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A handful of intertwining stories all passing through The Yacoubian Building in downtown Cairo, I read this in one plane trip from Texas to SC. I couldn't put it down! And not just for the sexual content, which I'm sure is the reason half the people who read this pick it up. Controversial in Egypt? Oh my! It has interesting insight into relationships of all kinds - homosexual men in a society that may look the other way if they like you enough, women who marry to support their families, and the
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I read this when it first appeared in English translation but a friend's updates just reminded me that i should add it. I remember that it was slow at first and i didn't understand what the big deal was (everyone was gaga over this book at the time, including my arabic tutor). then i got hooked and the story just kept building and building and building. and by building, i don't mean the Yacoubian Building, which is kind of a character in the story, but you know, the verb building. i would like t
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The Yacoubian Building is about an art deco building in Cairo, now in decay, housing a number of different characters - a corrupt politician, an extremist student, a newspaper man in love with a policeman. It's a glimpse into modern day Egypt, as seen through the eyes of the author (who is a dentist by profession and who happens to have had an office in the Yacoubian Building at one time). The read is a timely one considering what's going on in Egypt today. I especially liked the description of
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This is one of my favorite kinds of novels; it uses the inhabitants of a building in Cairo to look at all strata of urban Egyptian life. There is the young man who cannot rise because he isn't connected; his former girlfriend subjected the indignities of the working world; a gay newspaperman and his demimonde, which he hides from his family; an aging roue; a businessman who uses connections to enter politics, little knowing the the connections will also use him; even the fighting over living and
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4.1 Like the good Egyptian movies we used to watch in the eighties but with political criticism and a sexuality in general and a surprising narrative of gay aspect.
Its a good story with great storylines . In all of them there is a sense of dread for the characters , i was happy that there was at least one positive note at the end.
Its a good story with great storylines . In all of them there is a sense of dread for the characters , i was happy that there was at least one positive note at the end.
Mar 06, 2009
David
marked it as to-read
Jul 02, 2009
Ching-In
marked it as to-read
Jun 03, 2010
Kati Stevens
marked it as to-read
Oct 09, 2011
Stephanie
marked it as to-read
Jan 06, 2012
sash.
marked it as to-read
Aug 26, 2012
Aodeh
marked it as to-read
Sep 12, 2012
Dee
marked it as to-read
Nov 13, 2021
Diane
rated it
really liked it
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review of another edition
Shelves:
21st-century,
africa,
kindle,
translated,
egyptian,
gar-2021,
around-the-world-2021,
2021-reads,
mena-2021
Apr 10, 2014
Heather Davis
marked it as to-read
Jan 21, 2015
Ana-Maria Taranu
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-of-2015
Jun 07, 2023
Adrienne
marked it as to-read
