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thebobsphere's review against another edition
3.0
An Unnecessary Woman falls into those categories of books that I neither dislike or like, neither did I admire it. I felt neutral.
Aaliya is over 70 and lives in Beirut. Due to her age she has experienced the two civil wars in the 80’s and the scattered attacks over the years. Strangely enough she has bigger battles to fight.
The main one is typical Lebanese mentality. This affects her relationship with her mother, which is fractured because 1. She is a woman 2. She is divorced and 3. She was never really loved as a child. Despite this hatred towards Aaliya, her brother inlaw tries to foist the mother on her as she lives in an empty flat.
The other battles involve her neighbors, ex co-workers and her ex husband. She does have one best friend but she was a victim of Lebanese mentality as well. Like all battles there’s always some sort of casualty.
Aaliya does find solace in one thing and that’s books. She is an avid reader and tries to incorporate literature into her life. Due to tragic history of Lebanon, novels provide an escape or give her an opportunity to compare different cultures.
Towards the novel’s conclusion an event happens which makes Aaliya see things differently and that certain aspects of humanity may not be as bad as she thinks it is.
An Unnecessary Woman did not bore me, I liked the references to different books and everything is cleverly put together. My big qualm is the writing style : it’s pretentious, souless and overblown. At times i couldn’t help be irritated by certain words or sentence structures. The saving grace is the character of the main protagonist and her worldview. As someone who knows practically nothing about the Beirut conflicts this was an interesting take.
Is the book worth a read? definitely but I think it might have a Marmite affect on people.
Aaliya is over 70 and lives in Beirut. Due to her age she has experienced the two civil wars in the 80’s and the scattered attacks over the years. Strangely enough she has bigger battles to fight.
The main one is typical Lebanese mentality. This affects her relationship with her mother, which is fractured because 1. She is a woman 2. She is divorced and 3. She was never really loved as a child. Despite this hatred towards Aaliya, her brother inlaw tries to foist the mother on her as she lives in an empty flat.
The other battles involve her neighbors, ex co-workers and her ex husband. She does have one best friend but she was a victim of Lebanese mentality as well. Like all battles there’s always some sort of casualty.
Aaliya does find solace in one thing and that’s books. She is an avid reader and tries to incorporate literature into her life. Due to tragic history of Lebanon, novels provide an escape or give her an opportunity to compare different cultures.
Towards the novel’s conclusion an event happens which makes Aaliya see things differently and that certain aspects of humanity may not be as bad as she thinks it is.
An Unnecessary Woman did not bore me, I liked the references to different books and everything is cleverly put together. My big qualm is the writing style : it’s pretentious, souless and overblown. At times i couldn’t help be irritated by certain words or sentence structures. The saving grace is the character of the main protagonist and her worldview. As someone who knows practically nothing about the Beirut conflicts this was an interesting take.
Is the book worth a read? definitely but I think it might have a Marmite affect on people.
ajith's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
The history, the culture, the cuisine, the cataclysm defying spirit, the intellectuals, Gibran, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Rawi Hage - everytime I identify one or the other from Lebanon I find myself stupefied. Predictably so, Rabih Alameddine has also joined that enchanters list, albeit in my second encounter with him.
Only a few pages in, you would figure out the title is misleading for the seventy-odd Aaliya Saleh is on her own, independant and recluse by choice but is also a bibliophile, a melophile , an aesthete in the Beirut of 2010. She indulges herself in doing translations, translations of translations to be precise, of famous works to Arabic.The book is replete with references to writers - Sebald, Nabakov, Proust , Walter Benjamin, Dostoevsky, Pessoa, Edward Hirsch, Marguerite Yourcenar, Danilo Kis and many others, some of whose names has put the unversed me to shame - and their respective oeuvres.
Segued into the side tracks of literature, art and music Aaliya's septuagenarian thoughts deftly meanders unveiling her own life and her solitude. The three witches - Fadia, Joumana, and Marie -Therese - Ahmad, Aaliya's mother and Hannah are a few of the other characters who assist in driving the plot.
Rabih is a masterclass who is in full control of his language - post modern, free flowing and majestic - in this almost-a-300-pager with no chapter breaks.
A reader's delight and an intelligent read about solitude, old age and Beirut.
freddie's review against another edition
5.0
I cried reading this book; as a consequence, I have to give it 5 stars (should I make a teary vloggy reading video à la the ones made for A Little Life?). It's a story of a snarky old woman who uses literature (and bombastic words and literary references) to shield herself from past hurt. The ending reminds me of an uplifting Hallmark movie without being too sappy.
mehitabels's review
5.0
A sweetly heartbreaking book, set in Beirut, Lebanon, the recollections of a woman who was truly unnecessary and completely extraordinary. A nobody who worked in a bookshop and did little to change the world around her. At yet . . . she is lyrical, lovely, and lonely.
This is a story for book lovers, with quotes and references and the comfortable familiarity of a favorite reading chair, gentle light, and a quiet house. I highly recommend this book, I was touched and amused and saddened. It is just so ... so ... so lovely and sweet and yet filled with the political reality of Lebanon over the past 50 years.
Plus the character is a bit crotchety and cynical and shy, awkward in body and over-intelligent in mind, well, I can relate, oh I can relate.
This is a story for book lovers, with quotes and references and the comfortable familiarity of a favorite reading chair, gentle light, and a quiet house. I highly recommend this book, I was touched and amused and saddened. It is just so ... so ... so lovely and sweet and yet filled with the political reality of Lebanon over the past 50 years.
Plus the character is a bit crotchety and cynical and shy, awkward in body and over-intelligent in mind, well, I can relate, oh I can relate.
purghy's review
5.0
A must... re-read. One time to read, second time to enjoy, third time to underline... what you must read. An excellent novel, full of sensibility and pragmatism.
arielamandah's review
4.0
This is a challenging book to "rate."
A few random thoughts:
- I loved spending time with the main character, Aaliya. She was witty, thoughtful, self-deprecating, and honest.
- The book was a slow burn that seemed to take forever to read. It's certainly leisurely (make sure you have time for it!).
- It was intellectually enjoyable, but I never felt giddy about it or particularly charmed by it.
- I loved the author's use of literature (it didn't feel pretentious to me).
- I wanted more insight and visibility into Beirut.
Overall, I think it was well-crafted (with a few flaws in pacing). Glad to have read it.
A few random thoughts:
- I loved spending time with the main character, Aaliya. She was witty, thoughtful, self-deprecating, and honest.
- The book was a slow burn that seemed to take forever to read. It's certainly leisurely (make sure you have time for it!).
- It was intellectually enjoyable, but I never felt giddy about it or particularly charmed by it.
- I loved the author's use of literature (it didn't feel pretentious to me).
- I wanted more insight and visibility into Beirut.
Overall, I think it was well-crafted (with a few flaws in pacing). Glad to have read it.
meganpaletskih's review
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
3.0
vhsrising's review against another edition
5.0
I’ll be coming back to this book again and again over the years. So many beautiful quotes and book recommendations within! This novel is about an elderly woman living in a war zone who is fiercely in love with her city and her independence. There are so many quotes that will stick with me and make me rethink what it means to be alone.
carole888's review
4.0
Set in Beirut, the narrator is a reclusive 72 year old woman, Aaliya Saleh, struggling to maintain dignity, while coming to terms with aging and she reflects on the past and her life, through the books she’s read.
I enjoyed the ramblings of this beautiful soul. I loved how each of her thoughts led to other thoughts as she repeatedly digressed and interrupted herself and it didn’t matter as everything flowed so well. And the books she mentions …. there are sooooo many books!
I enjoyed the ramblings of this beautiful soul. I loved how each of her thoughts led to other thoughts as she repeatedly digressed and interrupted herself and it didn’t matter as everything flowed so well. And the books she mentions …. there are sooooo many books!