reading_cure's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting yet confusing work by Saadawi, gives me The Satanic Verses vibes. She has a way of using repetition to give new meaning to the same sentences.
My favourite quotes:
"Here loyalty did not exist except among dogs."
"A buffalo costs more on the market than a woman..."
"I know he will kill me, but it will be with love, not with a bullet."
"'...the treachery of men is allowable by divine law...But the treachery of women is inspired by Satan."'
"And just at the moment when I halted to inhale the odours of my life, the bullet struck me in the back. They always hit me in the back, never stand up to face me from the front."
"The thought of death was in my mind, and yet somehow it never occurred to me that I myself would die."
"...it is not love that kills but its absence..."
My favourite quotes:
"Here loyalty did not exist except among dogs."
"A buffalo costs more on the market than a woman..."
"I know he will kill me, but it will be with love, not with a bullet."
"'...the treachery of men is allowable by divine law...But the treachery of women is inspired by Satan."'
"And just at the moment when I halted to inhale the odours of my life, the bullet struck me in the back. They always hit me in the back, never stand up to face me from the front."
"The thought of death was in my mind, and yet somehow it never occurred to me that I myself would die."
"...it is not love that kills but its absence..."
holasisoymaca's review against another edition
4.0
"Desde el momento en que nací, su voz ha sonado en mis oídos, llamándome en el susurro del viento entre las hojas. Sus facciones son parte de mi memoria, líneas grabadas en su lápida. La veo allí, de pie, una estatua de piedra, bañada en luz, en medio de una bruma oscura. (...) Es una mujer que dio su vida y no recibió nada a cambio. En sus ojos está el dolor del desengaño. (...) Mantiene erguida la cabeza, y sonríe como la mujer que lo ha perdido todo y ha conservado su alma, que ha desvelado los secretos del mundo y traspasado la máscara del cielo."
Si tuviese que describir este libro con una palabra, sin dudas sería 'dolor'.
'La caída del Imán' critica, con una prosa impecable, la hipocresía de la religión (que en este caso es el Islam por el lugar geográfico donde está situado el libro, Egipto, pero podría ser cualquier otra) y de la política liderada por los hombres.
El libro se centra en torno a dos personajes principales: por un lado el Imán, representante de Dios en la tierra, líder político del pueblo y del país, un gran hipócrita que podría describirse en la famosa frase 'haz lo que yo digo, no lo que yo hago'. Por otro lado, está Bint Allah (Hija de Dios), huérfana de madre y posible hija ilegítima del Imán. Me costó comprender que la historia da saltos temporales constantemente de atrás hacia adelante, así que admito que al principio estuve bastante perdida. Aparecen otros personajes, la gran mayoría vinculados al mundo político Imán -el Gran Escritor, las esposas, el Jefe de Seguridad- y otros secundarios menos frecuentes que le permiten al libro profundizar en temáticas como la guerra, la corrupción y el poder, los asuntos del Estado, la traición y el amor.
Se me hizo un poco pesado por momentos. Es un texto bastante ¿experimental? pero doloroso. Hay descripciones magníficas, sea un párrafo o una oración produce el mismo efecto en el lector (de haber leído algo hermoso sin importar la cantidad de palabras), y creo que ese impacto no es algo que pueda decir generalmente de todos los libros que leo.
¿Qué decir del final? Me partió el corazón.
Me gustaría seguir leyendo a esta autora. Me quedé con ganas de más.
Si tuviese que describir este libro con una palabra, sin dudas sería 'dolor'.
'La caída del Imán' critica, con una prosa impecable, la hipocresía de la religión (que en este caso es el Islam por el lugar geográfico donde está situado el libro, Egipto, pero podría ser cualquier otra) y de la política liderada por los hombres.
El libro se centra en torno a dos personajes principales: por un lado el Imán, representante de Dios en la tierra, líder político del pueblo y del país, un gran hipócrita que podría describirse en la famosa frase 'haz lo que yo digo, no lo que yo hago'. Por otro lado, está Bint Allah (Hija de Dios), huérfana de madre y posible hija ilegítima del Imán. Me costó comprender que la historia da saltos temporales constantemente de atrás hacia adelante, así que admito que al principio estuve bastante perdida. Aparecen otros personajes, la gran mayoría vinculados al mundo político Imán -el Gran Escritor, las esposas, el Jefe de Seguridad- y otros secundarios menos frecuentes que le permiten al libro profundizar en temáticas como la guerra, la corrupción y el poder, los asuntos del Estado, la traición y el amor.
Se me hizo un poco pesado por momentos. Es un texto bastante ¿experimental? pero doloroso. Hay descripciones magníficas, sea un párrafo o una oración produce el mismo efecto en el lector (de haber leído algo hermoso sin importar la cantidad de palabras), y creo que ese impacto no es algo que pueda decir generalmente de todos los libros que leo.
¿Qué decir del final? Me partió el corazón.
Me gustaría seguir leyendo a esta autora. Me quedé con ganas de más.
niamhreadgood's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
torridgambit's review against another edition
3.0
Did I enjoy this book? No not in the least. However it doesn't feel like a book that's meant to be enjoyed. You are meant to read it like poetry and just feel the feelings of moments and statements. Those feelings, that roller coaster of emotions is the goal of the author (I presume). It's not written badly or a ridiculous subject so I cannot give it a low rating but I cannot give it a high rating when I thoroughly didn't enjoy it
aish_dols's review against another edition
3.0
'The Fall Of The Imam' is told back and forth, like memory in poetic waves. I had this feeling of opening the doors of so many characters' memories
not knowing which door I'd open, the past, the present or even the future. The details of occurrences were in transitions and imperative parts were skipped only to feed the reader with it later.
°
°
It was written in Arabic in 1987 but translated to English, & the translator did a swell job. The flow was confusing at several points maybe because of the interwoven multiple narrators/narrative style. First person into third, straight up in your face, unfiltered.
°
°
°
Apart from the desperation in the quest for power and pleasure of both this world and the next which led to deep religious hypocrisy and proclaimed self righteousness, from the objectification, and debasement of women which led them to suffer heavily in the hands of tyranny, there was this blind followership as most turned the Imam into God himself and actually worshipped him and his ways.
°
°
°
TFOTI screams for justice, women & children's rights and equity, debunks abuse and domestic violence as well as extremism in religion & I'm all for that but
I disagree to some characters' perception about what true freedom meant and I believe it was due to their dire situations that they had to reason that way. °
°
°
In several parts of the book, the interpretation of the Quran and sunnah was also manipulated to fit the hypocritical ways of the religious leaders. But even in the hearts of the 'innocent' it wasn't really understood because their leaders had bent interpretation to them so they were misguided at several points.
°
°
°
Knowledge seeking can never be overemphasized. We should learn about our religion from the right sources, the Qur'an & sunnah and not let anyone deceive us. Righteousness isn't in actions done for the world to see but it is what's truly in our hearts. Also being righteous & religious can be different. We should learn from the examples of the companions of the prophet Muhammad SAW.
°
°
°
Impressive book because it was written in 1987 but we still face issues like this.
°
°
°
Thank you Saqi Books for sending me an e-copy.
not knowing which door I'd open, the past, the present or even the future. The details of occurrences were in transitions and imperative parts were skipped only to feed the reader with it later.
°
°
It was written in Arabic in 1987 but translated to English, & the translator did a swell job. The flow was confusing at several points maybe because of the interwoven multiple narrators/narrative style. First person into third, straight up in your face, unfiltered.
°
°
°
Apart from the desperation in the quest for power and pleasure of both this world and the next which led to deep religious hypocrisy and proclaimed self righteousness, from the objectification, and debasement of women which led them to suffer heavily in the hands of tyranny, there was this blind followership as most turned the Imam into God himself and actually worshipped him and his ways.
°
°
°
TFOTI screams for justice, women & children's rights and equity, debunks abuse and domestic violence as well as extremism in religion & I'm all for that but
I disagree to some characters' perception about what true freedom meant and I believe it was due to their dire situations that they had to reason that way. °
°
°
In several parts of the book, the interpretation of the Quran and sunnah was also manipulated to fit the hypocritical ways of the religious leaders. But even in the hearts of the 'innocent' it wasn't really understood because their leaders had bent interpretation to them so they were misguided at several points.
°
°
°
Knowledge seeking can never be overemphasized. We should learn about our religion from the right sources, the Qur'an & sunnah and not let anyone deceive us. Righteousness isn't in actions done for the world to see but it is what's truly in our hearts. Also being righteous & religious can be different. We should learn from the examples of the companions of the prophet Muhammad SAW.
°
°
°
Impressive book because it was written in 1987 but we still face issues like this.
°
°
°
Thank you Saqi Books for sending me an e-copy.
indahmarwan's review against another edition
3.0
There is always a problem in reading a piece in its translated languages. Yet I did enjoyed reading this piece. It focuses on the corruption of the imam, the highest clerics and the highest authority. How religion is used as a camouflage of evil and how women are seen in traditional religious society with the negative influence of the imam to it, is really a critique for Islamic society. Nawal el-Shaadawy tries to bring the facts hidden in Islamic society and at the same time bring out the feminist voice in her thoughts, criticising her own religious society.
keeley_allen's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
abbie_'s review against another edition
It’s not bad, there are some great passages! But it’s quite opaque and confusing, and it’s making me not want to sit down and read so it’s time to move on
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