01-05-2021

Burnt Shadows Kamila Shamsie

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In Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie, the notion of glocalization appears articulating general tendencies with global impact (the Nuclear Bomb, the Cold War, North American neo-colonialism in. Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie A Review Burnt Shadows is an immensely ambitious novel by Kamila Shamsie. It’s narrative moves with its characters from war time Japan, to pre-Partition India, to Pakistan during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, to New York after September 11 and the subsequent war in Afghanistan. Burnt Shadows: Review of Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie, plus back-story and other interesting facts about the book. The following edition of this book was used to write this study guide: Shamsie, Kamila. Burnt Shadows. Picador, 2009. Burnt Shadows is a historical novel that takes place across four dramatically different generations and locations in the 20th century.

Kamila Shamsie's novel 'Burnt Shadows' uses a cinemascope vision to portray a Japanese woman's struggle to understand her life in a spinning world where historic forces seem to lead her and her family into an inevitable showdown with fate.

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Beginning on August 9, 1945, in Nagasaki, and ending in a prison cell in the US in 2002, as a man is waiting to be sent to Guantanamo Bay, Burnt Shadows is an epic narrative of love and betrayal.
Hiroko Tanaka is twenty-one and in love with the man she is to marry, Konrad Weiss. As she steps onto her veranda, wrapped in a kimono with three black cranes swooping across the b..more

Published April 28th 2009 by Bond Street Books (first published 2009)

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This question contains spoilers…(view spoiler)[So do you think Raza gets executed, or just sent to Guantanamo for decades or deported after Guantanamo? (hide spoiler)]

Penny de VriesI think he disappears from public view, the CIA take him on and he is forced to become a double agent lest his family is harmed.

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Rating details

Jan 26, 2014Paul rated it really liked it

A novel with great scope ranging over a vast sweep of modern history, written with great warmth and understanding. The characters are well drawn and believable. Characters with flaws, who make mistakes which have consequences, but who are understandable and feel like real people.
The novel is broken up into three sections. The first is in the 1940s; in 1945 Hiroko Tanaka has become engaged to Konrad Weiss, a German living, like her in Nagasaki. He is killed by the atomic bomb and she is injured...more

Dec 13, 2009Barbara rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommended to Barbara by: Rose O (with gratitude)

'Burnt Shadows' was a gift to me from a friend who valued this book highly. It was a gift for me because it has given me much food for thought. At the outset, I was determined to enjoy this book to share the pleasure with my friend, but as I progressed I could observe why she ranked it so extremely well.
I will not attempt a summary here. One can easily find that elsewhere. The scope of this novel is huge. It spans about 60 years, from the A- Bomb in Nagasaki, to the partitioning of India and Pa..more

Oct 04, 2018Zanna rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

'Why? Can't women travel alone in India?'
Elizabeth almost laughed. So much for those demure Japanese women of all the stories she'd heard. Here was one who would squeeze the sun in her fist if she ever got the chance; yes, and tilt her head back to swallow its liquid light.

Here is how to write a novel with emotional truth: find your characters, and let them make their stories. But Kamila Shamsie, who in Burnt Shadows does this so superbly, has done so much more. When I shared the opening themes..more

Jul 01, 2010Elizabeth rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: japan, fiction, india, new-york, europe, asia, afghanistan

A twisting yarn of a book that struck me as something written fresh on the heels of 9-11. There were certain elements of the plot that I thought were probably even more impactful for readers who read this book a few years after that horrific event.
Beginning in Nagasaki, Japan, just before the second nuclear bomb drops, the story ventures to India, Turkey, Pakistan, and New York as it follows two families, one of German-English and another Japanese-Pakistani extraction. Lives mirror and intersec..more

Jul 25, 2015João Carlos rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The Urakami Cathedral in Nagasaki, which was obliterated on 9 August 1945. The replacement was built in 1959 - Photograph: Shigeo Hayashi/Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum
”Sombras Queimadas” o quinto romance da paquistanesa Kamila Shamsie (n. 1973) está dividido em quatro partes: ”O Mundo ainda Desconhecido” (Nagasáqui, 9 de Agosto de 1945), ”Pássaros Velados” (Deli, 1947), ”Guerreiros Meio-Anjos” (Paquistão, 1982 – 1983) e ”A Velocidade Necessária para Substituir a Perda (Nova Iorque, Afeganistão, 20..more

Jun 10, 2012Caroline rated it really liked it

I was impressed with the scope of this novel - from Japan to Pakistan to America, and covering about half a century - it touched upon a broad spectrum of cultures, politics and lives, with the twists and turns in the story largely governed by geographic location.
For me it was all about identity, and how a sense of identity can be damaged by the horror of an atomic bomb, or by failing exams, by subterfuge, or by looking different to those around you. But as well as exploring alienation, this boo..more

Sep 12, 2012Anum Shaharyar rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mind-doesn-t-know-what-to-think, reviewed-in-detail, muslim-characters, asian-authors, pakistani, loads-of-stuff-to-discuss, books-everyone-should-read

She had not thought of destination so much as departure, wheeling through the world with the awful freedom of someone with no one to answer to. She had become, in fact, a figure out of myth. The character who loses everything and is born anew in blood.
This book is amazing. No, scratch that. Amazing is probably too weak a word here. Think Astounding. Remarkable. The kind of book you tell your best friend to read so you can discuss it together, going over all the finer points.
I’ll admit, I start..more

Mar 23, 2016Aaliyah rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This has quickly become one of my favourite books of all time. It's an important and beautifully written read, give it a chance.

I read so much, and so quickly, that it takes a rare exception of a book to send me searching for post-it notes and a pen to write down quotes from the writing. I found the writing in this book so compelling, that I stopped reading everything else for two whole days and just immersed myself in the story of a woman who finds herself in the midst of several acts of war in the lifetime. From Nagasaki where she is scared mentally and physically, to Delhi where she runs with her new husband from the..more

Jul 04, 2009Anne rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A wonderful read, terrifying in parts, heart-breaking in others and beautifully written throughout - this story has had a huge impact on me and I know it will linger for a long while.
From the beginning of the book when the atomic bomb is dropped on Nagasaki, the effects of this act and of war on the familes involved in the story line shows just how pointless war is.
Kamila Shamsie paints some vivid pictures that are difficult to shift and often invoke high emotion.
I'd highly recommend this novel

This book, from the Orange Prize shortlist, has had terribly mixed reviews. How can a book that tries to tie together the bombing of Nagasaki, the partition of India, the Afghan conflict and 9/11 possibly work? Well, it does - I absolutely loved it. Hiroko is a wonderful character - she lives on the page in a way a character hasn't for me in ages, and she's the anchor that holds this enormous story together. The writing is quite beautiful - some of the imagery will really stay with me, but it re..more

Feb 03, 2019Wsm rated it liked it · review of another edition

An ambitious book,which tries to take on too many subjects,and doesn't quite succeed.Begins with the story of a victim of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki,but goes on to include the partition of India,life in Karachi,the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the US invasion of Afghanistan as well.While some parts of the book were interesting,at times it felt very contrived,particularly the portion on Afghanistan.The last hundred pages,in particular were so boring that I was relieved when it finally c..more

Jul 24, 2011Sana rated it really liked it

The journey from Hiroko Tanaka to an almost Hiroko Konrad and finally, Hiroko Ashraf was intensely poetic and linked to the many absurdities of life. Everything written in the book can be reflected in one simple phrase, 'The speed necessary to replace loss.' More than a search for identity, Burnt Shadows is a tale about learning the secret about loss. There is no overcoming, just a bitter fading of it and an ever pronounceable taste that can surface anytime.
For Raza Konrad Ashraf, the narration..more

Dec 05, 2010

Burnt Shadows By Kamila Shamsie Audiobook

okyrhoe rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: u-s-a, books-i-own, bookcrossing, india, pakistan, change-cover

I actually enjoyed reading it, and I would recommend it to others. But it failed to 'wow' me..
For some reason the plot seemed a tad too obvious. I could tell more or less what was going to happen, in which direction the scenes were developing. So I was reading at two levels, one to read the plot, and another to sense/study the words on the page. That second aspect however wasn't taking me anywhere. I expected to be engaged by the narrative exposition – looking forward to discover irony, doubl..more

Oct 12, 2009Beverly rated it it was amazing

Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie is an ambitious epic book that grabs you in the prologue, as an unnamed narrator is disrobed and left to wait naked with only a steel bench to sit on. His thought is – “How did it come to this.” How stark is this setting – but the grace of the language warns you that this is a story that you want to see unfold.
The story spans 60 years and takes the reader to five different countries: Nagasaki, August 1945; Delhi 1947; Pakistan 1982-3; and New York/ Afghanistan 200..more

Dec 12, 2009Rose rated it it was amazing

Shelves: group-local-book-club

A great read! I highly recommend it. You will feel challenged and enlightened, possibly provoked, and undoubtedly enriched.
Beautiful lyrical prose. This book was an Orange Prize finalist.

Mar 16, 2009Chelsey Clammer rated it it was amazing

Burnt Shadows Kamila Shamsie Free Download

Brilliant. Beautiful. The way that Shamsie deals with trauma, hatred, and racism throughout the novel are astonishing. This book is just so well written--I can't get over it.

Mar 24, 2009Chrissie rated it liked it

Shelves: usa, hf, kirkus, afghanistan, india, japan, pakistan

NO SPOILERS
I finished this last night. Three or four stars? Do I REALLY like it or do I like it. While I was reading it, I REALLY liked it, but with time it is the story that will remain not all the wonderful lines that are so intriguing. I think it will turn into an 'I liked it' book. You will thoroughly enjoy the time spent with this book if you enjoyed the quotes below. Don't think three stars means, aacch choose something else. I loved it b/c it was thought provoking. The last third of the b..more

Feb 11, 2015Zarish Fatima rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: my-elibrary, to-read-list-before-july, hard-copies-i-own

I started this book with no hope of ever liking it. Mainly because it had names in Japanese and German that i could not pronounce. It was slow in some places but picked the pace in the end.
It is precisely the story of a woman who leaves Japan in hope of a better world trying to out run her past, the story is 55 years of her life from there on.
It shows world at its worst and how love, friendship, forgiveness and loyalty can still exist in it. How every decision we make is not independent it conc..more

Undoubtedly a 5.0.
How swiftly the author has swept through the eras; three generations suffering at the hand of fate. and war. How effortlessly she has woven the myriad of ideas, linking them with each other through real life occurrences is particularly commendable.
Not only is this novel thought provoking but it also tells a tale of recent times. How war is bringing nothing but turmoil and destruction. How misunderstandings and lack of communication gives chance for evil to prosper and one to..more

Jul 20, 2009Lanew-yorkaise rated it it was amazing

From http://lanew-yorkaise.com/
Maybe it’s because I spent a good part of my college years studying trauma and how people experience and record it; maybe because World War II and its fallout—both figurative and literal—is a topic I find myself drawn to again and again (my thesis was based on an oral history project I conducted that recorded the stories of college students-turned-soldiers in the ‘40s.) Maybe it’s because the writing is so damn lush, the characters so real. Whatever the reason, Ka..more

Hiroko Tanaka's life has been irrevocably marred by the American bombing of Nagasaki in the summer of 1945. Not only did she lose her father, village, and way of life, but also the young German artist Konrad, with whom she was beginning a relationship. After the kimono she was wearing in the blast becomes fused with her skin, she bears scars shaped like birds across her back. It is with these painful scars and memories that she leaves Japan, unable to find her place in society after the war. Hir..more

May 24, 2009Holly Scudero rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I am absolutely loving this book! Favorite quotes so far:
(On debates regarding the formation of Pakistan) And so it went on and on, and in each group Sajjad found those who made complete sense and in each group also those whose opinions made him want to scatter seeds over the speakers so the pigeons would swoop down and stop their words with a tumult of feathers.
(On the aftermath of the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki) ..he knew by her voice that he was going to hear something that she would sp..more

Jun 01, 2013Lisa rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-book, library-book-or-loan, pakistan

Burnt Shadows (audio book)Burnt Shadows, by Pakistani author Kamila Shamsie, was nominated for the Orange Prize in 2009. Ambitious in its scope, it is a compelling novel that loses its way at the end.
Capably narrated in this audio book edition by Jane McDowell who only occasionally confuses the multiple accents she has to portray, Burnt Shadows is the story of Hiroko Tanaka, who survives the Nagasaki bomb blast but loses everything she holds dear. This novel vividly portrays the profound bewilde..more

Burnt Shadows is an unusual story. There are strong characters in Hiroko and Sajjad which make for great reading. The story comes across as somewhat contrived though, moving from Nagasaki to Delhi to Pakistan to New York. The motivation and behaviour of some of the characters; especially Raza is difficult to understand. The book moves well towards the end and finishes with some good sequences, examining attitudes and stereotypes, and tragedy which hides behind the so called larger good. For the..more

Perhaps if the book had finished in Pakistan, it would have been a better novel. Too intricately woven, drudgingly long, and missing strands of logic here and there, this book seemed like one of Sydney Sheldon's. Although I musts ay, the dialogues at the end of the book were some of the very best ones! That could be the reason for the critical acclaim, the insight of the author related to the wars of nations!

Jul 01, 2015Hugh rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A quietly devastating exploration of the human costs of war. Ranging from Nagasaki in 1945 via pre-partition Delhi and Karachi through to New York and Afghanistan in 2002, the story interweaves tales of conflict and moral choices and ambivalences with an intensely moving family story. Beautifully written and thought provoking - Shamsie is a talented story teller with plenty to say about the modern world.

Kamila Shamsie Muslim

The novel, which begins slowly (Nagasaki, WW2) somehow becomes so compelling by the middle (India, NY) that I simply could not put it down, and the ending is outstanding (Afghanistan, NY)-- lots of lessons, important ones, effective writing, interesting locales, and the ending is SO good perhaps I should have given this a 5.

Jul 15, 2009Elaine rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Burnt Shadows By Kamila Shamsie

I liked it much more b/c I somehow missed the prologue. Would have seemed far too overdetermined, which it was, if I'd realized it was there. As it was, it had significant narrative tension and good characters

Sep 01, 2018Shaimaa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

To be reviewed.

topics	posts	views	last activity
What's the Name o..:SOLVED. Asian (American?) author, read this for college course. Japanese woman moves around a lot: Nagasaki, India, America at 9/11. [s]	3	22	Feb 23, 2018 05:42PM
Bailey's/Orange W..:February 2017 Burnt Shadows	17	30	Jun 29, 2017 12:26PM
Read Women:Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie	1	21	Feb 29, 2016 10:59AM
Pakistani Readers:Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie, Feb/15	54	97	Feb 18, 2016 05:11AM
Middle East/North..:Burnt Shadows - (October- November 2011)	30	33	Dec 13, 2011 11:14PM
Around the World:Pakistan - Nile daughter recommends 'Burnt Shadows'	1	12	Oct 19, 2011 06:37AM

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Kamila Shamsie was born in 1973 in Karachi, where she grew up. She has a BA in Creative Writing from Hamilton College in Clinton, NY and an MFA from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. While at the University of Massachusetts she wrote In The City By The Sea, published by Granta Books UK in 1998. This first novel was shortlisted for the John Llewelyn Rhys Award in the UK, and Shamsie recei..more

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“So many things you promise yourself you won't get used to, and then you do.” — 27 likes

“How to explain to the earth that it was more functional as a vegetable patch than a flower garden, just as factories were more functional than schools and boys were more functional as weapons than as humans.” — 24 likes

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Winner of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award
An Orange Prize Finalist

Nagasaki, August 9, 1945. Hiroko Tanaka watches her lover from the veranda as he leaves. Sunlight streams across Urakami Valley, and then the world goes white.

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In the devastating aftermath of the atomic bomb, Hiroko leaves Japan in search of new beginnings. From Delhi, amid India's cry for independence from British colonial rule, to New York City in the immediate wake of 9/11, to the novel's astonishing climax in Afghanistan, a violent history casts its shadow the entire world over. Sweeping in its scope and mesmerizing in its evocation of time and place, this is a tale of love and war, of three generations, and three world-changing historic events. Burnt Shadows is a story for our time by 'a writer of immense ambition and strength. . . . This is an absorbing novel that commands in the reader a powerful emotional and intellectual response' (Salman Rushdie).

Picador; April 2009
ISBN: 9781429920780
Read online, or download in secure ePub format
Title: Burnt Shadows
Author: Kamila Shamsie
Imprint: Picador

Subject categories

Fiction > Historical
Fiction > Literary Fiction
Children's & Young Adult Fiction > Science Fiction, Fantasy, Magic

ISBNs

9780312551872
9781429920780

In The Press

“Burnt Shadows is one of the most remarkable novels I have read in recent years -- a tour de force of vision, sympathy, language. Kamila Shamsie's subject is brilliantly timely in our era or 'globalization'--at the same time a riveting family saga in which the very concept 'family' is ambitiously and imaginatively examined.” —Joyce Carol Oates

“Completely authentic, complex, and breath-stopping.” —Emma Thompson

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“The most ambitious novel yet by this talented writer. In Burnt Shadows, Kamila Samsie casts her imagination remarkably far and wide, through time and across continents.” —Mohsin Hamid

“Kamila Shamsie is a writer of immense ambition and strength. She understands a great deal about the ways in which the world's many tragedies and histories shape one another, and about how human beings can try to avoid being crushed by their fate and can discover their humanity, even in the fiercest combat zones of the age. Burnt Shadows is an absorbing novel that commands, in the reader, a powerful emotional and intellectual response.” —Salman Rushdie

“Ambitious . . . Shamsie's deft touch . . . delicately builds the momentums of everyday life against the insidiously political situation of the time. . . . A tribute to Shamsie's skills.” —Chicago Sun-Times

“Burnt Shadows is audacious in its ambition, epic in its scope. A startling expansion of the author's intentions, imagination and craftsmanship. One can only admire the huge advances she has made, and helped us to make, in understanding the new global tensions.” —Anita Desai

“One of the finest writers at work anywhere, period . . . A great, absorbing novel, one that will be with us a long time.” —Rick Simonson, Elliot Bay Book Company

“Kamila Shamsie opens a vista onto the century we have just lived through--pointing out its terror and its solace. She is so extraordinary a writer that she also offers hints about the century we are living through--the dark corners that contain challenges, as well as the paths that lead to beauty's lair.” —Nadeem Aslam, author of Maps for Lost Lovers Type of software.

About The Author

KAMILA SHAMSIE was born in 1973 in Karachi. She has studied and taught in the USA. Two of her previous novels, Kartography and Broken Verses, have won awards from Pakistan's Academy of Letters. She writes for The Guardian (UK) and frequently broadcasts on the BBC.