Lulu in Marrakech [Kindle Edition]

Diane Johnson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fans of Johnson's NBA finalist Le Divorce will know what to expect: a fish-out-of-water story about a clash of cultures. Still, the tone and scope of this agreeable if quiet story owes more to the author's early work—Persian Nights, in particular—than the better-known ones about Franco-American culture clashes. Like that 1987 book, this one has more than a soupçon of politics thrown into its cultural comedy of manners. Lulu Sawyer is a CIA agent who arrives in Morocco, both to rekindle her romance with worldly English boyfriend Ian and to trace the flow of Western money to radical Islamic groups. She meets with characters both Western and Eastern, which allows for some typically Johnsonian observations ([Honor killing is] not so common among Algerians.... It's usually the Turks, opines one character). The book works best in small moments and in scenes involving the supporting characters, but the central plot—about Lulu and Ian's relationship—never quite catches fire, and Lulu-as-CIA-agent seems tired and unnecessary. Most fans will wade through the overdetermined plot to get to the sly asides and the astute observation that are and always have been Johnson's forte. (Oct.)
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From Bookmarks Magazine

Though bearing the admirable fascination for culture clash that Johnson has made her signature over the years, Lulu in Marrakech is nonetheless problematic in its unbelievable protagonist, plot, and treatment of international issues. Lulu Googles refugee camps in the western Sahara and analyzes cocktail party gossip—her arsenal lacks fancy gadgets or files. The plots jumps implausibly from poolside flirtations to issues of kidnapping and torture, and Lulu's narration contains insensitivities to cultural distinctions that are possibly meant to highlight cultural stereotypes of American and Muslim women but instead come off as cartoonish. Finally, most critics noted that the novel lacks direction: is it a parable of U.S. foreign policy or culture clash, a love story, a thriller, or a comedy of manners juxtaposed with the world of terrorism and torture? While it succeeds in some of these genres, it fails to achieve them all.
Copyright 2008 Bookmarks Publishing LLC

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 1116 KB
• Publisher: Plume (October 7, 2008)
• Sold by: Penguin Publishing
• Language: English
• ASIN: B001F784EQ
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #167,707 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars What Marrakech is she talking about here?, October 9, 2008

By 

Dana - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lulu in Marrakech (Hardcover)

I'm an American who has lived in Marrakech for nearly 30 years and after reading this book, I'm wondering what Marrakech the author is talking about? She passes off a mish-mash of foods, traditions, names and clothing from other parts of the Islamic world that have nothing to do with Morocco. There are so many factual errors--there's no Moroccan dish called poulet au poivres rouges no raisins in a pigeon pastilla, and no goats in the trees on the Casablanca road, to name a few--that I couldn't help wondering if the author was going to set her spy story in Marrakech, why on earth didn't she take the trouble to get the details right? There are also so many inaccuracies in her descriptions of the relations between Muslims and Christians that it would seem to add even more fuel to the fire of misunderstandings that already exist between us and the Islamic world. If you want to get an authentic look at life in Marrakech as seen by a Western woman, read another book: "Zohra's Ladder & other Moroccan Tales."

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A bland, ignorant book, October 18, 2008

By 

Cleo (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lulu in Marrakech (Hardcover)

There are no redeeming aspects of this book. The character development is laughable (all Lulu's relationships seem forced and unrealistic; for that matter, Lulu herself is someone you wouldn't want to get stuck next to at a dinner party). Her so-called observations are ignorant and predictable ( every Arab man she comes across is a terrorist or a coward, and every woman is weak and abused). Her portrayals of life in Marrakesh do not even attempt to conjure up the sights, sounds, and smells of the city or its inhabitants. The author made no attempt to research the culture. The plot is flat and almost laughable. Don't bother with this book.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing - Diane, what happened?, October 21, 2008

By 

G. Effler (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lulu in Marrakech (Audio CD)

Never for one moment do you accept Lucy as a spy, intelligence officer, whatever she purports to be. Her undercover work in Marrakech is haphazard, her relationship stilted and unbelieveable, and the famous Diane Johnson sense of irony missing altogether. Don't buy it; I'll send you mine.