I won this book through First-reads.

[Refuge:]e tells the story of Almasa, a bosnian refugee. While the other refugees longed for the smell of Bosnia and its white houses, Almasa struggled to understand the meaning of "home" in a country where she was a stranger. We meet a soul confused by the vicissitudes of life and that had to go through horrific realities. The war outburst Almasa her family, her feelings, her dreams, her h?me;
It’s not a book about people at all happy, but, don’t know why, I ended it with a smile.
It may seem a little short, but that's because it’s a book focused more on refugee’s feelings, rather than war itself; the soul of a refugee doesn’t change, and will be eternally marked by war. And we, the readers, had enough to empathize with Almasa, but given the circumstances, we will never understand her completely. I liked this book very much. It reminded me of one universally truth: we always take things as granted and it is not like this, we must appreciate the small things that life gives us: home, family, friends, because everything can disappear in a second, no matter if it's because of a war or anything else.
I won this book on Goodreads Giveaway.

[Refuge]e is a wordy attempt with beautiful prose, but as disjointed as the life of the refugees it tries to convey.

The story is about Almasa, a young Bosnian refugee, whose whole family was killed in the war in Bosnia, and who herself was raped and suffers deep psychological wounds. Unfortunately, just as we were allowed a glimpse into her life in Sweden, interwoven with her reflections on Bosnia, the book ends. Its 90-something pages are not nearly enough to tell such a complex story. Despite the author's unquestionable craftiness, there's more left wanting than it's given in this novella. It reads more like a collection of random notes and thoughts which are yet to be assembled into an expansive story.

I am looking forward to more works by Adnan Mahmutovic, in hope that they'll justify his undoubted raw potential.

Note: I won this book on Goodreads' giveaway contest.

I won this book in a GoodReads First Reads Giveaway.

This was an okay book. It took a while to pick up, but in all I'll rate it 2 stars, since it wasn't all that riveting.

For me, personally, I was interested at first in the subject at hand, but then I realized that it wasn't all that interesting. Normally books that deal with the aftermath of a war have interesting tales, but this one just didn't capture me. Perhaps because it deals with a section of the world I am normally not interested in, but it probably also has to do with the fact that the story wasn't written all that well in the first place.

I've since sent this book on to someone living in Israel, so I hope they find it more interesting than I did!

I received this book as a giveaway through Good Reads and I really wanted to like it. I tried a few times to start reading it but just couldn't get into it. I think that it was just that I wasn't used to the unusual style of writing.

[Refuge]e is a photo album of words. Short stories and poems come together, creating snapshots of the Bosnian experience shortly after the Bosnian War. Those looking for a complete story will be disappointed. Even though the book largely follows one girl, Almasa, a Bosnian refugee, there isn't much of a story here; yet [Refuge]e speaks volumes.

Mahmutovic's language in this book is wonderful. The pieces are moving. It is well worth the short time (the book is only 90 pages) it takes to invest in this work. While I would've enjoyed it a bit more had the various pieces fit together into a tighter, more cohesive story, I am not disappointed. Almasa's story is one of disjointedness. And seeing her life in these snapshots only seems appropriate.