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The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit: A…
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The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit: A Jewish Family's Exodus from Old Cairo to the New World (P.S.) (original 2007; edition 2008)

by Lucette Lagnado

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5502443,423 (3.82)39
Lagnado re-creates the cosmopolitan glamour of Cairo in the years between World War II and Nasser's rise to power. Her father, Leon, was a boulevardier who conducted business in his signature white sharkskin suit on the elegant terrace of Shepheard's Hotel, and later, in the cozy, dark bar of the Nile Hilton. But with the fall of King Farouk, Leon and his family lose everything. As streets are renamed, neighborhoods of their fellow Jews disbanded, and the city purged of foreign influence, the Lagnados, too, must make their escape. With all of their belongings packed into 26 suitcases, their jewels and gold coins hidden in sealed tins of marmalade, Leon and his family depart for any land that will take them. The poverty and hardships they encounter in their flight from Cairo to Paris to New York are strikingly juxtaposed against the beauty and comforts of the lives they left behind.--From publisher description.… (more)
Member:JudyWei
Title:The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit: A Jewish Family's Exodus from Old Cairo to the New World (P.S.)
Authors:Lucette Lagnado
Info:Harper Perennial (2008), Edition: Reprint, Paperback, 368 pages
Collections:Your library
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The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit by Lucette Lagnado (2007)

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» See also 39 mentions

English (23)  Spanish (1)  All languages (24)
Showing 1-5 of 23 (next | show all)
Interesting, sad, but a little too long and detailed for my taste. ( )
  steve02476 | Jan 3, 2023 |
I'm not sure why I'm not giving this five stars but it's a pretty terrific read, an interesting story about a Jewish family from Egypt, their life there and their life as immigrants. I found Lucette to be likeable if not really relatable, and her family's story is another tile in the mosaic of the Jewish diaspora. She is a very good writer and kept me turning the pages. ( )
  bostonbibliophile | Dec 11, 2022 |
Really interesting book about place, families, parents and children, and exile--Cairo isn't really the backdrop, it's as much a character as the Lagnado family. ( )
  giovannaz63 | Jan 18, 2021 |
A memoir about a Jewish family that live in Cairo in the time of WWII and emigrated to France then the US after. I really enjoyed the beginning of the book when she tells about their life in Cairo. It was fascinating history that I didn't know much about. Once they move to France and then US it becomes less interesting. It is definitely the historical setting that makes the story so intriguing. ( )
  KamGeb | Jul 4, 2020 |
ספר שממש תיעבתי. נוטף נוסטלגיה זולה ושקרית, שטוח וחסר כל תחכום, סיפור משעמם על אנשים דוחים שעושים בחייהם כל טעות אפשרית. ממש מדריך איך להיות לא יוצלח. איך ספר כזה זוכה להצלחה ולביקורות טובות רק אלוהים יודע. ( )
  amoskovacs | Feb 5, 2019 |
Showing 1-5 of 23 (next | show all)
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Epigraph
And the Children of Israel wept and said: "Who will feed us meat? We remember the fish that we ate in Egypt free of charge, and the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. But now, our life is parched, and there is nothing. We have nothing to anticipate but manna."

-- Numbers 11:4-6
It was then that I stood up in the theater and shouted: "Don't do it. It's not too late to change your minds, both of you. Nothing good will come of it, only remorse, hatred, scandal, and two children whose characters are monstrous."
--Delmore Schwartz, In Dreams Begin Responsibilities
Dedication
To my husband, Douglas Feiden,

and to the memory of Leon and Edith
First words
Edith was seated outdoors at La Parisiana, Cairo's most popular café, enjoying a café turque with her mother, when she noticed the man in white.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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ISBN: 8483650495 9788483650493
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Lagnado re-creates the cosmopolitan glamour of Cairo in the years between World War II and Nasser's rise to power. Her father, Leon, was a boulevardier who conducted business in his signature white sharkskin suit on the elegant terrace of Shepheard's Hotel, and later, in the cozy, dark bar of the Nile Hilton. But with the fall of King Farouk, Leon and his family lose everything. As streets are renamed, neighborhoods of their fellow Jews disbanded, and the city purged of foreign influence, the Lagnados, too, must make their escape. With all of their belongings packed into 26 suitcases, their jewels and gold coins hidden in sealed tins of marmalade, Leon and his family depart for any land that will take them. The poverty and hardships they encounter in their flight from Cairo to Paris to New York are strikingly juxtaposed against the beauty and comforts of the lives they left behind.--From publisher description.

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