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juneuk's review against another edition
3.0
I have been interested in this part of the world for some time...I have always been something of a romantic, devouring the works of Paul Bowles ,long time resident of Morocco.. and following the adventures of intrepid female travellers; Gertrude Bell, Isabelle Eberhardt, Freya Stark. so I was thoroughly prepared to love this book.
In fact it was , to use a sporting cliche,a game of two halves for me. The lush descriptions of the sights and sounds of Morocco were enticing, the historical detail absorbing, and in this respect I was not disappointed.
However I was unable to completely enjoy this book because of my modern -day sensibilities jarring with the terminology and attitudes of the period in which this was written. I felt a little squeamish at the description of people as 'blacks', for example, and also at the idea that the 'natives' were almost like small children to be patted on the head by their colonial masters. I do understand the context in which the writer lived and worked, and so don't blame her for it, but it just took the edge off my enjoyment of the book, which is why I rated it only 3 stars..
In fact it was , to use a sporting cliche,a game of two halves for me. The lush descriptions of the sights and sounds of Morocco were enticing, the historical detail absorbing, and in this respect I was not disappointed.
However I was unable to completely enjoy this book because of my modern -day sensibilities jarring with the terminology and attitudes of the period in which this was written. I felt a little squeamish at the description of people as 'blacks', for example, and also at the idea that the 'natives' were almost like small children to be patted on the head by their colonial masters. I do understand the context in which the writer lived and worked, and so don't blame her for it, but it just took the edge off my enjoyment of the book, which is why I rated it only 3 stars..
zowho's review against another edition
i’ve never wanted for a book to end quite as much as i wanted this book to end.
tifish's review against another edition
2.5
it was interesting, atmospheric and illuminating but very tedious... my vocabulary was barely enough to read this, every chapter presented me with like 20 new words and annotating their meaning was exhausting
csgranquist's review
dark
informative
medium-paced
2.0
Written in 1919 by a white woman visiting a colonial holding. There is some very interesting observation about her visit and comparative history, but you have to wade through a lot of bigotry/assumptive language to get there. Maybe ultimately more interesting for illustrating the western POV of the time, however unintentional. TLDR: doesn’t age well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Colonisation
chloehamburn's review against another edition
1.0
This was not my style of travelogue at all. Instead of providing emotional, cultural, spiritual, personal insight into both the author and her destination, Edith Wharton's In Morocco read instead like an almanac and fact-finding mission for the elites of early 20th century America and Western Europe. For one of American literature's most beloved authors, I expected a little more in this writing besides the recounting of tame (read: boring) travel stories, pro-colonialist attitudes, and discomfiting exoticism toward the "barbaric," "savage," "indigenous" population of Morocco. This is my first book by Edith Wharton, and while I still plan on reading her classic novels, I do not think her literary talents are to be found in travel writing.
Man, I have hit a string of books lately that have not sit well with me. :(
Man, I have hit a string of books lately that have not sit well with me. :(
ladililn's review
2.0
maybe more like 1.5 stars. often beautiful writing, but my god! the bigotry! I feel like I need to read some Said just to get the taste out of my mouth. interesting as a historical cultural artifact, but not really enjoyable, and likely not very useful as a travel guide, even back when it was published.
balancinghistorybooks's review
3.0
I chose Edith Wharton's In Morocco as part of my Around the World in 80 Books challenge. I am planning to visit Morocco later this year, so was particularly excited to read Wharton's travelogue. In 1917, she travelled around much of the country, reporting her findings of both setting and culture in this relatively short book of essays. Her descriptions are lovely, and the sense of place is certainly the strength within In Morocco. It is very of its time, as one might expect; there is little which is politically correct with regard to her descriptions of the Moroccan people. Good historical context has been woven in, but this occasionally overshadows Wharton's own experiences, and it starts to read like a history book which verges on the dry. In Morocco also gets bogged down in places with excessive and unnecessary quotes, which do not add a great deal to the whole, and could surely have been consolidated. The book does not always feel quite consistent, and whilst it is nicely written, it was not as interesting as I was expecting it to be. It did tend to feel a little repetitive after a while.
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