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krobart's review
3.0
See my review here:
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2016/04/04/day-877-literary-wives-the-happy-marriage/
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2016/04/04/day-877-literary-wives-the-happy-marriage/
joonswifey's review
2.0
2.5 at best...
I liked the writing, hated the story. All of the characters were aggravating, and not that I care for marriage or love very much anyway, but this really destroyed any interest I had in the whole institution.
I liked the writing, hated the story. All of the characters were aggravating, and not that I care for marriage or love very much anyway, but this really destroyed any interest I had in the whole institution.
scarletohhara's review
3.0
The book is an easy read, you can breeze through it in parallel to a serious book. I even thought it was well written/translated.
What I didn't understand was why the plot was so bleh-meh. I mean, what really was the big deal about this book.
This is a really long-winded way for someone to say he is being mentally assualted by his wife and for a woman to say that she is taking revenge on the husband coz he was sleeping around.
Yes, at several places in the book, I paused to wonder if any two people could have such a screwed up marriage, but that's about it. The plot has nothing more to offer. Not how Moroccan life is or anything about the culture (as an Indian, I didn't find anything new in how these families behaved, that's well documented in several Indian soap operas).
I didn't particularly enjoy the book, narration, plot or the protagonists. I feel that the only reason why I continued reading the book was coz I was hoping the book would redeem itself in the second half where the wife tells her story. But it didn't, really.
What I didn't understand was why the plot was so bleh-meh. I mean, what really was the big deal about this book.
This is a really long-winded way for someone to say he is being mentally assualted by his wife and for a woman to say that she is taking revenge on the husband coz he was sleeping around.
Yes, at several places in the book, I paused to wonder if any two people could have such a screwed up marriage, but that's about it. The plot has nothing more to offer. Not how Moroccan life is or anything about the culture (as an Indian, I didn't find anything new in how these families behaved, that's well documented in several Indian soap operas).
I didn't particularly enjoy the book, narration, plot or the protagonists. I feel that the only reason why I continued reading the book was coz I was hoping the book would redeem itself in the second half where the wife tells her story. But it didn't, really.
osmojam's review against another edition
4.0
Un conte des temps modernes ponctué de quelques clins d'oeils aux Milles et une Nuits, qui suit la trajectoire d'une famille mixte au Maroc à partir du mileu des années 50. Amir, commercant marocain qui s'ennuie dans un marriage bien rangé et sans amour, contracte un second marriage avec une jeune sénégalaise dont il aura deux enfants, deux frères jumeaux dont l'un est blanc l'autre noir. Avec un style d'écriture très plaisant, direct mais poétique, Tahar Ben Jelloun décortique la société fassie et son racisme ordinaire. Un tout petit moins emballée par la fin qui se focalise sur le petit fils d'Amir, expulsé du Maroc par erreur dans les années 2000.
mariapapas's review
3.0
One of my goals for 2017 is to read more translated literature and this is one reason why I was drawn to reading Jelloun's novel. Set in Morocco and France, the novel is largely narrated by an unnamed painter who is recovering from a stroke, and essentially focuses on his unhappy marriage. While the novel is well written, it is at times difficult to sympathise with the protagonist as he comes across as a whinger who blames others for his misfortunes. His wife Amina is also not an admirable character, although I sympathised with her more after reading her version of events and I would have enjoyed reading more of her perspective. I was also not satisfied with the ending.
mariaaq's review against another edition
5.0
Tahar Ben Jelloun est un excellent conteur ! J'ai dévoré ce livre dont j'ai beaucoup aimé le réalisme qui fait parfois froid dans le dos. Le racisme existe au Maroc et l'auteur l'a parfaitement décrit. Je recommande vivement cette lecture !
"(...) Pire, seuls les salauds, les voleurs, les exploiteurs, les criminels, les imposteurs s'épanouissent, s'enrichissent et s'en vont ensuite laver leurs pêchés à La Mecque. C'est la victoire de l'hypocrisie sur la justice. J'en étais incapable."
"(...) Pire, seuls les salauds, les voleurs, les exploiteurs, les criminels, les imposteurs s'épanouissent, s'enrichissent et s'en vont ensuite laver leurs pêchés à La Mecque. C'est la victoire de l'hypocrisie sur la justice. J'en étais incapable."
yelialexa's review
challenging
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This book put me in a terrible reading slump. Way too many unnecessary details and the main character was super infuriating. Basically just a man talking shit about his wife and talking about all the women he cheated on her with.
ashleyozery's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
stef369's review against another edition
2.0
Ce roman, qui est le premier que je lis de cet auteur, est assez pessimiste. Il met en question le mariage et le "bonheur conjugal", un titre qui est plutôt ironique... Dans la première partie du roman on lit la version de l'homme: un peintre qui se trouve cloué dans un fauteuil roulant à cause d'une attaque cérébrale. Il n'y a plus de communication entre homme et femme. Le manuscrit étant découvert par sa femme, on lit sa propre histoire dans la deuxième partie. On s'étonne de lire une toute autre histoire... Finalement - contre toute attente - la fin devient plus réconciliant. Tout de même, ce n'est pas un vrai plaisir de lire ce roman, qui reste très noir et négatif. Beaucoup de longueurs aussi, et une histoire qui n'avance pas. J'espère lire des meilleurs livres de cet auteur...
ciikum's review
2.0
Should probably be 2.5 Stars. It felt like a rant the whole book, although at first entertaining it became tiring after a while.