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3.1 AVERAGE
3.1 AVERAGE
This book was interesting - following a series or Egyptians and Egyptian-Americans (and some others) at the University of Illinois medical center. But it kind of fizzled at the end. Things that were wrapped up were wrapped up very quickly and others weren't really resolved.
adventurous
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
أول ربع من الرواية بشرني بجلسة ممتعة .. أسلوب سلس جذاب .. لغة سليمة .. صعقت بعد ذلك من كم الإنحطاط الأخلاقي .. لماذا يتصور الكاتب أن ما أضافه من حشو غير لائق يمكن أن يضيف للرواية ؟ بل إن التقييم المنخفض حتمًا سببه كمية البذاءة .. لم يكن ذاك مشهدًا أو اثنين .. بل ثلثي الرواية تقريبا .. شعرت أن الرواية تدور على محور الأفكار البذيئة فقط .. رغم انها حملت بين طياتها حكايات تستحق القراءة .. الكاتب انتقص من روايته و أسلوبه .. متى يكف بعض الكتاب عن إفساد أي عمل بما يدخلونه من إسفاف ؟! .. لانتهت الرواية في ٢٠٠ صفحة بدلا من ٤٥٠ إذا لم يصب فيها أفكاره الدنيئة ! أخشى أنها كانت جلستي الأولى و الأخيرة مع علاء الأسواني .
كنت أود أن أقرأ المزيد و المزيد عن هاته الشخصيات الاخاذة، كل يحلق في سربه، لكل شخصيته و حكايته التي تتقاطع مع الآخر.
الكاتب ثوري بامتياز، إن كان في الأسلوب أو في اللغة أو في التشبيهات ، آراء شتى حول السياسة، الدين، الحب، الحرية و التاريخ.
اكملتها في زمن قياسي لفرط جاذبيتها و واقعيتها.
الكاتب ثوري بامتياز، إن كان في الأسلوب أو في اللغة أو في التشبيهات ، آراء شتى حول السياسة، الدين، الحب، الحرية و التاريخ.
اكملتها في زمن قياسي لفرط جاذبيتها و واقعيتها.
This book was disturbing, and the writing wasn't good enough to justify the unpleasantness, in my opinion. The interwoven short story format didn't work well enough for me--I found the storylines hard to follow and the characters not compelling. It was interesting to think of Chicago from the point of view of Egyptian students, so I give it two stars for a unique perspective.
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
This book was pretty insufferable but I did feel compelled to finish it - even if just for some redeemable moment that never came or a level of character development that made everything make sense.
The obsession with sex and seemingly having to make sure that every character, regardless of perceived religiosity, was extremely contradictory was really irritating and ironically quite boring. The prose was completely unrealistic and the incessant need to show all the Muslim characters as “sinful” eg drinking wine, being blinded by sex, was overplayed and felt like it was written for the wrong type of audience. Definitely not for the people the book is actually about. Shaymaa who appears to be the model practicing God-fearing Muslim woman in the book’s eyes becomes hypnotised with sex, as do a lot of the characters in a completely unbelievable way.
There are some redeeming factors - and I did become attached to some of the characters and their storylines - with some underlying humanity clear throughout - but that’s just not enough for this to be a good book.
The obsession with sex and seemingly having to make sure that every character, regardless of perceived religiosity, was extremely contradictory was really irritating and ironically quite boring. The prose was completely unrealistic and the incessant need to show all the Muslim characters as “sinful” eg drinking wine, being blinded by sex, was overplayed and felt like it was written for the wrong type of audience. Definitely not for the people the book is actually about. Shaymaa who appears to be the model practicing God-fearing Muslim woman in the book’s eyes becomes hypnotised with sex, as do a lot of the characters in a completely unbelievable way.
There are some redeeming factors - and I did become attached to some of the characters and their storylines - with some underlying humanity clear throughout - but that’s just not enough for this to be a good book.
Very interesting, if somewhat complex, novel about Egyptian expats in Chicago. Biting criticism of Egyptian politics and powers, as well as the reception that bright foreign graduate students and academics have in American universities (in histology!).
الرواية تستحق اربع نجوم وهى ممتعة واسلوب السرد رائع ولكن الافراط فالاباحية هو ما قلل من تصنيفى للرواية
More Egyptians behaving badly, but this time away from home. This is really quite bad, with the most appalling stiff dialogue and laughably unrealistic situations - and it's not really set in Chicago, but in some parallel universe where they also make Egyptian soap operas.
I liked [b:The Yacoubian Building|128711|The Yacoubian Building|Alaa Al Aswany|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348797639s/128711.jpg|563704], despite it having all the same issues, and like that one, this has some redeeming quality in the extreme humanity that underlies it. All of these horrible people are allowed their faults, not because of any traumatic backstory that excuses them, but just because people do terrible things and that's how it is. On the other hand, it's misogynist, and has some weird ideas about race relations in America.
And as with The Yacoubian Building, but we're not as engaged with them this time. I feel these interlocked stories could be pretty interesting if toned down considerably... .... ok, yes, land of opportunity if you're willing to prostitute yourself, but come on, man.
Anyway, kind of interesting for the Egyptian view(s) of America, but also excruciating.
I liked [b:The Yacoubian Building|128711|The Yacoubian Building|Alaa Al Aswany|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348797639s/128711.jpg|563704], despite it having all the same issues, and like that one, this has some redeeming quality in the extreme humanity that underlies it. All of these horrible people are allowed their faults, not because of any traumatic backstory that excuses them, but just because people do terrible things and that's how it is. On the other hand, it's misogynist, and has some weird ideas about race relations in America.
And as with The Yacoubian Building,
Spoiler
only one unlikely couple emerges from the chaos intact and hopefulSpoiler
seriously, an educated black woman in Chicago can find no job at all, not even dog walking (the worst of all possible jobs, apparently, to Al Aswany) 'because she's black', but then despite having an average figure, gets taken up as a lingerie model (for a gig which conveniently doesn't show her head and therefore she can hide it from her partner) and then foot model and paid $1000 an hour which solves all her problems (for a while)Anyway, kind of interesting for the Egyptian view(s) of America, but also excruciating.