caroparr's review against another edition
3.0
Read it if you've been to Marrakech and enjoy a naive narrator who is not dumb but doesn't quite get what's happening to her. I always like an unreliable narrator.
carlamaeshep's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
jwmcoaching's review against another edition
1.0
I gave this one the 'old 50 page test' and it didn't pass. I gave up after realizing that it was Johnson's trademark society/culture clashing comedy mixed with North African terrorism, Muslim Women's Issues and the CIA. The combination just didn't work very well. The worst part were the epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter; passages from the Koran and quotations from Shakespeare just didn't make a lot of sense in terms of the overall plot...they seemed pretty forced to me.
farkle's review against another edition
2.0
When the title character's name is Lulu, I would expect the name to be quite a bit more fun.
rachelshattuck's review against another edition
4.0
Lulu in Marrakech by Diane Johnson 4/5 ⭐️ - I didn’t like the end, or lack there of, but otherwise this was an enchanting read about an American spy living in a diverse expat community in Morocco, navigating what it means to be female in this Muslim society. It’s definitely a beach read, the kind not to be taken too seriously, because it’s obvious the author has no real experience with espionage or foreign affairs. It’s over-simplified and generalizing to the point where it was barely believable for me, but it was still kind of a fun read, up until when I realized there was no resolution. #rachels2019readinglist
bonjehines's review against another edition
1.0
I don't think I can find enough adjectives to describe how much I disliked this book.
My issues are as follows:
-Even though there was a plot to the story, there was no climax.
-In hindsight, many of the characters and moments in the story were completely pointless. Really, in what way did Peggy Whitworth further the story along???
-Lulu, the main character, was pretty dense most of the time and not a very good CIA agent.
-There was no resolution for any character or for the storyline! What happens to Lulu, Desi, Suma, Ian, Posy … ANYBODY???
Ultimately this novel left me very frustrated.
My issues are as follows:
-Even though there was a plot to the story, there was no climax.
-In hindsight, many of the characters and moments in the story were completely pointless. Really, in what way did Peggy Whitworth further the story along???
-Lulu, the main character, was pretty dense most of the time and not a very good CIA agent.
-There was no resolution for any character or for the storyline! What happens to Lulu, Desi, Suma, Ian, Posy … ANYBODY???
Ultimately this novel left me very frustrated.
miajmu's review against another edition
1.0
I'm not sure what this book wanted to be, a social commentary about Americans in Marrakech, an espionage thriller, or a romance novel. Whatever it was supposed to be, it pretty much failed on all fronts.
wild_night_in's review against another edition
1.0
Edit: right, so I bullied kindly asked one of my North American friends to read this and tell me whether this actually was what passes for humour in the US. Apparently it's not. Am proper peeved off.
I spent a week of my life reading a book written by someone who goes to another country, doesn't even attempt to learn the language there, doesn't try to make friends with any of the locals there (because clearly if you're brown you're clearly Other, and not worthy of being noticed), doesn't learn about any local customs and then prides themself on their ignorance of all the above..
This is the equivalent of reading Fox News' website for a week and wondering whether they're actually owned by the Onion.
Original review:
I finished this book several hours ago, and am still confused by it.
Was it meant to be a poorly-pitched satire on modern day colonialism? Was it meant to be a straight-up story of The Good Guys vs The Bad Guys? Was it a chance to poke fun at novels whose heroines spend the whole of the novel rejoicing that they are free to work in traditionally male areas, whilst shackling themselves to men who are not worth the time of day and espousing racist views that belong to another epoch?
I spent a week of my life reading a book written by someone who goes to another country, doesn't even attempt to learn the language there, doesn't try to make friends with any of the locals there (because clearly if you're brown you're clearly Other, and not worthy of being noticed), doesn't learn about any local customs and then prides themself on their ignorance of all the above..
This is the equivalent of reading Fox News' website for a week and wondering whether they're actually owned by the Onion.
Original review:
I finished this book several hours ago, and am still confused by it.
Was it meant to be a poorly-pitched satire on modern day colonialism? Was it meant to be a straight-up story of The Good Guys vs The Bad Guys? Was it a chance to poke fun at novels whose heroines spend the whole of the novel rejoicing that they are free to work in traditionally male areas, whilst shackling themselves to men who are not worth the time of day and espousing racist views that belong to another epoch?