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scarletohhara's review against another edition
5.0
I savored this book, told these stories to myself again and again and read just a few pages a day in the fear of finishing it too early - that’s how I read, not devoured, this book. This book took me back to the evenings I spent with my cousins in the courtyard of our grandparents’ home as an elder cousin would regale family stories, stuff we had all heard a zillion times and yet couldn’t get enough of. This book made me recollect fondly of the stories told in my family, immediate and extended.
This book made me feel like I want to tell stories like this too, someday. At times I felt like I was hugging a warm body as I read this book on winter evenings.
I loved this book, I loved every minute, every page of it. Most importantly, my love for the author is now more, for I have now found another favorite author. How can one write a story so beautiful, full of interwoven stories all that hold the reader’s attention, which is primarily a family history, tell just enough about the lives of the main protagonists and give an idea on the various influences the Lebanese culture would have (Druze, Armenian, Colonial etc) without being preachy and in prose & metaphors so rich and florid.
I loved how there is one Hakawati every generation - the grandfather al-Kharrat, Uncle Jihad and Osama, and how there are always people who ridicule them for spreading lies and yet cannot get enough of them. I enjoyed reading about Osama’s childhood, about his Mom, Lina, Fatima and Mariella, Elif, the various aunts and uncles and grandparents and how they all lived through the land over decades, in peace and turmoil, the stories of the pigeon wars. Through the Hakawatis, I enjoyed the life of Baybars, with his majestic horse al-Awwar, his friends Othman, Harhash, Ma’rouf, the Uzbeks, the Turks, Layla and her doves; the love story of Layl and Shams, the pain of Majnoun; the courageous Fatima; the brilliant variation in the story of Abraham, Isaac and Ishmael and the various other stories.
It really did feel like Arabian Nights with a good dose of reality thrown in.
And I loved how Alameddine held his promise, the best stories always begin with the appearance of a woman, by telling stories of women even when they were stories of the men around them.
We need stories, the Hakawatis to carry down our untold histories, vagaries of lives, and unbelievable experiences. And we need willing audience to indulge us. How else will our next generation know our exploits! :-D
This book made me feel like I want to tell stories like this too, someday. At times I felt like I was hugging a warm body as I read this book on winter evenings.
I loved this book, I loved every minute, every page of it. Most importantly, my love for the author is now more, for I have now found another favorite author. How can one write a story so beautiful, full of interwoven stories all that hold the reader’s attention, which is primarily a family history, tell just enough about the lives of the main protagonists and give an idea on the various influences the Lebanese culture would have (Druze, Armenian, Colonial etc) without being preachy and in prose & metaphors so rich and florid.
I loved how there is one Hakawati every generation - the grandfather al-Kharrat, Uncle Jihad and Osama, and how there are always people who ridicule them for spreading lies and yet cannot get enough of them. I enjoyed reading about Osama’s childhood, about his Mom, Lina, Fatima and Mariella, Elif, the various aunts and uncles and grandparents and how they all lived through the land over decades, in peace and turmoil, the stories of the pigeon wars. Through the Hakawatis, I enjoyed the life of Baybars, with his majestic horse al-Awwar, his friends Othman, Harhash, Ma’rouf, the Uzbeks, the Turks, Layla and her doves; the love story of Layl and Shams, the pain of Majnoun; the courageous Fatima; the brilliant variation in the story of Abraham, Isaac and Ishmael and the various other stories.
It really did feel like Arabian Nights with a good dose of reality thrown in.
And I loved how Alameddine held his promise, the best stories always begin with the appearance of a woman, by telling stories of women even when they were stories of the men around them.
We need stories, the Hakawatis to carry down our untold histories, vagaries of lives, and unbelievable experiences. And we need willing audience to indulge us. How else will our next generation know our exploits! :-D
millionaire's review against another edition
3.0
The Hakawati took me a long time to read (2 months on and off) and I even relegated it to my sin bin for a few weeks because I was dreading going back to reading it.
This book is a split in to smaller "books" chronicling the history of the al-Kharrat family, the titular hakawati (storyteller) being the narrator's paternal grandfather. Each book follows an al-Kharrat family story interlaced with stories of magical realism, almost like bedtime stories...if bedtime stories had a lot of violence and sex.
The structure was confusing at first as I got used to the rhythm of the real and mythical stories' structure. I enjoyed the stories of popular well known Middle Eastern and Islamic figures, rituals and objects of significance. The al-Kharrat family was written with such complexity and colour. The narrator entertains with an anecdote for almost all his family members (there are a lot of them so be prepared to have a cheat sheet!) I felt like I was actually getting to know this group of people.
My main gripe is that the book felt like it dragged on. As it's a compilation of many stories, it was hard for me to stay engaged with the lack of developing plot and, early on in the book, I honestly didn't care enough about some of the family members yet to sit through their whole life story. So when it was characters I didn't connect with, I found myself falling asleep more easily but when I was hooked, I was HOOKED.
This book also highlights the art of storytelling to pass on and enrich a family history, woo a potential partner, earn money etc. which I thought was a unique perspective.
This book is a split in to smaller "books" chronicling the history of the al-Kharrat family, the titular hakawati (storyteller) being the narrator's paternal grandfather. Each book follows an al-Kharrat family story interlaced with stories of magical realism, almost like bedtime stories...if bedtime stories had a lot of violence and sex.
The structure was confusing at first as I got used to the rhythm of the real and mythical stories' structure. I enjoyed the stories of popular well known Middle Eastern and Islamic figures, rituals and objects of significance. The al-Kharrat family was written with such complexity and colour. The narrator entertains with an anecdote for almost all his family members (there are a lot of them so be prepared to have a cheat sheet!) I felt like I was actually getting to know this group of people.
My main gripe is that the book felt like it dragged on. As it's a compilation of many stories, it was hard for me to stay engaged with the lack of developing plot and, early on in the book, I honestly didn't care enough about some of the family members yet to sit through their whole life story. So when it was characters I didn't connect with, I found myself falling asleep more easily but when I was hooked, I was HOOKED.
This book also highlights the art of storytelling to pass on and enrich a family history, woo a potential partner, earn money etc. which I thought was a unique perspective.
scarletohhara's review
5.0
I savored this book, told these stories to myself again and again and read just a few pages a day in the fear of finishing it too early - that’s how I read, not devoured, this book. This book took me back to the evenings I spent with my cousins in the courtyard of our grandparents’ home as an elder cousin would regale family stories, stuff we had all heard a zillion times and yet couldn’t get enough of. This book made me recollect fondly of the stories told in my family, immediate and extended.
This book made me feel like I want to tell stories like this too, someday. At times I felt like I was hugging a warm body as I read this book on winter evenings.
I loved this book, I loved every minute, every page of it. Most importantly, my love for the author is now more, for I have now found another favorite author. How can one write a story so beautiful, full of interwoven stories all that hold the reader’s attention, which is primarily a family history, tell just enough about the lives of the main protagonists and give an idea on the various influences the Lebanese culture would have (Druze, Armenian, Colonial etc) without being preachy and in prose & metaphors so rich and florid.
I loved how there is one Hakawati every generation - the grandfather al-Kharrat, Uncle Jihad and Osama, and how there are always people who ridicule them for spreading lies and yet cannot get enough of them. I enjoyed reading about Osama’s childhood, about his Mom, Lina, Fatima and Mariella, Elif, the various aunts and uncles and grandparents and how they all lived through the land over decades, in peace and turmoil, the stories of the pigeon wars. Through the Hakawatis, I enjoyed the life of Baybars, with his majestic horse al-Awwar, his friends Othman, Harhash, Ma’rouf, the Uzbeks, the Turks, Layla and her doves; the love story of Layl and Shams, the pain of Majnoun; the courageous Fatima; the brilliant variation in the story of Abraham, Isaac and Ishmael and the various other stories.
It really did feel like Arabian Nights with a good dose of reality thrown in.
And I loved how Alameddine held his promise, the best stories always begin with the appearance of a woman, by telling stories of women even when they were stories of the men around them.
We need stories, the Hakawatis to carry down our untold histories, vagaries of lives, and unbelievable experiences. And we need willing audience to indulge us. How else will our next generation know our exploits! :-D
This book made me feel like I want to tell stories like this too, someday. At times I felt like I was hugging a warm body as I read this book on winter evenings.
I loved this book, I loved every minute, every page of it. Most importantly, my love for the author is now more, for I have now found another favorite author. How can one write a story so beautiful, full of interwoven stories all that hold the reader’s attention, which is primarily a family history, tell just enough about the lives of the main protagonists and give an idea on the various influences the Lebanese culture would have (Druze, Armenian, Colonial etc) without being preachy and in prose & metaphors so rich and florid.
I loved how there is one Hakawati every generation - the grandfather al-Kharrat, Uncle Jihad and Osama, and how there are always people who ridicule them for spreading lies and yet cannot get enough of them. I enjoyed reading about Osama’s childhood, about his Mom, Lina, Fatima and Mariella, Elif, the various aunts and uncles and grandparents and how they all lived through the land over decades, in peace and turmoil, the stories of the pigeon wars. Through the Hakawatis, I enjoyed the life of Baybars, with his majestic horse al-Awwar, his friends Othman, Harhash, Ma’rouf, the Uzbeks, the Turks, Layla and her doves; the love story of Layl and Shams, the pain of Majnoun; the courageous Fatima; the brilliant variation in the story of Abraham, Isaac and Ishmael and the various other stories.
It really did feel like Arabian Nights with a good dose of reality thrown in.
And I loved how Alameddine held his promise, the best stories always begin with the appearance of a woman, by telling stories of women even when they were stories of the men around them.
We need stories, the Hakawatis to carry down our untold histories, vagaries of lives, and unbelievable experiences. And we need willing audience to indulge us. How else will our next generation know our exploits! :-D
jurasmith's review
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
cami19's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
jenmat1197's review
4.0
In 2003, Osama al-Kharrat returns to Beirut after many years in America to stand vigil at his father's deathbed. As the family gathers, stories beging to unfold: Osama's grandfather was a Hakawait, or a Storyteller, and his bewitching tales are interwoven with classic stories of the Middle East. Here are Abraham and Isaac; Ishmael, father of the Arab tribes; the beautiful Fatima; Baybars, the slave prince who vanquished the Crusaders; and a host of Mischievous imps. Through Osama, we also enter the world of the contemporary Lebanese men and women whose stories tell a larger, heartbreaking tale of seemingly endless war, conflicted identity and survival.
This was a pretty good book. The stories were fantastic. It is a little choppy as a book - weaving back and forth between story telling and what is happening in the hospital with Osama's father. Sometimes the flow was not smooth - it took me a few chapters to get into it. But I looked forward to the story telling parts of this book the most. It was a facinating read that I encourage due to the fabulous fables.
gabbyhm's review
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
rocio_voncina's review against another edition
3.0
Titulo: El contador de historias
Autor: Rabih Alameddine
Año publicado: 2008
Motivo de lectura: #MarzoAsiatico
Lectura / Relectura: Lectura
Fisico / Electronico: Electronico
Mi edicion: -
Idioma: Español
Puntuacion: 3/5
Este libro es una reversion de las mil y una noches (entre otras obras) entremezclado con la historia de una familia de medio Oriente.
En varias partes encontre este libro entretenido, pero creo que la estructura narrativa por momentos le juega una mala pasada a este libro, haciendo que el texto que entrelaza las historias antiguas con el dia a dia de la familia no fluya, se siente como grandes saltos en lugar de una lectura fluida.
La prosa de Rabih Alameddine es una absoluta belleza, pero por alguna razon este libro no me termino de cerrar. Creo que el problema es que son tres historias y como mencione antes, al no estar conectadas de manera mas dinamica, la lectura por momentos se hace cuesta arriba.
Lamento mucho no haberme enamorado de la historia..
Autor: Rabih Alameddine
Año publicado: 2008
Motivo de lectura: #MarzoAsiatico
Lectura / Relectura: Lectura
Fisico / Electronico: Electronico
Mi edicion: -
Idioma: Español
Puntuacion: 3/5
Este libro es una reversion de las mil y una noches (entre otras obras) entremezclado con la historia de una familia de medio Oriente.
En varias partes encontre este libro entretenido, pero creo que la estructura narrativa por momentos le juega una mala pasada a este libro, haciendo que el texto que entrelaza las historias antiguas con el dia a dia de la familia no fluya, se siente como grandes saltos en lugar de una lectura fluida.
La prosa de Rabih Alameddine es una absoluta belleza, pero por alguna razon este libro no me termino de cerrar. Creo que el problema es que son tres historias y como mencione antes, al no estar conectadas de manera mas dinamica, la lectura por momentos se hace cuesta arriba.
Lamento mucho no haberme enamorado de la historia..