Scan barcode
rach260's review
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
rheaxxa's review
dark
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
mahir007's review against another edition
5.0
هذه الرواية هي أجمل رواية قرأتها في الأدب العربي عامة و المصري خاصة ... التفاصيل العميقة و التحليل النفسي لكل شخصية كان عظيما جدا ... علاء الأسواني هو أحد العباقرة المصريين الأربعة الذين أتابعهم دائما و هم :(حامد عبد الصمد _ يوسف زيدان _ باسم يوسف _ و طبعا علاء الأسواني)
liter_ely's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ridgewaygirl's review
4.0
The Yacoubian Building sits on a once prestigious street in Cairo, a lovely European-style building with retail on the ground floor, apartments on the floors above and, on the roof, a labyrinth of small sheds, housing the people who work for the apartment owners and those lucky enough to get a space. Alaa al-Aswani follows a diverse group of residents as they negotiate their lives in a quickly changing Egypt. Everyone from an elderly and very wealthy man involved in a feud with his widowed sister, to an educated newspaper editor, forced to hide his homosexuality, to a young woman who has to work to support her family and so becomes the target of increasingly blatant sexual harassment, and a young man whose dreams are destroyed by the ordinary corruption of bureaucrats.
This is a vivid snapshot of what life was like in Cairo, at a time before the demonstrations in Tahrir Square, but when a religious extremism was on the rise, a reaction to the lack of opportunity for those without money or connections. al-Aswany also looks at the treatment of women and how they are expected to keep themselves removed from public life, as well as the stark disparity between the wealthy and those who are struggling to get by. The author treats all his characters, even the most reprehensible, with understanding and a clear-eyed compassion that made me feel invested in even the characters I actively disliked.
This is a vivid snapshot of what life was like in Cairo, at a time before the demonstrations in Tahrir Square, but when a religious extremism was on the rise, a reaction to the lack of opportunity for those without money or connections. al-Aswany also looks at the treatment of women and how they are expected to keep themselves removed from public life, as well as the stark disparity between the wealthy and those who are struggling to get by. The author treats all his characters, even the most reprehensible, with understanding and a clear-eyed compassion that made me feel invested in even the characters I actively disliked.
hannahcg's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
djinnmartini's review against another edition
4.0
I don't know that people who aren't familiar with the Egyptian Greats [Mahfouz, Taha Hussein] or familiar with Egypt in general will enjoy this book as much [although this particular translation has a really good glossary in the back giving some good political and social context]. Like his literary predecessors, Aswany has a very frank, fatalistic [for lack of a better word], distinctly Egyptian voice, and this leads to some unredemptive [and mildly depressing] moments in the novel, but like Mahfouz and Hussein, he also turns the sad into small fragmented happy things.
Really enjoyed it, miss Egypt now.
Really enjoyed it, miss Egypt now.
abhaskar's review
4.0
There is a certain harmony in the chaos that's bustling on the pages. A very layered, and all encompassing portrayal of Cairo using people with solid character graphs. A worthy read!
kymme's review
2.0
Eh.
Too many characters, for me, with too few interactions among them. I think the author could have reorganized it a bit and written a nice collection of short stories instead... that said, few of the characters' tales really gripped me.
I suppose if you cannot fathom how or why a series of setbacks or disappointments in one's personal life might lead one to religious extremism (a la suicide bombers) or bring one past some other sort of moral edge, this book could be enlightening. But if you can imagine that pretty easily, this book is pretty predictable, and in my book, that means it's pretty put-down-able.
The glossary is nice, though.
Too many characters, for me, with too few interactions among them. I think the author could have reorganized it a bit and written a nice collection of short stories instead... that said, few of the characters' tales really gripped me.
I suppose if you cannot fathom how or why a series of setbacks or disappointments in one's personal life might lead one to religious extremism (a la suicide bombers) or bring one past some other sort of moral edge, this book could be enlightening. But if you can imagine that pretty easily, this book is pretty predictable, and in my book, that means it's pretty put-down-able.
The glossary is nice, though.