Fiction Literature Books

I am sure this is an amazing book, and I am just some kind of short attention span, shallow person. Was just too wordy for me! I loved how you got introduced into the culture and political situation, but I guess I need more action, or more passion. Every time I turned the page, they're back on their cushions, drinking coffee, exchanging pleasantries!
The other thing I wondered about: I don't think this book really represents a female angle (well, it's written by a man). These women are just too happy to marry strangers & bob around in their houses behind lattice-covered windows. No complaints? Ever? Only bowed heads & apologies? Again, maybe I'm too far removed to be able to imagine that.

Read it; it comes highly recommended - above are just my thoughts. And hey, it's a trilogy: read "Palace Walk". If you like it, you got 2 more books to look forward to! If not, put it away & know you didn't miss out on anything.

Perhaps in the original Arabic this book has life---I would hope so, as Mahfouz won the Nobel prize for literature--but the translation is stiff and lifeless, an academic accomplishment perhaps, but stodgy, difficult reading!!! I challenge anyone to open the book and read any paragraph, and you'll see what I mean!!
I'll try another of his novels translated by someone other than William Maynard Hutchins to see if I can get a better idea of Mahfouz's writing!!

Palace Walk, Bayn al-Qasrayn, is a street in Cairo, Egypt, where Ahmad Abd al-Jawad lives with his second wife, three sons, and two daughters. At the beginning of the book, World War I is winding down and Egypt is still an English protectorate.

PALACE WALK is written in omniscient point of view with shifting viewpoints. Ahmad Abd al Jawad, however, is the main character. He rules his household with an iron fist. His wife is forbidden to leave the house; his daughters must never be seen by a man until after their marriages are arranged. However, Jawad has a hidden side to his personality. After working all day at a kind of grocery store he owns, he spends his nights partying with his friends and cheating on his wife. He is the "life of the party," the direct opposite of the way he behaves around his family. His sons have never even seen him smile.

Yasin, Jawad's adult son from his first marriage, is the spitting image of the old man. He spends his nights drinking and carousing, but he suffers from an almost total lack of self control. Fahmy, the second son, is a law student. His story line focuses on Egypt's fight for independence once the war is over. Khadija is the older daughter, who, unfortunately, has her father's nose and little prospects for a husband; she also has a biting sense of humor; Aisha is the beautiful second daughter who shames Khadija by marrying first. Kamal, is a mischievous ten-year-old.

Much of Jamal's dialogue consists of quotes from the Koran; Jawad also attends mosque with his sons and has a prayer rug in his bedroom. Still, religion seems to be rather low on Jawad's list of priorities. Much of the narrative includes internal monologues where Jawad congratulates himself on what a good father, businessman, and patriot he is. He sees absolutely no problem with his carousing as long as he meets his religious expectations.

The real worth of PALACE WALK in my mind is Mahfouz's employing the Arab family to show that there isn't a whole lot of difference in families the world over. Yasin, Fahmy and the girls meet during coffee hour, during which time they tease each other unrelentingly, just like brothers and sisters in America. They gossip and spy on their neighbors; they argue about how to deal with their father.

For me, the real star of the novel is Kamal. He doesn't have a problem with making friends with the British soldiers, despite the fact that his brother Yasin is called a traitor for doing the same thing. He's the only one in the family who has the courage to stand up to his father's bullying, although he gets his "ears smoked" in the process.

The ending is definitely ironic. It has to do with Jawad's ambivalence toward his son Fahmy's "freedon fighting." Jawad hates the idea of his son's defiance (Fahmy wouldn't swear on the Koran to stay away from the demonstrations against the protectorate), but he wouldn't mind having a patriot son to brag about to his carousing friends.

Palace Walk is among the best novels ever written. Mahfouz transports you into the streets and life of Cairo, and the minds and hearts of al-Sayyid Ahmad and his family, and by so doing into your own life. I could hardly put the book down. When it ended, I lost a friend.

Naguib Mahrouz won a Nobel Prize for Literature in 1988 and bears the distinction of being the only Arab writer who has ever done that. He recently passed away at the age of 94, having published 34 novels, over 350 short stories, dozens of movie scripts and five plays over a 70-year career. "Palace Walk", published in 1959, is the first of his books I've ever read. It will not be the last.

Possibly based on his own Egyptian family, the book is set in 1917, as World War 1 was just ending. Egypt was then a British protectorate but wanted its independence. Yes, this book is about the politics of the time, but mostly it is about one family. The father ruled the family, the wife and daughters never left the house, and the sons were educated in strict Islamic tradition. I particularly related to the wife, who was married to the husband at age 14, bore him four children, and not only had she never left the house in all that time, she could only look out on the street from a through latticed shutters so that, with the exception of the immediate family, no person could ever lay eyes on her. She accepts this, of course. She lived in a culture where there were no other choices. It was me, the reader, whose feminist streak was ignited. However, I soon realized that the author was only describing the culture.

In the tradition of the time, the father, who was a prosperous merchant, kept his family protected. However, he went out every single night to drink wine and hang out with his friends, telling jokes and engaging in pleasant conversation. He also had no qualms about romances with women. He, as well as his family, became very real for me. In fact, I found myself thinking about these people constantly. How did they feel? What would they do next? What conflicts did they have? Soon, I was even thinking like them. This certainly added to my deep enjoyment of this book.

It's all there - the culture of the time through the eyes of each member of the family. There is the oldest son from a previous marriage and his relationship with his real mother as well as his father's wife. There are the two marriageable daughters, one of them with blue eyes and golden hair, and the other with an unattractive ugly nose. There is the son who is completely into politics and wants to go on demonstrations against the English. And then there is the young boy, who might have been modeled on the author himself, who was born in 1911. Through this boy's eyes, the reader grasps the big wide world in which he lives.

At 498 pages the book is a slow and sumptuous read. The author uses a lot of words to describe and then re-describe the characters, their feelings, their observations, their conversations, they upsets and their pleasures. But instead of being bored with the repetition, I found my experience of the book intensifying. I was right there with each member of the family, feeling as I was living their lives.

Palace Walk is the first of a series of three books. I have purchased the other two books in the series and look forward to reading more.

I cannot say enough good things about this novel. I loved it and highly recommend it.

with detail. But it has fascinated my kids from 5-9, yes I've bought the older books as well - the oldest one I think is still a bit much for my 9yo, but she likes the middle one . . . but they all enjoy this one - it seems to hit just the right notes for interesting information without too much yuck factor for them - and the cute illustrations confirm their ideas that some of this is just a little bit weird when you hear it!!

My not-quite-four (but very verbal) daughter got this book for Christmas, and it immediately became one of her favorites. I am pregnant again now, so she is very interested in all the discussion of pregnancy and birth, and it opened up discussions about what her birth was like and what it will be like when I have this baby. The first few times we read it she just listened wide-eyed and didn't talk much, but now we chat while we read it, and she will periodically come up to me and inform me that the food I am eating will go to the baby through the umbilical cord. I recommend this one highly for any preschooler who is curious and likes to understand how things work.

I got this book for my two boys, ages 10 and 5. They were so interested in it. My 10 year old's best friend was there the night when I started reading it to my 5 year old. At first they were giggling at some at the pictures. But pretty soon I had all three of them on the couch with me just soaking up information. They even asked some questions, and said they learned some things they didn't realize. It's very simple, and to the point, without going into great detail. The pictures are cartoons, but very realistic. It's a great book to start out with, because it doesn't get bogged down with details that are too complicated for children this age. I plan on getting the next two books for my older son.

While I recommend this book for pre-puberty kids with their parents guidance, I do not think it is appropriate for 4 years olds as the book portrays. I read it and then reviewed it with my 7 year old daughter because she had been asking alot of questions as I am pregnant with our third child. She still said "yuk" or giggled at some of the drawings, which is fine. But there is no way I would read it to my 4 year old son at this time.

When my kids started asking reproduction and anatomy questions, I checked out and read the reviews of every book on the subject I could find. I'm an RN, so it was important to me that it was accurate as well as engaging for my kids. I am so glad I picked this one. My children were 4 and 6 when we bought this book, and they absolutely loved it from the first reading. So did I. It has all the information I was hoping for and it is presented so appropriately for the age. Nothing is scary or more detailed than necessary. The illustrations are bright and fun and keep the kids engaged. The book is set up in such a way that is easy to navigate - that is, you can read it from beginning to end, and it flows appropriately - starting with body parts and boy/girl differences, reproduction in the middle, and a small section at the end about good and bad touches. You can also easily jump to the section that you or your child prefers without taking away from the book. For example, my daughter is fascinated by the cartoon showing the sperm swimming to the egg and we often just start there.

As a parent of young children and as an RN, I recommend this book to all parents

Quentin Carter comest to us with a surprise to write about the forbidden fruit. Seems like Quentin tried to mix it up a little bit. This story takes place in Kansas City, MO, centers around 2 brothers trying their luck of dating 2 white, rich, preppy, naive females, that is trying to learn the rhythm of the african american slang (stereotyped at times). Money becomes the root of all evil when one friend goes against another, and both brothers try to still run things thru their blue eyes while locked down. Along the way the girls stir up more trouble than a little, resulting in a good read, and somewhat comical at times.

The plot seem to become confusing middle ending in book. I went over it more than once and still it doesn't make sense, but the ending will try to smooth out things, but the questions still went unanswered that I was seeking. Both brothers, Qu'bon and O'bon seem to come hard at beginning of book, but turn soft once they try their hand at those pretty pink toes.

Overall, it's a book worth reading, and definately will keep you turning pages. I enjoyed this book and hopefully you will too.

Quentin Carter has done it again with his new book Stained Cotton. This book takes place in Kansas City, Mo. with the Cartez brothers Qu'ban and O'ban. Qu'ban the ladies man, who does anything when it comes to making money and women. O'bon the older brother who is in his younger brother's shadow. Together they go through the lies, decite and betrayal of those who you think are with you but could also be a enemy. The Cartez brothers lives are turned upside down when they get a taste of the "forbidden fruit".

QUENTIN CARTER! U NEVER, EVER LEAVE ME WITH BREATH LEFT TO EXHALE! Q'ban Cartez is a sex happy youngin' who doesn't care about feelings. The game in this story is all about getting served. But, is it really a skin tone thing- or a man vs woman thing in the hard knocks of the heartless hood? Clearly, the white wonder bread wrapper left colored circles around them streets, and only a fool ends up with the big SURPRISE! STALEMATE! Maybe Q'ban shouldn't have tried to trick a trick by peeling her off for fifties from the first get go? DAMN THIS WAS A GOOD BOOK! I read it in one day, burning off 3500 calories at the gym. This was a certified pound of that good-good reading.

This book definitely had my attention from start to finish... I enjoyed reading how guys really think on the way african american females & carcusian females act... I love how QC build up the suspense of the book before jumping right into the plot.. Keep the work coming... I cant wait to read your next book..

In Quentin Carter's event-driven latest release, Stained Cotton, two sisters, Katrina and Nancy, opted to forgo the usual `girls gone wild' excursions that young, white women have become known for while on college break. As pampered suburbanites, bare-breasted flashing and all night drinking binges were old news. They wanted more excitement. Something even dangerous, maybe. Almost immediately, Qu'ban and O'ban, brothers, became their saviors for this quest; quenching Katrina and Nancy's thirst for the black experience. Not only did the brothers teach the sisters how to speak street language, they gave them more lessons than they bargained for. And it only made matters worse when Katrina became pregnant with Qu'ban's child. While they contended with racist parents, Katrina and Nancy's roles in the Kansas City hoods proved more dangerous than they could have ever imagined.

From a life of privilege to a life of crime, Stained Cotton exemplifies the adage of once you go black, you never go back...even if you wanted to.

I was excited about reading another Quentin Carter book, but my excitement quickly fizzled when I did not seem to initially get `it.' Stuck between a rock and a hard place, I soon found that Stained Cotton would be an enjoyable read for people who enjoy reading for shock value and do not mind controversy with unbelievable motives. With a tighter plot and better character development, Stained Cotton would be a great work of fiction.

Reviewed by Darnetta Frazier
APOOO BookClub

Well, most people in America have already read "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding, which is definitely a classic. So I'm not going to give a synopsis, just a general appraisal of the work.

The main characters (Ralph, Jack, Piggy, Roger, and many more) are very complex and very riveting. You can clearly observe their distinctive personalities with their actions and their dialogue. And you feel sorry for these characters when something goes horribly wrong.

There are many symbolisms in this book (the conch, the pigs, the flies, etc.), and they work very well here. Interpretations are open (except when it comes to the obvious ones). Tensions are high as we slowly move towards the climax. No Hollywood ending here.

Golding has created an influential work of art, as highlights in this book are many. This isn't an innocent story, and it's no cliché, either. Kudos to the author.

A+

I first read this in high school and even then it was morbidly fascinating. After having gone through some Anthropology in college, rather than dispel is magic, I found it lent this piece a lot more dimension. A serious study into human nature at some point begs the possibility that the grisly and insane are inherent, even necessary. This does not justify the evils of man against man but offers a path to understanding that may lead to prevention, even eradication of such evils.

The person writing the introduction includes some spoilers. Also, his assessment of the book is a tad pretentious. I'd skip it entirely.

Lord of the flies is a great allegory about the nature of humankind, the dichotomy of the individual vs. the collective, and a few other subjects.
The children represent different factors in society/civilization, yet they also literally represent the assortment of personalities of boys you may have known in camp, school, etc. It's a very entertaining book. There's not a boring moment in it. My only problem with it is some of Golding's writing style. He overuses adverbs with "ly" at the end. It's one of those things that annoy me that I see way too much in literature.

This being a classic most of us had to read in school, I dared commenting on some plot points - so,
***** *** ** * WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD * ** *** *****

A number of phospholipids left alone in solution will self-organize into a double-layer membrane. A number of differentiated cells carry the inherent capability of self-organize into a semblance of tissue. Do humans carry a similar inherent tendency to self-organize into organized societies? And at what price?

From Stephen King's THE STAND to one of the best TV series ever, LOST, the idea of an isolated group of survivors forming a pristine human society and falling to avoid our dark proclivities has been explored again and again. This 1954 novel was the original telling of it. WILLIAM GOLDING being a Literature Nobelist, it comes to no surprise that his prose is mesmerizing, economic and direct at the same time.

Most societal archetypes and their interactive trajectories are elegantly represented: the benevolent yet eventually dethroned natural leader (Ralph) that is vindicated only after a deus ex machina intervention (the Naval officer); the militaristic idiot that manages to pass as a charismatic necessity (Jack); the technology-dependent intellectual weakling (Piggy) that eventually gets murdered by the brutal dictator (Roger) - who would come up running the show in the end if not stopped by their return to civilization. Reading LORD OF THE FLIES will bring up a great number of familiar societal types. Nevertheless, GOLDING presents a rather deterministic viewpoint.

One does not have to agree with GOLDING's pessimistic myth: we humans are not inherently bound to our societal shackles - and are perfectly capable of both doing the unexpected and surviving without a structured civilization. We existed a long time without it and we can learn again to do so if dictated by necessity. And, keep in mind, according to the Freudian approach, socialization is the root of most...psychosis.

It will keep you thinking long after the last page is turned.

RECOMMENDED!

I read Lord of the Flies in my english class, many years ago. I would have to say that this wasn't my favorite book, but it had some interesting outlooks on life. I read it again recently and I noticed it hadn't lost any of its attraction. His bleak view of human nature helps to make sure it's more then just a casual reading book. It is a work of literature that demands analysis and connections.

Mark Twain's great American classic cannot be classified as any other than children's literature, but don't let that scare you more advanced readers away. This book is nothing other than a joy to read, and I am glad I made the effort to revisit this memorable read from my youth. Light-hearted fun and mischief, along with brilliant looks into the psyches of young boys put this book up around the most enjoyable one I've read in a long while.

As Tom and Huck live out their fantasies, and go through a series of good times and bad, the reader is taken on a nostalgic tour of what it means to be a kid (pre-Nintendo). When the slightest discomfort can seem like the end of the world, the adults are the avowed enemy, and imagination is your greatest tool of all, the world is a much simpler place (and somehow more exciting). I strongly suggest finding the time to take this tour again and remember what it was like being Tom Sawyer.

As to the reviewer that didn't like this one (can't believe Twain made any money off this one??), I'd suggest trying it again when you're not forced to by your teacher. Reading for fun is always much more enjoyable.

The first, (and hopefully last) time I read this book was for a school assignment over the past couple of months. The first couple of chapters use this exact layout:

1: Tom does something stupid
2: Tom lies to his aunt about the aforementioned stupid thing
3: His aunt believes his lie about the aforementioned stupid thing
4: His half brother Sid (Great name by the way) rats on him.
5: Tom gets yelled at and gets his friends to do his menial chores.

The first chapter is fun to read, but after you find out that Mark Twain is just using a "Making Chapters for Dummies" book to help him write Tom Sawyer, that just sucks the fun away from it.

It's a wonder that Mark Twain made any money off this book, or Maybe his customers were just plain stupid. Maybe they just bought the book out of pity for him and in hope that he would write a better book.

If you are a boy, or once was a boy, you will remember the days of mischief described in this book. This is a timeless classic that I will always treasure. If you enjoy this book you will also enjoy: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Treasure Island.

As my first introduction to Shakespeare working in a senior high school collaborative English class, this book helped me enormously with its Modern Day English interpretation on one side of the book and the Shakespearean writing on the other which follows the regular novels. This proved to be a lifesaver!

The Play, the Book, the Format---all outstanding, absolutely outstanding...With the original text on the left page and a modern easy to read and understand text on the right, Shakespeare reads like a Vince Flynn novel--well, almost. It really opens up the story, the ideas, the characters and the struggles. (Iago is still reprehensible! In any time, in any format!!) And in Act 5, "Othello" turns into a page turner, like a modern day novel. Who would have ever thought it!!! Good way of doing it, well done. The Bard is alive and well...And we are all the better for it.

My 4th grade son read this and loved it. He was fascinated by it and looked forward to our reading every day (he would read aloud to me). Having read the adult version, I was impressed by this childrens' copy because it stays true to the grain of the story. There is nothing Disneyfied about it. I highly recommend this book to any parent who is trying to introduce classic works to their children, as well as any parent seeking good quality literature. The illustrations are top-rate and further serve to involve the junior reader. Also highly recommended is Sutcliff's Black Ships Before Troy, which is the children's Illiad.

I have loved Rosemary Sutcliff's historical fiction of early Anglo-Saxon and Roman England, so I knew her retelling of the Iliad and the Odyssey would be spectacular. And they are. I use them with the Middle School boys I tutor, who usually HATE to read but absolutely cannot put these down. The illustrations and map in this hardcover version are wonderfully done. The Cyclops with a stake in its eye, the suitor Laertes shot through the neck, with the arrow still there -- who can resist? I even used these with my 11th grader who was a very poor reader, and he lapped it up.

As in Black Ships Before Troy, Rosemary Sutcliff writes a story of an epic that many adults are afraid to read for fear of the classics, in a manner that is captivating and understandable. It is by no means dumbed down and yet my children could easily understand the story.

Alan Lee's watercolor illustrations are beautiful and keep the youngest listener sitting quietly to hear the story while seeing the pictures.

The characters and the story are so easy to read that it is an easy transition to pick up Homer's Odysseus and read it.

If you are an adult and have never read Homer's version, I highly recommend reading this for your own enjoyment as well.

I teach seventeen 6th-8th graders at a Christian Montessori school in northern Indiana. We have a classical education bent.

This version of the book The Wanderings of Odysseus, which we read over the course of 3 1/2 weeks (approximately a chapter each day), was a big hit with my class. The majority were very enthusiastic readers; nearly all the boys were reading ahead of schedule. They understood the plot, could retell each chapter, and could identify nearly all the characters.

The reading level was just right for the purpose I had in mind for my middle schoolers. (NOTE: my purpose was to move quickly and happily through a retelling of classic Greek/Roman literature, rather than to challenge the class with demanding literature.)

This book is entertaining without being sensationalized and accessible without being condescending. The illustrations of the larger, more expensive hardback version are splendid, but we did well enough without them.

Furthermore, Rosemary Sutcliff's faithfulness to the details and the tone of Homer's Odyssey is commendable.

I believe my students now have a solid albeit basic foundation for further reading in Homer, or for handling The Odyssey.

I highly recommend this paperback retelling (as well as the magnificently illustrated hardback retelling) of the Odyssey to advanced 4th/5th graders, to all 6th-8th graders, and also to older students and adults who are still unacquainted with classical Greek literature.

I read this to my 12 and 13 year old niece and nephew who hardly ever read on their own and hardly ever agree on anything. We started with the author's Iliad, which they both thoroughly enjoyed. The kids both agree that this is one sequel that is as good or better than the first book. Honestly, they ask (beg, actually) to hear just one more chapter. I personally like the way the author kept qualities of the descriptive language particular to the original epic. The language is just exotic enough that it helps for me to read it out loud, so they can hear it with the emphasis in places that help make it clear. We stop periodically to "re-cap", and re-read particularly lovely passages or phrases.

Pay no attention to the negative reviews, Anthem is pure genius. A timeless warning to humans not to give into the slavery of collectivism, be it of the socialist or mystic variety, and to cherish their individual rights and freedoms. Freedom is a central theme, with clarity that freedom is freedom from men.

This book should be mandatory reading for every high school student.

The basic premise of the book is that society had at some point become so collective that individuality had been essential banned. This included the right to make personal decisions and to pursue ones own happiness. It also meant a select group decided everything for the masses, creating an almost brain dead society, with the exception of a few with strong spirit. One of these strong of spirit is Equality 7-2521.

When finally realizing the evils of collectivism and political correctness, of the great "We", Equality 7-2521 delivers a hard hitting, to the point, in your face speech regarding the right to liberty, happiness, freedom of association, and freedom to use our own mind as the only guiding light.

First published in 1938, it borrowed from Zamyatin's We (1921) and Huxley's Brave New World (1932) and anticipated Orwell's 1984 (and much less significantly, Lowry's The Giver (1993)).

I found the first dozen pages slightly difficult to slog through, but after that the novella (about 100 pages in all) really picked up.

The main character is Equality 7-2521, a 21 year old male who, despite his obvious intelligence, is assigned a lifetime position as a street-sweeper. Anthem takes place in a future that has regressed in knowledge after a cataclysmic battle. Society is run by a bunch of anti-intellectuals, who stifle innovation and regiment every aspect of life. Everything is meant to celebrate the group. Individualism is not discouraged, because it does not exist (there is a word that is not even known in this society - I will leave the reader to find it out for themselves).

Rand has stated that the last two chapters are actually her "anthem," and that all the rest of her novella is just building up to it. My favorite part is chapter 7, where the narrator brings a discovery before the council of scholars. They react....well, again, I leave it to you.

Ayn Rand's disturbing and compelling look into a dark egalitarian future where individuality and creativity have been crushed and ignorant barbarism is triumphant.

Highly recommended!

I just read this book for a school project and I thought it was just OK. The story started off really STRONG and I believe the ideas are quite new for that era. I actually admired Rand's modern visions of the future and I thought it is so unfair that George Orwell's 1984 is much more famous.

After I finished, I find that this book isn't quite as good as I hoped it should be:
1. Sometimes, Rand suddenly adds some rules for the future just to make the story flow.
2. The main character, Equality, is like a saint. He has plenty of dreams for the human kind and he believes that he can save the universe from the WE world. He is perfect in any sense of ways. In the end of the story, he simply reminds me of one of those politicians. The truth is, Rand has chosen a character who isn't human enough to humanize others.
3. Lastly, the point I am most upset about, is Liberty, the girl Equality loves. Rand is a woman! I can't imagine that she could make her protagonist a beautiful but very submissive person to men (no offense though). Not only is she obedient, there is a scene when she can't help admiring her own body in the mirror (gosh!). That is the most out-of-date part in this novel. Instead of being a dumb beauty, I think she can be the person to give Equality courage and good advice and still be faithful!

Still, there are good parts in the story like the regressive future and generally the concept of WE. And the book does not have boring sections that sometimes appear in 1984.

I would recommend it to people who haven't read 1984. Save the better one for later.

If you read only one book this year, read this one. Thought provoking, moving, soul stirring.

This book is absolutely exquisite! I only hope that someday I can read it in its original Arabic.
Every piece included is absolute magic, but the two longer pieces, "The Hoopoe" and "Mural" are my favorites. "Mural" reads like a mixture of Eliot's "Four Quartets" and random passages by Fernando Pessoa in THE BOOK OF DISQUIET. And "The Hoopoe" is very reminiscent of Yeats's "The Second Coming."
Please read this book if you love Darwish, or choose this one as a starting point if you're not yet acquainted. It's magnificent.

I'm so glad my mother tongue language is Arabic! I've read Darwish's books in Arabic, and they were 'uplifting', and truely goes into your heart. Poetry books are supposed to be the hardest to read, you just can't pass one page without fully getting the idea, or at least have a personal thought about it.
this book is a translation of Darwish's poems, and unfortunately, it did not catch that 'paradise' of their original language.
you can pick up the book, read it, and understand it, but you will not get the idea he is a top poet. but he is, very much he is.

still, i think alot of people should read it, if nothing more than to have a feel of the desperation of the Palestinians away from their homeland.

Darwish is the first contemporary poet I have read whom I can plausibly envision being read a millenia from now. While he writes from the perspective of an exiled Palestinian, he does so in a manner that speaks of universal exile (or alienation). He writes with images and language that speaks well across cultures; the few pages of glossary provide what little may not be immediately known to a western reader. His images are arresting but simple: "A silver thread is drawn out of mulberry trees / forming letters on the page of night" or "We gnawed on stones to open a space for jasmine". He makes effective use of repetition, with and without variation. He uses the common base of Judaism, Christianity and Islam as a cultural base for recognizing common humanity: "Beneath us is Noah's flood, Babylon, broken corpses, / skeletons, temples, and the breath of peoples' cries / for help upon the face of the waters."

Poem after poem requires a second, a third reading not because of failure to understand in the first reading but because of the beauty and depth of thought held in the poem.

Yes, it would be nice to be able to read the original, but lacking that capability, the translation provides immediate enjoyment.

"If "a nation is as great as its ode," as Mahmoud Darwish writes in "Mural," one of many poems included in Unfortunately It Was Paradise-a masterfully translated collection from Palestine's most famous poet that also includes selections from "Fewer Roses", "I See What I Want To See", "Why Have You Left the Horse Alone?" and "A Bed for the Stranger"-then Palestine is a great nation indeed. Darwish expresses the pain of millions of refugees who live "a present not embraced by the past...who travel like everyone else, but we return to nothing." He embodies the spirit of the intifada, where "we flash victory signs in the darkness so that the darkness may glitter," embraces the prisoner who is "accused of what is within us," knows "what the dove means when it lays eggs on the rifle's muzzle," dares to speak of love in the face of tragedy, and exclaims "you are my reality, I am your question."" -- From the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, April 2006 issue.