Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
Really good but VERY difficult to read because of the nature of the subject. Pretty unbelievable.
This is one of my favorite books. It is an amazing, unbelievable, tragic, heroic, biography that will definately hold interest. The first few pages are a little dull because she has to set the background but once you get past that and into the story you will be appalled at the hardships forced upon the main character and her family.
This is truly mind blowing. Written in a hauntingly understated style. I actually wanted more: details, timelines, etc. But maybe that's how an endless life of nothing feels - it just passes away. I got a bit confused as she talked about both a life of control/repression as a child and then described all these fun, free activities/pleasures. I couldn't quite put it all together. But sometimes, I'm nots ure Malika did either. She almost seemed to be holding back or deliberately confusing things. A true view through the eyes of a child.
At first, I was torn. This seemed like one of those books where first this happened and then this other thing happened and then something else happened. But as it started to grow on me, I wanted to see it to the end. I wanted to know what happened, even though I already knew. Just like the movie Titantic, but without the love story ;-)
I wanted to really like this book and feel moved by it because this woman and her family went through a really horrible time. Horrible is putting it mildly. The writing was just not good enough to get me hooked or to develop and emotional attachement to the characters.
As a girl, Malika is taken from her family to live in the king' s palace to live as the king' s daughter's companion. Later she returns to her family just as her father is accused of treason, sending the family into exile/prison. They are in prison for 20 years, many of which are in destitute conditions reminiscent of concentration camps. The story is touching and compelling, but it isn't told in a sympathetic way. There is info missing that makes me wonder why and she doesn't paint herself in a sympathetic light. I'm not sure if that is cultural, to show her imperfections, but she describes herself as spoiled, maybe also to illustrate how far she fell. She is imprisoned with her family, but they are somewhat separated, and we feel for the children and for all they experience in the aftermath, PTSD.
"It was the first time in fifteen years that I had seen so many people at once, that my ears had heard so many sounds, and my senses had been assailed in this way. ... There were more women in the street, dressed in European-style clothes and make-up; they were well groomed.
This continual procession of people walking with their heads down, not seeing where they were going, reminded me of Chaplin's Modern Times. I felt curiously sorry for them. All in all, they were more to be pitied than I was. Perplexed, I mused: 'So is this life, is this freedom? They are just as much prisoners as I was . . .' "
This continual procession of people walking with their heads down, not seeing where they were going, reminded me of Chaplin's Modern Times. I felt curiously sorry for them. All in all, they were more to be pitied than I was. Perplexed, I mused: 'So is this life, is this freedom? They are just as much prisoners as I was . . .' "
"It was the first time in fifteen years that I had seen so many people at once, that my ears had heard so many sounds, and my senses had been assailed in this way. ... There were more women in the street, dressed in European-style clothes and make-up; they were well groomed.
This continual procession of people walking with their heads down, not seeing where they were going, reminded me of Chaplin's Modern Times. I felt curiously sorry for them. All in all, they were more to be pitied than I was. Perplexed, I mused: 'So is this life, is this freedom? They are just as much prisoners as I was . . .' "
This continual procession of people walking with their heads down, not seeing where they were going, reminded me of Chaplin's Modern Times. I felt curiously sorry for them. All in all, they were more to be pitied than I was. Perplexed, I mused: 'So is this life, is this freedom? They are just as much prisoners as I was . . .' "
dark
medium-paced
To be sure, what the author went through jolly well sucked. 15 years in prison with her siblings, hungry, cold, sick, etc. The story intrigued me; it's an interesting read.
HowEVer, the author (the narrator of this true story) was not a sympathetic character. I found myself annoyed by her more than once.
I kept waiting for her to have an epiphany about her situation: "Oh... so this is what my father put people through either directly or with his knowledge." Or: "Oh, so I see. The poor have to suffer so I can have my money and privilege." Or something.
I don't know. Somebody else read it and tell me what you think, k?
(I'm trying not to give away much in this review. You're welcome.)
HowEVer, the author (the narrator of this true story) was not a sympathetic character. I found myself annoyed by her more than once.
I kept waiting for her to have an epiphany about her situation: "Oh... so this is what my father put people through either directly or with his knowledge." Or: "Oh, so I see. The poor have to suffer so I can have my money and privilege." Or something.
I don't know. Somebody else read it and tell me what you think, k?
(I'm trying not to give away much in this review. You're welcome.)