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What Members Thought
I was not engaged at all until about halfway into the novel and I think that's because all but one of the many characters populating it were selfish and cruel, pursuing their desires and allowing their moods to dictate their behavior. There was no hero and no central story here to follow. However, gradually the various strands came together and by the end I could see that it was the alley itself, and Cairo, and Egyptian society, that were the main characters. Mahfouz writes about the unpleasant,
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I enjoyed this microcosmic examination of Egyptian life through the lives of the residents of Midaq Alley in Cairo, circa 1940's. Despite being set during WW2, this felt like a more modern story.
For those less knowledgable about Egyptian culture (ie me) it offers a great insight into the dynamics and pressures (cultural, socio economic, political, etc) facing the Arabic population at that time - and maintains throughout a fable-like quality that relates the themes and characters to places and p ...more
For those less knowledgable about Egyptian culture (ie me) it offers a great insight into the dynamics and pressures (cultural, socio economic, political, etc) facing the Arabic population at that time - and maintains throughout a fable-like quality that relates the themes and characters to places and p ...more
Dec 05, 2017
Kai Coates
marked it as to-read
Aug 09, 2013
Susan
marked it as to-read
