Customer Reviews

Arabian Jazz (Harvest Book)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This light-hearted and imaginative novel portrays a Jordanian family as they adjust to life in the United States. Jazz musician and widower Mattusem Ramoud has raised his two daughters alone since his wife's death, balancing their lives as Americans with their Jordanian hertiage. The extended family is like any other large, eccentric group of people, full of intensity and humor, loving each other unconditionally through whatever difficulties arise.

Jemorah and Melvina have reached marriageable age and their Aunt Fatima, Matussem's sister, is determined that this year, during "Family Function Season", at least Jemorah will find a husband before she is old enough to be disqualified as a spinster. The search is on and Fatima leaves no stone unturned, offering an assortment of odd relatives, second cousins and distant "uncles". But Jemora is in no hurry to make a choice that will alter the course of her life, determined to make a well-informed decision.

This intimate peek into one Arab-American family's experience, blends two generations of Ramouds, all of them quirky and colorful. Many are recent visitors from Jordan who speak in fractured English that renders them even more charming and eccentric, if that is possible, as Abu-Jaber holds her finger directly on the pulse of this remarkable family. Cousin Saiid enthuses, "I must be in heaven, man. You are our cousins, man? This is completely, like, my mind is psyching out."

Old Country fables abound, along with the foolish antics of the younger generation in this eclectic mix of characters. Each page is a delight, bursting with life and energy, family connections and intimate portraits of the bonds of love. Whatever Jemorah decides, she will always have a soft place to fall, her Jordanian-American family her greatest asset. Abu-Jaber has deftly penned the tale of a raucous family, enthusiastic about everything in their lives, music, the future and each other. The Ramoud's share their fascinating culture with the reader, reinforcing the belief of an America that offers infinite possibilities to those who embrace her opportunity and generosity, enriching this country with their accomplishments. Luan Gaines/2003

Worth reading, though the first few pages (and some later) are extremely disappointing. Arabic names are mispronounced, the attempt at comedy is poor, and none of the characters are remotely sympathetic. As the book proceeds, we meet a very different kind of writing. Some of the passages in the book are exceptionally insightful and well written. For those passages it is well worth reading the book. I would rate the book between 1 and 5. It won't tell you much about Arab culture except in parody, but it portrays alienation and prejudice with candor and poignancy.

Arabian Jazz recounts the experiences of an Arab-American immigrant family living in a depressed area of upstate Ney York. The story revolves around the themes of family, race, marriage and loss as the two grown daughters of Matussem Ramoud, daytime hospiatal maintenance man and night time jazz drummer work through the pressures of work, family pressure to marry "correctly" and the loss of their mother early in childhood.

While I found the primary characters engaging and the story often moving, this book suffers, greatly at times, from what I'd describe as "First Novel Faults". Many of the secondary characters have no substance, or have substance but appear and disapper from the narrative in haphazzard ways. The novel attempts to paint a picture of life in the community overall but does so in an inadequate, stilted manner at odds with the heart of the story. Some of the personal confrontations are contrived and some of the characters come across as stereotypes.

All of those faults notwithstanding, the book nevertheless paints a vivid, moving picture of the immigrant experience, the difficulties inherent in interacial interpersonal relations and the groping for familial healing in the face of loss. In the end, the power of the story, the realism of the primary characters, and the sense of genuine love that suffuses the narrative more than compensate for the technical problems that crop up from time to time. I heartily recommend this book.

I have read three of Diane Abu Jaber's novels, and this was my least favorite. I did not identify with the characters as easily as I did in her other novels, and the story and characters were not as believable The main characters in Crescent and The Language of Baklava were more real, and the plots were more engaging.

This is one of the most beautifully written, beautifully conceived, and masterfully executed works of fiction I have read in years. I would liken its comic force to the very best of John Barth or Italo Calvino; its tragic dimensions are reminiscent of Annie Proulx's Postcards. Arabian Jazz is a small masterpiece, as finely crafted as polished stone. Anyone who wishes to see where fiction ought to take us should read this book.

Interesting but not super as her novel Crescent was. Crescent was really a wonderful novel that I have given as a gift to many friends. I was hoping to feel this way about Arabian Jazz.

I loved this book. The characters were multi dimensional, and very realistic. It is a fictional work that provides a birds' eye view into a sub culture that is very real and rich in America.

Briliant! Showing a deft touch for character and charming with high hilarity, Diana Abu-Jaber introduces us to a world so beautifully realized it can only be described as saturated. Caught by ancestry, the role of women in Jordan and America, family tragedy, personal ambition, romance, and anxiety, two sisters strive to rework a habitable America. Abu-Jaber's Dickensian ability to juggle a burgeoning cast and her enormous tragicomic talent (reminiscent of Louise Erdrich and Annie Proulx) produce a jewel of a book. A series of darting revelations instantly grace what had been even some of the book's stock characters with a presence and beauty that had me making silent "oh's" with my mouth.

Got this book for Christmas, and read it in two days. What a great story from one of the truly original voices to come along in a long time. This book examines life in a way that is funny and inspiring. The writing is thoughtful and highly crafted, without losing the humor of every day life. Definitely read this book.

I agree with many of the above reviewers. While it is a fun, sort-of, peek into Arab/American culture, I do not find it to be all that realistic. As a part of an Arab/American family, I was really surprised to find main characters who are supposed to be Arab Christian with names like Fatima, or Abdul so and so. This is not authentic--any Arab would recognize this as false, as well as the constant use of phrases referring to the Prophet, which would not, as another reviewer asserted, ever be used by Arab Christians. Even the transliterated Arabic phrases and descriptions are incorrect and seem contrived or false somehow. I also had a hard time even liking most of the characters, as they never really seemed to develop beyond the outward description of themselves. I think that non-Arab readers will not see a picture of an Arab/American family; rather, they will only see a cartoonish parody of the "A-rab" culture they do not understand as it is. However, for someone who knows/lives/understands the culture, it is somewhat entertaining, though slightly irritating. For a more realistic view of Arab life, read books by Leila Ahmed, Hanan Al-Shaykh, Ahdaf Soueif, or Naguib Mahfouz.