A wonderful thoughtful novel. You will feel for these women. It's nicely written and carefully plotted. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

A very interesting book that shows the struggles and beautiful moments when two cultures collide in relationships.
Its defiantly a book that is a great read if you are interested in that kind of thing.
I personally found neither the writing nor the characters very compelling but that clearly is a personal thing and i am sure that there are people that will love the way this book is writing and connect without problems with the characters.

A wonderful family saga that lookd at the reality of cross cultural marriage. A quick and enjoyable read, I thought all the characters were well developed and the subject matter rang true. There was an air of reality to this book and I found it handled very well.

Would highly reccomend

Cross-cultural marriage.
This excellent book is primarily an observation into the issues of cross-cultural marriage, its joys and problems, as seen through the eyes of three women. However, it is also so much more, for not only does it delve into the lives of displaced Palestinian families living in America, it also shows us life in the refugee camps of Jordan, portrays the business of Palestinian weddings and takes us on a visit into Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

The three main female characters represent three generations; Zainab, the elderly, recently bereaved mother-in-law, Margaret, married for twenty years to Zainab's son, Ahmed, and Alison, recently graduated and about to marry Zainab's younger son, Khaled. Zainab is a displaced Palestinian, living in America and Margaret and Alison are both American (although Alison has Syrian roots).

Tragically, the author died not long after publishing this book, so her planned sequel will never see the light of day - a sad loss for us all.
As a general rule, we are not an overly generous book group when it comes to the star ratings at the end of our discussion, but this novel was almost unanimously a 4/5 star book for our members. The author had planned, several months before, to join our meeting and we were were sorry not to be able to pass on our enthusiasm. However, we were very lucky to be able to invite one of her writer's group to our discussion to help explain some of the background to the story and fill us in on interesting editorial changes.

This is an excellent read, highly recommended...and the cover is stunning.

I love stories that span cultures, traditions and even religions beliefs. I am hungry for stories about other cultures, especially those that are often viewed as radicals like people born in the Middle East, etc. I think those people have a lot of stories to tell but they just don't get a lot of chance to tell them to the world. This story is a great example. This is a story of three women. Three women of diverse culture, origin and beliefs. These three were forced to deal with each one's eccentricities and learned to live with each other because they were bound by love, family and marriage. In the end, they all wanted the same things in life, in spite of their differences. This is a very touching story of Arab people who were originally from Palestine. How they came to the US and live a new life knowing they have family left in the war-torn confines of Jordan.

It was my first time to read a story where some of the characters where from Palestine. It was refreshing and a learning experience to be able to understand their experiences living or being caught in the cross-fire between two opposing countries, both in ideology and in their fight in protecting their territories. It was a sad plight, knowing they can't even visit the places where they used to frequent as a child. It was heartbreaking to hear that these people are depending on the government for their daily sustenance because there are very few or no jobs that they could find because of the turmoil their land is going through. I sympathize with them. We often hear of news about Israel but we seldom hear information about the plight of the other side of the conflict. This is an eye-opener for me. Both sides had their own casualties and difficulties because of this age-old conflict. The people who are mostly affected are the ordinary citizens trying to survive. I hope this conflict ends before generations are lost and the hatred gets passed on to the next generation who will inherit these lands. That is if there will be anyone left. God forbid.

This story also delved into the intricacies of the Muslim religion. The traditions and celebrations of Muslims have to fulfill in order to keep their faith. The prayers, the celebration of Ramadan, how marriages are done, etc. It's a peek into the life of those non-Muslims who married into the Muslim community, whether they converted or not.

I was fascinated with this story, because it brought me to new places and let me witness new experiences. Yes, this story strengthened my dream to one day visit the Holy Land. Part of the pilgrimage will take me into some of the places mentioned in this story that Palestinians are no longer able to visit freely. Only tourists are given the privilege. Someday, when I will finally have the opportunity to walk in the streets of Jerusalem and Bethlehem, I will remember the fascinating characters of this story which will just make the trip even more memorable for me.

I give this story 4/5 Muslim prayer mats. This story reminds me of the stories written by Khaleed Hoseeini. This story resonates with the same theme of love and family. And just like the rest of us, Palestinians have the same hopes, wishes and dreams. We may have different beliefs and cultures but we all strive for one goal and that is to have a better life for our family. And like the three women in this story--Zainab, Margaret and Alison Mansour, we only wants what's best for the people we love. Wherever the jasmine blooms is where her roots find nourishment to grow and nourish. Just like the jasmine and Zainab, wherever you are in the world, no matter how far or remote you are from the land of your birth, as long as you have your family near, it will always feel like home. Yes, home is where the heart is. It's not necessarily anchored to a specific physical place


Would she ever live in the one place she truly belonged? Or would she only be a visitor, a traveler carrying her homeland around in her heart?

- Holly S. Warah, Where the Jasmine Blooms -


Thank you again, Netgalley for the review copy.

Cultural difference? Their marriage no longer contained two distinct cultures. They had each changed over the years, assimilating to the other, forming their own culture, neither American nor Arab, a sort of blend of the two. Yet that balance had been disrupted.

Told by three women of the same family, each searching or holding on to their identity. Zainab the mother of Arab sons who married American women. After the death of her husband now lives with her eldest son and his wife Margaret. Zainab desires for her family to go back to the Middle East. Her urgency creates tension for the family.

Margaret who has been married for twenty years and is happy living in suburbs in Seattle Washington. Their home is grand central station for her husband's Arab family that she continues to resent. When her husband broadsides her with a move back to the Middle East, will she come to terms with her husband's heritage that has been hers but now she must face.

Alison a student of the Middle East falls in love with Khalid and is brought into the family. Their marriage is quick and the fallout is even quicker as their relationship changes quite rapidly after marriage.

An enlighten read of the Arab culture and of the cry of the Arab people. It was not political read but more of culture, heritage and family.

A Special Thank You to Skyhorse Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

I wanted to take just a few moments to recognize some independent publishers and thought a good way to do so might be to mention some newly released titles. Skyhorse Publishing is an American independent book publishing company founded in 2006 and focuses primarily on sports, nature and history. They expect to publish roughly 900 titles across 18 imprints this year.

One is WHERE JASMINE BLOOMS by Holly Warah which explores the lives of the Mansours, an Arab American family living in Seattle. Both sons, Ahmed and Khalid, have married American women with differing ties to their culture. Warah examines the relationships which form between the spouses and within the family, especially with the matriarch, Zainab. There is a clash of culture, language, religion and generations as Zainab believes "that America was full of disbelievers and the country was pulling her sons away from her." An opportunity to move overseas presents itself and Margaret (Ahmed’s wife) struggles with the idea of leaving America and "planning a new life and dismantling an old one." The characters, especially the three women, are memorable and offer unique perspectives about what a home and family means.

Unfortunately I didn't have the chance (time) to read this

Where Jasmine Blooms is a well-written book about cross-cultural marriages, family conflicts, and how those relationships are affected by the actions of those closest to them. Zainab was first portrayed as a mother and mother in law that wanted everything done her way. I loved that her character was developed in a way that you learn to admire who she is and her importance to the family. Margaret and Alison are two American women that find themselves marrying two Muslim brothers, and finding very different outcomes in their relative marriages. I loved being able to have a glimpse into the culture through the book.

This book did produce many different reactions from me as I read it- anger, frustration, sadness, confusion. I just couldn't relate to the characters. I felt that the book presented two very privileged American women that couldn't look outside themselves to truly treasure the family that they were a part of. I definitely agree that one of the two probably shouldn't have married as quickly as she did, but I was disappointed with how whiny the character of Margret was. It took her 95% into the book to realize how truly selfish she was being. Oh and how she referred to her mother in law and spoke so disrespectfully about her husband's family to her neighbors. Not cool at all!

This is an engrossing family saga that skillfully demonstrates the different stages of marriages and explores what we will do for our loved ones. At first I had a little bit of a hard time getting into the story because I found Margaret and Allison a bit annoying and selfish. However, I'm very glad I stuck with it because this is a very rich and multi-layered novel with a satisfying pay-off. I particularly enjoyed seeing how the characters changed and developed -- they are truly different people by the time the drama plays out.

Where Jasmine Blooms follows the trials of Palenstinian-American family from the view of Zainab, the recently-widowed matriarch, Margaret, Seattle-born wife of Zainab's eldest son Ahmed and Alison a student of Near Eastern Studies of student descent engaged to Zainab's younger son Khalid.

Where Jasmine Blooms looks at the conflicts within this extended family, focusing on the cultural and generational conflicts that these women must negotiate. Margaret has been married to Ahmed for twenty years and has converted to Islam but is increasingly frustrated by the demands of his family, particularly Zainab who has moved into their suburban home since the death of her husband.

Alison is a new member of the family. Fascinated and intrigued by Arab culture she meets Khalid at university and is swept off her feet, desperate to explore the culture of his new family and learn about lives of those Mansours still living in Palestine.

Zainab feels solitary and homesick, trying to manage her family the best she can in the absence of her husband. She is isolated by her lack of English and the imperfect Arabic of her daughters-in-law and worried about her family in the Middle East.

Warah provides an honest and unflinching look at a multi-cultural family trying to negotiate the difficulties of their many differences whether it is of faith or family roles. Her characters are generally sympathetic and their frustrations understandable; love and affection are not always enough to solve the many problems. Despite the well-rounded way the characters and thoughts of these women are described the rest of the family is weaker. We get to know the men far less and the extended family and friends are a little too governed by stereotypes. The final few pages represent such an abrupt change of heart that it doesn't quite fit with the convincing representation of the spectrum of belief and option constructed in the rest of the story. Ultimately it is a nuanced and forthright picture of acculturation that does not gloss over the realities but is ultimately hopeful.

I greatly enjoyed this family saga of women caught between themselves, their dreams, and their expectations. Margaret was instantly relatable and I grew to appreciate the idiosyncrasies of Alison and Zainab. The author intricately weaves these women together, showing similarities the women have between one another when all they can see are differences. The evocative imagery, ranging from the Mediterranean air of Jordan to the pine suburbs of Seattle, was immersive, as was the dialogue which is both Arabic and English. I was a little surprised with Margaret's decision at the end of the novel but, the more I thought about it, the more fitting it seemed. Like real people, characters realize the truth around them slowly and they don't think on the aspects of life they haven't discovered yet.

And, to address the politics that come up in this book, if those discussions were not there, these characters would not be realistic. They would not exist in our world if they did not have fervent opinions about current events. That being said, the political talk does not take over the book and is not its purpose. Why anyone would pick up a book about a Palestinian-American family and be surprised by the mention of world politics is beyond me.

Lastly, the book cover is seriously gorgeous. I love it.

Note: I received a free Kindle edition of this book via NetGalley and this in no way influenced my sincere opinion of the work. I would like to thank NetGalley, Skyhorse Publishing, and the author Holly S. Warah for the opportunity to read and review it.

A fascinating family saga that looks at the difficulties facing three women in an Arab- American family. The matriarch , Zainab is still trying to come to terms with the loss of her husband, and has travelled to America to stay with her son Ahmed and his American wife of twenty years, Margaret. Their marriage is reaching a crisis point as he is desperate to move back to the Middle East and she is resisting with all her might. Meanwhile Zainab's younger son has also chosen an American wife, the young and independent Alison, who may have been drawn in by her love of Arab culture, rather than her feelings for the man she has married.
These very different but equally fascinating women come together in times of joy and crisis and gradually learn more about themselves and the family they all belong to, learning to accept and tolerate their differences, while becoming closer to one another.
I enjoyed the book as a whole, and found the parts set in the Middle East particularly fascinating. The vivid descriptions of the sights, sounds and even smells made the setting come to life for me as a reader. The characters are very well rounded, drawing both empathy and anger from the reader at times, making them feel very real.
Overall a very enjoyable read.

It was educational and boring at the same time. I would compare it to a reality of a typical Palestinian family in America, the conflicts, the love, the drama. Story was well written and character development was well done but the story was flat.

Three phases of married life. Wife wonders where time goes. Husband decides he wants change. Wife says no. Husband is depressed. Along with the new married couple learning that they really aren't fans of each other but married anyway. Lastly, a window navigating life with her children's while adjusting to life without her spouse.

Part of me wish it delved more into the West Bank issues and part of me thinks it was too political for a novel. It's almost akin of "if you're going to do it, then really dive in and don't just hint".

Overall the book was well written and wasn't a horrible read. It was just flat and boring. Something to kill time with while I'm home nursing a cold.

A slow-moving but compelling story of family and diversity. The story follows family members of a large Arab and American blended family. From Seattle to Jordan to Israel, the story takes you along for a quiet ride about loyalty, family and compromise. Told from various perspectives including an American woman married to an Arab man for 20 years with three children, a newly wed American college graduate to an Arab man and the matriarch of the Arab family; the story weaves through the highs and lows of family life and struggling to find your place in an often confusing world. A story to be savored and a fresh perspective on what it is like to be Arab in the post 9/11 world in America.

This is a story of a large Palestinian family, in Seattle, WA where two of the sons have married women from the United States. A story which is rich in the culture of the middle east, from the customs, to the food and dress and the never ending loyalty to each other, and the rituals of prayer all which sometimes is hard on the wives the sons have married. It is about the compromises and understanding of cultural differences, and learning how to navigate, their marriages.
The story goes mainly between the lives Of Margaret Mansour, married to the eldest son Ahmed, who has made a good life for himself in the restaurant business in Seattle, but after twenty some years in the USA would love to live once again in the Middle East.
His brother Khalid, a student, meets his wife to be at the university, Alison, and Khalid married shortly after meeting and started a family but have a hard time with the cultural differences which did not seem to be an issue at the time they met.
And Ahmed and Kahlid's mother, Zainab, who a year ago lost her husband and has been living with Margaret and Ahmed, and who is quite an influential force in this family, who quite often get between her sons and their wives.
All of these characters, need to come to an understanding about what it means to be a united family and how to achieve it, this was a great story of family dynamics, love for their cultures, countries and values. Quite often needing to see a broader perspective, to be able to move on..
I would like to thank NetGalley and Skyhorse Publishing for the ARC of this book.k

I really didn't connect with this book. I don't know why, my mind kept wandering and I found myself skipping pages.

I read about 15% and then put this down. The characters seemed a bit too stereotypical to hold my interest.