Customer Reviews

The Tales of Abu Nuwas

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Abu Nuwas is a weaver of words; drop a coin in his cup and he will spin you a tale of the djinns and demons, flying horses, fire-breathing dragons and talking eagles that inhabit the world of a poor little rich girl named Setara.

Najda, the spice girl (No, no, not one of "those" spice girls - this one sells spices in the marketplace) cannot afford the piece of silver that Abu Nuwas charges for a story. A poor man himself and sympathetic to her plight, he agrees to tell her a tale in exchange for a packet of spice. So begin the stories about the adventures of Setara set within the frame story of Najda and Abu Nuwas.

Fantasy stories of late have been much overpopulated with elves, dwarves, trolls and the rest of that overworked crew. It is refreshing indeed to meet a new and different cast of characters. The magical creatures that inhabit this book are drawn mostly from various middle eastern mythologies, plus a few made up entirely by the author.

Setara's progression from the bored, spoiled daughter of a rich merchant to a confidant, competent young adventuress is paralleled by the growing friendship between Abu Nuwas and Najda. The conclusions of both story threads are heartwarming and satisfying. Though the story is aimed at a middle grade audience, it's a good read for all ages.

In The Tales of Abu Nuwas Marva Dasef, teller of tales, weaves the stories of two young girls together. Najda is the poor girl who is on the verge of being married off to a rich old man in order to secure a better future for her mother and Setara, the product of Abu Nuwas's imagination, is the cloistered daughter of a rich man about whose adventures Abu Nuwas ragails Najda with on a daily basis.

I decided to buy this book after seeing a pretty cool trailer for it on YouTube youtube.com/watch?v=3vhzWTXsqtU. It reminded me of The Dreamers which is one of my favorite tales from Isaak Dinesen's Seven Gothic Tales. The language in Abu Nuwas is not as lush as it is in The Dreamers but, that type of thing is not for everybody. And so, I tried to read the book with objective eyes.

The story reminded me more of The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship which was one of my favorite stories as a child. This is because the stories of Abu Nuwas portray a young girl learning about the world and herself as she gathers a group of magical friends around her. Though she has the use of a genie a flying horse and any number of other magical creatures the adventures and misadventures contained within require her to rely more on herself than any of her magical friends. I liked this and think that this is the main quality of the book.

The book is perfectly structured to be read on a nightly basis before bed (short chapters with cliff hangers). I would guess that this book would be ideally suited for a girl in the 9-10 year old range. I think the Tales of Abu Nuwas are perfect for a young girl who is just on the verge of adulthood or maybe even on the verge of the verge because it portrays girls as taking control of the male dominated world around them and teaches them that they have control of their lives. I think that this is probably a book that could become a childhood favorite as it contains many examples that the reader can refer back to for advice and encouragement when she encounters her own adventures in reality. While this book is not what I typically read, I liked it and would recommend it.

The Tales of Abu Nuwas is written in a format that allows a reader to follow a tale that could be tantalizing because it is often overloaded with smaller framed stories. It is organized and precise, leading the reader to the hearts of two girls that want to make their own destiny with, or without magic.

The first genie girl, Setera, longs for adventure and invites a world of danger. Usually this is due to her own carelessness at making wishes, or plain bad luck. Her genie, Basit is a difficult genie who grants wishes at face value. He often makes matters worse. He turns mildly toxic situations into roaring infestations populating the world back into extinction. Oddly enough, he is funny, likeable and rational. He is a nice contrast to Setara's serious personality. They made a nice team.

Setara was my favorite character. She let go at unexpected moments, and she had an inner fire topped with a big heart set on saving everyone she loved, even if they were demons with an affinity for the cave life. Setera's voice triumphed all other voices in the story, even that of the second girl, Najda. This may have been because only a short part of the book could be dedicated to her character, and when you did reach those areas Najda was looked at through Abu's eyes. I would have liked to seen more through her eyes, feeling her sadness rather than guessing at it.
Setting characters aside, this plot had everything, high stakes, multiple subplots, and plot layers filled with adventure in land and under the sea. There were unexpected turning points that caused her Setara's genie to be unavailable. High moments of conflict led to a sweet and twisted unexpected ending. It was definitely a tale woven outside the genie bottle.

Most of the time I didn't want to go back to Najda, perhaps Abu Nuwas was that good of a story teller. Aside from Marva Dasef's tale, historically a man named Abu-Nuwas was a great classical poet and appeared several times in "The Book of One Thousand and One Nights." Dasef managed to not only weave a tantalizing tale but one with a historical edge.

Marva Dasef takes us on an exciting adventure with the included stories as well as a touching story between the teller of tales and his audience. Don't miss this exciting read!

When I started reading the Tales of Abu Nuwas by Marva Dasef I was immediatly charmed by the sweet, innocent character of Setara. Setara is a girl on the verge of womanhood, itching to escape the clutches of her over-protective father and explore the world beyond the walls of her home.

And what a world it is, filled with bandits, pirates, demons, magic and djinn! Dasef has created an Arabian Nights landscape of bazaars and palaces, caves and stable. A never-was world of magic and adventure.

With the unreliable help of djinn Baset, Setara befriends demons, rescues a magical flying horse, takes a cruise on a pirate ship and is sold as a slave! Somehow it always turns out alright in the end.

Dasef writes with verve and imagination, gentle good humor and a positive attitude. She's a fantasist who believes we solve our problems with courage, friendship and personal action rather than magic. Recommended for children of all ages!

Ms Dasef has once again written a wonderful tale. I would compare this book to the Arabian Nights where the weaver of tales grows fond of a young woman who returns to the bazaar to hear his stories of adventures and delights.
I was captured by the tales and drawn back, just as the young woman, to read another wonderful tale from the weaver. Put this one on your list folks for a great all-age read.
Lorrie Unites-Struiff

Length:: 1:26 Mins