In a prison cell in the US, a man stands trembling, naked, fearfully waiting to be shipped to Guantanamo Bay. How did it come to this? he wonders. August 9th, 1945, Nagasaki. Hiroko Tanaka steps out onto her veranda, taking in the view of the terraced slopes leading up to the sky. Wrapped in a kimono with three black cranes swooping across the back, she is twenty-one, in love with the man she is to marry, Konrad Weiss. In a split second, the world turns white. In the next, it explodes with the sound of fire and the horror of realisation. In the numbing aftermath of a bomb that obliterates everything she has known, all that remains are the bird-shaped burns on her back, an indelible reminder of the world she has lost. In search of new beginnings, she travels to Delhi two years later. There she walks into the lives of Konrad's half-sister, Elizabeth, her husband James Burton, and their employee Sajjad Ashraf, from whom she starts to learn Urdu. As the years unravel, new homes replace those left behind and old wars are seamlessly usurped by new conflicts. But the shadows of history - personal, political - are cast over the entwined worlds of the Burtons, Ashrafs and the Tanakas as they are transported from Pakistan to New York, and in the novel's astonishing climax, to Afghanistan in the immediate wake of 9/11. The ties that have bound them together over decades and generations are tested to the extreme, with unforeseeable consequences. Sweeping in its scope and mesmerising in its evocation of time and place, "Burnt Shadows" is an epic narrative of disasters evaded and confronted, loyalties offered and repaid, and loves rewarded and betrayed.
Burnt Shadows
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Review
`This is an unnervingly ambitious canvas, but the quality of Shamsie's writing swiftly draws you in and proves strong enough to carry it. A tremendous, impressive and thoroughly enjoyable book' --Daily Mail
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'Burnt Shadows is audacious in its ambition, epic in its scope. A startling expansion of the author's intentions, imagination and craftsmanship. One can only admire the huge advances she has made, and helped us to make, in understanding the new global tensions.'
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
58 of 60 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I was bowled over by this book, beautifully written from page 1, it was quite simply, wonderful. I can also add that, having just returned from discussing the book at a book group - all 8 of us were unanimous in our praise.
It has a huge canvas - from Nagasaki in 1945, through Partition in India, the 9/11 bombing and war in Afghanistan. Along the way it covers a multitude of subjects. These include the long term effects of radiation damage, training camps for the Muhajideen and the suspicions that fell on Muslim citizens in the US after the Twin Towers were attacked.
The characters were well drawn and very cleverly interwoven through several generations and across three continents.
I can see why some reviewers felt it attempted too much, the second half is pretty eventful. However, for me, the sheer joy of the beautiful language and (not excessive) descriptions, held me transfixed.
Very highly recommended - this could be my favourite book this year!
It has a huge canvas - from Nagasaki in 1945, through Partition in India, the 9/11 bombing and war in Afghanistan. Along the way it covers a multitude of subjects. These include the long term effects of radiation damage, training camps for the Muhajideen and the suspicions that fell on Muslim citizens in the US after the Twin Towers were attacked.
The characters were well drawn and very cleverly interwoven through several generations and across three continents.
I can see why some reviewers felt it attempted too much, the second half is pretty eventful. However, for me, the sheer joy of the beautiful language and (not excessive) descriptions, held me transfixed.
Very highly recommended - this could be my favourite book this year!
36 of 38 people found the following review helpful
By BookWorm
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
An ambitious yet easy read, Burnt Shadows is a book I find hard to place. Despite dealing with heavy issues of war and politics, there is something strangely leightweight about it. The storyline spans fifty years and a large swathe of the planet. It's original and interesting, but not entirely convincing. The characters are rather flat and it's hard to get emotionally involved. There's a lack of subtlety, the author falling foul of the old adage to 'show and not tell'.
I found the best sections of the book to be those in Pakistan, and the story's conclusion, which was rather courageous and had a twist I wouldn't have expected based on the rest of the novel. The author's attempt to link the topics of modern day Islamic extremism, the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, and the British Raj and Partition, is certainly brave and deserving of credit.
Whilst I cannot rave about the book for the reasons described above, I did find it an intriguing read and although not gripped by it, it does move along at a good pace. It would actually be a good holiday read for those who can't bear very light fiction but don't want anything too demanding. Maybe the award nominations and back cover comments gave me overly high expectations; think of it as a historical romance with a literary bent and you're more likely to come away satisfied.
I found the best sections of the book to be those in Pakistan, and the story's conclusion, which was rather courageous and had a twist I wouldn't have expected based on the rest of the novel. The author's attempt to link the topics of modern day Islamic extremism, the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, and the British Raj and Partition, is certainly brave and deserving of credit.
Whilst I cannot rave about the book for the reasons described above, I did find it an intriguing read and although not gripped by it, it does move along at a good pace. It would actually be a good holiday read for those who can't bear very light fiction but don't want anything too demanding. Maybe the award nominations and back cover comments gave me overly high expectations; think of it as a historical romance with a literary bent and you're more likely to come away satisfied.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By maryleopard
Format:Paperback
'Burnt Shadows' is set in three periods, 1947, 1983, 2001 and in several countries - Japan, Pakistan, Afghaistan and New York in particular, and traces the interconnections between the members of two families against the backdrop of major world events. This an involving and worthwhile read, and the ambition is laudable, but it falls down between too many stools. There seemed to be just too many characters, with little or no attempt to get under the skin of several of them. None of the Burtons convinced: both of the males were ciphers if not cliches, and nothing was made of Ilse's German origins,though the interaction of different nationalities and cultures is a major theme of the book. (I noticed that there were no German nor Japanese names amongst the individuals the author consulted). No particular insights seemed to be given into the major historical events that were encountered. The style seemed rather undistinguished, aspiring to 'fine writing' and imagery at times but often giving us clunky, unrhythmic, and poorly punctuated sentences. The evocation of different countries or cities was patchy, unsurprisingly better at Pakistan than elsewhere. However, Shamsie is an original devisor and manipulator of plots. The complex narrative moves along very efficiently - unlike some reviewers, I was especially gripped by the thriller-like final section and its surprising, if improbable, denoument. And there were a number of memorable images or epigrammatic remarks.
So, worth reading, but not superb, especially when compared with other writers on comparable territory - eg Nadeem Aslan, 'The Wasted Vigil'.
So, worth reading, but not superb, especially when compared with other writers on comparable territory - eg Nadeem Aslan, 'The Wasted Vigil'.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
great
Excellent book telling the story of two families through space and time. Only criticism is it felt like it needed a couple more chapters as it ended abruptly
Published 6 days ago by Mama Mifsud
5.0 out of 5 stars
an ambitious novel
Thought-provoking and compassionate, Shamsie creates links across generations and cultures.
Recommended for anyone who puzzles over historical and contemporary atrocity and... Read more
Recommended for anyone who puzzles over historical and contemporary atrocity and... Read more
Published 9 days ago by Jose Spinks
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Beautiful Read
I heard rave reviews about New Encounters the first book in The Encounters Trilogy, as well as "Burnt Shadows". I am pleased I listened to the reviews. Read more
Published 25 days ago by sara
3.0 out of 5 stars
Burnt Shadows
Kamila Shamise tried to cover too much. I felt that there were gaps especially from one country to another. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Annette Montegriffo
5.0 out of 5 stars
Epic historical novel in less than 400 pages
If you enjoyed the The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns then you might enjoy this epic historical novel which covers several cultures, countries and wars over many decades... Read more
Published 9 months ago by J Hutch
5.0 out of 5 stars
You will not be disappointed
Some books you out down and walk away from and look for your next great read. Other books you put down and still need a day or two to fully digest and reflect. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Samarnold1975
5.0 out of 5 stars
A book you must read
This is an absolutely amazing book. Beautifully written and very thought provoking. I really didn't want it to finish where it did.
Published 18 months ago by ellieoakley
5.0 out of 5 stars
A poignant journey through recent world events
A poignant journey through fifty years of world events, as seen through the eyes of members of two inter-connected families and their experiences of language and culture; identity... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Sally-W
5.0 out of 5 stars
A brilliant, thought-provoking read
Kamila Shamsie's novel "Burnt Shadows" is quite simply one of the best novels I've read this year. It's hugely ambitious in scope, taking in vast historical, geographical and... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Sofia
5.0 out of 5 stars
Moving Book
One of the best Book that I have recently read. Need only two pages to be completely absorbed by it. A pearl!
Published 21 months ago by Morgan
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