Comments (23)

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Jan 20, 2024MahitK rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
"Home Fire" is a novel by Kamila Shamsie that spins an old tale into a modern setting. Based on Sophocles’s classic play "Antigone," "Home Fire" tells the story of a woman fighting against a government she knows she can’t beat. The novel…
Nov 18, 2022
This is a gut-wrenching retelling of Greek mythology's Antigone. Shamsie brilliantly uses the power of an ancient story to create something exceedingly current as it examines what it means to be Muslim in a western society.
May 12, 2022esrobbins rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Each of the 5 main characters take a turn telling this story in the 5 sections of the book. It works really well in keeping the story going and making it interestingly told. I loved the modern day take of the story of Antigone. The…
Dec 23, 2021BARosen1112 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Author Shamsie adapted the ancient Greek play of Antigone to a London setting featuring second generation Pakistani immigrants. The story features two sisters, the younger of which is the 19 year old twin of a male sibling who has become…
Jan 10, 2021BeauCoquelicot rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Uniquely written, very poetic in format & diction.
Dec 20, 2019OPL_AnnaW rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
An Antigone-inspired tale of family, loyalty, and identity informed by British and Muslim cultures. Strong characters and an indelible ending make this a compelling read.
Sep 23, 2019
ML
Jun 13, 2019
11 copies , 2 available. Touches on radicalization.
May 22, 2019
Shortlisted for the 2019 International Dublin Literary Award.
Mar 01, 2019gale37 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
A topical and moving story., it may help to understand how most Muslims deal with radical Islam while being a Muslim in a non-Muslim country.
Oct 06, 2018trickbag22 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
So much in this book to savor. The prose and imagery. I think my favorite is the image of grief is from Aneeka, when her twin brother is murdered. "Grief raged, grief whimpered, grief made time compress and contract, grief tasted like…
Jul 23, 2018Rock_Shadow rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
While the topic of this novel is timely and important, sadly, the characters are underdeveloped, and writing little bit flat and confusing. I can see how Shamsie would be passionate about her novel: Antigone’s story is like no other.…
Jun 14, 2018
Tiny print
Mar 13, 2018
Once I saw that this was a modern day adaptation of Sophocles' Antigone, I had to read it. This is a beautifully written story about love, loss, and loyalty from the differing perspectives of three siblings from a British Muslim family.…
Feb 26, 2018LPL_MeredithW rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
An absolutely stunning novel about the intersection of family, faith, and politics, told in beautiful, clear language.
Feb 13, 2018brangwinn rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
An interesting story about Pakistani immigrant families in Britain. As a onlooker into this community, if nothing else this dispels the view that all immigrants share the same views, as well as a look at how Muslim hardliners recruit…
Jan 11, 2018uncommonreader rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Brilliant. The personal is political; the political is personal. Highly recommended.
Jan 05, 2018atwood_benner_cho rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Heartbreaking novel, about two Pakistani-English families, one father a jihadi, the other father a high-ranking government official. Their childrens' lives collide in an unexpected way. One of my best reads of 2017.
Dec 15, 2017nellybells rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Right up there with my other top fiction reads of 2017. I had to read about Antigone so I understood the reference in all reviews.
Nov 28, 2017SPL_Liz rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
When I began this book I didn't realize it was based on the Greek tragedy Antigone. I wasn't anticipating the tragedy part which made it a little harder for me to enjoy. That said, it's an elegant, humanizing, perspective-changing work.…
Nov 18, 2017njon38 rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
NPR describes it as "puts a topical spin on the ancient greek tragedy Antigone. One Muslim family in London whose father died a jihadi and brother becomes seduced into working for ISIS intersecting with another Muslim family in London…
Nov 07, 2017SPL_Shauna rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Unquestionably the best fiction I've read this year. Home Fire follows a family broken by terror and the Western world's response to it. Not only is the prose achingly beautiful, but the plot moves like lightning - it's almost impossible…
Sep 23, 2017blcwrites rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This is one of the best books I've read this year. It is based on Antigone but brought into contemporary times with the same dilemma - family, politics, beliefs, and violence. I rarely add my two cents to the comments section, but this…