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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Book to be savored,
By
This review is from: The Map of Love (Hardcover)
I came across A Map of Love quite by accident. I knew nothing of the author and found myself totally entranced from the first paragraph. The first chapters were a little confusing until I was able to sort out who were the characters and who was the narrator. I found the writing style to be crystal clear and as smoothly flowing as a gentle streams luring you into its embrace. It is the story of a young English widow who goes to Egypt at the turn of the century and there meets the love of her life. The story is recounted by her great niece who at the same time interweaves the story of the family in the 1990's. It is skilfully done. Egyptian politics both at the turn of the century and today create an interesting and enlightning backdrop for the stories giving the reader an view not normally found in todays current events. I not only enjoyed the book but heartily recommend it, not only as a great love story but as an insightinto the private life of an Egyptian family.
24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Salamu Aleikum" - Peace be upon you,
This review is from: The Map of Love: A Novel (Paperback)
Listed among the entries for the Booker Prize, Soueif's novel "The Map of Love" is a narrative of relationship between Britain and Egypt in the last century and a story of cross-cultural love. With innovative techniques, the author draws a parallel between the Egypt of early 1900 and the end of the century, carving the present out of the past. The past is represented by the story of an English woman (Anna Winterbourne) who identifies herself with Egyptian struggle against English occupation and married an Egyptian nationalist (Sharif al-Baroudi). The present is represented by Isabel (Anna's great granddaughter) who is determined to find the roots of her Egyptian ancestry.Drawing upon different time lines, with interrelationships, and the use of different narrators, Soueif's novel requires an active and attentive reader. At times excessively romantic and with sugary characters, the author compensates with strong, critical, and biased (understandbly so) politics. There are no kind words for Zionism, imperialism, colonialism, and fundamentalism. In her quest to understand Egypt as a nation the author leaves the reader with the underlying notion that things have not changed much during the country's past century. Despite all the "isms" to be blamed for the country's present state of affairs, internal struggle for power is the epicenter. A passionate, culturally enlightening story, with a beautiful symbolic artifice: the legend of Osiris, Isis, and Horus. "Salamy Aleikum!" (Peache be upon you)
19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A magnificent treatment of Egypt past, present, and future,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Map of Love: A Novel (Paperback)
I read an advance copy, and there may be subsequent changes in the published version, but this book is definitely on my gift-giving list for Xmas 2000. In a lilting and effortless style, this page-turner by Soueif captures much that we need to know about the 20th century history of the Middle East -- while retelling the romantic tale of Valentino's 'The Sheik'. But it does SO much more than revisit the heyday of the 'naughty Orient': it explains, analyses, and criticizes a welter of stereotypes, and charts territory for better poliitcal and gender relations in all of the countries upon which it touches.
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