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Probably one of the most spectacular things I've read in a long time. The writing is exquisite: ornate and sweeping. The characters are cast from all corners of Egyptian society, bringing high and low together in a sensuous jumble. The shifting narrative means that as you go through the series you get more and more perspective on the characters and essential plot points. Initial impressions are upended and all wrong. More and more illusions are shattered and you're left with something painful, b
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When I read the last words of Clea, I was disappointed. Disappointed because the story ended and because I had to leave Alexandria. Durrell describes it with such great passion and tenderness, that during some passages I was moved and almost teary-eyed. The glimmering sea, dusty streets, hedonistic carnivals, Arabic quarters... All that refused to leave my mind alone whenever I had to stop reading, due to boring everyday necessities. The four books gradually reveal the stories of Alexandria's pe
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Feb 27, 2010
Daisy
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Nov 19, 2010
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