Saturday’s Book: “The Yacoubian Building” by Alaa al-Aswany

I’ve only read about a third of it but seems very good so far. The book presents a rich portrait of characters and aspects of life in Cairo by telling the story of one building and its inhabitants.

I must admit that I had heard about the book before and was sure the author was a woman – I was wrong!

2 thoughts on “Saturday’s Book: “The Yacoubian Building” by Alaa al-Aswany”

  1. If you’re interested in Cairo & Egypt, I would strongly recommend Ahdaf Soueif’s The Map of Love, a 1999 Booker Prize short-list book. I’ve just finished it and thoroughly enjoyed it! It’s set in Egypt 1901 and 1997.
    Also if you like books about building inhabitants, absolutely don’t miss The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery, set in Paris. It’s charming.
    Meanwhile I will try and find The Yacoubian Building and let you know what I think!
    Clare

  2. Thanks for the recommendations!!
    I’ve started using Shelfari so I can remember the recommendations I get. I never know what I’ll find at our library in English (after all it’s mainly a Hebrew library) and then when I have a birthday I need to remember the names of the books I wanted to read!
    Am enjoying this book!

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