“Skillfully and intelligently, this book memorializes the forgotten victims and martyrs of the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, from forty years ago. It conveys the event to us quietly, without noise, chatter, slogans, glorifications or calls for revenge. We do not find in it the resonant speeches, the rhetorical constructions, or even the false linguistic metaphors that undertake elaborate explanations which distance us from the tragic truth it all leads to—the path to massacre.“
—Aqeel Manqoush, Thaqafat
“The book is a testimony to the suffering of the Palestinian people in Lebanon at the beginning of the civil war and up to the Israeli invasion. It brings back to memory scenes of the pervasive massacres of refugees in Palestinian camps, including the events of the camps of Dbayeh, Sabra and Shatila, and the siege of the capital, Beirut.“
—Al-Quds al-Arabi
“[A] collection of stories whose protagonists are fictionalized versions of real people, perhaps the most prominent of which is the child Rabih [which means 'Spring' in English], who was killed along with his family on August 6 1982 as a result of the vacuum bomb dropped by Israeli planes on the Aker apartment building. The building was inhabited by many Palestinian families displaced from the Dbayeh refugee camp. Hence the name of the novel A Spring that Did Not Blossom, is in memory of Rabih, the child who died before he had a chance to bloom.“
—SBS Arabic
“Nejmeh Khalil Habib is a literary critic of high caliber, whose moral fiber coincides with her being a pioneer in human rights, justice, and freedom.“
—Izzat Abdulhadi, Palestine Ambassador to Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific
“...a distinct and smooth narrative style.“
—Hassan Ghanam
“[A] skilful documentation of an era in Palestinian resistance and perseverance.“
—George Hashem
“Reminiscent of the telegraphic style of Ghassan Kanafani...brevity generates a sense of hurriedness...a beautifully crafted work of art, which also stands as an artefact of substantial historical and cultural value.“
—Samar Habib
“A book that deserves to be known and read worldwide.“
—Nouha Francis