"Khalifeh offers a Jerusalem beyond that which is delivered to foreign audiences through television and newspapers. She gives us humans with their own emotions and reasons, characters we want to help, people for whom we want to stop the tanks, bulldozers, and bombs." — Foreword Magazine
"Sahar Khalifeh writes this novel about the struggle of the Palestinians against Israeli occupation. 'The End of Spring'"has a documentary element about it; for it chronicles in some detail the Palestinian resistance during the siege by Israeli forces of Yasir Arafat's official headquarters in Ramallah in the spring of 2002, and it chronicles, as well, the Israeli encroachment on Hosh al-Atout in the old section of the city of Nablus. Winner of the 2006 'Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature' for another novel, The Image, the Icon, and the Covenant, Sahar Khalifeh is a good hand at novelistic art. "[S]he succeeds"in portraying Palestinian society in turmoil under Israel's occupation, describing the heroic acts of its people as well as the opportunism of some mean souls among them" Sahar Khalifeh is a staunch feminist and uses her novels to create strong women who play major roles. Paula Haydar, the translator, succeeds in capturing the reader's attention with her fluent English that is as riveting as Sahar Khalifeh's Arabic. …the value of this novel's translation… should be commended…" — Digest of Middle East Studies
"The End of Spring"accurately represent[s] Palestinian culture… residents of Ramallah Palestine, were interviewed by the author in order to fully develop and inform the characters. Authentic voices combined with the author's writing style makes [this] book a treasure to read. In The End of Spring, historical events, including the siege on Yasser Arafat's Ramallah compound, are told in very human terms, giving the reader an on-the-ground point of view. An array of characters and situations, enhanced by a tendency toward magical realism, brings color to the pages, beginning with the tender love between a Palestinian boy and the daughter of Jewish settlers, separated by a fence. The list of characters continually expands, working into the fold politicians, priests, young Israeli and Palestinian soldiers, international peacekeepers and human shields, journalists, a singer, and a Gypsy grandmother. The author neatly weaves them all together in the final moments, creating an amazing literary apex. The kaleidoscope of characters in [this] novel causes one to marvel at the complexity and diversity of the human experience. Yet at the same time, it is a reminder of what all people have in common, no matter their nationality. [This story] gives insight into the psyche and plight of today's Palestinians." — Multicultural Review