This is a beautifully written story told from the perspective of residents of the Miramar - a pension house in 1960s Alexandria. Each resident tells of the same events but from their own perspective. The descriptions of Alexandria are vivid, and the emotions described are raw. ( )

Set in Alexandria, Egypt, in the 1960s, this book tells of the residents of Miramar, a pension run by an aging Greek woman. She hires Zohra to help with serving and cleaning. Zohra has left her family to avoid an arranged marriage to an older man. She is determined to make her own way in life. It basically involves a look at the same set of circumstances through four different perspectives. Several men try to win Zohra’s affections, but she is not interested in being a mistress, and they are not interested in marriage, especially to a person of lower status. The writing is excellent. I think I would have appreciated more of the politics if I had a deeper knowledge of Egyptian history, so I plan to read non-fiction about the region and time period. I have now read three books by Mahfouz, and this one is my favorite. ( )

Several guests of various ages, backgrounds, political views and social classes converge at a pension in Alexandria, Egypt. The aging proprietress, a couple of old men on the decline, a couple of young men on the make, and a young woman, Zohra, who works there. The younger men vie for her attention and she's the center of some controversy.

Everyone appears to have their sights set on something else, all with various agendas, some legal, some not. Naguib Mahfouz seems to be portraying post-revolution Egypt through the various characters. ( )

Told from the perspective of four different characters exploring obsession (with 'the prize' a fellaha girl who works in the pension where the novel takes place). Well-developed characters and a strong way of presenting opposing political views. Enjoyable, not ground-breaking. ( )

At first I found it a very difficukt book to get in to. I really wanted to raad it, but was very much distracted by the notes in the text.
I was also hindered by lack of knowledge about Egyptian history and was wondering whether I could finish the book or not.

Then, half way Amer Wagdi's first part, I forgot to check the notes, stopped also to try and place all that I read in my non-existing historical context. And all of a sudden, the book came to life. I even started to like what I read.
Regardless of the fact that I'm not so fond of the same story told multiple times, there was enough difference to keep it interesting.

I'm not going to say that I fully grasp the meaning of the book, its deeper layers, hidden clues and all that, because I don't. But... It was a nice read. ( )