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cathd80's review against another edition
3.0
Chronicle of a Last Summer is a small book about a big time in modern Egypt. The novel spans from 1984 to 2014, but only as small chapters in the life of a young woman living with her family in Cairo. In 1984 she is six and her father has recently left, but the reason is never made clear. Even when she is older there never seem to be answers. In this way author Yasmine El Rashidi sets a tone of disconnect that affects each of the remaining characters differently. Her mother withdraws, but a cousin becomes an activist and when the narrator gets older she goes to film school and writes.
The lack of answers that are the norm for a child’s life do not dissipate as the narrator gets older. Instead, she moves through her life with a silent mother who hardly leaves their house and only a male cousin to discuss with her what is happening within their country. As she starts to document life in the abstract he berates her to become an active voice in the struggle for change. El Rashidi summarizes her mindset
Ours wasn’t a culture used to change. Permanency was valued. We lived in the same places we were born in. We married and moved around the corner. A job was held for decades. The less change, the less movement, the better.
The rest of this review is available at The Gilmore Guide to Books: http://wp.me/p2B7gG-1N6
The lack of answers that are the norm for a child’s life do not dissipate as the narrator gets older. Instead, she moves through her life with a silent mother who hardly leaves their house and only a male cousin to discuss with her what is happening within their country. As she starts to document life in the abstract he berates her to become an active voice in the struggle for change. El Rashidi summarizes her mindset
Ours wasn’t a culture used to change. Permanency was valued. We lived in the same places we were born in. We married and moved around the corner. A job was held for decades. The less change, the less movement, the better.
The rest of this review is available at The Gilmore Guide to Books: http://wp.me/p2B7gG-1N6
rebeccarennerfl's review against another edition
5.0
While the content of this novel is certainly interesting, the choice of narrator occludes important details. There is no real narrative force that pushes the beginning forward. Honestly, for such a short novel, Chronicle of a Last Summer really drags.
Time goes on, and the narrator ages, but the narration remains rather bland. For a literary novel, there is no extra special care for the detail of the prose. For me, if a novel doesn't have a strong plot, interesting characters, or stellar prose - really, none of these - what's the point in reading?
The only thing I came away from this novel with is the reminder that I don't know that much about Egypt in that part of history. I would love to read an exciting novel about that, one with interesting characters and lively prose. Basically, I want a different book.
Time goes on, and the narrator ages, but the narration remains rather bland. For a literary novel, there is no extra special care for the detail of the prose. For me, if a novel doesn't have a strong plot, interesting characters, or stellar prose - really, none of these - what's the point in reading?
The only thing I came away from this novel with is the reminder that I don't know that much about Egypt in that part of history. I would love to read an exciting novel about that, one with interesting characters and lively prose. Basically, I want a different book.
salmonread's review against another edition
2.0
2016 Book Riot Read Harder Challenge #13: Read a Book That's Set in the Middle East
cami19's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5
margaretefg's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to like this book more than I did. The first section, set in 1984 when the narrator is a young girl, limps along because of how little she knows and understands about what is going on around her. The best sections are when the adults in her life talk to her about the Free Officers, or other aspects of Egyptian politics, but those are tiny snatches. We also get glimpses of how Cairo changes physically through the book (the second section is set in 1998, and the third kind of in 2014, but it sometimes reaches back to 2011, 2013...) There's a lot less here than it seems as if there could be...lots of the narrator wondering about her mother's silences, or thinking how she'd like to make films or write novels.
cgandrea's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
themagmag's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5