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thereadingrunnner's review against another edition
3.0
No doubt that Hessler is a fantastic writer. He has an extraordinary ability to make history interesting. That being said, history is not my thing and this book was very much outside of my "norm". It was so interesting, captivating at times; however, I had to read it very slowly to catch all of the details. The biggest struggle for me was that it jumped time quite often, moving between various stages of history - present day to B.C. to pre-revolution. I think this is a stylistic thing, but it made a difficult read even more difficult, especially if you are unfamiliar with the history and politics of Egypt. Eventually as I read and learned more, it was less cumbersome to move between time periods, but I found myself referencing the time table at the front quite often (thank you for including that!). I also think it was a bit on the lengthy side so by the end I was definitely be ready to be done with it. I did really enjoy the journey of Hessler and his wife learning the Arabic language that was interspersed throughout and the transformation of Sayyed. Overall I think this would really appeal to lovers of history, but it was a difficult read for me personally.
atebbe's review against another edition
4.0
A journalist approach to the Egyptian revolution. I appreciated Hessler’s following of different figures-a gay man, a sanitation worker, a dig site manager and several politicians during-and-after the revolution. His writing was difficult to follow at times because of the assumption of a learned vocabulary and multiple storylines. I especially appreciated his following of a gay Muslim and his friend, Sayyid. When reading this book, be prepared to google photos of places and people.
dhelwagen's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
slow-paced
5.0
Learned so much about such a transformative time in history. Can’t wait to some day visit Egypt and revisit the theme in this book. Loved!
charllllotte's review against another edition
5.0
At first, I wondered why began this book with Archaeology sites, but as the book progressed the similarity dawned on me: it would equally require extra work to see, to give nuances to, both in recovering the ancient world and in understanding the turmoil in the modern times, ordinary people and their everyday lives. And that was exactly what Peter Hessler strived to do.
Compassionate, insightful, and honest - this is the kind of journalism I count on.
Bonus point for the author has lived in China and sometimes used the "Chinese lens" to observe/draw comparisons.
Compassionate, insightful, and honest - this is the kind of journalism I count on.
Bonus point for the author has lived in China and sometimes used the "Chinese lens" to observe/draw comparisons.
aindrila's review against another edition
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
So strange to read a book about a city you’re currently living in down to the street and recognising the places (and significantly one of neighbourhood character) the author describes! I’m glad I read this book a year and a half into living in Cairo as I was able to read the book and of Egyptian politics from an already informed perspective. Nevertheless, the book was incredibly enjoyable, and the personalities and histories are described so vividly.
The one thing to criticise was the sections on the archaeology. At times they were interesting when related to the impact of the revolution, especially in the south, or the continuity between ancient and modern Egypt. Otherwise, it felt sometimes disjointed or interruptive in the middle of an interesting political development or anecdote about a character.
The one thing to criticise was the sections on the archaeology. At times they were interesting when related to the impact of the revolution, especially in the south, or the continuity between ancient and modern Egypt. Otherwise, it felt sometimes disjointed or interruptive in the middle of an interesting political development or anecdote about a character.