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whatjuliareads's review
1.0
I really, really did not enjoy this.
On the generous side, I can appreciate the stylistic choices (the stop and start narration created more suspense than situations warranted otherwise, for instance - the mundane becomes a drama) and I thought the translation was beautiful. Al Aswany is known for provoking controversy and... yeah I can see him succeeding there.
That said, the sheer amount of violence against women and the rationalizing of violence against women and so much seemingly pointless sexual content did not sit well with me. The characters were largely one dimensional - to Al Aswany's credit, there were a lot of characters, but my point stands. Characters bad habits (reprehensible, really) are excused and therefore they are not challenged to grow.
The plot also didn't grip me - and the lives of many characters seemed tangentially related to the plot at best. Nothing really drew me in and this is a genre of novel I do tend to like, so it was a let down.
There is no closure in this book, which I don't mind.
On the generous side, I can appreciate the stylistic choices (the stop and start narration created more suspense than situations warranted otherwise, for instance - the mundane becomes a drama) and I thought the translation was beautiful. Al Aswany is known for provoking controversy and... yeah I can see him succeeding there.
That said, the sheer amount of violence against women and the rationalizing of violence against women and so much seemingly pointless sexual content did not sit well with me. The characters were largely one dimensional - to Al Aswany's credit, there were a lot of characters, but my point stands. Characters bad habits (reprehensible, really) are excused and therefore they are not challenged to grow.
The plot also didn't grip me - and the lives of many characters seemed tangentially related to the plot at best. Nothing really drew me in and this is a genre of novel I do tend to like, so it was a let down.
There is no closure in this book, which I don't mind.
deviki's review against another edition
3.0
Books I've read and provided detailed reviews over the years but all data is lost after accidental deletion and GD refuse to restore it back.
Adding books back to my library for my own reference and tracking purposes
Adding books back to my library for my own reference and tracking purposes
nferre's review against another edition
2.0
This book started out with a bang. I told my husband I thought he would like it, I thought maybe I'd lend it to my son it was that good. I thought maybe it was my scatterbrain's fault that I didn't know who all the characters were from chapter to chapter. Maybe I should have started an index card cheat sheet to keep them all in order.I thought some of the characterizations were spot on, some of the observations of the Egyptians coming to the States were insightful. But by page 100, the book started falling apart with one cliched character after another. Blacks can't find work - ever, so they resort to work that contradicts their morals; health insurance (for a professor in a university) is so expensive it leaves no additional money for extras; couples of mixed race can't walk down a Chicago street without observing hateful looks, blatant racism against Egyptians in a post-doctoral or PhD setting in Chicago? In Aswayn's world women are weak in matters of the heart no matter how strong and intelligent they are in other areas.
By page 250 I was barely into the book. It seemed more like short stories very loosely tied together by a thread of Egypt, Chicago and histology - but never really meeting in a central place.
In the end, just unsatisfying. I really enjoyed The Yacubian Building a few years ago - but maybe this book just lacked sufficient insight into the topics the author dealt with that they fell flat, or perhaps it was stunted in the translation as the language came across as to make it anywhere past 2 stars for me.
By page 250 I was barely into the book. It seemed more like short stories very loosely tied together by a thread of Egypt, Chicago and histology - but never really meeting in a central place.
In the end, just unsatisfying. I really enjoyed The Yacubian Building a few years ago - but maybe this book just lacked sufficient insight into the topics the author dealt with that they fell flat, or perhaps it was stunted in the translation as the language came across as to make it anywhere past 2 stars for me.
rinoky's review against another edition
Started off slow and boring because of all information. I’m thinking of giving it a second chance.
jasonwith_y's review
4.0
I picked this book up from the BPL just due to the title and the fact that it was the author of The Yacoubian Building-- the book upon which an Arabic language movie I had seen in college was based. I was surprised how taken I was by the myriad Egyptian and American characters in post-9/11 Chicago. The disparate plot lines meet at the end in what was frankly a tragic ending that I hadn't seen coming. Despite being a translation, it was a pretty smooth read and kind of a guilty pleasure filled with sex, intrigue, and international politics.
salmarashad's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
the author was rushing to finish the book… very disappointed in the ending
shellyhartner's review
1.0
After reading so many positive views of what an important book this was for understanding the experience of Arabs in post 9/11 America, I found this book a terrible disappointment.
First, the lack of research into American culture was simply stunning. Aswany takes his poor knowledge of contemporary America and the worst sterotypes of Americans and American culture and presents them as if they were real. As a result, you end up with a Texan professor with long blond hair who is called "The Yank" by his colleagues (Mr. Aswany, I suggest you look up what "Yankee" means; hint - to any American, it would not mean a Texan), and a young, professional, educated black woman who cannot find a job (even in retail) other than as an underwear model because of her color. At one point, he describes a typical El platform scene in post-9/11 Chicago with African American men carrying boom boxes on their shoulders, as if the iPod had never been invented.
The dialog in the novel is, I'm sorry to say, painful to read when coming out of the American characters. It sounds like Arabic that has been translated into English, and I was frequently left shaking my head at characters that said things I could not imagine any American saying. This ranged from simple word choices, to subject matter (including a poor prostitute who knows who Anwar Al Sadat is and admires him because he is handsome), to truly shocking racist pronouncements that would probably get someone fired from their job in the US, but go unpunished/uncommented in Aswany's Chicago.
The author's need to insert himself into the story to interpret events for the reader is also distracting and, to be honest, annoying for this Western reader who is used to working out her own interpretations of a story.
Add to this what I have to assume is a poor translation, and the book is a difficult slog. The high point has to be the developing relationship between Tariq and Shaymaa. Perhaps it would have been better had he left out the American characters and focused on the Egyptians?
First, the lack of research into American culture was simply stunning. Aswany takes his poor knowledge of contemporary America and the worst sterotypes of Americans and American culture and presents them as if they were real. As a result, you end up with a Texan professor with long blond hair who is called "The Yank" by his colleagues (Mr. Aswany, I suggest you look up what "Yankee" means; hint - to any American, it would not mean a Texan), and a young, professional, educated black woman who cannot find a job (even in retail) other than as an underwear model because of her color. At one point, he describes a typical El platform scene in post-9/11 Chicago with African American men carrying boom boxes on their shoulders, as if the iPod had never been invented.
The dialog in the novel is, I'm sorry to say, painful to read when coming out of the American characters. It sounds like Arabic that has been translated into English, and I was frequently left shaking my head at characters that said things I could not imagine any American saying. This ranged from simple word choices, to subject matter (including a poor prostitute who knows who Anwar Al Sadat is and admires him because he is handsome), to truly shocking racist pronouncements that would probably get someone fired from their job in the US, but go unpunished/uncommented in Aswany's Chicago.
The author's need to insert himself into the story to interpret events for the reader is also distracting and, to be honest, annoying for this Western reader who is used to working out her own interpretations of a story.
Add to this what I have to assume is a poor translation, and the book is a difficult slog. The high point has to be the developing relationship between Tariq and Shaymaa. Perhaps it would have been better had he left out the American characters and focused on the Egyptians?
storycraft's review
3.0
An interesting and unexpected perspective on life in Chicago. The particularly confronting race relations issue is actually black-white as opposed to Arab-American. Style took some getting used to. The device (build up to climax/cut to next scene) got a bit tiring after only a few chapters and made it sometimes difficult to keep track of the multiple characters and plot lines.
hperks18's review against another edition
emotional
fast-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? Yes
2.75