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therkive's review against another edition
4.0
Speechless, honestly. My heart aches because isn't the betrayal of revolution worse than the act of anarchy itself? I haven't read much about the 2011 Egyptian revolution, outside of what was taught through the American lens during world history in high school. That being said, it's palpable in this book, of how the younger generation would do anything for a better life under a better government - for themselves, for their loved ones, for their fellow Egyptians - and in overthrowing one corrupt leader, elected someone who made false promises only to turn his back (like most leaders inevitably do) on the people to push forward his own agenda. The use of social media in this is remarkable as well; the revolution occurred during the rise of globalization and its effects - diaspora returning home to protest, journalists internationally covering it through their own rose-tinted lenses - are evident in the aftermath of the revolution. The ending fell short; I understood the concept of Khalil, a Palestinian diaspora, fleeing after his friends began being murdered and arrested, but it left a sour taste in my mouth. How it is easy for someone who has no permanent ties (you can argue that Mariam and what he had stake during the revolution could be permanent) to pack up and leave in order to protect themselves, while their loved ones stay back to continue fighting for their rights and beliefs. Regardless, I feel like this is such an important read, to bring forth and understand the pain so many face when attempting to overthrow corrupt regimes in the face of Western imperialism.
karijohnson's review
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
meganclark1111's review against another edition
4.0
In reality this was probably a 3.5 for me. This is a novel with a really important story to tell and one that I was excited to delve into, with my own specialisms in Egyptian history.
However, I think that the narrative was poorly constructed and the whole book felt very disjointed and at times chaotic. I understand that this may be a reflection that uprisings and civil unrest are chaotic but it made the story very difficult to stick with, and I felt that I didn't connect with the plot or characters as much as I wanted to.
I definitely think that these are the types of stories we should be reading about to better understand the modern world and how it has been formed by different socio-political landscapes, however I think that the writing style let this story down.
However, I think that the narrative was poorly constructed and the whole book felt very disjointed and at times chaotic. I understand that this may be a reflection that uprisings and civil unrest are chaotic but it made the story very difficult to stick with, and I felt that I didn't connect with the plot or characters as much as I wanted to.
I definitely think that these are the types of stories we should be reading about to better understand the modern world and how it has been formed by different socio-political landscapes, however I think that the writing style let this story down.
minimallibrary's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this. this was the perfect way to learn about a part of history and area of the world that I previously knew little about. the novel is set during the 2011 revolution in egypt. it's a sad, honest portrayal of that time. living in such a safe country it's always shocking to hear about how in the 21st century there are people and places who are through so much hardship. plenty of beautifully written passages in this. got a lot out of it from the first page to the very end.
megatsunami's review against another edition
I read a chunk of this but just couldn't get into the narrative - the style didn't work for me. I might try again another time.
chloerls44's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
misspalah's review against another edition
4.0
“Divide and rule is no more for we can no longer be divided. How can they control us when at last we can all see one another, talk to one another, plan together? First in Arabic and then the rest of the world in English. Empire sows the seeds of its own defeat. They pulled the plug and we fought them, we burned their police stations to the ground, we drove them out of our cities. Let them come again. They are the ones afraid of us now”.
- The city always wins by Omar Robert Hamilton
.
.
How do you rate a book that has a very important subject matter as it covered the Egypt revolutions in 2011-2013 but at the same time the plot made little sense as it teleporting readers to certain notable events with little context and expect us to be okay with it? NGL, this was my first thought. As a fan of literary and historical fiction, i am familiar with this kind of writing. However, that doesnt mean it is my favorite. It really depends on my mood. This time it doesnt work because i felt the characters were not well developed. Dont get me wrong, the writing was tense and gripping, few times throughout the book i did feel i was there with Khalil and Maryam, seeing the events unfolded as seeing the grief portayed by the mothers who have lost their son by the regime brutality, the hurt that experienced by civillians over greedy politicians, the injuries inflicted by ruthless military - Pages by pages but the description of pain, pain and more pain always finds a way in this book. The book is divided into three parts, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. Each section brings its own depiction of the uprisings that occurred in Egypt before 25 January until the present day. The author managed to illustrate the emotions and sentiments of ordinary egyptians in dealing with this revolution. Its totally chaotic, disoriented and not one size fits all. We saw opinions and support divided - young people vs old people, liberals vs conservatives, brotherhood or Military, Mubarak vs Morsi Vs Sisi, Foreign intervention and USA meddling in it really hijacked the movement that in the first place was to have a democratic government. The book ultimately highlighting the youth in this piece of events : their hope for a better future, their relentless activism as they never gave up, they running away when the were chased by the law enforcement for standing up for their rights but they will keep coming back again determine to see the fruitful efforts of what they has done so far. I read this book for about 5 days and it exhausted me completely as the going back and forth between the two voices of the young activists Khalil and Mariam and their group of friends and fellow comrades can be slightly jarring though it does fit the storyline. Overall, this is not an easy read at all but an important one and perhaps that was the ultimate intent of the book - to drown us readers in anger, sorrow, hopelessness and rage over the injustice, cruelty and countless bodies being sacrificed for the cause. Thus, when i saw this quote, i was struck by it : "If a revolution's fuel is death, then what will be its end?" Would i recommend this book other readers? If you already familiar of Egyptian revolution and its aftermath then this book is A MUST READ. However, if you are not familiar, i will definitely ask you to read any non fiction book on regards of Egypt revolution first before you decided to read this.
- The city always wins by Omar Robert Hamilton
.
.
How do you rate a book that has a very important subject matter as it covered the Egypt revolutions in 2011-2013 but at the same time the plot made little sense as it teleporting readers to certain notable events with little context and expect us to be okay with it? NGL, this was my first thought. As a fan of literary and historical fiction, i am familiar with this kind of writing. However, that doesnt mean it is my favorite. It really depends on my mood. This time it doesnt work because i felt the characters were not well developed. Dont get me wrong, the writing was tense and gripping, few times throughout the book i did feel i was there with Khalil and Maryam, seeing the events unfolded as seeing the grief portayed by the mothers who have lost their son by the regime brutality, the hurt that experienced by civillians over greedy politicians, the injuries inflicted by ruthless military - Pages by pages but the description of pain, pain and more pain always finds a way in this book. The book is divided into three parts, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. Each section brings its own depiction of the uprisings that occurred in Egypt before 25 January until the present day. The author managed to illustrate the emotions and sentiments of ordinary egyptians in dealing with this revolution. Its totally chaotic, disoriented and not one size fits all. We saw opinions and support divided - young people vs old people, liberals vs conservatives, brotherhood or Military, Mubarak vs Morsi Vs Sisi, Foreign intervention and USA meddling in it really hijacked the movement that in the first place was to have a democratic government. The book ultimately highlighting the youth in this piece of events : their hope for a better future, their relentless activism as they never gave up, they running away when the were chased by the law enforcement for standing up for their rights but they will keep coming back again determine to see the fruitful efforts of what they has done so far. I read this book for about 5 days and it exhausted me completely as the going back and forth between the two voices of the young activists Khalil and Mariam and their group of friends and fellow comrades can be slightly jarring though it does fit the storyline. Overall, this is not an easy read at all but an important one and perhaps that was the ultimate intent of the book - to drown us readers in anger, sorrow, hopelessness and rage over the injustice, cruelty and countless bodies being sacrificed for the cause. Thus, when i saw this quote, i was struck by it : "If a revolution's fuel is death, then what will be its end?" Would i recommend this book other readers? If you already familiar of Egyptian revolution and its aftermath then this book is A MUST READ. However, if you are not familiar, i will definitely ask you to read any non fiction book on regards of Egypt revolution first before you decided to read this.
daniela_g's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.25