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writtenontheflyleaves's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The Yacoubian Building by Alaa Al Aswany 🏢
🌟🌟🌟✨
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My first book club read of 2021! It was the most rushed I’ve been reading a book since I was in uni and had to keep ducking out of a party at our house to read sections of The Sound and the Fury for my 9am seminar the next morning 😂 I finished it 10 minutes into the Zoom call and did the discussion in my pyjamas, but it was a great one to discuss and well worth the effort!
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🚪 The plot: The Yacoubian building is home to a startling cross-section of Egyptian society - from those who live in cramped conditions on the roof, to the wealthy who inhabit its apartments and offices. They all run up against the obstacle of corruption in their own ways, and as their paths converge and diverge you learn about the society they live in and the effects it has on each of their lives and ambitions.
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This is one of those books that I enjoyed a medium amount while reading but was really interesting to discuss. I’ve not read about Egypt before I don’t think, so to read a book that so purposefully endeavours to show you a cross-section of Egyptian society was an interesting introduction. I can’t say whether it’s accurate as it’s my first foray into this area of literature, but it brought up lots of interesting themes that I enjoyed discussing - particularly the idea of government corruption, and the ripple effect that that can have into every aspect of your life: your profession, your family, your love life. None of the characters were insulated from its effects, even those who were extremely rich and privileged, but Aswany remarkably managed to steer clear of total pessimism in this novel. It’s sad, and it has some gut-punch moments in there, but I don’t think you come away feeling fully downcast.
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🏢 Read it if you like reading about many different characters whose lives intersect, and if you like social commentary in your fiction.
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🚫 Avoid it if you prefer books that have a character you can really follow and root for all the way through - the characters here are all very much in a grey area. I’d also give big content warnings for sexual assault and coercion, forced abortion, torture, and police violence.
🌟🌟🌟✨
-
My first book club read of 2021! It was the most rushed I’ve been reading a book since I was in uni and had to keep ducking out of a party at our house to read sections of The Sound and the Fury for my 9am seminar the next morning 😂 I finished it 10 minutes into the Zoom call and did the discussion in my pyjamas, but it was a great one to discuss and well worth the effort!
-
🚪 The plot: The Yacoubian building is home to a startling cross-section of Egyptian society - from those who live in cramped conditions on the roof, to the wealthy who inhabit its apartments and offices. They all run up against the obstacle of corruption in their own ways, and as their paths converge and diverge you learn about the society they live in and the effects it has on each of their lives and ambitions.
-
This is one of those books that I enjoyed a medium amount while reading but was really interesting to discuss. I’ve not read about Egypt before I don’t think, so to read a book that so purposefully endeavours to show you a cross-section of Egyptian society was an interesting introduction. I can’t say whether it’s accurate as it’s my first foray into this area of literature, but it brought up lots of interesting themes that I enjoyed discussing - particularly the idea of government corruption, and the ripple effect that that can have into every aspect of your life: your profession, your family, your love life. None of the characters were insulated from its effects, even those who were extremely rich and privileged, but Aswany remarkably managed to steer clear of total pessimism in this novel. It’s sad, and it has some gut-punch moments in there, but I don’t think you come away feeling fully downcast.
-
🏢 Read it if you like reading about many different characters whose lives intersect, and if you like social commentary in your fiction.
-
🚫 Avoid it if you prefer books that have a character you can really follow and root for all the way through - the characters here are all very much in a grey area. I’d also give big content warnings for sexual assault and coercion, forced abortion, torture, and police violence.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, and Medical trauma