What a beautiful and complex story about the love the characters have for each other, their countries, and the wondrous planet that we live on.

There aren't enough positive adjectives to describe this book, but stunning, artful and indispensable will do for a start.

I had high expectations for a novel that recounts the history of a place as complex and nuanced as Cyprus, a personal story of forbidden love and migration, and presents today's environmental crisis from the point of view of a fig tree. Every one of my hopes was exceeded. Elif Shafak offered a depth of voice, emotion and insight to each aspect without it ever becoming heavy, thanks in part to her lyrical prose.

Anyone seeking a beautiful, satisfying reading experience and a shift in their perspective and understanding of our world will doubtless be satisfied.

I aim to recommend this novel far and wide.

One of my favorite books this year. I love the way this book was written as well as the story. The book inspired me so much that I’m writing this review from Turkey.

I really loved this book!! It had so many twists and turns. It kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next!! This was my first book by this Author, and it won’t be the last!! Quick read!! Highly recommended!! You won’t be disappointed!!

At first I had trouble getting into this book, but let me make it clear that it was all ME and not the writing--which is lovely! Kostas and Defne are in love and often visit The Fig Tree to eat (even though they can't afford it). What they don't know is the fig tree listens and becomes the narrator. Vacillating between time periods, the novel shares with us the history of Cyprus, the life of Kostas and Defne, and daughter Ada. We come to understand the Turkish and Greek customs as well as the history of conflict and resolution. It is lyrical and sensual writing that will not be easily forgotten!

he Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak. Published in 2021. Thank you to Net Galley @netgalley for letting me read a digital ARC of this book.
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I read 10 Minutes and 38 Seconds In This Strange World a few months ago and loved it, so I was eager to The Island of Missing Trees. I really loved the actual story - something of a Romeo and Juliet type narrative about a Greek Cypriot and a Turkish Cypriot. The novel explores themes of immigration and secrets and loss, as the narrative moves around between Cyprus in the 1970s and London in the 2010s.
However, I did really struggle with the portions that were narrated by a fig tree. I have read a few other reviews and it seems this narrative device was quite polarizing. On one side are readers that found the fig tree to be a charming storyteller, but I am in the camp that found it to distract from the parts of the story I was more interested in.
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#theislandofmissingtrees #elifshafak #netgalley #2021reading #2021books #recommendedread #bookpost #bookreview

My first book by Elif Shafak and I very much enjoyed it. This is my second book this year, coincidentally, that focused on this time in history and the island of Cyprus. This book did not go into the details of the conflict like the other book did, so I was happy to have read that one first to better understand what was happening in Cyprus for these characters and their lives on the the island. You can certainly read this one without knowing as much but I think it adds to the story to know a bit more of the history than we get here. Or this may be a good introduction to that time in history spurring you to find out more.

I enjoyed the narration coming from the Fig Tree. I thought it added so much to the story, in so many ways, including a wonderful science lesson wrapped up in a story. The ending narration by the Fig Tree was beautiful and my favorite part of the story.

I never connected fully with the characters and as it was a character-driven story, I would have liked to have felt more connection with them.

Overall, a beautiful story with lots of interesting facets. It's evident that the author researched lots and cared deeply for this story. I plan on reading more books from Shafak in the future.

This beautifully written novel is both captivating and moving. The reader is transported back and forth in time (1974-2010’s) between London and Cyprus. Kostas, a Greek Cypriot and Defne, a Turkish Cypriot share a young and forbidden love just as civil war ensues. As the story unfolds, the realities of war and the resulting loss, grief and long lasting trauma are revealed with depth and sensitivity. An unusual and surprisingly highly effective aspect of the story is that part of it is narrated by a fig tree and all it witnessed. This uniquely highlights that humanity and nature are interconnected. A multi- layered, transportive read that explores belonging, identity, roots, love, trauma, nature and renewal in a discerning yet hopeful manner. Don’t miss this gem, it will stay with you.
Thanks to NetGalley who provided an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first book by Elif Shafak and I've been wanting to read something by her for quite a while. It was so well written and I really enjoyed it. I also learned so much about Cyprus, admittedly I didn't know much about the civil war there so I appreciated that aspect. It was heartbreaking.
The book is narrated in part by a tree, and it seems that reviewers are split on this. I liked it and I enjoyed the tree's chapters. It allowed for so much more information on the natural world to be brought in, information about trees, and also an interesting perspective on humans (not as the center of the universe).
I look forward to reading more books by her.

I loved this story. Alternating chapters are told from the perspective of a beloved fig tree. So many layers and beautiful writing. Characters are easy to like and well drawn. The deaths of Turks and Greeks on Cypros Island and the history was unknown to me. Highly recommend.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

The Island of Missing Trees is a well-constructed and moving tale of love and history - the love between a man and a woman, a parent and a child, humans and plants and animals, living things and places. There are many key characters and all have an important part in the tale.
The story centers around 16-year old Ada, who experiences a rather strange moment at school just before the holiday break. Ada lives in London with her father; her mother died earlier that year, and both of them are silently and separately dealing with their grief.
Ada's parents met and fell in love as teenagers in Cyprus, but as her mother was from the Turkish side and her father from the Greek, they were pulled apart by war and family. The tale of their love is beautifully built and includes other people who help along the way, as well as a fig tree who is possibly the true main character in the story.
This book is a reminder that there is much beauty and care and hope surrounding us all, along with the pain and horror that often makes up everyday life.
Thank you to NetGally and to the publisher for an early review copy.

At about 84% The Island of Missing Trees disappeared from my phone (downloaded Oct 23, 2021, achieve date Oct 31, 2021, publish date Nov 2, 2021, purged from phone Nov 12, 2021). Now achieved by NetGalley and no longer available. Sigh.

I never became really attached to any of the characters. Recently listened to the interview with Kristen Hannah at the end of the Four Winds audiobook; Ms. Hannah said that good books need conflict. There is opportunity for conflict in The Island of Missing Trees (as there is a teenager), but I didn't feel a sense of conclict as much of the book is consumed with recounting the past (and also that you know from the beginning that the mother/Delfie has died).

I think that I would have "gotten into" the book more if story with Ada had been a bit stronger.

Part of the story was from the point of view of a Fig Tree. An interesting and unique perspective.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author Elif Shafak and the publisher Bloomsbury USA for the opportunity to review 84% of the advance read copy in exchange for an honest review.

Oh well. If I can get from a library, I’ll probably finish. If not, I’m not going to loose any sleep.

This is one of my top ten reads of 2021. Yes, because it’s historical fiction, yes, it’s about Cyprus, yes it’s about Turkish and Greek cultures, yes, the writing was beautiful, but more than anything else it was the Fig Tree that sealed my love of this book - oh, how I love thee Fig Tree! I won’t say more than that as I don’t want to spoil it for others. Suffice it to say Shafak does a phenomenal job as she unfolds the story of Defne, a Turkish Cypriot and Kostas, a Greek Cypriot set against the backdrop of Cyprus’ tumultuous history and strife, which continues today. The story is set in the 1970s, 2000s, and late 2010s with Cyprus and the U.K. as settings. This is beautifully accomplished novel by Elif Shafak. As she weaves the story of Defne and Kostas, Shafak interconnects history, love, culture, conflict, nature, and the undeniable yearning and love of one’s motherland. Those strains are ever present throughout the book, which bring an elegiac undercurrent that heightens the senses and connects the reader with the characters, including the Fig Tree. The impacts of one’s formative years and the memories of where you grew up are always with you no matter your age, time, and place, and Defne and Kostas are undoubtedly shaped by those years. This book is so much more than an historical fiction. Its depth, breadth, and connectedness to both the human spirit and to nature make it an excellent read and I would highly recommend it. I also enjoyed writing style very much - it is warm and lovely, especially when describing nature. A definite 5-star book. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I'm obsessed with magical realism, and this was definitely right up my alley. Shafak's novel follows the story of a young couple in love in war-torn Cyprus in the 1970s and their teenage daughter being raised in 2000s London. The true beauty of this novel is that there are sections torn from the perspective of the fig tree (I know it sounds weird!) that makes its way from Cyprus to England with the family.

There were so many things to love about this book - the magical culture of the island, the insight into what happens when war takes over and people are left behind, how a young girl deals with grief. I absolutely loved the different perspectives and how the timeline skipped back and forth to reveal more details about the lives of the characters. The writing style is really mellifluous and truthful.

The only drawback for me was that the pacing was a little off - some parts of the book felt a tad slow even when the events described were exciting or important.

Overall, though, this book was creative and heartfelt. I loved the characters and was sad when the book was over!

"People on both sides of the island suffered- and people on both sides would hate it if you said it out loud" "Why" "Because the past is a dark, distorted mirror. You look at it, you only see your own pain."

I don't know how objective I can be in my review. I love Elif Shafak, I 've read my first book of hers "Mahrem- The Gaze" in college almost 20 years ago. When I first read the synopsis of the book I felt nervous because Cyprus is a controversial subject to write about. There is always a risk of upsetting one side or another. But Elif managed to write a beautiful and moving story about two star-crossed lovers from different ethnicity and religions and use the island as a background in such a magical way. As her author's note indicated "it is all fiction with a mixture of wonder, dreams, love and sorrow". But Shafak also provides a compassionate account of the partition of the Island. At its core this is a story of love, loss, healing, identity, belonging and nature,

Ada is the daughter of Kostas and Defne. Respectively Greek and Turkish Cypriots, who have decided to leave their pasts behind and start anew in London. In 1974 right before the partition Kostas and Defne fall in love. They have to keep their relationship a secret. The only two people who are pulling for them are Yiorgos and Yusuf (another Greek-Turkish couple) who ran the Happy Fig Tavern. The taverna gets its name from a fig tree planted in the center.

One of the narrator of the story is this melancholic fig tree. There is magical realism here. To be honest, in the the first few "Fig Tree" chapters I had trouble with how lyrical the storytelling was. Then I got used to it and really it is where her storytelling shines.

The way Elif told the story through a fig tree, which had been carried all the way from Nicosia to London, is just brilliant. The tree hears and sees everything happening in the tavern but that is not his only source of information. She tells us the stories she heard from all the animals and insects she seduced with her ripe fruits. Droves of birds, bats, bees, ants, butterflies, mice... There is also so much love for nature and eco-consciousness in this book,

All the little Turkish and Greek words and phrases, the terms of endearment, sprinkled here and there made my heart happy. The parts where Elif showed the similarities in their customs, superstitions like the blue glass for evil eye and showing respect for a piece bread fallen on the pavement (for Turks it is picking up and touching it to their foreheads with reverence and for the Greeks, taking the slice and making the cross , putting their hands over their hearts) showed once again how much alike these communities are. This is an ongoing point of conversation between me and my Greek friend.

This is a beautiful book written with gorgeous prose that I'll be recommending everyone.

What an interesting story! I honestly can’t think of anything to compare this to - it is that unique. It alternates timelines and locations exploring a forbidden relationship between a Greek and a Turk in the 70s to present day London. There is a love story, loss, cultural divisions, and at the very center of the story: a tree. The tree is one of the narrators in this beautiful, magical story. This is the current pick for the Reese Witherspoon book club

“Maybe we give other names to grief because we are too scared to call it by its name.”

Well, this book was... different. Certainly some aspects - one of the narrators being a tree, for example - took some getting used to. I eventually got on board with the tree as a narrator, although at times some of the metaphors felt too heavy-handed. (For example, the traumas that plants endure compared to those that humans experience.) Overall though I liked the back-and-forth narrative style that alternated between the human characters and the fig tree, and how we got nonfiction-type information through the tree's narration. The author must have done a lot of research!

What frustrated me, though, was the way the author completely skipped the most interesting aspects of the story - the civil war in Cyprus! The best parts of this book were those that recounted Kostas' and Defne's love story in the 1970s. But suddenly we skip 25 years to them reuniting in the 2000s, completing skipping the meat of the conflict on the island, including everything Defne lived through. I was extremely disappointed not to get this part of the story! I also did not need so much of the setting of Ada in London in the 2010s, except keeping a bit of it to see the generational consequences of the conflict was important. Overall an ok read, but not one I enjoyed as much as Shafak's previous books.

Elif Shafak does it again! I was completely moved by this book. It had me from page one and never let me go. If you love reading about found family or environmental issues this is a book you must pick up.

The Island of Missing Trees was one of my very favorite novels this year. The story was very unique and unlike anything I have ever read. (I especially enjoyed the stories from the fig tree!) You know it’s great historical fiction, when you spend time googling to learn more once you finish the book.

The story alternates timelines, which can be confusing in some books, but the author did such a good job transitioning between the stories. Also, the author’s imagery was some of the best I have ever read. I truly felt like I was apart of this story and I could visually see the island. I cannot wait to read more from this author!

What a beautiful and moving book this is. Told in alternating narratives, one of which is a Fig Tree, you'll be swept away by this magical story of pain, loss, war, family, and most of all enduring love.

This was my first time reading a book by Elif Shafak, but it won't be my last.

Thank you to Bloomsbury Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC.