Reviews

I absolutely enjoyed reading this book. The prose style used was perfect. It's plot was also not easy to decipher which I found interesting. Will definitely be reading this again

uff410's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

mhilal's review against another edition

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3.0

"هل تعلم من هو مصطفى سعيد؟
فقلت له إن مصطفى سعيد كان أكذوبة، وضحكت مرك أخرى ضحكة مخمورة.
وقلت له: هل تريد أن تعرف حقيقة مصطفى سعيد؟
فقال محجوب: أنت لست سكرانًا بل مجنون أيضًا.
مصطفى سعيد هو فالحقيقة نبي الله الخِضر. يظهر فجأة ويغيب فجأة. والكنوز التي في هذه الغرفة هي كنوز الملك سليمان حملها الجان إلى هنا، وأنت عندك مفتاح الكنز."

gylait's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Wowie. What a novel. I’ve been in a bit of a reading rut recently and this book did a great job of digging me out. The narrator explores the complex interplay of identity, colonialism, and desire as he returns home from his studies in England. Tayeb Salih delves into the psychological depths of his characters, revealing the lingering effects of colonialism and the collision of cultures in post-colonial Sudan

First off, the writing was beautiful. Salih, in partnership with the translator, put together a wonderfully crafted novel that flowed incredibly well. The ways in which concepts, locations, and characters were contrasted to emphasize the important themes in Salih’s work was excellent. I loved the ways in which it jumped between time, at first giving me a bit of pause, but as I got used to it, I very much enjoyed it. I additionally appreciated the way Mustafa’s story is slowly revealed to us as a foil to the unnamed narrator.

This short novel was exactly the taster I needed in my current reading phase and I am very glad I picked it up.

mangobdc19's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-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

4.25

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