish man. It also tells the story - or some of it - of the tragic history of the Kurds, a people I respect and admire. Known for their kindness and generosity, together with their courage, the Kurds have been persecuted by the Turks and the Saddam regime among others and this book brings that struggle vividly to life in a human and sensitive story. Based partly on truth, the story follows Delan and Olivia and the love they share as they seek to overcome the differences in culture and personality they share. The beauty of the landscape of Iraq and the brutality of the Saddam regime is sharply drawn and the love of both family and country held by the Kurds in the face of violence and grief is a glorious lesson in generosity for us all. This is a book to savour and one I will read again.

I'd never heard of Gian Sardar before reading this book; I will now be looking out for her name.Written with a raw honesty about the reality of a precarious life in a beautiful place, I could feel through Gian's words the love & compassion felt for her characters.Her descriptive powers had me feeling so much - the heat, the dust, the downpours - as well as the palpitating fear and the power of love. As I read I crouched & hid & laughed & cried. I sweated in the heat & turned my face upward to the beating rain. Magnificent imagery.And the character - real, down to earth people. Oh I loved it & wanted more.And anyone who's ever read any of my reviews will know that I love an uplifting ending & that I'll never give the story away. Well done Ms Sardar, well done.

Even though this book is about conflict, there is an understanding of the people involved.This not a genre I would normally read, but I have been engrossed from page 1.Always good to try something new.

This felt like a long book that took time to read but is beautifully written. It tells the story of an American woman who visits her boyfriend’s Kurdish family in northern Iraq in 1979. She wants to be a photographer and takes lots of photos whilst she’s there, the consequences of which are woven into the story. I found this a fascinating insight into another culture whilst also an interesting and poignant story. There are some really dramatic moments and also some lovely descriptive sections.