The Translator |
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Leila Aboulela
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Pages: 208 (Paperback)
ISBN: 0802170269
Pub: Grove/Atlantic
Pub date: 2006-09-30
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 849421
Reader Reviews:
captivating lyrical writing (8/8 people found this helpful)
Sammar is a Sudanese woman, living in Aberdeen. She works as a translator, helping a professor named Rae. She is still suffering after the death of her husband, living in a shell, barely aware of the human world. Piece by piece, Rae draws her out and she begins to live again. But Rae is not a muslim, how can she follow her dreams to be with him?
The story is touching, if a little soppy at times. Sammar's thoughts are very revealing, the very personification of islamic philosophy and ethos. Her faith is simply her way of life, without being drawn into life or death struggles or politics. Her comments and observations on people's way of life here and in Sudan fill the book. Rae is an intriguing figure, he captivates her and the reader. Both characters are quiet and yet irresistably draw your interest. An excellent introduction for what is to many readers, another world. The ending is a little too pat, but that is a small criticism.
Meeting a growing demand for cross-cultural perspectives. (13/13 people found this helpful)
As an Egyptian woman who lived for a long time in Khartoum (Sudan) and sometime in Aberdeen, I read Aboulela's novel with great interest. The author did not describe the two cities and their people in a conventional style. Instead, she has exposed many complex hidden human feelings that are built inside people who live in a certain geographical location. She has also cleverly exposed differences in the way of thinking between followers of different religions and philosophies. This ability is very rare and should be encouraged in a world of growing cultural integration. I congratulate the publishers for their positive contribution to the growing demand for cross-cultural perspectives.
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Categories
Amazon.co.uk places this book into the following categories:
Books -> Subjects -> Fiction -> World -> Scottish
Books -> Refinements -> Language (feature_browse-bin) -> English
Books -> Refinements -> Age (feature_two_browse-bin)
Books -> Refinements -> Format (binding_browse-bin) -> Paperback
Books -> Refinements -> Condition (condition-type)