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incorgnito's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
iteechesinglish's review against another edition
slow-paced
2.5
When I was in high school, my dad bought me a fancy embossed, unabridged copy of the "One Thousand and One Nights." I'm pretty sure he had no idea how much sex there was in those stories... It was a long book, and the translation was a bit old-fashioned, so I was excited to see this new, abridged translation. However, this wasn't quite what I was expecting. I thought that since it was advertised as a "retelling," it would be an updated or modernized translation of the traditional stories, but to be honest I didn't notice much difference in style from my old copy. The stories themselves were interesting, but I was hoping for more of the adventure and fantasy stories and fewer of the romance themed ones. I think the author chose to focus on stories that addressed questions of gender and power, which is fine, just not quite what I was looking for.
waffleswim's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
cimmerbeck99's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
bluelillybooks's review against another edition
3.0
To be honest, I had no idea there were so many issues of (re)translation, retelling, Orientalism, sourcing etc with the stories of Arabian Nights. I’m not quite the expert in Arabian literature unfortunately, but after doing a little research I think that Al-Shaykh’s collection is true to the original stories (in so far that is possible). It is written very accessibly so that lays like myself can easily acquaint themselves with the stories that really make up the mythology and folklore of One Thousand and One Nights. I’m happy to have read what I believe is an authentic rendering of the way these stories would’ve been told and embedded in a night of storytelling.
The first half of the book, I was shocked by the violence and brutality of this ancient society. Arms and heads are cut of at a whim and most of the characters are solely drive by sex and revenge. Still, it makes sense that in an oral setting, characters would have to fall in love quickly -like, marrying after seeing each other for 2 seconds quickly- because a storyteller simply wouldn’t have had the time to develop an intricate romance. As a result, characters are mostly typical and easily interchangeable with a couple of exceptions. Although I didn’t really enjoy most of the stories because of their insistence on gender binaries and cruelty, I did find myself turning page after page. And that’s exactly what the magic of Shaharazad is all about, isn’t it?
The first half of the book, I was shocked by the violence and brutality of this ancient society. Arms and heads are cut of at a whim and most of the characters are solely drive by sex and revenge. Still, it makes sense that in an oral setting, characters would have to fall in love quickly -like, marrying after seeing each other for 2 seconds quickly- because a storyteller simply wouldn’t have had the time to develop an intricate romance. As a result, characters are mostly typical and easily interchangeable with a couple of exceptions. Although I didn’t really enjoy most of the stories because of their insistence on gender binaries and cruelty, I did find myself turning page after page. And that’s exactly what the magic of Shaharazad is all about, isn’t it?
raemelle's review against another edition
5.0
Read Harder Challenge 2020: Read a retelling of a classic of the canon, fairy tale, or myth by an author of color
anneke_b's review against another edition
4.0
What a great re-telling of One Thousand and One Nights! I am not familiar with al-Shaykh, but her name has popped up numerous times, and I am glad that I was finally able to dive into her work. I was unfamiliar with the starting off of the One Thousand and One Nights book, so that initial story was something that was completely new to me (and I immediately shared with my partner, who was equally surprised!).
bigolarlocat's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25