Tea Obreht's first novel The Tiger's Wife is one of my favorite books of all time. Her new novel lives in a different landscape--Island City, parched and flooded by climate change--but has the same texture, a swirl of Eastern-European mythology and practical survival. Like The Tiger's Wife, there are layers of storytelling here. Silvia, the novel's adolescent narrator, is navigating the new landscape of Island City, having recently arrived with her mother as part of the Repopulation Project after a series of displacements. They join her great aunt Ena at the Morningside, a nearly-empty decaying luxury high rise, where Ena acts as the caretaker and superintendent. Ena, who had, according to Silvia's mother, the luxury of leaving their homeland before she was forced to, wants to hold onto every scrap of the past and share her stories with Silvia; Silvia's mother is determined to erase the past and keeps nothing more than a year. It's a novel about mothers and daughters, storytelling, whether to hold onto the past or abandon it, how to move through its ghosts. I loved it.

Thanks to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for my free earc. My opinions are all my own.

With The Morningside, Tea Obreht offically becomes a favorite author. While her work takes concentration and focus, it is oh so worth it. There is very little plot, and this is very weird, but most importantly, it MOVED me. And that is all that matters.

I was given an ARC by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Morningside by Téa Obreht is a literary novel focusing on migration and what we lose and gain when we leave home. Silvia and her mother settle in the Morningside, a luxury tower on an island, as part of the Repopulation Program after being forced to leave their home country. Silvia spends time with her aunt, Ena, who tells her fantastical stories and gets Silvia thinking about the world around her in more magical ways.

What I really liked was the use of ‘Ours’ for Silvia and her mother’s native language and ‘Back Home’ for their home country. It feels real and personal without picking a specific country or making one up. It allows the universal themes of leaving your home country because terrible things are happening to feel like they could happen anywhere and for many who are displaced or come from immigrant families to see their own experiences reflected as well. It was a smart choice and I loved every time I saw ‘Ours’ in relation to the language.

The other thing I really liked was how Silvia interacted with the other citizens of the island. The dynamics felt fleshed out and their backstories were often commentary on things happening in our world now, such as May and his plagiarism scandal and his anxiety over trying to move past it. The city being half-underwater lends a clif-fi element that feels very right now and near-future at the same time.

I would recommend this to fans of adult fiction with child protagonists, readers looking for explorations on being displaced, and fans of literary fiction with climate fiction elements.

Tea Obreht offers a unique narrative experience through the eyes of Silvia (Sil), whose life unfolds within the confines of the Morningside, a high-rise in Island City. With dystopian elements, 11-year old Sil shares her journey as part of a repopulation program sometime in the near future, alongside her secretive mother, who doesn’t talk about the past. Sil finds solace in the folktales shared by her Aunt Ena, the superintendent, while navigating the intricacies of her daily routine and forming an obsession with Bezi, a penthouse recluse who lives with 3 wolfhounds. Sil forms an unlikely connection with a middle-aged black character named May who occasionally “creeps” into her life from time to time. I was fascinated by his backstory.

Despite initial struggles with the pacing and disorientation in space and time, the story gradually unravels into a captivating exploration of relationships, mysteries, and the power of storytelling. At its core, "The Morningside" delves into Sil's evolving bond with her mother and the unraveling of a compelling mystery that kept me engaged until the very end. Overall, I found the book to be a captivating and immersive read once the story gained momentum. Through Sil’s journey, this novel is a poignant coming- of-age story highlighting her resilience and growth amidst a changing world.

I really did not enjoy this book very much. It is from the perspective of an 11 year old girl, which is why I had a hard time getting into it. The future dystopian representation of Manhattan was interesting, as well as the Morningside, which is the building where they lived. The references to the past kept me motivated to finish this book. However, it is really a young adult book. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. This was my first book by this author.

This book is so precious in its mysticism-- woven through and withheld in a spellbinding narrative. Well-crafted and timely, it harkens to the past and pulls from the future to sit perfectly in our present.

The Morningside by Tea Olbreht is a post-apocalyptic novel, not my favorite genre. It is the story of some residents of a high-rise apartment called The Morningside. It’s featured story-teller is a young teen called Sil, short for Sillvia. Sil and her mom have been relocated to the Island and to her mother’s aunt, Ena, who is the super for the building. As most children, Sil is able to build a mystery out of nothing and so she builds one out of the “strangeness” of the woman who lives in the penthouse. She is an artist and has three dogs and so is interesting right off the bat.

Sil is a typical kid who doesn’t have enough to do. She is on the waiting list for school so she hasn’t that to keep her busy and her chores are not enough. She has an active imagination which has been encouraged by Ena before she died and so goes looking for trouble. Luckily she believes that information will come to her, that she need not seek it. Usually she is right until another kid moves into the building. Mila believes in being more proactive and it gets both of them in trouble. There was a little magic, mostly imagined, as well as fantasy, mostly imagined. It had moments of brilliance but mostly seems like a waste of my time.

I was invited to read The Morningside by RandomHouse Publishing Group-Random House. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #RandomHouse #TeaOlbreht #TheMorningside

This is such a weird book. To be honest there were a few times when I almost gave up on it but I’m glad I didn’t.

The pacing was a little off to me at first but then as the story unfolded it made more sense and I was hooked.

The Morningside is a post-apocalyptic story told from the point of view of Sylvia, an eleven year old girl. She has quite the imagination and is thoughtful, creative, and searching for connection. Although it is never confirmed the setting of the majority of the story felt very much like New York City to me. Obreht’s writing paints the picture very well and I found myself enjoying visualizing New York in a different way.
I also really loved all the different and unique characters I got to know. There’s a lot of backstory, mystery, intrigue and so much hope.

Definitely one of the more unique stories I have read!

4 ⭐

Unfortunately this was a novel I did not resonate with and could not get through. While I loved the author’s debut novel, The Tiger’s Wife, The Morningside did not work for me. The premise is interesting- refugees in a dystopian world and a young girl learning about her hidden past, their family and folktales. The delivery for me fell flat. It was disconnected and confusing. It may have been too dystopian and abstract for my taste and could very well appeal to readers who enjoy highly speculative fiction.

I tried to connect with the characters but continually felt distant from them. The story was bleak with bursts of magical realism that, for me, didn’t make sense.

The world building was very good, and Obreht’s writing was lyrical and well crafted as usual. I wanted to like this, but kept finding it a chore to read. Ultimately I was too disinterested and confused to push through to the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for my advanced digital copy. Publication day is set for March 19th.

A mother and her daughter Silvia (11) arrive at the Morningside, a fine old luxury residence tower, to live with their aunt Ena who is the superintendent for the building. They are displaced people in a war-torn world that is also being destroyed by the floods and fires of climate change. Silvia is fascinated by her aunt's stories of her childhood and the folk tales that enriched it. When Ena claims the three giant dogs owned by the old woman living in the penthouse are really three men turned into dogs by an enchantment, Sil sets out to prove it.

And so we have a different sort of coming-of-age story--a young girl living under mother's thumb but squirming to break free, being led astray by the stronger personality of a new friend and not really understanding the dangers that could be lying in wait. Sil thinks her mother's insistence that they not speak their old language is just plain silly but this new country is not 'all forests and toadstools and magic violins' like in Ena's stories.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for granting me an arc of this new novel through NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

With every book, Téa Obreht offers a unique, deep, compelling story that transports me to her beautifully complex and well-drawn world. With THE MORNINGSIDE, Obreht tells the story of little girl Silvia, displaced with her mother from their homeland and all she has ever known. At The Morningside, Silvia is enchanted by folktales told by her aunt and dives deep into the secrets of her country, her past, and the mysterious woman called Bezi Duras. I was transported into another world with vivid, powerful storytelling and the accomplished Obreht's magical story weaving. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

This compelling novel takes place in an alternate future rife with smoky air from wildfires, rising tides, and ever-present wind. Twenty-seven-year-old Silvia and her mom are refugees living in Island City. Silvia loves hearing stories about her family and about their past as told by her aunt because Sylvia’s mom never talks about the past. They are part of the Repopulation Program and live in Morningside, where her aunt is superintendent. Morningside used to be the nicest building in a once-upper-class neighborhood. On the thirty-third floor of the Morningside lives a mysterious woman who has her own entrance which she only uses at night to walk her massive dogs. Sylvia and this woman’s lives are enmeshed in unexpected ways that Sylvia unravels throughout the course of the novel. This is a book filled with rich descriptions and a compelling plot that explores climate change, family relationships, secrets and the power of storytelling. Thank you to Random House and To Netgalley for the advanced Review copy.

In a future dystopian world, an eleven year old whip smart girl named Silvia, and her mother, are “Repopulated” from what is described like a Slavic or Balkan homeland to a city that sounds very much like a climate disaster remnant of New York City. In their post apocalyptic new world , mother and child live in the Morningside, an old, once glorious high rise building , where Aunt Ena is the superintendent. Ena and Silvia strike up a warm relationship, filled with many stories of former country , that have been well guarded secrets by Silvia’s mom.

Flooding and a fairly recent war have changed the physical landscape, political climate and life style of the survivors. Silvia, ever curious , examines every detail and every individual she sees or encounters. Of prime interest is Bezi Duras, a neighbor living on a top floor, with three dogs and a private elevator to her apartment. Is Bezi a Vila? Does she have magical powers to cast spells ? Are her dogs really young men or wolves who can shape shift? Reality and fantasy live side by side and often commingle in Silvia’s mind. It’s difficult to differentiate where the worlds separate and what is imaginary.

I’m not always a fan of magical thinking as a theme In this case, Tea Obreht writes so beautifully and clearly, that the descriptive possibility of fantasy worlds are altogether believable. Silvia’s journey is to a new land makes for a compelling read. So many questions along the way. Some are answered and some dwell in the reader’s imagination and are subject to personal interpretation.

Morningside is not a simple tale and I suspect that it’s not meant for every reader. Those who enjoy a thought ,provoking story that is multi layered and written in lyrical beautiful language will find it an extraordinary read. Five stars for a book that captured my heart. Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Morningside will be released tomorrow, March 19,2024. Get your copy !

In a dystopian future where climate change has turned much of the coasts into wetlands and people have turned into climate refugees constantly on the move, Silvia and her mother Ena arrive via a repopulation program at a run-down, mostly flooded Island City one assumes is New York.

As true impoverished immigrants, they take a job maintaining a former glamorous high-rise for menial pay and board. Ena speaks only broken English and constantly admonishes Silvia to hide their original country of origin out of fear of reprisals or recrimination. No school has room for Silvia as a student, so she both assists her mom in the constant fixes the crumbling building and attends to its former uppity residents’ needs, all the while being swept into Old World folklore and stories shared by her mother’s sister.

Silvia obsesses about one of these stories involving an all-powerful and vengeful female spirit Vila, whom she’s convinced has come to life in the building’s penthouse resident, the mysterious Bezi. She’s also convinced that the woman’s three huge dogs are actually men magically imprisoned by her and let free to assume their human forms at night. You just have to just accept this magic realism as the story unfurls, as a way that Silvia copes with their displacement and her mother’s refusal to talk at all about their past.

As Ena undertakes dangerous underwater salvage work, and Silvia befriends Mila the only other teen in the building, danger presents on all fronts. Silvia ultimately seeks a way to reconcile their past with the future she wants to create for herself.


Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.

I adored this book. The Morningside is a dystopian story set in an apartment building in a city that has been flooded. The prose was wonderful, I loved the magical realism elements, and I really enjoyed all the characters. Even the minor characters were so interesting and well developed. Tea Obreht is definitely an author I want to read more from; I immediately added The Tiger's Wife to my TBR. I don't think this book will appeal to everyone, but I really enjoyed it. You won't get all the answers you want and I sometimes have a hard time with that! But, I really feel like it worked with this book. If you like dystopian climate crisis books and enjoy magical realism, definitely give it a chance.

Thank you Random House and NetGalley for providing an ARC.

THe morning side is one of the must hyped books of the season, as it is marking a return for obreht. The novel tells the story of a mother and daughter who lose their lives and move in with an aunt who lives in a famous building that is fast disappearing under water. Silive, the young girl, knows nothing of the outside world and has to rely on stories to piece together her past, all while becoming fixated with a mysterious tenant in the building who holds secrets of her own past. Silvia must rely on the stories of others to delve into the tenant’s past and solve the mysteries surrounding her.

The novel is part dystopian/part suspense/part magical realism. While the premise is intriguing and the prose is beautiful, something fell short for me. I found it difficult to connect with the plot and to follow at times. I think this may be a me problem though more so than anything-so i encourage readers who loved her previous works to try it! It’s still worth the read! 3.5 stars would be more accurate than the 3-4.

Thanks to the publisher for providing this arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm torn about this story, so my rating has gone back and forth between 3 and 4 stars, so I guess 3.5 stars. Is the book beautifully written? Absolutely so. I've been dying to read The Tiger's Wife for years, and I will eventually read it because the author is an amazing genius with words. The story itself is intriguing to some degree. It is dystopian to be sure with a touch of fantasy or magical realism. And I generally love stories like that. I think where this one fails for me is that I don't feel like I got the closure that "I" needed, and I found myself ruminating as to what the author wanted us to get from the story. Like I said, I'm not sure where I stand right now. Tomorrow, I may feel differently.
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

When the only life she has ever known is taken from her, Silvia and her mother have moved in with her aunt. They now live in a hotel that was once famous and is now falling into the sea as the coasts disappear. Silvia knows nothing of her family outside her mother and is unaware of anything outside the home that is now lost to her. She must listen and learn to find how she and her mother came to be here and how she will fit here. Full of unique characters that will provide clues, Silvia's story is a twisted view of how a life torn apart can be a blessing.

Set in a post apocalyptic future in a once great but now flooded city, Silvia and her mother move into an apartment with a great set of characters including her mysterious aunt Ena. Haunting and well written, the stage is set for magical folktales and hidden secrets. Recommended reading.

A dystopian tale of a young stranger in a strange land. Silvia, an 11 year old, and her mother, have moved in with her aunt Ena (really?) in the luxury apartment building Ena manages because the flood has sent them fleeing. Silvia sees this as an opportunity to learn about her family's past but she also expands her world with other residents. There's good world building, the mother-daughter relationship is strong but there are time when the allusions to other tales felt heavy handed. That said it's an interesting read that might appeal more to the YA crowd, not only because Silivia is 11 but also because they might not be burdened by drawing parallels to world events and so on.