“This book gets off to a real slow start, taking about 200 pages to set the scene without much happening. But then out of nowhere, just when you're thinking this is going to be one of those quaint, boring, period pieces where it's all about describing the place and the era, Mahfouz drop a bomb on his readers. And just like that, the book takes off. So be patient if you're finding it a bit dull in the beginning

One word of caution - this is not a book for passionate feminists. The treatment of women in this book is absolutely appalling. The men are pigs and complete hypocrites, every single one of them. Women are confined to the house and punished severely for setting foot outside without their husbands' permission. They are treated like property when it comes to marrying them off. And when their husbands cheat on them, the wives are blamed. More than anything, this book is a brutal depiction of the horrific lives that women in traditional Muslim countries are forced to lead

Mahfouz is one of the best authors I've ever read. Mahfouz lays the groundwork for character development in the beginning, and we finally get to "one day"- the point in the story where things start to move. And things move so well, so beautifully, that it more than makes up for the slow start. There is rich description of Cairo life in the early 20th century, especially that of women in harem seclusion, and the resulting gulf of understanding between men and women. I have never read an author who so intimately merges the use of metaphorical description with direct telling of character emotions. We get to peer into the lives of characters, and into their minds, and see them as they truly are, and as they see themselves. It reminds me of myself, and real people around me, how we are, how we think we are- for Mahfouz writes people, not characters. We see the building up of identity, and how it can come crashing down- even when the character doesn't realize it


.....An Excellent Introduction to Egyptian Culture.....”