- Paperback: 352 pages
- Publisher: Sceptre; New Ed edition (15 Mar 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0340792744
- ISBN-13: 978-0340792742
- Product Dimensions: 18.2 x 13 x 2.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 911,921 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
| ||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
'Kenway makes Beirut as romantic and enticing a location for a love story as any of the traditional metropolises while weaving the tales of the main players together with consummate skill' (Jockey Slut 20030701)
'Kenway's affection for Lebanon shines from every page ... fully engages the reader's sympathies... Kenway sustains an intimate portrait of Beirut life from an outsider's point of view.' (Independent )
'Kris Kenway achieves something quite rare – he really gets under the skin of Beirut, a place with which he clearly has a deep love-hate relationship, and conveys all its quirks with genuine tenderness, making this a novel that is much more than just its plot' (Metro, 4-star review )
“I left Beirut in 1983 for good. Reading Bliss Street made me want to go back.” (Ziad Doueiri (Writer/Director of West Beirut) )
'An affecting ...warm, bittersweet novel, with a haunting, disturbing picture inside' (Independent on Sunday, on TOO SMALL FOR BASKETBALL )
'Properly funny, warm-hearted and intensely painful, Kenway's human storytelling is, at times, reminiscent of John Irving's. And that is some recommendation.' (Mondo, on TOO SMALL FOR BASKETBALL )
'Kenway gives poignancy and passion to the small experiences, the simple pleasures of a man rebuilding a life. This is a moving novel' (Rebecca Ray, author of A CERTAIN AGE, on PRECIOUS )
'Suspenseful and sussed ... a talented new writer' (id )
'This immediate and raw novel is full of sharp insights into the problems of school, family and growing up' (Bookseller, on TOO SMALL FOR BASKETBALL )
'An assured novel with a shocking twist amid the laughs' (Glasgow Herald on TOO SMALL FOR BASKETBALL )
'Kenway's affection for Lebanon shines from every page ... fully engages the reader's sympathies... Kenway sustains an intimate portrait of Beirut life from an outsider's point of view.' (Independent )
'Kris Kenway achieves something quite rare – he really gets under the skin of Beirut, a place with which he clearly has a deep love-hate relationship, and conveys all its quirks with genuine tenderness, making this a novel that is much more than just its plot' (Metro, 4-star review )
“I left Beirut in 1983 for good. Reading Bliss Street made me want to go back.” (Ziad Doueiri (Writer/Director of West Beirut) )
'An affecting ...warm, bittersweet novel, with a haunting, disturbing picture inside' (Independent on Sunday, on TOO SMALL FOR BASKETBALL )
'Properly funny, warm-hearted and intensely painful, Kenway's human storytelling is, at times, reminiscent of John Irving's. And that is some recommendation.' (Mondo, on TOO SMALL FOR BASKETBALL )
'Kenway gives poignancy and passion to the small experiences, the simple pleasures of a man rebuilding a life. This is a moving novel' (Rebecca Ray, author of A CERTAIN AGE, on PRECIOUS )
'Suspenseful and sussed ... a talented new writer' (id )
'This immediate and raw novel is full of sharp insights into the problems of school, family and growing up' (Bookseller, on TOO SMALL FOR BASKETBALL )
'An assured novel with a shocking twist amid the laughs' (Glasgow Herald on TOO SMALL FOR BASKETBALL )
Glasgow Herald on TOO SMALL FOR BASKETBALL
'An assured novel with a shocking twist amid the laughs'
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organise and find favourite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Bliss Street is a story about 2 people trapped in their respective ruts. The hero - James wants to get out of his empty life in London as a mobile phone salesman and longs to go back to his passion in the music video world. The heroine - Maya is stuck in her own rut in Beirut aching to get out of her provincial society, to continue her education abroad and to explore her potential. An accidental diversion brings them together in Beirut. Each of them sees their escape from the rut in the “exotic abroad”.
In Bliss Street, Kenway has captured the subtleties of life in Lebanon, which is not a subtle place, and has been able to humorously and vividly depict the anxiety and the weirdness of everyday life in Lebanon. This is not difficult for an Englishman or other non-Lebanese observer; however Kenway has also captured the frustrations and absurdities of life in Lebanon from the locals’ perspectives. A difficulty compounded by the multiple factions of Lebanese society and their opposing and frequently alien (to each other) values, views and aspirations.
Bliss Street wraps a gripping story in the social schizophrenia of life in Beirut. The book not only gives a sense of the dynamics of Lebanese society and its multiple personalities but also includes real events and names of real places and public figures which give the story authenticity.
Like all good novels Bliss Street is captivating story that keeps you turning the pages, but more than that it conveys a strong sensory feel of the place. Bliss Street is a gripping novel and a fun and authentic guide for anyone interested in visiting Lebanon physically or from the comfort ones own rut.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having lived in Dubai most of my life, I was intrigued by the fact thecity was mentioned in the synopsis.
However, I soon forgot this is whyI first picked up the book just as the main character James forgets aboutDubai when his flight makes an emergency stop in Beirut.
The author has lovingly written about Lebanon, so even when the characterscritise it, we can't help but feel affection for its society- not just forthe smaller social problems (E.g marriage, <ahref="http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=money&v=55">money</a>, <ahref="http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=career&v=55">career</a>choices, infidelity) of the book's characters, but also for the widerscale political problems Lebanon endured in 2000.
Perhaps the only thing I did not like about the book was it's ending. Butthen again, maybe I was just disappointed I had finished it. A ambling,relaxed plot that makes a light yet entertaining read.
However, I soon forgot this is whyI first picked up the book just as the main character James forgets aboutDubai when his flight makes an emergency stop in Beirut.
The author has lovingly written about Lebanon, so even when the characterscritise it, we can't help but feel affection for its society- not just forthe smaller social problems (E.g marriage, <ahref="http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=money&v=55">money</a>, <ahref="http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=career&v=55">career</a>choices, infidelity) of the book's characters, but also for the widerscale political problems Lebanon endured in 2000.
Perhaps the only thing I did not like about the book was it's ending. Butthen again, maybe I was just disappointed I had finished it. A ambling,relaxed plot that makes a light yet entertaining read.
Format:Hardcover
Travelogue meets cross-cultural romance in this often-engaging, but ultimately shallow taste of contemporary Beirut. Billed as a "Middle Eastern Short Cuts" (the Robert Altman film), the story mostly follows James, a young Englishman struggling to reinvent himself after blowing his career as a music video director. He washes up in Beirut by accident, and spends several months immersing himself in the confusing city and falling in love with the extraordinarily beautiful Maya. She is also struggling to reinvent herself by saving enough money to go to America for an MBA, and escaping the expectations of her family and society. All of this is a good excuse for Kenway (a sometime resident of Beirut) to present a picture of what post Civil war life is like.
If you know Lebanon, all the things one might expect are here: young well-educated women who are expected to enter arranged marriages and keep house, wealthy young men addicted to the designer brands of the West, kids spending hours in arcades playing Counterstrike, a 1,000-person wedding, nosy neighbors, MTV, Asian maids who are smarter than their employers think, along with posters of Hizbullah mullahs, "425" day (the anniversary of U.N. Resolution 425), jokes about the Syrian big brother, Israeli jets booming overhead, Palestinian refugee camps, and political prisoners. All of these elements are woven into the story which includes many minor characters somehow connected to James and Maya.
Unfortunately, the desire to show so much of Lebanese life means that there's not a whole lot of depth to any of the characters. This doesn't mean it's not enjoyable in its own way, just that there's not enough there to get emotionally involved with any of the characters. In particular, James and Maya's love story, and all its attendant difficulties plays like a very average melodrama as they try and make it work against all odds. Their relationship seems very shallow and superficial from the beginning and never seems to strengthen. Still, it's not a bad taste of modern Lebanon, as long as one is aware it's just a taste.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Just incredibly captivating!!!!
I was running through the isles of the Virgin Megastore in Beirutsearching for that one special book. Read more
Published on 21 April 2004 by "randa_c"
Bliss Street
Bliss street reads like an international under-grounder's guide to the busy blistered streets-scapes of this incredible city. Read more
Published on 24 Aug 2003 by KP
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
