Customer Reviews

World Unseen

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Shamim Sarif appears to possess the gift of writing verse as prose and the world unseen is a fine example of this lyricism. This is not great literature but it certainly is an easy read (I read it in a single sitting), drawing you in to empathize with the characters, rooting for them to succeed. It is a captivating book and I would highly recommend reading it.

At its core is the restrained love story between Amina and Miriam, both astonished by the intensity of their feelings and the common need to break out of their oppressive worlds. It is a story of opposites - of repression and expression, questioning tradition and blind acceptance, of courage and fear, of integrity and deceit, of finding a voice and finally of choices. What really evolves from this story are these broader themes, more universal in their appeal, underscored by each of its remarkable characters as small actions either in defiance of apartheid or convention, an arcane custom or simply humor in the face of adversity. This is possibly the book's greatest strength.

Sarif is smart enough to leave an open ending relative to the era. However, there's a strong argument for a more definitive ending - one that gives the reader some greater assurance of the relationship between these women surviving.

Perhaps the movie offers some better form of closure.

I absolutely loved this book. Shamim has such developed characters and I love how she writes one chapter through one persons point of view, then the following in another, it really helps to understand what is going on. Its easy to follow along, and I read it in two long sittings, you won't be disspointed I promise!

Sucks you right in. Amazing characters that stay with you long after the book is over. Written with style, yet easy to read! i highly recommend this book!

The World Unseen was a great read. The writing was smooth and effortless to read. The characters were sympathetic and well drawn, including several secondary characters. The prose vividly portrays the time and place in which the characters exist, bringing it all alive within the reader's mind.

If you're looking for a typical lesbian romance though, you may not be that interested. More than one third into the book the two women had only met briefly twice. The story follows their separate lives and then eventually weaves them together. The book is nicely paced, always moving forward. But it's not a fast pace. It's more of a slow moving river as opposed to a rushing torrent.

What I truly appreciated was the glimpse I was given into the ethnic and cultural conflicts of South Africa in the early 1950's. The story takes place near the beginning of apartheid, which was a bit of an eye opener for me in terms of its timing. As Europe and North America moved towards events that would finally bring about more racial equality, South Africa began aggressively moving further in the entirely opposite direction.

The only reason that I didn't rate The World Unseen with 5 stars is because I felt the ending was much too abrupt. I'm not one of those who needs every ending to be nicely tied up and everything clear. Vague or open-ended endings have their place in fiction and it's one that I can often appreciate. But in this case I was expecting a bit more and felt teased by the author. It didn't ruin the book for me by any means, but at the final few paragraphs I was thinking, "Hey wait a minute, you can't stop there!"

Kindle Note: Unfortunately, the Kindle ebook version is a mess in terms of formatting. I am returning the book because I don't believe I should have to pay ten bucks for such a poorly made product, even if the novel itself was excellent. Near the beginning entire blocks of text are indented. After that, indents seem to go away almost completely. This makes reading a chore, especially when dialogue is involved. There are also a lot of errors like dropped words, along with a few places of funky random formatting such as a few words suddenly underlined. I will be contacting the publisher in the hopes that they will pull the ebook and redo it and then inform me when it's done. If so, I will repurchase the ebook and remove this part of my review.

Cleverly written. Excellent book. Enjoyable & easy read. Highly recommend it.

i read the book after i watched the dvd, the book was only delivered after the dvd. couldn't wait to read the book first. the book portrayed more than what is shown in the dvd. a love that endured so much and took so long to come to fruition is worth waiting for. i read i cant think straight and watched the dvd as well by the same author.

this book was a free rental with my prime membership.it is an outstanding piece of fine literature.the characters are believable and the story realistic.it is absolutely top of the line.

The movie was delightful and fast-paced; and because I liked the characters so much, I bought the book. The prose is good, but it's so slow and the movie is so true to it that I didn't find any incentives to chase after scenes. It was, unfortunately, a chore to finish. OTOH, I did enjoy "I Can't Think Straight" by the same author. So maybe this is just one of those books I would've enjoyed more if I had read it first before watching the movie.

Sensitive, evocative, interesting characters shine throughout this novel. The reader feels moved by the situation, and cares about what happens to Amina and Miriam as each chapter unfolds.
One is left feeling that these women will indeed have a future together, even when all odds seem stacked against them. Immensely enjoyable!

Wonderful story that depicts the late 50's South African society. Amazing descriptions of feelings. Just go for it, you won't be disappointed !