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A review by stephbookshine
Sleeping Through War by Jackie Carreira
4.0
*I received a free copy of this book with thanks to the author and Rachel Gilbey at Rachel’s Random Resources blog tours. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
Sleeping Through War is told to a backdrop of war and rebellion, but is the quiet, intimate story of what it is to be a woman.
Jackie Carreira takes the lives of three ‘ordinary’, different women and invites us in to their struggles, their joys and sorrows, their moments of contemplation and impulses to action.
There is a haunting stillness to the prose and pace, so that even as turmoil occurs in the plot, we still get a sense of strength and beauty as the women face their everyday lives with painful dignity (Amalia), practical compassion (Rose) and an achingly lonely bravery (Mrs Johnson).
The three accounts are distinct not only in their setting and characters, but in the style of narrative, with Amalia’s story told in omniscient third-person style, Rose’s as a first-person account (either a memoir or oral retelling), and Mrs Johnson’s mainly through her correspondence to her soldier son. Despite these different perspectives the author binds the reader tightly to each woman with the intimate minutiae of her thoughts, feelings and actions.
There are a few heart-wrenching moments along the way, relating to motherhood, loss and sacrifice that had me shedding a few tears for all of the characters involved, and there were a couple of twists that I hadn’t seen coming.
Mainly though this is a glimpse into the miracle of women, ordinary women, just doing what they need to do. Making it through their lives, looking out for others, and trying to find a little kindness to spare for themselves as they go.
‘Ricardo could sleep through war,’ she thought, rising from the sofa. A thick cotton, floral curtain had separated her makeshift bed from the rest of the room and she slid it back quietly to walk through it and towards the bedroom door. Amalia moved with a tired kind of grace, slowly and smoothly around the shadows of the room: table and chairs and squat sideboard with lamp. The door opened with a low moan and she pushed it gently, just enough to poke her head inside. Sure enough, Ricardo was fast asleep; one arm under his pillow, sheet twisted around his smooth, slender legs, and his face turned away from the splashes of red that invaded the walls of his room too.
‘My beautiful boy,’ she whispered, ‘dream us some luck,’ and closed the door gently to leave him alone in his dreams.
– Jackie Carreira, Sleeping Through War
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpress.com/2018/09/09/blog-tour-sleeping-through-war-jackie-carreira/
Sleeping Through War is told to a backdrop of war and rebellion, but is the quiet, intimate story of what it is to be a woman.
Jackie Carreira takes the lives of three ‘ordinary’, different women and invites us in to their struggles, their joys and sorrows, their moments of contemplation and impulses to action.
There is a haunting stillness to the prose and pace, so that even as turmoil occurs in the plot, we still get a sense of strength and beauty as the women face their everyday lives with painful dignity (Amalia), practical compassion (Rose) and an achingly lonely bravery (Mrs Johnson).
The three accounts are distinct not only in their setting and characters, but in the style of narrative, with Amalia’s story told in omniscient third-person style, Rose’s as a first-person account (either a memoir or oral retelling), and Mrs Johnson’s mainly through her correspondence to her soldier son. Despite these different perspectives the author binds the reader tightly to each woman with the intimate minutiae of her thoughts, feelings and actions.
There are a few heart-wrenching moments along the way, relating to motherhood, loss and sacrifice that had me shedding a few tears for all of the characters involved, and there were a couple of twists that I hadn’t seen coming.
Mainly though this is a glimpse into the miracle of women, ordinary women, just doing what they need to do. Making it through their lives, looking out for others, and trying to find a little kindness to spare for themselves as they go.
‘Ricardo could sleep through war,’ she thought, rising from the sofa. A thick cotton, floral curtain had separated her makeshift bed from the rest of the room and she slid it back quietly to walk through it and towards the bedroom door. Amalia moved with a tired kind of grace, slowly and smoothly around the shadows of the room: table and chairs and squat sideboard with lamp. The door opened with a low moan and she pushed it gently, just enough to poke her head inside. Sure enough, Ricardo was fast asleep; one arm under his pillow, sheet twisted around his smooth, slender legs, and his face turned away from the splashes of red that invaded the walls of his room too.
‘My beautiful boy,’ she whispered, ‘dream us some luck,’ and closed the door gently to leave him alone in his dreams.
– Jackie Carreira, Sleeping Through War
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpress.com/2018/09/09/blog-tour-sleeping-through-war-jackie-carreira/