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sharkybookshelf's review against another edition
2.0
Midhat Kammal leaves Palestine in 1914 to study medicine in France, returning in 1919 to a country engulfed in turmoil…
I had high hopes for this one, set during a crucial and turbulent time period during which much of what is happening today has its roots. Regretfully, it turned out to be an absolute slog - I hadn’t expected the plot to have a romantic bent (though it’s not a romance), but central to the story is Midhat, whom I didn’t care much about as a character, and his love life, which I had absolutely no interest in.
I strongly considered DNFing but persevered because the political side of the story was very interesting - the early arrivals of Zionists, the differing views on how to achieve independence (and even the various visions of what independence would mean), the political factions and tensions between them, all of which are relevant to Palestine as we know it today - understanding the history of a place and people is always a key component of contextualising events today (whether conflictual or not). I also found Midhat’s time in France as a medical student interesting to read about - a strange time when only foreigners remained as almost all the French young men were called to the front, but of course that didn’t stop biases and racism from bubbling up.
As fascinating as the politics and history were, they did not compensate for the slog of reading about Midhat and his boring love dilemmas. I loved that Hammad didn’t shy away from the complexities of the various political machinations, I just wish she’d come up with a more interesting (and interested!) character to propel the story.
A fascinating presentation of the tumultuous politics of Palestine between the two World Wars, but an incredibly dull main character and central storyline turned the whole book into a slog.
glrreid's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
monazaneefer's review against another edition
Wow, I have actually been reading this book for two years? Lel.
Rating: ★★★✩✩ (3 stars)
Read as: Started Vol 1 as an audiobook, before moving onto the physical copy for the remainder.
Writing
Hammad's writing is exquisite. It reads like a classic: from the descriptions to the narration to the old-school, clean language without any exaggeration or experimentation in style. It is gorgeous and I am healthily envious that a debut author could write like this.
Everything else
Hammad needed an editor. After Midhat moves back to Palestine, the story structure crumbles. I kept waiting for the story to explain itself, for me to find symbolism of the absolute dissonance between Vol 1 and the remainder of the novel. The former was clear and had purpose. The remainder - it wasn't just the superfluous addition of the various details of the tumultuous era, it was the absolutely randomly observations that added nothing to the character, story, plot, atmosphere. As a writer, I know the amount of details we tend to add in the first draft and when you read it later, you realise it's redundant. It's THOSE details. For eg: when Midhat leaves the house, he sees Jamaal looking into a hole in the wall and the focus of that moment, even in the 3-4 lines it took, was pointless.
I understand the ending but honestly what even led Midhat to that moment? There was nothing that implied growth to even reach that climax. Why has nobody in interviews questioned Hammad on her choice for this novel's structure? This being so contentious amongst reviewers, you'd think it would be important to ask the author.
I still want to read Hammad's other novel, Enter Ghost. I don't think I saw reviewers complain about what they complained about with The Parisian. Plus, it's Hammad's elegant writing and the fact that it's about Palestine, I don't have ill feelings towards the book. It had so much potential; quite wasted really.
Rating: ★★★✩✩ (3 stars)
Read as: Started Vol 1 as an audiobook, before moving onto the physical copy for the remainder.
Writing
Hammad's writing is exquisite. It reads like a classic: from the descriptions to the narration to the old-school, clean language without any exaggeration or experimentation in style. It is gorgeous and I am healthily envious that a debut author could write like this.
Everything else
Hammad needed an editor. After Midhat moves back to Palestine, the story structure crumbles. I kept waiting for the story to explain itself, for me to find symbolism of the absolute dissonance between Vol 1 and the remainder of the novel. The former was clear and had purpose. The remainder - it wasn't just the superfluous addition of the various details of the tumultuous era, it was the absolutely randomly observations that added nothing to the character, story, plot, atmosphere. As a writer, I know the amount of details we tend to add in the first draft and when you read it later, you realise it's redundant. It's THOSE details. For eg: when Midhat leaves the house, he sees Jamaal looking into a hole in the wall and the focus of that moment, even in the 3-4 lines it took, was pointless.
I understand the ending but honestly what even led Midhat to that moment? There was nothing that implied growth to even reach that climax. Why has nobody in interviews questioned Hammad on her choice for this novel's structure? This being so contentious amongst reviewers, you'd think it would be important to ask the author.
I still want to read Hammad's other novel, Enter Ghost. I don't think I saw reviewers complain about what they complained about with The Parisian. Plus, it's Hammad's elegant writing and the fact that it's about Palestine, I don't have ill feelings towards the book. It had so much potential; quite wasted really.
rockclimber's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
One of the best historical fiction books I have ever read.
mfahey27's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
miathorup's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
reads2cope's review against another edition
4.75
“Here they all were, watching him return, gently, to this world. Ready to press him back into the shape of a person. Their impressions glanced off him like beams of light. There had been times in his life when he thought the need for them was illusory, this group of people, living in the same place, tied by their names and inherited stories. But if that was illusory, what was real? Without them, he was a body floating in the air — he stuck his foot out onto the cold tile, and struck a match to light Abu Jamil's cigar.”
A masterpiece, just as Enter Ghost is, though wildly different. Each character has so much depth and goes through so much development, even when little happens plot-wise, there was always something that gripped me and kept me wanting more. This is another book I listened to that I hope to pick up a physical copy of someday. I especially want to analyze the parts where the story stops following Midhat and why each character get their closeup then. I loathed Jeanette, but loved the way the last third of the book handles Midhat's relfections on his time in France.
My other gripe with listening to the audiobook was the Arabic pronunciations were very strange, but otherwise it was a good narration.
suzaz's review against another edition
informative
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
karaloyd's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.0