The Blue Between Sky and Water

By: Susan Abulhawa

Narrated by: Jennifer Woodward

It is 1947, and Beit Daras, a quiet village in Palestine surrounded by olive groves, is home to the Baraka family. Eldest daughter Nazmiyeh looks after her widowed mother, prone to wandering and strange outbursts, while her brother, Mamdouh, tends to the village bees. Their younger sister, Mariam, with her striking mismatched eyes, spends her days talking to imaginary friends and writing.

When Israeli forces gather outside the town's borders, nobody suspects the terror that is about to descend. Soon the village is burning, and, amid smoke and ash, the family must take the long road to Gaza, in a walk that will test them to their limits.

Sixty years later Mamdouh's granddaughter, Nur, is living in America. She falls in love with a married man, a doctor who works in Palestine, and follows him to Gaza. There she meets Alwan, the mother of Khaled - a boy trapped in his own body, unable to wake up from a deep blue dream. It is through her that Nur will at last discover the ties of kinship that transcend distance - and even death.

The Blue Between Sky and Water is a story of powerful, flawed women; of relocation, separation, and heartache; of renewal, family, endurance, and love. Susan Abulhawa brings a raw humanity and delicate authority to the story of Palestine in this devastatingly beautiful tale.

©2015 Susan Abulhawa (P)2015 Audible, Inc.

Favorite book of the year!

I'm in awe of Susan Abulhawa and the narrator Jennifer Woodward. The author has crafted a book that has pulled me into this family and their lives. I surrendered myself so completely that I feel a bit bereft about waking up in my life's reality rather than being surrounded by the strong and loving characters that the author created and the narrator gave life audibly.

amazingly riveting!

What made the experience of listening to The Blue Between Sky and Water the most enjoyable?

Susan brought alive an experience of living as a refugee blending in romance, fear, trauma, and a myriad of emotions that made this novel amazingly riveting.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Blue Between Sky and Water?

Nazmieh's real and down to earth character that blended cultural nuances with humor and the reality of refugee life.

What about Jennifer Woodward’s performance did you like?

At times, you can hear the wistful and emotional reaction to what she is reading.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I lived every moment of the characters' experience; at times laughing and then choking on tears.

Any additional comments?

A must read!

Beautiful story.. Bad pronouciation

The story was beautiful.. Poignant. The narrator has a beautiful voice and would definitely listen to her if she narrated another book that didn't have Arabic phrases. She could have done a little research before narrating Arabic phrases. To name a few, It is Allahu Akbar.. Not Allahu Akbaaar (Akbaaar means news), she kept getting confused between the names Mamdouh and mahmoud. It is Djinn not Jean... Just imagine someone saying Croysant instead of Croissant. I cringed every time she mispronounced the words.

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Amazing story that puts you right in the heart of how Palestinians live. You sense a window opening slowly to all parts of that culture. It shows the pain, the love, the compassion. How much longer can they live in this oppression ? I recommend this book to anyone who wishes to understand the conflicts in that part of the world. Thank you Susan

Consistently Susan Abulhawa

The third novel from Abulhawa I listen to, and she does not disappoint. The narrator, while quite able to convey emotion, was quite annoying with her mispronunciation of Arabic names and phrases (every time she said “Nerrr” I cringed). I don’t expect her to be fluent, but she could at least do some research or annotate the pronunciations.

Bad choice of narrator

As much as I LOVED the book, the narrator wasn’t the right choice. Her pronunciation of the Arabic words was really bad. I would sometimes struggle to know what the real word is. I wish the narrator was someone with Arabic accent.

Great story

Beautiful story. But I really wish they had a narrator who could pronounce Arabic names and words correctly.

Amazing story, and smart writer.

I loved this book! The writer made me live every moment. I felt the characters. I felt many emotions. I cried, laughed, and felt anger. The story was told in a very interesting way. The narrator is amazing!

Poor narration

The story requires a narrator who can properly pronounce the Arabic words which give more meaning to the story. Sadly lots gets lost in the poor accent and lack of knowing the proper words.

Horrible pronunciation

I have never listened to a book where the reader's articulation of words in another language was so off. It wasn't simply that she read Arabic words with an American accent. Rather it almost sounded as if she were deliberately distorting the words. Very jarring. I wish I had read it instead of listening to it.