Customer Reviews

West of the Jordan: A Novel (Bluestreak)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I read this book in many of it's stages; it combines the writers maturity and artistic complexity along with the ability to present complex characters on a simple and attractive plate of interwoven stories. If you really wanna know what it means to be a palestinian girl living under constant deprivation of stable mental conditions .. read this book.

This book is real and touching on so many levels. I can see and touch the characters and feel their pain with each turn of the pages. I must say that I was initially deceived by the simplistic language in rendering the story - only to realize that the writer had no choice but to simplify the complex in a way that was palatable for those of us not from the Arab-Muslim world. And while I do not come from the East, many of the scenes mirror my own cultural experience and held a fascination in itself. It also reassures me that in the scope of things, we are more similar than different. I was also amazed by the speed of reading and saddened when I realized that the pages were all almost read.

This insightful first novel by Jordanian-American author Laila Halaby shows that the influences that shape the lives of many Arab women are the same ones that affect their American sisters: upbringing, religion, the urban-rural divide and economic and educa-tional circumstance. Halaby writes about four young Arab women, cousins with deep family roots in Palestine. One still lives in the occupied West Bank, one is torn between her family in Jordan and her studies in Arizona, two live with their immediate families in unfamiliar California. The novel speaks through different voices in successive chap-ters, and the chapters overlap in the narrators' shared memories of their collective ex-tended family: grandparents and a spectrum of aunts and uncles, cousins, brothers and sisters. Halaby interweaves the women's stories, allowing us to see each cousin from multiple points of view. Her dialogue is comfortably authentic, whether traditional or transplanted. The four women relive the oft-repeated legends of their origins in Pales-tine: tales of births, weddings and funerals captured in photo albums and replayed on videotapes. Individual lives become fragments in a rich and intricate mosaic as the lar-ger family history unfolds.

I read this book in many of it's stages; it combines the writers maturity and artistic complexity along with the ability to present complex characters on a simple and attractive plate of interwoven stories. If you really wanna know what it means to be a palestinian girl living under constant deprivation of stable mental conditions .. read this book.

Being of Arab descent myself (my grandmother was Lebanese) I personally found this book interesting because I'd like to learn more about my heritage. At times it could get a little slow, especially when Mawal's narratives came in, but overall it was different and original. One odd thing I noticed about the characters was that they did not consider themselves 'white'. This I found a little odd, because the U.S. Census does consider Arabs Caucasian, so I wasn't sure if I was unaware of something or if they were (if they were right, I guess I'm multiracial then!). It's an interesting book and if you're into ethnic things and enjoy learning about other people's cultures then this book is for you.

This terrific book depicts the everyday life of young Arab girls in the U.S. and the Middle East. The story alternates between four cousins whose problems are both familiar and particular to their culture. The writing is lush and exotic. I recommend this book to anyone, but particularly to women who want to know what life is like for Arab girls caught between two worlds -- and who want to read a good story!

A very interesting and fast read. The story of four young Arab women and the different worlds and choices which confront them. The women are all cousins---two are American; one flits between the US and Jordan and the fourth lives in Jordan.

There are no simple stereotypes or answers in this book. In fact, the stories involving Khadija and Hala are never fully resolved---you are left dangling which is okay and very realistic.

This is a really quick read---you can read it in an evening. I strongly recommend it!

I enjoyed every page of this book. The book allows the reader to enter into the world and thoughts of young Arab women. The story is sprinkled with wonderful vignettes about the women and their families. The characters were real & the writing poetic. I especially enjoyed the parts taking place in Jordan and Palestine. I hope this is the first of many books from this author!!

This is an excellent book that will really get to your heart. A must for Asian Literature students. I bought it using a coupon from UnderTag.com, so it was almost free for me.

From page 1, I was captivated by the unique literary style of Laila Halaby, and enjoyed reading it (in 1 night). It was like nothing else I have read in English. Layers of deep meaning are hidden in the poetic language. It is almost as if it is written in Arabic. Certainly the contorted, yet highly readable, sentence structure carries with it the same ambiguity, the same poetry, the same way of thinking as Arabic. I had never thought such a thing is possible.

The storyline follows about a year in the lives of several teenage cousins, all girls, descended from the same village in Palestine, but scattered in USA and Jordan. The voice shifts from one girl to another throughout the book. It reads like a diary, or like a dream. It is voyeuristic in a sense. By the end of the book, you feel like you're part of the family.

Family is a central theme. There are many other themes, however. Growing up Arab American in the USA, torn between two cultures, accepting or resenting the conservative traditions of your parents. Emigration and what it entails - leaving elderly parents behind in the village. Arranged marriages vs. love. There are deeper implications, touching upon the meaning of life.

I found this book refreshing and look forward to more from Laila Halaby.