Blog Tour: Hope Street, Jerusalem by Irris Makler (review)

Hope Street, Jerusalem
written by Irris Makler
published by HarperCollins

find it here: (affiliate links) Barnes & Noble, Amazon, iBooks, Book Depository, Goodreads

Why did I pick this book: I participated in the blog tour hosted by TLC Book Tours. (I received a copy of this book for review purposes.)

Did I enjoy this book: I loved it!

Hope Street, Jerusalem is a fascinating blend of Middle Eastern history, politics, and love. Irris Makler is living in Jerusalem as a foreign correspondent covering suicide bombings, riots, snipers, and military infiltrations.

In the chaotic mix of violence and extremism, she finds love, loses love, finds it again, repeat. And while all this is going on she’s traveling to some of the most dangerous regions on the globe reporting on horrific brutality, meeting strict deadlines, and learning to live in a foreign culture.

You’d think that’d be enough for one woman. But a huge chunk of the humor and drama in the story focuses on the tumultuous relationship with her best friend, Mia; a golden retriever mix.  She’s rescued from a close call with a speeding car in a busy Jerusalem street and adopted by Makler and her boyfriend. The story gets way more interesting with Mia in the mix. It’s kind of like Marley & Me set in the chronically war torn Middle East.

Hope Street, Jerusalem is entertaining, beautifully written, educational, and inspirational.

Would I recommend it: I recommend this book to anyone who loves dogs, history, politics, love, travel, adventure – OK; I’ll just recommend it to everyone. It’s great.

Will I read it again: No way . . . too long.

About the book – from Goodreads: ‘I had no idea how demanding this consuming, cruel, dangerous and fascinating place would be. I would fall in love here, I would do some of my best reporting, I would be injured, ending my run of good luck – my life would change dramatically …’

Moving to a strange city always takes courage, but never more so than in a place where the daily expression of love and hate can turn a simple choice of a romantic table by the window into a life or death decision. Both a love story and bittersweet tribute to her beloved adopted city of Jerusalem, Irris Makler shines a hopeful light on a part of the world where the news reports often makes it seem impossibly dark. From juggling the danger and unpredictability of her work as a roving foreign correspondent , covering everything from Palestinian suicide attacks to Israeli incursions into the West Bank, to falling in love with a handsome and charming young Israeli, and gaining a mischievious four-legged companion along the way, she allows us an intimate glimpse into a passionate, vibrant and fascinating world.

Adventurous, compassionate and engagingly honest, the award-winning author of OUR WOMAN IN KABUL is a master at capturing the personal stories behind the news we really want to know – and her story is the most interesting of all.

About the author: For the past seven years, award-winning foreign correspondent Irris Makler has been based in Jerusalem, filing stories across the Middle East for radio, television and online news services around the world, including Australia. Previously based in Moscow and London, she reported extensively from Afghanistan as one of the first journalists on the scene after 9/11. She is the author of Our Woman in Kabul.