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ragsrags's review
4.0
This book reads differently depending on who you - the reader - are. Mainly, your race and gender, and whether you're a traveller or writer. That's because the author brings her identity as a white American woman attempting something out of the ordinary in an Egyptian culture that is not hers. In the process, she casts a critical yet empathetic eye on Egyptian men, women and society. The reader feels the sheer exhaustion of being a woman in this mileu, but also wonders if some of her Western opinions on a dark-skinned race sit right. Her research being heavily influenced by previous white Westerners' travels and writings on Egypt, the author finally produces a book that, though gripping in its storytelling, is cut from a similar cloth of that of Flaubert's and Nightingale's, from which she quotes liberally. Nonetheless, this is an intimate well-crafted reading of Egypt and the Nile and is worth a read.
willwork4airfare's review
5.0
I absolutely loved this. The writing is beautiful. Her knowledge of local plants and animals in well-researched. Her stories are honest and self reflecting, the good and the bad. I enjoyed the quotes from famous authors’ trips to Egypt to flesh out her memories. Beautiful. Read in Cairo in 2023.
alundeberg's review
5.0
While on a Nile cruise, writer and rower Rosemary Mahoney felt like there was a pane of glass separating her from the country she was visiting. For the next two years she envisioned rowing down the Nile in a boat of her own, and in 1999 finally made the trip. If her goal was to break down the "fourth wall" of travel to be on the "set", her adventure also took her backstage and out the back door into the homes and lives of Egyptians. The result-- "Down the Nile: Alone in a Fisherman's Skiff"-- is eye-opening and sobering. It also ranks as one of the best works of travel writing I have ever read. It is well-written and researched, thoughtful, and wry.
The title is a bit of a misnomer; the majority of the book is her trying to buy a boat, a challenge being a single woman traveling alone in Egypt where women, white or not, don't do such things. She is not truly alone until the 40 pages of the book. But don't get hung up on such things. Her experience takes her to Aswan, where she spends several days trying to find someone who would sell her a boat, creating an elaborate ruse of how it was a present for "her husband" who is perpetually asleep at the hotel. As you can imagine, it is difficult for her to find anyone who takes her seriously. That is, until she meets Amr, a quiet and reserved felucca captain who is more than willing to share his rowboat. Through Amr and other people she meets in Aswan, Rosemary learns what life is like for Egyptians and Nubians-- the poverty, the strict gender expectations, the double-edged sword of tourism. She finds that as a white woman, she is almost codified as a third gender: she is not bound to the rules for Muslim women, but lacks the freedom granted to men. Since tourism is the country's largest source of revenue, tourists are protected at all costs; if a tourist complains about an Egyptian, the said perpetrator is often arrested and beaten without recourse. She also sees the commonalities that branch all cultures: the desire to live with dignity, humanity, and autonomy and to provide for one's family.
The crux of this book is the desire for agency, to do the things you want to do and testing for all of the things can. For Rosemary, it is rowing down the Nile alone. She reflects on how the women she meets in Egypt cannot take such a trip despite living along the river all their lives; conversely, as an American, she can row in Narragansett Bay but notes that she is often the only woman on the water and realizes that not many American woman realize that they "can". Her journey is a way to push back against stereotypes and norms that keep people ensconced their "place". It is also about the great desire to be alone, invisible to the world, off the map. This resonated with me, because like Rosemary, I enjoy solo traveling and experiencing the feeling of disappearing and having to rely solely on myself. I appreciated her honesty, compassion, and humor in the telling of her journey.
Highly recommend!
The title is a bit of a misnomer; the majority of the book is her trying to buy a boat, a challenge being a single woman traveling alone in Egypt where women, white or not, don't do such things. She is not truly alone until the 40 pages of the book. But don't get hung up on such things. Her experience takes her to Aswan, where she spends several days trying to find someone who would sell her a boat, creating an elaborate ruse of how it was a present for "her husband" who is perpetually asleep at the hotel. As you can imagine, it is difficult for her to find anyone who takes her seriously. That is, until she meets Amr, a quiet and reserved felucca captain who is more than willing to share his rowboat. Through Amr and other people she meets in Aswan, Rosemary learns what life is like for Egyptians and Nubians-- the poverty, the strict gender expectations, the double-edged sword of tourism. She finds that as a white woman, she is almost codified as a third gender: she is not bound to the rules for Muslim women, but lacks the freedom granted to men. Since tourism is the country's largest source of revenue, tourists are protected at all costs; if a tourist complains about an Egyptian, the said perpetrator is often arrested and beaten without recourse. She also sees the commonalities that branch all cultures: the desire to live with dignity, humanity, and autonomy and to provide for one's family.
The crux of this book is the desire for agency, to do the things you want to do and testing for all of the things can. For Rosemary, it is rowing down the Nile alone. She reflects on how the women she meets in Egypt cannot take such a trip despite living along the river all their lives; conversely, as an American, she can row in Narragansett Bay but notes that she is often the only woman on the water and realizes that not many American woman realize that they "can". Her journey is a way to push back against stereotypes and norms that keep people ensconced their "place". It is also about the great desire to be alone, invisible to the world, off the map. This resonated with me, because like Rosemary, I enjoy solo traveling and experiencing the feeling of disappearing and having to rely solely on myself. I appreciated her honesty, compassion, and humor in the telling of her journey.
Highly recommend!
katys_books's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
pattieod's review
4.0
Learned a lot about Egyptian culture and the history of Egyptian tourism, and the author was a pleasant companion on the journey. As several other readers have mentioned, don't expect a rollicking ride - the book moves more like the Nile itself - slow and picturesque.
somojones's review
3.0
I read this book because I was fortunate to cruise the Nile and visit Egypt's cultural icons. It was a good read.
carolynf's review
5.0
Very cool true-story about a woman who wants to row the Nile, without a man's help. A lot of interesting gender commentary.
pm22's review
4.0
I read this book while visiting Egypt for 9 days and finished it on the last day of my trip. I admired how she told the whole truth (good and bad) of her experiences and found her honesty in how one can react when alone, on edge, and filled with adrenaline (part near the end of the book) refreshing. Her descriptions were very detailed and it felt like I was following along with her when she described each place as I had visited many of the same sites she visited.
My biggest issue was that she was determined to do this as a personal challenge and frequently described her frustration in not being able to row completely alone. However, part of traveling to other places is respecting their rules and culture even if you disagree with it. There were also many references to previous explorers and Egypt visitors that made me lose a little interest. However you could tell she obviously had done her research before leaving which I respected.
My biggest issue was that she was determined to do this as a personal challenge and frequently described her frustration in not being able to row completely alone. However, part of traveling to other places is respecting their rules and culture even if you disagree with it. There were also many references to previous explorers and Egypt visitors that made me lose a little interest. However you could tell she obviously had done her research before leaving which I respected.