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Midaq Alley
Midaq Alley | Naj?b Ma?f??
Tells stories of the residents of a Cairo back alley, including those of Kirsha, a cafe owner, Abbas, a barber, and Hamida, a young woman
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Nebklvr
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Bailedbailed

This has been on my shelf for years. I have started it twice. Sixty pages in and I don‘t find it interesting at all.

dabbe #hailthebail! 🤩🤩🤩 5mo
Nebklvr @dabbe 😂Everyone raves about it but I just couldn‘t 5mo
29 likes2 comments
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andrew61
Midaq Alley | Naj?b Ma?f??
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Pickpick

A story of a cairo street during ww2 which doesn't shy away from the darker side of society with a cafe owner obsessed with yng boys, a man who makes a living by disabling men to become beggars, a dentist who finds his gold teeth from corpses, and a yng woman who drifts into prostitution. Despite dark themes the author tells a story with love of characters + a society you feel he knows intimately. I imagined myself sat in a cafe
observing it all.

Leftcoastzen I need to read him , I have 5 of his books in my house waiting to be read . 4y
andrew61 @Leftcoastzen yes ,having looked at his biography I will definitely try and find more by him. 4y
BarbaraBB I enjoyed this one too. 4y
See All 13 Comments
KCofKaysville @Leftcoastzen I have only read #PalaceWalk so far but liked it. I will also read more. 4y
KCofKaysville Oops looks like this was it 4y
KCofKaysville Wrong again. It's a different book 4y
MariaW @Leftcoastzen @andrew61 @BarbaraBB @KCofKaysville And when you are all done reading Mahfouz, you come visit me in Cairo and we will have a walk through Old Cairo streets and see his settings. 😁 4y
BarbaraBB That would be fantastic 🇪🇬 4y
Cathythoughts Great review 👍🏻 4y
Centique Oh I loved Palace Walk so I will be keen to try this. I found his writing style a little hard to get into at first but once I was in, it was amazing. 4y
andrew61 @MariaW I would love to be sat in a Cairo cafe with several bookish people discussing the settings of the books :) 4y
andrew61 @Centique yes the prose style took a while to get used to but I'm never sure if that is the translation or different countries method of writing. I will definitely give palace walk a go. 4y
MariaW @andrew61 Anytime! 4y
42 likes3 stack adds13 comments
review
TheBookDream
Midaq Alley | Naj?b Ma?f??
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Pickpick

👍👍

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TheBookDream
Midaq Alley | Naj?b Ma?f??
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“Many things combine to show that Midaq Alley is one of the gems of times gone by and that it once shown forth like a flashing star in the history of Cairo.” #FirstLineFridays

@ShyBookOwl

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TheBookDream
Midaq Alley | Naj?b Ma?f??
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Need a break from school and work so I‘m sitting outside with my book club book.

review
Schwifty
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Pickpick

This was a quite enjoyable short novel about the personalities and dramas between the residents of a back alley in the slums of Cairo. There's an exotic flavor to it (of course) and while I didn't read it in the original Arabic, the Le Gassick translation upholds a poetic prose that I imagine is more pronounced in the original. The story is compelling, but ends in much tragedy. All in all, it's a good read, just not an uplifting one.

BarbaraBB I really enjoyed this one too. 5y
2 likes1 comment
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BarbaraBB

'This crisis too, like all the others, finally subsided and the alley returned to its usual state of indifference and forgetfulness.' #1001books

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BarbaraBB
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Pickpick

Midaq Alley in Cairo means the world to most of its inhabitants, who hardly ever leave it. And indeed it is, with all that happens to the people who live there. Mahfouz creates personages and an atmosphere that make the alley incredibly real to me. The joy and the sadness, the interaction between the neighbours and their faith in god make it a an authentic and unforgettable story. #1001books

10 likes3 stack adds
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erzascarletbookgasm
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vivastory Love the cover for "Arabian Nights & Days" 7y
ValerieAndBooks Nice! I have three books in one volume by Mahfouz (Midaq Alley, The Thief and the Dog, and Miramar), and the cover isn't as lovely as yours. 7y
56 likes2 comments
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shawnmooney
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USED BOOKSTORE HAUL

I have wanted to read Mahfouz FOREVER!

Lindy Me too, even though what @RealLifeReading has to say gives me reason to pause. I feel like I will need to be in the right mood for him. 8y
LeahBergen I've been meaning to read his stuff for forever, too. 8y
33 likes2 comments