Reviews

The Yacoubian Building by Alaa Al Aswany

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siria's review against another edition

2.0

I'm of two minds about The Yacoubian Building. Al Aswany has created a rich and vibrant community of characters, who inhabit a world full of conflicting social and political forces. And yet... either the original prose needed some more editing, or the translation was not very good. Tenses shifted randomly and disorientingly in the middle of paragraphs, and some of the dialogue seemed stilted. The plot was quite predictable, and the ending rather anti-climactic. All of these elements would have made for a read that was merely unsatisfying, but Al Aswany's unsubtle and shallow characterisations (particularly of his female characters) and frankly offensive characterisation of homosexuals and the 'cause' of their sexuality really disquieted me. Over-rated.

nikikalyvides's review

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emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
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

a_proud_bibliophile's review

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4.0

While this book was written nearly two decades ago and is set even earlier in time, it feels as if it is so relevant to our time. It offers a perspective into so many lives that we dismiss out of hand; those of swindlers and young ladies who take older lovers, of politicians and fiery youths who become radical. I think that now more than ever it is important that we understand these people, and this book offers a succinct and empathetic view. It’s difficult to think that this is truly a work of fiction when the writing feels so anthological. I recommend this to anyone who is curious about the normal lives of modern(ish) day Egypt.

marilynsaul's review against another edition

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1.0

I started this book with great hopes. It soon became apparent it was a soft-porn (very soft) book for guys. When the author declared that the women were all so happy to be appreciated in a sexual way whenever their husbands wanted sex, I thought "how can this guy speak with such assurance as to how the women felt??". My experience from living in the Middle East is that women, especially in a society that disavows modern birth control, are more concerned about yet ANOTHER pregnancy and are not at all happy about having to have sex whenever their husband demands. In my reference to "modern" birth control, in the village in which I lived, my adopted "Um" instructed me that in order to prevent birth, I had to piss on an anthill under the full moon. This is definitely a guy book, and I can fully understand how it became a best seller in Egypt; but I'm quite sure everyone who bought and read it was male.

redlamp's review against another edition

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3.0

(3.5) It’s that sort of book that is boring while you read it, but then, once it’s done, you think “ah, that was actually alright”. Fairly predictable in terms of the bigger plot events, but the interest was in the details of how it happened and came to be. Can’t exactly call it “heartwarming” because it’s a little crude and miserable, but it’s a good portrayal of the nature of life and humans being human with a backdrop of corruption and religious beliefs. Some of the dozens of names could’ve been cut out though, on the last 50 pages I was still checking my cheat-sheet to see who was who.