Reviews

Le Palais Du Desir by Naguib Mahfouz

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hafious's review against another edition

4.0

This book continues from 5 years after the events of Palace Walk. Kamal's more grown up and focuses on his struggles more. Initially I enjoyed reading about Kamal's thoughts and experiences but got pretty sick of it especially since his character took such a sudden turn. It seems hard to believe he practically worships Aïda even after everything. In Palace Walk we understood Yasin's actions but in this book he makes increasingly reckless decisions and you wonder why he doesn't learn his lesson.

The best story was definitely Ahmad Al Jawad's as we see him make sense of his own morality and old age. I definitely sympathised much more with him than in the previous book. Overall this is still a good read and by now you feel invested in the family but it's not on the same level as Palace Walk.

ripghostdad's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

sidharthvardhan's review against another edition

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4.0

It pales out when compared to the first volume of the trilogy. The narrator spends far lesser time with the female characters. And the three male characters are all obsessed with desire (love or lust as the case may be). There are some beautiful lines all around though the only point of interest is Kamal's troubles as he discovers Darwin's evolution theory and struggles to find a place for his religious beliefs. Kamal is author's alter ego and Mahfouz did go through a similar crisis (which gave birth to 'Children of Alley') upon discovery that Darwin's discoveries didn't agree with Islamic theory about how the world was created.

ceegee's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Not quite as good as the first in the series, but that could be because I found one character’s sections impossible to parse. Still, a great generational story with fascinating characters and excellent prose.