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I Sweep The Sun Off Rooftops (1998)

I Sweep the Sun Off Rooftops (1998)

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Rating
3.58 of 5 Votes: 3
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ISBN
0385491271 (ISBN13: 9780385491273)
Language
English
Publisher
anchor

About book I Sweep The Sun Off Rooftops (1998)

إن كان الأدب مرآة عصره وهو حقًا كذلك فقد جاء أدب حنان الشيخ يصدق واقعنا العربي تمام الصدق بدون تكلف ولا افتعال، وكل هذا ممزوج بخفة دم ومرح يدفعاننا على الانفجار ضاحكين لأن ما تقوله هو الصدق ذات الصدق ولا شيء غير الصدق في واقع نعرفه جيدًا ولا زلنا نتنفسه ويحيا فينا ويسري فينا سريان الدم في العروق.ما آخذه على أستاذتنا الفاضلة وأحسبها عليها ولا أقول أحسبه لها هو إسرافها في استخدام الصور الأدبية والتشبيهات دون داعي. ما خلا ذلك فيبدو لي أني أدمنت حروفها أتمتع بالكثير مما تكتب حتى إنها قد صرفتني عما ألزمت نفسي به يوميا وهو دراسة دروسي في اللغة الفرنسية، ولكن من يقاوم أدبًا رائقًا صادقًا جميلاً بديعًا كهذا.

This book portrays the lives of women in the modern arab world. Each chapter talks about a different family in a different country; jumping from Lebanon, to Egypt, to Yemen, and so on. The events happening in the chapters, wherever they are in the Middle East, are very realistic, and could happen to anybody at any time. The fact that the main characters are women in each chapter, shows the significance of the roll women play in the Arab World. Feminism and a woman's needs are recognised, and contributed to by the plot of the story the chapter tells. Whenever a man appears, he is acting the same way I see, or hear of, the way husbands and brothers act in the real world. This novel certainly has opened my eyes about my culture as an Arab woman; and has taught me many things I didn't know about from before. Truely a masterpiece.

Do You like book I Sweep The Sun Off Rooftops (1998)?

I was curious to read stories about the Middle East and picked up the book enthusiatically at the library. Unfortunately, what I got was below my expectations.The quality of the little stories in the book varies greatly. It seems that the stories have been written at different times in the author's life, some are memories told through a child's voice, some are coming of age and others about marriage/sex, etc.. I thought that at times the author has described the role of women in a negative way and it was a bit depressing.
—Christine

Nearly every story is this collection is a gem, and the writing is exceptionally terse and powerful. Young children on an Oil compound in the middle east are horrified to learn that their Indian servants have been cooking their pet rabbits, their distress calling into question the treatment of servants and the self-serving naivete of children. A woman moves from Morocco to London and learns the humiliations of freedom. Another woman wants to get a divorce but cannot ask for one, so she feigns insanity, which further traps her in her marriage. And my favorite story, "The Land of Dreams" beautifully portrays the impossible reconciliations of culture between the west and east, when a Denmark missionary is proposed to by a Yemeni man. I love the sensations this book provoked- of austerity and sensuality, of intense focus and vague alienation, very excellent.
—Molly

I had high hopes for this book of short stories based in Lebanon and started reading with some of those hopes fulfilled. Gradually I found a certain sameness creeping in, primarily of writing style and tone, negativity toward most "others" in whichever protagonists' life and constant wistfulness, dreaminess. Perhaps this comes of living in a war zone. This would not account for the style itself which sometimes seems to bludgeon the reader with its words.There were a few stories I liked, primarily "The Spirit is Engaged Now (You May Want to Hold). Others such as "The Land of Dreams" just didn't seem to have substance, seemed to be completely unreal, beyond any possible meaning of the title I could come up with.I didn't finish all stories, but read 2/3rds of the book, and feel that was enough to make a meaningful review of this book.
—Sue

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