aframa's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
First Book in 2023💫💫💫
📚📚LYRICS ALLEY BY LEILA ABOULELA📚📚
''Soraya would walkdown the alley and hear snatches of Nur's lyrics coming from the houses. She would sit up in bed and sing along with the radio, and every time she heard it, the pain decreased and the enjoyment increased.
.........These songs would be their story and these lyrics their home.''
This is a book set up in the 1950s in Sudan about one of the wealthiest and influential men in the country.
The book takes us through the conflict that exist between tradition
and modernity. This conflict is visible through his first wife who seem to embody the traditional life of Sudan and the second wife who
was a model of modern Egyptian woman.
The heir to the Abuzeid empire, Nur is involved in a fatal accident and is bedridden. This also gave
way for his old. The dream of becoming a poet!. His father’s wish is put on hold as destiny turned situations around.
The story takes us through the issues Muslim women face in Sudan such as
polygamy and female circumcision.
Leila’s book is such a tear-jerking and an insightful read that will take you across the different boundaries in life.
Leila takes us through a story of love,politics, modernity and tradition, tragedy of life and Fate and would have you hooked until the last page is turned.
Such a page Turner which is highly recommended.
📚📚LYRICS ALLEY BY LEILA ABOULELA📚📚
''Soraya would walkdown the alley and hear snatches of Nur's lyrics coming from the houses. She would sit up in bed and sing along with the radio, and every time she heard it, the pain decreased and the enjoyment increased.
.........These songs would be their story and these lyrics their home.''
This is a book set up in the 1950s in Sudan about one of the wealthiest and influential men in the country.
The book takes us through the conflict that exist between tradition
and modernity. This conflict is visible through his first wife who seem to embody the traditional life of Sudan and the second wife who
was a model of modern Egyptian woman.
The heir to the Abuzeid empire, Nur is involved in a fatal accident and is bedridden. This also gave
way for his old. The dream of becoming a poet!. His father’s wish is put on hold as destiny turned situations around.
The story takes us through the issues Muslim women face in Sudan such as
polygamy and female circumcision.
Leila’s book is such a tear-jerking and an insightful read that will take you across the different boundaries in life.
Leila takes us through a story of love,politics, modernity and tradition, tragedy of life and Fate and would have you hooked until the last page is turned.
Such a page Turner which is highly recommended.
hannicogood's review against another edition
4.0
I think this book tried to be a bit too ambitious with how many characters it was following. I don’t think every story line was resolved satisfactorily, however I was really satisfied with how the ending pulled together in the last ten or so pages. One of the things that really bumped this book up for me is finding out that Nur’s character was actually based on the author’s uncle who she unfortunately never got to meet. Finding this out really changed my perspective as well—I don’t mind as much that the politics weren’t discussed as deeply as they could have been because that wasn’t the point of the novel.
bibliobethreads's review against another edition
2.0
I enjoyed the love story behind this book between Nur and Soraya, and would have been interested to read more about the politics between Sudan and Egypt. Just an okay book for me however as I never really felt excited by reading it.
bookchelf's review against another edition
4.0
Was able to see Leila Aboulela at the Writer's Center in Maryland. Amazing. I really enjoyed this book! So much of the culture rang true - going to Alexandria to the beach. Learned so much about the history between Sudan and Egypt.
kylie0506's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
kgosibookshelf's review against another edition
5.0
"Travel is the cause"
So often when something bad happens to you, you think "why me". I choose not to take this stance because bad things happen all the time. The most important thing is how you recover from them. Remember Everything cloud has a silver lining/Everything happens for a reason.
I literally couldn't put this book down. I hung onto every word, I was in Egypt then I was in London, then I was in Khartoum. I sympathized with Nabilah and admired Soraya And how brave she was, going for a medicine degree when your dad won't even let you wear spectacles 👓 because they are for men. I felt like a fly on the wall in the 1950's in Sudan 🇸🇩. This book was just amazing 😍.
So often when something bad happens to you, you think "why me". I choose not to take this stance because bad things happen all the time. The most important thing is how you recover from them. Remember Everything cloud has a silver lining/Everything happens for a reason.
I literally couldn't put this book down. I hung onto every word, I was in Egypt then I was in London, then I was in Khartoum. I sympathized with Nabilah and admired Soraya And how brave she was, going for a medicine degree when your dad won't even let you wear spectacles 👓 because they are for men. I felt like a fly on the wall in the 1950's in Sudan 🇸🇩. This book was just amazing 😍.
joannemiro1948's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
clarereadstheworld's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This is a beautiful, transporting novel, which crosses frontiers, and adresses so many interesting and important topics, from female empowerment to coping with severe physical handicap. A truly wonderful read.
In 1950 Sudan is teetering on the cusp of independence, new political alliances are being formed and business is booming. Soraya is young, naive, and hopelessly in love. All she can think about is when she will be able to marry her handsome, intelligent older cousin Nur. However, the fates have other ideas for the young lovers, and tragically, nothing will end how they planned.
This is one of the first books in a long time that has actually kept me awake at night. I loved the beautiful descriptions of traditional Sudanese life. Another wonderful element of this book was the contrasting characters, who each bring a different point of view to events. A character who in one chapter seemed sophisticated and enlightened when recounting their version of events, became snobbish and rude when described by another character.
Aboulela based this book on the life of her uncle, who was a quadriplegic poet in Sudan in the 1940's. She states that by writing a book set in Sudan, she wanted to dispel "stereotypical images of famine and war" so often associated with the country. This aim was definitely achieved. She dances along the line of celebrating the beautiful parts of her country and its traditions, while also criticising other more backward elements of Sudanese life with a beautifully poetic agility.
The only thing that disappointed me with this book was when I suddenly realised that the last 10 pages weren't 10 more pages of story, but the afterword!! I definitely wanted those extra pages to be dedicated to the story, it did all finish just a little too quickly for me.
In 1950 Sudan is teetering on the cusp of independence, new political alliances are being formed and business is booming. Soraya is young, naive, and hopelessly in love. All she can think about is when she will be able to marry her handsome, intelligent older cousin Nur. However, the fates have other ideas for the young lovers, and tragically, nothing will end how they planned.
This is one of the first books in a long time that has actually kept me awake at night. I loved the beautiful descriptions of traditional Sudanese life. Another wonderful element of this book was the contrasting characters, who each bring a different point of view to events. A character who in one chapter seemed sophisticated and enlightened when recounting their version of events, became snobbish and rude when described by another character.
Aboulela based this book on the life of her uncle, who was a quadriplegic poet in Sudan in the 1940's. She states that by writing a book set in Sudan, she wanted to dispel "stereotypical images of famine and war" so often associated with the country. This aim was definitely achieved. She dances along the line of celebrating the beautiful parts of her country and its traditions, while also criticising other more backward elements of Sudanese life with a beautifully poetic agility.
The only thing that disappointed me with this book was when I suddenly realised that the last 10 pages weren't 10 more pages of story, but the afterword!! I definitely wanted those extra pages to be dedicated to the story, it did all finish just a little too quickly for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism and Miscarriage
Talks about FGMgirlbeforedawn's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0