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this_is_clara's review
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
thewakeless's review
1.0
If the object of the writer was to write one of the main character i have felt the least amount of sympathy to, this book is a success. I deeply hated the main character, he was racist, sexist, homophic, stubborn and even his basic ideas of human interactions don't sit right with me. He plays himself as the victim of his children's thoughtlessness and lack of love, but openly admits he never talk to them.... it's like buddy, what did you expect? The only joy I got from this book was watching him humiliate and eventually kill himself
ajkhn's review
4.0
Kind of brutal at times, but, its the story of the lies and truths an old man tells to himself. So what else could you expect?
Its eye-opening to read this as a young parent, not yet aware of the cruelties I’ll conduct as a parent. You could read this as a gritty reboot of Fiddler On The Roof, maybe? It’s good - don’t get me wrong. But deffo not a page turner.
Its eye-opening to read this as a young parent, not yet aware of the cruelties I’ll conduct as a parent. You could read this as a gritty reboot of Fiddler On The Roof, maybe? It’s good - don’t get me wrong. But deffo not a page turner.
shonaningyo's review
4.0
Why is this rated so low? I absolutely loved it.
This book gave me insight on the inner machinations of an old Moroccan Muslim man who, despite all of his attempts to live a decent life, is constantly befuddled and bemused by France and the idea that his children are not as interested in him as he is in them.
What is both frustrating and marvelous about this narrative is Mohammed (the main character) and his naive yet persistent refusal to believe or adapt to anything. The book reiterates countless times that he is a devout follower of Islam, Islam is his life, his culture, his identity, his everything. That kind of faith is kind of beautiful in a sense, but it leads to many clashes with the Western culture that surrounds him as he lives and works in France, these of which accurately reflect recent events and controversies concerning immigrants from North Africa and the Middle East to Europe and insisting on remaining in their traditional ways.
If anything this book makes a third party like my sympathize with people like Mohammed who only wish a better life for their kids but are obstinate in never forgetting their heritage and become anxious when it seems like their kids just don't care. The family is everything in these cultures, and to go your own way and to forget good ol' Pop and Ma and start a new family on the other side of France because you want to be "independent"? What is this rubbish?
At the same time, though, I am utterly baffled that people like him honestly believe that you can just up and move to a completely foreign place and not expect it to rub off on you in some way: If not on your personally, then on your kids. Children are impressionable, very impressionable. Culture and religious faith is not hereditary no matter how much you think it is. They will pick up on their surroundings. Since you didn't raise them in The-Middle-Of-Nowhere-Village, Morocco, your kids naturally deviated from what they thought their father was proper.
Here are some of my favorite quotes that seem to perfectly sum up the dilemmas that arises in this book between traditional Islam-influenced culture vs. Christian-y (but still pretty secular) France:
"Mohammed no longer saw his eldest girl, Jamila, who had defied her parents and married an Intalian. So painful had it been for him to see a non-Muslim enter his family that he'd behaved as if she were no longer his daughter..." (pg. 100)
(this next bit is what Jamila argued) "It's my life, not yours! You're not going to keep me from living simply because we're Muslims! And just what kind of religion is it that lets men marry Christian or Jewish women but won't let its women do the same with men?...You think I'll be happier with some countrified jerk, one of those lousy peasants who'll lock me up while he goes out to get drunk with his pals? No thanks, Papa.." (pg. 101)
"When Mohammed's wie reminded him that Mourad [their eldest son] had married a Christian woman, he shouted angrily, but he's a man, the man runs the family, and the Christian woman will convert to our religion in the end. No Christian man has ever sincerely converted to Islam to marry a Muslim woman! They pretend, change their name, recite the shahada to profess their new faith...No, it's the man who decides, not the woman" (pg. 102)
"Forty years in France hadn't changed him. Not one whit. He remained intact, inviolable, impeccable: naturally nd hermetically sealed. Nothing of France had found a place in his heart or his soul...There were millions like him. They emigrated as if encased in armour, fiercely resisting all outside influence: we have our lives, our ways, and they have theirs. Each to his own -- no intrusion, no meddling...The village and its traditions back home lived on in him, coming between him and reality." (pg 119-120)
I also enjoyed the anecdotes that Mohammed recalls during his permanent state of pensiveness and reflection, of colleagues and family and mutuals whom he relates to, or at the very least showcase some whacky and tragic shenanigans that the immigrant Muslim community faces either abroad or at home.
I honestly truly enjoyed this book, maybe because I loved the psychological and cultural aspect of it. I honestly don't know why this book is rated so low :/
This book gave me insight on the inner machinations of an old Moroccan Muslim man who, despite all of his attempts to live a decent life, is constantly befuddled and bemused by France and the idea that his children are not as interested in him as he is in them.
What is both frustrating and marvelous about this narrative is Mohammed (the main character) and his naive yet persistent refusal to believe or adapt to anything. The book reiterates countless times that he is a devout follower of Islam, Islam is his life, his culture, his identity, his everything. That kind of faith is kind of beautiful in a sense, but it leads to many clashes with the Western culture that surrounds him as he lives and works in France, these of which accurately reflect recent events and controversies concerning immigrants from North Africa and the Middle East to Europe and insisting on remaining in their traditional ways.
If anything this book makes a third party like my sympathize with people like Mohammed who only wish a better life for their kids but are obstinate in never forgetting their heritage and become anxious when it seems like their kids just don't care. The family is everything in these cultures, and to go your own way and to forget good ol' Pop and Ma and start a new family on the other side of France because you want to be "independent"? What is this rubbish?
At the same time, though, I am utterly baffled that people like him honestly believe that you can just up and move to a completely foreign place and not expect it to rub off on you in some way: If not on your personally, then on your kids. Children are impressionable, very impressionable. Culture and religious faith is not hereditary no matter how much you think it is. They will pick up on their surroundings. Since you didn't raise them in The-Middle-Of-Nowhere-Village, Morocco, your kids naturally deviated from what they thought their father was proper.
Here are some of my favorite quotes that seem to perfectly sum up the dilemmas that arises in this book between traditional Islam-influenced culture vs. Christian-y (but still pretty secular) France:
"Mohammed no longer saw his eldest girl, Jamila, who had defied her parents and married an Intalian. So painful had it been for him to see a non-Muslim enter his family that he'd behaved as if she were no longer his daughter..." (pg. 100)
(this next bit is what Jamila argued) "It's my life, not yours! You're not going to keep me from living simply because we're Muslims! And just what kind of religion is it that lets men marry Christian or Jewish women but won't let its women do the same with men?...You think I'll be happier with some countrified jerk, one of those lousy peasants who'll lock me up while he goes out to get drunk with his pals? No thanks, Papa.." (pg. 101)
"When Mohammed's wie reminded him that Mourad [their eldest son] had married a Christian woman, he shouted angrily, but he's a man, the man runs the family, and the Christian woman will convert to our religion in the end. No Christian man has ever sincerely converted to Islam to marry a Muslim woman! They pretend, change their name, recite the shahada to profess their new faith...No, it's the man who decides, not the woman" (pg. 102)
"Forty years in France hadn't changed him. Not one whit. He remained intact, inviolable, impeccable: naturally nd hermetically sealed. Nothing of France had found a place in his heart or his soul...There were millions like him. They emigrated as if encased in armour, fiercely resisting all outside influence: we have our lives, our ways, and they have theirs. Each to his own -- no intrusion, no meddling...The village and its traditions back home lived on in him, coming between him and reality." (pg 119-120)
I also enjoyed the anecdotes that Mohammed recalls during his permanent state of pensiveness and reflection, of colleagues and family and mutuals whom he relates to, or at the very least showcase some whacky and tragic shenanigans that the immigrant Muslim community faces either abroad or at home.
I honestly truly enjoyed this book, maybe because I loved the psychological and cultural aspect of it. I honestly don't know why this book is rated so low :/
temi_m's review
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
vicki_s's review
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Must be the most unrelatable MC I have ever read. Took a strange turn.
Also strange is that this is the 2nd book in a row I just finished where the author dated the writing of the book and where it was written at the end. Just finished Misery by Stephen King which also has the date and place. Fairly certain I have never seen it before now.
Also strange is that this is the 2nd book in a row I just finished where the author dated the writing of the book and where it was written at the end. Just finished Misery by Stephen King which also has the date and place. Fairly certain I have never seen it before now.
jm_donellan's review
3.0
Moving and thoughtful, but also somewhat disjointed. The central character was lovingly crafted but although this is quite a short book, it still felt longer than it needed to be.
mar0312's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
scarschultz's review
3.0
I loved “Leaving Tangier” but this book wasn’t really for me. Tahar Ben Jelloun is a very talented writer, but I’m not a fan of stream of consciousness writing. It just kinda feels like nothing happened in the book.