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tehuti's review against another edition
2.0
Have you ever really wanted to love a book, only to be completely bemused by it?
Have you ever been half way through a book you really want to put down, and pushed through just so you can say you've finished it?
That's how I felt about this book. On the surface, it's a book a definitely shouldve enjoyed. A family saga, written by an Egyptian author who inspired almost all who came after him. Set in a wildly interesting period of time in Egyptian history.
And yet it is easy to sum up my issues with the book with a play on words - The Return of the Spirit lacked spirit.
Pros:
- the exploration of sociopolitical themes and comedy were areas in which this book showed its potential to shine, with elements of pastoralism, nationalism and social commentary on matters such as class and religion, which surpass those of many modern Egyptian writers.
- the comedy in this book is genuinely hilarious!
Cons:
- the nature of the relationship between the main characters the love interest, with whom they are all head over heels for is a source of unparalleled frustration. Nothing even approaching what could be called love exists between them and this main character. Nothing even approaching lust exists either. There is no exploration of her character, her personality, her motivations, her desires, her intellect by either the main characters or the author. She is to both, simply a means to an end. And thus the narrative's emotional an literary depth is only as deep as can be allowed for by the exploration of the love interest's character and dynamic with the main characters. It is puddle deep. Shallow.
- the book has lots of build up for relationships which are completely shallow and inconsequential.
- the book is profoundly boring and uneventful. If you wrote a novel about whatever happened in your week just gone, it would likely be just as interesting.
-rampant colourism is present in the book, as would be expected from a book written in the colonial era. The beautiful and rich characters are all white or blonde, while our only black characters are servants. The brown majority goes undescribed.
- the 'Return of the Spirit' for which the book is named occurs in the last 20 pages of the book and is almost completely detached from the plot. The book is not inherently political or revolutionary at all. Its almost an afterthought. You would expect a book named 'return of the spirit', written during the colonial struggle to cover issues related to said struggle or chapter the plight of those who fought for freedom. It doesn't.
For a better book of this kind, I highly recommend The Open Door by Latifa al Zayyat
Soundtrack for the book - Am Ahmed - Omar Khairat
Have you ever been half way through a book you really want to put down, and pushed through just so you can say you've finished it?
That's how I felt about this book. On the surface, it's a book a definitely shouldve enjoyed. A family saga, written by an Egyptian author who inspired almost all who came after him. Set in a wildly interesting period of time in Egyptian history.
And yet it is easy to sum up my issues with the book with a play on words - The Return of the Spirit lacked spirit.
Pros:
- the exploration of sociopolitical themes and comedy were areas in which this book showed its potential to shine, with elements of pastoralism, nationalism and social commentary on matters such as class and religion, which surpass those of many modern Egyptian writers.
- the comedy in this book is genuinely hilarious!
Cons:
- the nature of the relationship between the main characters the love interest, with whom they are all head over heels for is a source of unparalleled frustration. Nothing even approaching what could be called love exists between them and this main character. Nothing even approaching lust exists either. There is no exploration of her character, her personality, her motivations, her desires, her intellect by either the main characters or the author. She is to both, simply a means to an end. And thus the narrative's emotional an literary depth is only as deep as can be allowed for by the exploration of the love interest's character and dynamic with the main characters. It is puddle deep. Shallow.
- the book has lots of build up for relationships which are completely shallow and inconsequential.
- the book is profoundly boring and uneventful. If you wrote a novel about whatever happened in your week just gone, it would likely be just as interesting.
-rampant colourism is present in the book, as would be expected from a book written in the colonial era. The beautiful and rich characters are all white or blonde, while our only black characters are servants. The brown majority goes undescribed.
- the 'Return of the Spirit' for which the book is named occurs in the last 20 pages of the book and is almost completely detached from the plot. The book is not inherently political or revolutionary at all. Its almost an afterthought. You would expect a book named 'return of the spirit', written during the colonial struggle to cover issues related to said struggle or chapter the plight of those who fought for freedom. It doesn't.
For a better book of this kind, I highly recommend The Open Door by Latifa al Zayyat
Soundtrack for the book - Am Ahmed - Omar Khairat
liebscher's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-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? Yes
3.5
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