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Review
'a brilliantly authentic, well-crafted tale of naivety, betrayal and personal resolution, set against the colourful backdrop of bustling souks, Moroccan sunsets and dust-filled streets... An engrossing read' --Polly Courtney, best-selling author
Runner up in the 2011 Luke Bitmead Bursary --Legend Press
'How's this for an opening sentence? 'Following completion of the act of love, many men had disappointed Maia by conducting their own battle in the war against Venus.' The tone is dark, threatening even, and (I mean this as a compliment) intellectual. Eat Pray Love it ain't. This story is much darker and certainly more shocking. It's the dark underbelly of those holiday narratives... The narrative style is also extraordinary: Singer mainly uses a deeply interior point of view, with sparse visual details, and studded with some remarkably well written dialogue.' --Jenny Wren and Bella Wilfer
'There is a clear structure here and a good sense of atmosphere, and an even clearer intent to explore issues. What is created most strongly for me is the heat, the confusion and the seedy nature of both surroundings and tourists. This is more ambitious than merely a travel novel though, for it attempts to tackle some complex interwoven issues. Singer uses the clash of cultures to create more than a mystery, and in fact more than a novel of growing up.' --The Bookbag
'How's this for an opening sentence? 'Following completion of the act of love, many men had disappointed Maia by conducting their own battle in the war against Venus.' The tone is dark, threatening even, and (I mean this as a compliment) intellectual. Eat Pray Love it ain't. This story is much darker and certainly more shocking. It's the dark underbelly of those holiday narratives... The narrative style is also extraordinary: Singer mainly uses a deeply interior point of view, with sparse visual details, and studded with some remarkably well written dialogue.' --Jenny Wren and Bella Wilfer
Runner up in the 2011 Luke Bitmead Bursary --Legend Press
'How's this for an opening sentence? 'Following completion of the act of love, many men had disappointed Maia by conducting their own battle in the war against Venus.' The tone is dark, threatening even, and (I mean this as a compliment) intellectual. Eat Pray Love it ain't. This story is much darker and certainly more shocking. It's the dark underbelly of those holiday narratives... The narrative style is also extraordinary: Singer mainly uses a deeply interior point of view, with sparse visual details, and studded with some remarkably well written dialogue.' --Jenny Wren and Bella Wilfer
'There is a clear structure here and a good sense of atmosphere, and an even clearer intent to explore issues. What is created most strongly for me is the heat, the confusion and the seedy nature of both surroundings and tourists. This is more ambitious than merely a travel novel though, for it attempts to tackle some complex interwoven issues. Singer uses the clash of cultures to create more than a mystery, and in fact more than a novel of growing up.' --The Bookbag
'How's this for an opening sentence? 'Following completion of the act of love, many men had disappointed Maia by conducting their own battle in the war against Venus.' The tone is dark, threatening even, and (I mean this as a compliment) intellectual. Eat Pray Love it ain't. This story is much darker and certainly more shocking. It's the dark underbelly of those holiday narratives... The narrative style is also extraordinary: Singer mainly uses a deeply interior point of view, with sparse visual details, and studded with some remarkably well written dialogue.' --Jenny Wren and Bella Wilfer
Product Description
Maia is leaving London to paint in the bright sunlight and exotic setting of Morocco. Working as an assistant to a once famous Historian, she is lured in by her new surroundings, promising excitement and, more importantly, freedom.
In the final days of a North African summer, a sense of boredom and unease pervades the city. Maia is drawn unwillingly into the ways in which the clientele of the renowned Grand Tazi pass their increasingly long, hot evenings.
As the intense heat wears down her resistance, Maia succumbs to vice. The light that she once sought becomes eclipsed by shadowy dealings. Can Maia take back control of her new life and, if so, does she even want to?
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
Maia goes to work as assistant to a world renowned historian who has taken up residence in Morocco after a public fall from grace. An artist, Maia is looking for something new in her life but she is not sure what. The job with the Historian - he is almost always referred to like that in the book - allows her time to paint. She wants to paint the veiled women - to show a different aspect to them.
Maia's stay in Morocco does not turn out how she expects. She falls in with a group of ex-patriots who congregate at the Grand Tazi - a rundown hotel which is owned by Mahmoud who may or may not turn out to be a good friend to Maia. There are undercurrents at work and Maia will taste degradation before she understands what is happening to her. Can she survive and find a new direction in her life and in her art?
I enjoyed reading this book and it is well written. I was left with a vivid impression of the enervating heat in Morocco and the oppressive effect of an inward looking small group of ill-assorted people. It is clear to the reader from the beginning that there was more going on than had been revealed but Maia is slow to recognise the sub text. People make cryptic remarks and issue warnings which are far from clear but Maia is at a loss and seems to take everything at face value - to her detriment.
Overall this is an enjoyable in interesting read and it is an accomplished debut novel in my opinion. I look forward to reading more by this author.
Maia's stay in Morocco does not turn out how she expects. She falls in with a group of ex-patriots who congregate at the Grand Tazi - a rundown hotel which is owned by Mahmoud who may or may not turn out to be a good friend to Maia. There are undercurrents at work and Maia will taste degradation before she understands what is happening to her. Can she survive and find a new direction in her life and in her art?
I enjoyed reading this book and it is well written. I was left with a vivid impression of the enervating heat in Morocco and the oppressive effect of an inward looking small group of ill-assorted people. It is clear to the reader from the beginning that there was more going on than had been revealed but Maia is slow to recognise the sub text. People make cryptic remarks and issue warnings which are far from clear but Maia is at a loss and seems to take everything at face value - to her detriment.
Overall this is an enjoyable in interesting read and it is an accomplished debut novel in my opinion. I look forward to reading more by this author.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
I found myself intensely involved with this unusual novel- the act of reading it for me was like embarking upon a magical mystery tour or falling down a rabbit hole. The story itself is familiar enough - a young woman artist, disappointed by love and her career takes up a vague appointment in Morocco for a character called The Historian. She is neglected there and is in a place where she experiences misogyny. She falls prey to neediness and gratitude for scraps of attention and becomes a conduit for bad energies. I was horrified by the later turn of events, especially as I identified with certain aspects of Maia - the feistiness and vulnerability, the backbiting from other women and when I was younger the neediness. I was equally relieved at Maia's final ability to draw upon her own strength to help herself out of a tight fix. Another aspect of my identification with the central character was her painting as at around the same period of my life I was involved in the creative arts.
I am full of admiration for Alexandra Singer for writing this book having survived a long coma and a near fatal neurological illness. I have a sense however, that the illness may have given her an enviable tap-line into the creative unconscious. If I can try to explain: the viewpoint of the narration seems like that of a dream. I used to be an avid recorder of my dreams which is perhaps why I have picked up this. For example, in one scene Maia drunkenly lunges at Cassandra but the other men present are too 'transfixed' to attempt to stop her. Armand puts his arm around Cassandra but is silent, 'alternately gazing at Maia and examining his fingernails.' For me, it is this type of precise yet seemingly random description that gives one the feeling of hyper-reality. You feel that you are present and watching through a camera. This seems quite aptly, hallucinatory at points and time is stretched and shrunk - minutes can last several pages and weeks can pass by in a single line.
I am very excited by the dream-type language of Tea at the Grand Tazi. I have never read a book quite like it. The narrative technique had the ultimate effect for me of identifying strongly with Maia on both an unconscious level and in terms of my younger self. I recommend it wholeheartedly to other readers. I think you will get as involved with this story as I did.
I am full of admiration for Alexandra Singer for writing this book having survived a long coma and a near fatal neurological illness. I have a sense however, that the illness may have given her an enviable tap-line into the creative unconscious. If I can try to explain: the viewpoint of the narration seems like that of a dream. I used to be an avid recorder of my dreams which is perhaps why I have picked up this. For example, in one scene Maia drunkenly lunges at Cassandra but the other men present are too 'transfixed' to attempt to stop her. Armand puts his arm around Cassandra but is silent, 'alternately gazing at Maia and examining his fingernails.' For me, it is this type of precise yet seemingly random description that gives one the feeling of hyper-reality. You feel that you are present and watching through a camera. This seems quite aptly, hallucinatory at points and time is stretched and shrunk - minutes can last several pages and weeks can pass by in a single line.
I am very excited by the dream-type language of Tea at the Grand Tazi. I have never read a book quite like it. The narrative technique had the ultimate effect for me of identifying strongly with Maia on both an unconscious level and in terms of my younger self. I recommend it wholeheartedly to other readers. I think you will get as involved with this story as I did.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
Alexandra Singer's first novel is almost put into the shade by her own personal story. Having spent three months in a coma due to a near terminal illness, for her to write this book is a tale worth telling in its own right. However, this is the tale she has put to paper and it is the story of Maia and the ex-pats she meets in Morocco, who all gather at The Grand Tazi - an old hotel. The descriptions of Morocco are truly first rate, you could almost shut your eyes and be there. The lead character however, took me a little longer to identify with, being neither bold in her actions nor seeming to learn from the experiences she has along the way. The ending may not be what you would expect, but in a way it suits the style of the story and I certainly enjoyed taking a journey through its pages.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Not for the faint hearted.
Unusually there was nothing in this book that I didn't like. I saw the author being interviewed on television and her story is very unusual. Read more
Published 25 days ago by Feeztee
Disappointing debut
I was drawn to this book by the vivid colours of the cover and by the setting of the story, in which a young woman goes to Morocco. Read more
Published 1 month ago by elkiedee
Vice and corruption in the souk leave an unpleasant taste.
Maia is a young artist, who, having been dumped by her boyfriend, goes to Morocco to paint, financing it by acting as the assistant to a friend of a friend, the Historian, an... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mrs. K. A. P. Wright
Just couldn't get into this
I'd read about this book in magazines, and was really looking forward to it. Unfortunately, this turned out to be one of the very few books that I just can't get past the first few... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Laura Smith
Very Promising First Novel
Maia is on the rebound from a long standing affair and jumps at the chance of being the personal assistant to the Historian in Marrakech, Morocco. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Brett H
Excellent debut novel
I enjoyed this novel, quite impressive for a début novel, although it does have flaws. It definitely feels alienating, you feel the alienation of the protagonist Maia and it... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Francesca J
Strident and unsubtle
I really wanted to like this but have to admit that it felt like a first novel: raw around the edges, awkwardly articulated at times and generally a bit ungainly. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Roman Clodia
A good read
The way the author writes, brings you into the story of the characters, wanting to find out their dark history and travel through the back streets of Marrakesh. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Miss N. R. Steele
Tea at the Grand Tazi
I really wanted to like this book - the writer's own story is so fascinating. However, I found it rather distasteful. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Ann Marks
Self-consciously Bohemian
This is one of those books that made me feel like I must be missing out on something. I am a perfectly erudite, well-read, intelligent person but this just felt like someone was... Read more
Published 3 months ago by J. Dawson
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