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Review
‘Turned his yarn-spinning gifts to a story of Egyptian medics and students in the Windy City.’ Boyd Tonkin, Independent (Book of the Year)
‘The only Arabic-language novel to have created greater buzz and sell more copies since “The Yacoubian Building” is Al Aswany’s second novel, “Chicago”…a rare opportunity to consider the contemporary Egyptian condition.’ Financial Times
‘Al Aswany's rich tableaux of everyday lives and devastating social commentary have made him a wildly popular novelist in his native Egypt and the best–selling Arab writer both in the Middle East and abroad…‘Chicago’ is a powerful indictment of dictatorship and its corrosive effect on human dignity.’ Time
‘Aswany’s novel achieves something surprising, which is to turn great American city into a little Egypt. Aswany’s rolling cast of characters and panoramic vision tells us that he wants to investigate the human condition on the largest scale and as in soap operas, he wants to make the spectator feel like part of the family. His book resides firmly within the mainstream of Egyptian fiction, but it is also an unusual and striking post-9/11 American novel.’ Chandrahas Choudhury, Scotsman
‘His skill in storytelling means that you enjoy reading about even the most unpleasant of the characters and one of the later chapters has such a blood–pumping climax, it should have had a publisher’s warning. This is politically charged writing that remembers the essential humanity of its characters.’ Tania Ahsan, Metro
‘A wonderful storyteller and a cynically astute observer of human folly and frailty.’ Francis King, Spectator
‘A natural storyteller, the episodic structure lending itself to a series of cliff–hangers worthy of soap opera. A powerful political page–turner.’ Amber Pearson, Daily Mail
Review
'Turned his yarn-spinning gifts to a story of Egyptian medics and students in the Windy City.' Boyd Tonkin, Independent (Book of the Year) 'The only Arabic-language novel to have created greater buzz and sell more copies since "The Yacoubian Building" is Al Aswany's second novel, "Chicago"!a rare opportunity to consider the contemporary Egyptian condition.' Financial Times 'Al Aswany's rich tableaux of everyday lives and devastating social commentary have made him a wildly popular novelist in his native Egypt and the best--selling Arab writer both in the Middle East and abroad!'Chicago' is a powerful indictment of dictatorship and its corrosive effect on human dignity.' Time 'Aswany's novel achieves something surprising, which is to turn great American city into a little Egypt. Aswany's rolling cast of characters and panoramic vision tells us that he wants to investigate the human condition on the largest scale and as in soap operas, he wants to make the spectator feel like part of the family. His book resides firmly within the mainstream of Egyptian fiction, but it is also an unusual and striking post-9/11 American novel.' Chandrahas Choudhury, Scotsman 'His skill in storytelling means that you enjoy reading about even the most unpleasant of the characters and one of the later chapters has such a blood--pumping climax, it should have had a publisher's warning. This is politically charged writing that remembers the essential humanity of its characters.' Tania Ahsan, Metro 'A wonderful storyteller and a cynically astute observer of human folly and frailty.' Francis King, Spectator 'A natural storyteller, the episodic structure lending itself to a series of cliff--hangers worthy of soap opera. A powerful political page--turner.' Amber Pearson, Daily Mail
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Not sure how he manages to write this type of book and not get arrested or have to live outside the country. This book and the people we get to meet and know,is interwoved with the fabric of trying to cope living away from ones country,but trying to stay true to ones religious and cultural identity.Its makes easy reading as its written lighty,but still manages
to portray the characters hardships/happinesses.My partner is an Egyptian Dr studying and working here,so this book mirrors alot of truths,about Drs
leaving Egpyt and having to practise overseas.
Pity they changed the cover for the paperback version,as they made it look like a 'Chick lit ' book.
to portray the characters hardships/happinesses.My partner is an Egyptian Dr studying and working here,so this book mirrors alot of truths,about Drs
leaving Egpyt and having to practise overseas.
Pity they changed the cover for the paperback version,as they made it look like a 'Chick lit ' book.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having read Friendly Fire and Yaqoubian Buildings I have to admit looking at the back cover of this one and reading it was about several Egyptian students and their experiences living abroad I thought to myself "Er maybe not" But after much soul searching I thought I would give it a read especially as I was just about to embark on a long journey that would require several books to prevent me going insane.
And what a good decision I made! Its set in the present day, the students are all at the University in Chicago studying various post graduate degrees while others are University professors who have emigrated to America and made their lives there. I have heard previous people mention that the characters are not linked in any real way well all I can say is the person clearly didnt bother to read the book! The characters are as follows. An Egyptian girl who wears the headscarf, religious and conservative she is caught between continuing her studies or getting married as most girls in Egypt at the age she has come to are generally married. 2. A young man also of a religious background, obsessed with his studies and with few friends. These 2 are soon to meet and begin a relationship that may have long lasting consequences. 3. A secular Egyptian who is a political activist back home who gets involved with an American Jewish lady and also with the anti Mubarak diaspora abroad. 4. The head of the Egyptian student society, a man obsessed with power who both controls the students abroad and also works for the Egyptian government behind the scene. 5. A University professor who has settled in America and done everything he can to be an "American" Only to have his whole world turned upside down. 6. Another professor who again is having something of a crisis of culture and finally an American professor whose relationship with a young African American woman brings out all what is bad in American society.
The book is political in that its difficult to believe that it got past the censors over in Egypt and also sensitive to the Egyptian characters. The author does an excellent job in exposing the daily human lives of the people of Egypt and giving us non Egyptians a better understanding of them. Some negatives about the book however I found the racism that the professor and his partner suffered slightly exaggerated. I mean I dont live in the US but mixed race couples are common in the UK so I would imagine they are likewise in the US so cant believe that a mixed race couple would be subject to torrents of racist abuse in the streets of Chicago.
Other than that I have to say I enjoyed this book.
And what a good decision I made! Its set in the present day, the students are all at the University in Chicago studying various post graduate degrees while others are University professors who have emigrated to America and made their lives there. I have heard previous people mention that the characters are not linked in any real way well all I can say is the person clearly didnt bother to read the book! The characters are as follows. An Egyptian girl who wears the headscarf, religious and conservative she is caught between continuing her studies or getting married as most girls in Egypt at the age she has come to are generally married. 2. A young man also of a religious background, obsessed with his studies and with few friends. These 2 are soon to meet and begin a relationship that may have long lasting consequences. 3. A secular Egyptian who is a political activist back home who gets involved with an American Jewish lady and also with the anti Mubarak diaspora abroad. 4. The head of the Egyptian student society, a man obsessed with power who both controls the students abroad and also works for the Egyptian government behind the scene. 5. A University professor who has settled in America and done everything he can to be an "American" Only to have his whole world turned upside down. 6. Another professor who again is having something of a crisis of culture and finally an American professor whose relationship with a young African American woman brings out all what is bad in American society.
The book is political in that its difficult to believe that it got past the censors over in Egypt and also sensitive to the Egyptian characters. The author does an excellent job in exposing the daily human lives of the people of Egypt and giving us non Egyptians a better understanding of them. Some negatives about the book however I found the racism that the professor and his partner suffered slightly exaggerated. I mean I dont live in the US but mixed race couples are common in the UK so I would imagine they are likewise in the US so cant believe that a mixed race couple would be subject to torrents of racist abuse in the streets of Chicago.
Other than that I have to say I enjoyed this book.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Bought as I have read other books by the same author.I must say that this was not up to his usual standard.The writer kept jumping from one character to another and I had to kept going back to re-read to get back into the swing of their particular story. Can't say I really enjoyed it as seems to be made up with bits and pieces of stories of which some have no outcome or even left on a cliff hanger. Chicago
Most Recent Customer Reviews
A thought-provoking read
This is the second of Alaa al Aswany's books I have read (The Yacoubian Building being the other). Chicago is also a book where the reader drifts into people's established lives,... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Keen Reader
Dull and disconnected
Gives some interesting insights into the mindset of Egyptian medics studying in US and their motivations, but ultimately the stories of the different characters are flat and poorly... Read more
Published on 23 July 2009 by Heckenhocker
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