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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The characters live in this book. It reminds a little of Dickens and how Dickens, at least in the good books, can make the smallest character real.
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
My first book by Mahfouz, and my first (AFAIK) Egyptian author.
There's a reason this guy won the Nobel for literature. For American/Western readers, here are some similar stories in either tone or content (but of course different setting) to see if you'd appreciate this novel:
[b:As I Lay Dying|77013|As I Lay Dying|William Faulkner|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1451810782s/77013.jpg|481854] (upon closing Midaq at the last page, this book immediately came into my head, without thinking about it)
[b:The Old Man and the Sea|2165|The Old Man and the Sea|Ernest Hemingway|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1329189714s/2165.jpg|69741]
[b:A Farewell to Arms|10799|A Farewell to Arms|Ernest Hemingway|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1313714836s/10799.jpg|4652599]
[b:The Sound and the Fury|10975|The Sound and the Fury|William Faulkner|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1433089995s/10975.jpg|1168289] (as I type this list out, I'm realizing this guy is "Egyptian Faulkner", but of course his own man. Simply as a way of comparing)
and a tiny bit of [b:Faust|406373|Faust|Johann Wolfgang von Goethe|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320404568s/406373.jpg|24158213].
Think "Southern Gothic" set in Egypt. The story is a tragedy in the classical and literal sense. The translation is supposedly very different (written Arabic being different - vastly in some cases - from the vernacular and spoken languages in the Arab world), and I have no doubt that if I could read it in Arabic, this would be a five-star review.
There's a reason this guy won the Nobel for literature. For American/Western readers, here are some similar stories in either tone or content (but of course different setting) to see if you'd appreciate this novel:
[b:As I Lay Dying|77013|As I Lay Dying|William Faulkner|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1451810782s/77013.jpg|481854] (upon closing Midaq at the last page, this book immediately came into my head, without thinking about it)
[b:The Old Man and the Sea|2165|The Old Man and the Sea|Ernest Hemingway|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1329189714s/2165.jpg|69741]
[b:A Farewell to Arms|10799|A Farewell to Arms|Ernest Hemingway|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1313714836s/10799.jpg|4652599]
[b:The Sound and the Fury|10975|The Sound and the Fury|William Faulkner|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1433089995s/10975.jpg|1168289] (as I type this list out, I'm realizing this guy is "Egyptian Faulkner", but of course his own man. Simply as a way of comparing)
and a tiny bit of [b:Faust|406373|Faust|Johann Wolfgang von Goethe|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320404568s/406373.jpg|24158213].
Think "Southern Gothic" set in Egypt. The story is a tragedy in the classical and literal sense. The translation is supposedly very different (written Arabic being different - vastly in some cases - from the vernacular and spoken languages in the Arab world), and I have no doubt that if I could read it in Arabic, this would be a five-star review.
The translation is not as polished as the Cairo Trilogy, and the female characters seem to be almost uniformly negatively portrayed, maybe that is of its time. But a very satisfying read, tho it is not his greatest novel (that is the Cairo Trilogy from what I have read). But recommended nonetheless.
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Great writing style, very dramatic and real characters without being like a soap opera.
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Retrato costumbrista de los habitantes de un callejón de El Cairo en los años cuarenta. Me ha gustado más por lo que he visto sobre la vida en la época que por las historias o personajes, que no han terminado de engancharme.