Rabih Alameddine
Hardcover | Pages: 291 pages Rating: 3.81 | 10202 Users | 1709 Reviews
Define Books Concering An Unnecessary Woman
| Original Title: | An Unnecessary Woman |
| ISBN: | 0802122140 (ISBN13: 9780802122148) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Setting: | Beirut(Lebanon) |
| Literary Awards: | California Book Award for Fiction (Gold) (2014), Prix Femina for Étranger (2016), Arab American Book Award for Fiction (2015), PEN Open Book Award Nominee for Shortlist (2015), National Book Critics Circle Award Nominee for Fiction (2014) National Book Award Finalist for Fiction (2014) |
Narrative In Pursuance Of Books An Unnecessary Woman
One of Beirut’s most celebrated voices, Rabih Alameddine follows his international bestseller, The Hakawati, with a heartrending novel that celebrates the singular life of an obsessive introvert, revealing Beirut’s beauties and horrors along the way.Aaliya Sohbi lives alone in her Beirut apartment, surrounded by stockpiles of books. Godless, fatherless, divorced, and childless, Aaliya is her family’s "unnecessary appendage.” Every year, she translates a new favorite book into Arabic, then stows it away. The thirty-seven books that Aaliya has translated have never been read—by anyone. After overhearing her neighbors, "the three witches,” discussing her too-white hair, Aaliya accidentally dyes her hair too blue.
In this breathtaking portrait of a reclusive woman’s late-life crisis, readers follow Aaliya’s digressive mind as it ricochets across visions of past and present Beirut. Insightful musings on literature, philosophy, and art are invaded by memories of the Lebanese Civil War and Aaliya’s volatile past. As she tries to overcome her aging body and spontaneous emotional upwellings, Aaliya is faced with an unthinkable disaster that threatens to shatter the little life she has left.
A love letter to literature and its power to define who we are, the gifted Rabih Alameddine has given us a nuanced rendering of a single woman's reclusive life in the Middle East.
Be Specific About About Books An Unnecessary Woman
| Title | : | An Unnecessary Woman |
| Author | : | Rabih Alameddine |
| Book Format | : | Hardcover |
| Book Edition | : | Anniversary Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 291 pages |
| Published | : | February 4th 2014 by Grove Press (first published 2013) |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Writing. Books About Books. Literary Fiction. Cultural. Lebanon. Contemporary |
Rating About Books An Unnecessary Woman
Ratings: 3.81 From 10202 Users | 1709 ReviewsJudgment About Books An Unnecessary Woman
The first thing that strikes a reader of this book is the vibrancy of the speakers voice. Here are the first two paragraphs:You could say I was thinking of other things when I shampooed my hair blue, and two glasses of red wine didnt help my concentration.Let me explain.I just couldnt help being drawn in by this first person narrator Aaliya, a seventy-two year old woman living alone in Beruit. Shes deemed unnecessary because (as the bookflap tells us) she is Godless, fatherless, childless, andLovely, Introspective, Character Driven NovelThis novel won't be for everyone. If you like lots of action, a fast moving story, chase scenes, violence, sex scenes, etc., this won't be your book (although there is one sex scene in it :) )If, on the other hand, you have a tolerance for slower moving stories in which many things do happen, but more slowly; and you like books that delve deeply in the the interior state of a single character, you'll love this. The book really consists of a monologue
I found myself completely engrossed in this strange and quietly melancholic tale of elderly Aaliya and her musings. At once a love letter to her beloved city of Beirut, a celebration of literature, and a meditative look back on her life, this story captivated and moved me. Although Aaliyas life was relatively uneventful (even through war times, arranged marriage and her AK-47), it was more interesting than I thought it would be. Maybe thats the point. Most of us will not have a life filled with
--An Unnecessary WomanAcknowledgments
Although I know the characters of a novel as a collection of scenes as well, as accumulated sentences in my head. I feel I know them better than I do my mother. I fill in the blanks with literary personas better than I do with real people, or maybe I make more of an effort. I know Lolitas mother better than I do mine, and I must say, I feel her more than I feel my mother. I recognize Rembrandts painted face of his mother better than I recognize the real face of mine. Aaliyas city otherwise
When I read the blurb I blushed. I know writers lead busy lives. So, when one takes time out to write a book specifically for me my humility flows in torrents.In this case a study of the internal life of a character (A 72 year old woman in Beirut) who lives in solitude in her apartment where she has lived for years. It is stacked full of books. What more do I need? Two and a half morsels of food and three drips of water a day. The cover is a bright red and it quickly became my red book waiting
Just before I began this book I learned that Rabih is a mans name, a Middle-Eastern mans name. It means, alternatively, spring, or winner. I wondered what kind of Middle Eastern man felt he could write a book about the internal life of an aging widow. And now I know. It would be a man who reads.This is a book about loneliness and connection. Aaliya, a name meaning the exalted one, is a translator. That is, she spends her time translating into Arabic books written in English or French. Some of
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