An Unnecessary Woman in Around the World in 80 Books

Mar 03, 2017 Dana rated it it was amazing

It took me a while to pick up this book, in spite of others’ recommendations, as I couldn’t muster the patience for what I gathered to be an introspective novel. Instead, I found myself fascinated by the cerebral, witty and somewhat cynical Aaliya who, throughout her musings, does not betray a shred of self-pity.
Completely alone, with only her literary mind and her unpublished translations for company, Aaliya seems to have tailor-made her life to suit her temperament and dedicate herself to wor ...more

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Jun 22, 2020 Julie Griffin rated it it was amazing

This is a good book to read during a lockdown in a pandemic. Aaliyah lives in solitude in an apartment in Beirut in her senior year. With no husband, no friends, no close family, she's distanced herself in her life much as she's spent much of her time translating books into Arabic from French or English. Because most people who would read these books wouldn't do so in Arabic, she boxes them up when she is done and stores them in a dark extra room in her apartment. Like many women of her generati ...more

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Nov 22, 2020 Lisa rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-adults

I enjoyed this one most of the time. It seemed to go off on a tangent sometimes, and I felt an urgency to get back to the real story. I loved the character development, and the view into life in Beirut. Oddly I found myself wanting to take up her hobby!

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Jul 03, 2014 Anna rated it did not like it

Shelves: didn-t-finish

I had really high hopes for it as it sounded just the kind of thing I really enjoy. It also had a fabulous beginning which drew me straight in and I was hungry for more and then................

Read my full review at www.leftontheshelfbookblog.blogspot.c... ...more

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