As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow, Zoulfa Katouh
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow, Zoulfa Katouh
List: $31.99 | Sale: $22.40
Club: $15.99

As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow

Author: Zoulfa Katouh

Narrator: Rasha Zamamiri

Unabridged: 12 hr 16 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/13/2022


Synopsis

A love letter to Syria and its people, As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow is a speculative novel set amid the Syrian Revolution, burning with the fires of hope, love, and possibility. Perfect for fans of The Book Thief and Salt to the Sea.

Salama Kassab was a pharmacy student when the cries for freedom broke out in Syria. She still had her parents and her big brother; she still had her home. She had a normal teenager’s life. 
 
Now Salama volunteers at a hospital in Homs, helping the wounded who flood through the doors daily. Secretly, though, she is desperate to find a way out of her beloved country before her sister-in-law, Layla, gives birth. So desperate, that she has manifested a physical embodiment of her fear in the form of her imagined companion, Khawf, who haunts her every move in an effort to keep her safe. 
 
But even with Khawf pressing her to leave, Salama is torn between her loyalty to her country and her conviction to survive. Salama must contend with bullets and bombs, military assaults, and her shifting sense of morality before she might finally breathe free. And when she crosses paths with the boy she was supposed to meet one fateful day, she starts to doubt her resolve in leaving home at all.  
 
Soon, Salama must learn to see the events around her for what they truly are—not a war, but a revolution—and decide how she, too, will cry for Syria’s freedom.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Zoulfa on October 13, 2022

Dear Reader, Welcome to the Lemon Trees family. It's quite strange giving my own book five stars but if there's one thing I gave 110% of myself in, it's Lemon Trees. And BTS taught me to speak myself. So here I am, speaking myself. This book comes from my pain, my guilt, my love, my sorrows, my dream......more

Goodreads review by Cindy on January 01, 2023

Sad as fuck but earnest as fuck. A love letter for Syria that more young adults should read instead of, like, ACOTAR or something......more

Goodreads review by Joan on April 28, 2022

we need to talk about ch 29. zoulfa HOW DARE YOU......more

Goodreads review by Clace on July 16, 2024

5 stars! “كلُّ ليمونة ستنجب طفلاً ومحال أن ينتهي الليمون Every lemon will bring forth a child, and the lemons will never die out” I have read this book thrice and I have not been able to write as review for this book because I knew no matter how hard I tried, whatever words I used, nothing could ev......more

Goodreads review by ♥︎ Heather ⚔(Semi-Hiatus) on September 03, 2024

“𝐹𝑜𝓇 𝓃𝑜𝓌, 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝒻𝓁𝒶𝑔 𝒾𝓈 𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓈𝒽𝒾𝑒𝓁𝒹 𝒶𝑔𝒶𝒾𝓃𝓈𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝑜𝓁𝒹 𝓌𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓈, 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒷𝑜𝓂𝒷𝓈 𝒻𝒶𝓁𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒻𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝓀𝓎, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒷𝓊𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓉𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓉𝑒𝒶𝓇 𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑜 𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒷𝑜𝒹𝒾𝑒𝓈. 𝐼𝓃 𝒹𝑒𝒶𝓉𝒽 𝒾𝓉’𝓈 𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓈𝒽𝓇𝑜𝓊𝒹, 𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒸𝑜𝓇𝓅𝓈𝑒𝓈 𝓈𝓌𝒶𝒹𝒹𝓁𝑒𝒹 𝒾𝓃 𝒾𝓉 𝒶𝓈 𝓌𝑒 𝓇𝑒𝓉𝓊𝓇𝓃 𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝑜𝒾𝓁 𝓌𝑒 𝓋𝑜𝓌𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝑜 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝓉𝑒𝒸𝓉.” ˚ ༘♡ ⋆。˚ ೃ⁀➷ ₊˚✧[ 𝓠𝓾𝓲𝓬𝓴 𝓢𝓾𝓶𝓶𝓪𝓻𝔂 ]✧˚₊‧ Salama Kassub, at the tender......more


Quotes

"A searing story of war, loss, family and love, of seeking grace in madness and hope in tragedy, As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow is a phenomenal tale, a piercing keen for the Syria that was and the Syria that is. An absolute must read.”—Sabaa Tahir, #1 NYT bestselling author of An Ember in the Ashes

"Wrenching and lyrical, As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow heralds a stunning new voice in young adult literature. This heartbreakingly beautiful novel challenges the reader to open their hearts and minds to the ongoing revolution in Syria against a ruthless dictator--one who has taken too many lives and forced nearly 13 million Syrians to flee their homeland. Zoulfa Katouh reminds us of the awesome power of love, hope, and tenacity even in the most desperate circumstances. A gorgeous, compelling read that you will not be able to put down."—Samira Ahmed, New York Times bestselling author of Internment

"Brilliant, beautiful, powerful. As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow will leave a profound mark on your soul, transforming the way you see love, loss, and the human capacity for resilience and hope that soars above all."—S.K. Ali, author of Love from A to Z

"As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow paints a stunning and often chilling portrait of the Syrian Revolution that will stay close to my heart. Zoulfa Katouh’s driving narrative, beautifully drawn characters, and thoughtful prose bleed across the page. Resilience, loyalty, and bravery intertwine into the backdrop of war and siege, brutality and terror. Teens Salama and Kenan shine with the kind of hope and love that overcomes the greatest fear. Magnificent and moving."—Laura Taylor Namey, New York Times bestselling author of A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow and When We Were Them

"We don’t deserve Katouh’s gorgeous words and heartbreaking story, but she has blessed us with it anyway. AS LONG AS THE LEMON TREES GROW is not only stunningly written, it’s also an incredibly important work of our time, a book that will no doubt touch millions and leave us all broken and aching for more of Katouh’s writing.”—Jesse Q. Sutanto, bestselling author of Dial A for Aunties

"As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow is hauntingly beautiful. Katouh masterfully tells a story that's both painful and captivating, you won't be able to put the book down. Her characters are so achingly real they'll live with you weeks after you've finished reading. The story manages to embrace fear in the time of war, love in spite of loss, and hope in the face of darkness. I cannot stress it enough, this book is a must read."
 —Huda Fahmy author of Huda F Are You?

"Compassionately and unflinchingly told, As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow is both a transcendent love story and a battle cry. Katouh will make you weep with sorrow, rage, and joy—and you will thank her for it. An unforgettable book from a rising star.”—Allison Saft, NYT bestselling author of A Far Wilder Magic.

"As gorgeous as it is groundbreakingAs Long as the Lemon Trees Grow holds many things at once: beauty and ruin; brutality and sweetness; tender love in the midst of shattering violence. Katouh writes with urgency and grace, and while she never shies from the horrors of war, neither does she miss a single note of hope—and there are so many. This book is devastatingly beautiful."—David Arnold, NYT bestselling author of Mosquitoland and The Electric Kingdom

Life-affirming and poignant, As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow left me speechless more than once.  As characters, Salama and Kenan leap off the page, and my heart ached for them as they bonded over Miyazaki and dared to love in the face of war-torn reality that Katouh rendered unflinchingly but with a human touch.”—Joan He, New York Times Bestselling author of The Ones We're Meant to Find

"As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow left me absolutely breathless. Through unflinching--and at times positively devastating--prose, Katouh paints with her words a beautiful story of home and loss, but also of defiant hope. Her pages hold within them something special, something truly rare. My heart will never be quite the same."—Ayana Gray, New York Times-bestselling author of Beasts of Prey