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maggiebook's review
3.0
I took my time with this book and just finished it today. I enjoyed the stories. Al-Nakib's writing was very easy to read and a bit fanciful especially when she recounted childhood experiences.
The vignettes were very intriguing so I looked forward to the story following but I didn't always feel there was a connection. There probably was but I just didn't grasp it.
While reading I always felt something bad would happen so I read on with a sense of dread...maybe a foreshadowing because of the setting? So if I described the stories I would say sad though I don't think all stories were sad.
Overall like most collections of short stories there are some to recommend and others I wouldn't but as a collection I think it was worth the read.
The vignettes were very intriguing so I looked forward to the story following but I didn't always feel there was a connection. There probably was but I just didn't grasp it.
While reading I always felt something bad would happen so I read on with a sense of dread...maybe a foreshadowing because of the setting? So if I described the stories I would say sad though I don't think all stories were sad.
Overall like most collections of short stories there are some to recommend and others I wouldn't but as a collection I think it was worth the read.
hanntastic's review
2.0
Global Read Challenge 111: Kuwait
Some of the stories were very good. Overall I found the flowery language was really distracting and detracted from the stories. It just felt like it was trying too hard to be poetic. There were also some tense changes that bothered me and the stories were repetitive in tone and theme.
Some of the stories were very good. Overall I found the flowery language was really distracting and detracted from the stories. It just felt like it was trying too hard to be poetic. There were also some tense changes that bothered me and the stories were repetitive in tone and theme.
jenmat1197's review
4.0
This is a collection of short stories. There are stories of war, love, loss. But if you look deeper, you find that the stories are mostly about life in the Middle East. Each story talks of small objects that the people treasured. Memories that are encapsulated in the smallest things that hold deep meaning for the bearer. There is the young girl named Amerika who loves her name until 9/11 happens. There are the families torn apart by loss of a young child, or the wanderings of a father. The stories hold a lot of sadness but also beauty. And they are wonderfully told.
I liked this book a lot more than I thought I would. I don't really love short storied books- most of the time I just don't get much out of them. You don't develop love for the characters and sometimes you find there are truly only one or two that you enjoy. It was not true for this book. These stories are wonderfully, expertly written. The language is beautiful (although something to get used to) and that made it hard for me to put it down. The stories are all tragic. In the short pages you do develop feelings for the characters because of how well the stories are written.
While it just gives a small glimpse into life in Kuwait, I am glad I chose this one for this country. I saw a different side, told by an author who actually lives there, and it made me feel differently.
I liked this book a lot more than I thought I would. I don't really love short storied books- most of the time I just don't get much out of them. You don't develop love for the characters and sometimes you find there are truly only one or two that you enjoy. It was not true for this book. These stories are wonderfully, expertly written. The language is beautiful (although something to get used to) and that made it hard for me to put it down. The stories are all tragic. In the short pages you do develop feelings for the characters because of how well the stories are written.
While it just gives a small glimpse into life in Kuwait, I am glad I chose this one for this country. I saw a different side, told by an author who actually lives there, and it made me feel differently.
fatamo's review
3.0
I'm so happy to see a Gulf Arab writer producing a serious work, the fact that this writer happens to be a woman makes it all the more important.
There are flashes of brilliance and many profound moments in these short stories. I liked the ideas of the vignettes, linking the stories together loosely. It's the same technique that drew me to David Mitchell in Ghostwritten.
Something odd I thought about the stories was that they sometimes wavered between not trusting the reader enough to let us pick up on the narrative (ie being too descriptive), and then being a bit too brief with staccato-phrased paragraphs sob that I couldn't quite understand what was going on.
I got the sense that the stories came from deeply personal places. I don't know if I'm right about that, but it was just a hint from the nostalgic/melancholic tones. I'd definitely recommend this book for people outside the Arab world, because despite this being a work of fiction, is probably the most accurate depiction of life for Gulf Arabs out there, including all news media. This is no Jean bloody Sasson (my pet peeve).
Looking forward to seeing future works by Mai Al Nakib.
There are flashes of brilliance and many profound moments in these short stories. I liked the ideas of the vignettes, linking the stories together loosely. It's the same technique that drew me to David Mitchell in Ghostwritten.
Something odd I thought about the stories was that they sometimes wavered between not trusting the reader enough to let us pick up on the narrative (ie being too descriptive), and then being a bit too brief with staccato-phrased paragraphs sob that I couldn't quite understand what was going on.
I got the sense that the stories came from deeply personal places. I don't know if I'm right about that, but it was just a hint from the nostalgic/melancholic tones. I'd definitely recommend this book for people outside the Arab world, because despite this being a work of fiction, is probably the most accurate depiction of life for Gulf Arabs out there, including all news media. This is no Jean bloody Sasson (my pet peeve).
Looking forward to seeing future works by Mai Al Nakib.
qqjj's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
sophiavass's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
5.0
jessisavoraciousreader's review
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
This is a collection of short stories for my Kuwait entry in my book project. Read my review in full: https://aroundtheworldonefemalenovelistatatime.wordpress.com/2022/01/18/153-kuwait-%f0%9f%87%b0%f0%9f%87%bc-the-hidden-light-of-objects-by-mai-al-nakib/?fbclid=IwAR1qiiLj7rjItYjKGFM0SQYVd12eMfb5ILEp2TMK5772W-PXjm50X1wQrBk
ecpritchard's review
5.0
I was ready to love this book before I started reading from the reviews alone, and it did not disappoint. Full of rich and evocative language and portraits of the Middle East that do not usually get air time, it is a beautiful collection of short stories and vignettes that I think I will have to reread several times to fully appreciate.
thesmashbotdiaries's review
5.0
I have not read a more poignant, engulfing set of short stories in a long time. I have never been to any of the locations described in the stories, but felt them around me nonetheless. Al-Nakib weaves through the stories and vignettes between them using objects that surface over and over like a verbal where's waldo. The stories are particularly moving since the characters are painfully familiar and yet the decisions they must make are often quite foreign. Beautiful writing, expressive descriptions and memorable characters.
lydia_reads's review
5.0
A beautiful collection of short stories! They're all so honest and endearing yet diverse and somewhat calming too. There's so much going on here! I'd love to read more such accounts from authors who really understand life in the Middle East, like Al-Nakib does. To those people wishing to read more works by women of colour, I can recommend to you Mai Al-Nakib!