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immodest_medusa's review
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
christinabijou's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
fast-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
2.75
Wasn’t bad, just not for me. The author plays with reality throughout the book, allowing the reader to decide which aspects of storyline are “real”, which I enjoyed.. However, the writing style was a bit confusing and, paired with Seif’s unreliable narration , it made it difficult to determine what exactly was going on at certain points throughout the story. That may have been an intentional decision by the author, but I just didn’t enjoy feeling “lost” throughout 75% of the book.
borderlinebookish's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
dsjoholm19's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
Great writing! Very confusing and dream-like sequencing; I had to go back and reread multiple times.
loloreid's review
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I was not surprised to learn that Mohamed Kheir is a writer of poetry, lyrics, and short stories, as this novel verges on a combination of genres, with some chapters feelings like stand-alone stories, some feelings like poetic expressions of mood or landscape, and some depicting a vivid tale. A story that builds some columns of plot points and character consistencies: Seif, a magazine writer, Bahr, an expat returning to Egypt to tell the stories of his memories of Egyptian life as well as journeys to Europe, Leila and Ayla, important women in Seif's life. The book unfolds not in a sequence of events but in dreamy scenes that come in and out of focus through pointed pacing or lulling descriptive spirals, creating a tone that depending on the mood of the reader, could be transporting or confusing, but evocative nonetheless.
carie's review
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
4.25
ehrenb's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
lindsayerin's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
enoerdahl's review
3.0
3.5 stars - the hardest part of this review was deciding if I should round up or down. Quite possible it will switch as the ideas of this book continue to ferment in my mind. I’ve switched it 3 times to date