tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687975489922145220.post5683064960147240985..comments2023-08-10T04:03:44.387-04:00Comments on This Book and I Could Be Friends: One generation passeth away. . .Eileenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11058705381647529328noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687975489922145220.post-38377915157099599492011-03-04T15:53:06.110-05:002011-03-04T15:53:06.110-05:00You managed to get a better grasp of the political...You managed to get a better grasp of the political aspect of the final book. I lost track of who was following what party. <br /><br />Like you, I felt weird about the double first-cousins marrying each other. Just thought of it now, but it was as if they were not willing to look past their small part of the world.Valeriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10401551604933163595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687975489922145220.post-698425543864925602011-03-01T21:39:31.128-05:002011-03-01T21:39:31.128-05:00I was super frustrated by this trilogy by the end,...I was super frustrated by this trilogy by the end, although I agree that some of the grandkids' stories had the potential to be interesting. But for me that's where it stayed: potential. The only character who ever achieved any level of vividness for me was al-Sayyid Ahmad, although I'm not sure whether I preferred his vividness or everyone else's shadow-quality. As I said in my post, Mahfouz's style struck me almost more as if someone were telling me ABOUT a novel at second hand, rather than like I was reading the novel myself. <br /><br />I did like the moment when everyone is gazing at Na'ima and Ridwan thinks something like "This girl is so beautiful; I wish we could be friends. If we walked down the street together, no one would be able to say who was the more attractive, me or her." LOLEmilyhttp://www.eveningallafternoon.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687975489922145220.post-19683227191161739762011-03-01T08:53:34.568-05:002011-03-01T08:53:34.568-05:00I did enjoy the variety of thoughts and lifestyle ...I did enjoy the variety of thoughts and lifestyle choices among the grandchildren, which is what I expected from this book all along. There were other things that made it fall a bit flat for me. However, thanks for the reminder that it had its good points too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687975489922145220.post-72481936715593277732011-02-28T19:50:32.588-05:002011-02-28T19:50:32.588-05:00"An imperfect translation and an over-relianc..."An imperfect translation and an over-reliance on exposition." Totally, E.L. Fay! With hindsight, I'm very glad I read <em>Miramar</em> before <em>The Cairo Trilogy</em> b/c I'm not sure how soon I would have wanted to give Mahfouz another chance if I had read the longer work first. Bummer.Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01746599416342846897noreply@blogger.com