Tea in the Harem

by Mehdi Charef

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The lives of second-generation Algerians in a Paris housing project, the basis of the award-winning film.¶"Writing that is both dazzling and economical and a moral and aesthetic elegance that does not judge. The greatest attribute of this extraordinary first novel is its thirst for life."--Le Quotidien de Paris

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2 reviews
Makes many of the same observations about how post-colonial immigrants are treated in the mother country that The Buddha of Suburbia does but without all the angst. While the story paints a bleak picture about living in the slums of Paris yet it doesn't wallow in it. Rather Charef tries to show the daily struggle or people trapped with no hope and no chances of employment. While also trying to show how the youth tries to deal with the fact that they are going nowhere. The only thing I didn't like about the book was the ending as it just sort of stopped with no real conclusion.
If you like Buddha of Suburbia might want to give this one a shot as well.
½

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The Immigrant's Stories
74 works; 19 members

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14+ Works 144 Members

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Classifications

Genres
Fiction and Literature, General Fiction
DDC/MDS
843.914Literature & rhetoricFrench LiteratureFrench fiction1900-20th Century1945-1999
LCC
PQ2663 .H34174Language and LiteratureFrench, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese literaturesFrench literatureModern literature1961-2000
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Members
107
Popularity
303,810
Reviews
1
Rating
½ (3.25)
Languages
5 — Danish, Dutch, English, French, German
Media
Paper, Ebook
ISBNs
9
ASINs
1