Scan barcode
cindyjac's review against another edition
3.0
Aaliyah has been translating great literature into Arabic for 50 years - a book a year. She then seals it in a box and stores it in her spare room. We learn about her quiet, lonely life in Beirut as we also learn about life and literature. There was much in this book that quotes authors I'm not familiar with, but it didn't take away from the rich reading experience and made me more determined to keep trying to "read the world". This book met the 2017 Reading challenge prompt: A book purchased at a used book sale.
truffe's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
girlbosslindsey's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
at first i was like ughhh but then i kind of got into it. very meandering. just about the MCs life, in the past and present. love her neighbors
martha_imani's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
Cerebral
lauralauralaura's review against another edition
4.0
Show, don't tell, how much pain and loneliness can be beneath just getting on with it and general judgment. Also, what difference just a bit of connection and kindness can make. Set in Beirut, which adds several layers of traumatic experience; also wonderfully human.
filiparferreira's review against another edition
5.0
Que maravilha de livro. Uma mulher desnecessária, velha, solitária, isolada do resto da sociedade, dedicada a uma paixão também desnecessária pela literatura, que lhe traz sentido.
aruarian_melody's review against another edition
The concept sounded really cool but I just didn't connect with this and decided to move on to something else. The literature references often felt like pretentious name-dropping rather than meaningful additions to the story. The jumping around made everything feel very disconnected.
phoebe912's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
kathieboucher's review against another edition
4.0
A self-educated 70-something Beirut woman thinks about her life, cherishes her independence, and moves through the city she has loved through civil war and all kinds of other strife.
abilge's review against another edition
4.0
Bana kitaplardan ve sanattan anekdotlar veren kitapları çok seviyorum hele de baş kahramanı bir kadınsa… Aaliya bir çevirmen ve Beyrut’ta eşi kendisini terkedip bir kitapçıda çalışmaya başladığından beri kitaplar çeviriyor, yalnızlığını genellikle seviyor ve 72 yaşında bir feminist. Aaliya’nın 72 yıllık hayatını anlattığı bir günlük ve biyografi karışımı bu kitap politika, edebiyat, yaşlanma, yalnızlık, direnme ve daha bir çok şeyi anlatıyor. Zaman zaman kahramanın depresifliğinden bunalsam da çok etkileyici ve derinliği olan bir kitap Lüzumsuz Kadın.