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Sara Ruggeri's Amazon Book Review
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| I first came across Palace Walk in the library
while looking for a good book to read. Well, needless to say, I
am so glad I found this book! I just picked up the book and
stared into the picture. I was so mesmerized by the scene of an
old and dusty Egypt. I could even imagine myself walking in a
sari, blinking the sand out of my eyes.
I knew nothing about Egypt, the culture, and even less about the religion, but that's what drew me to this book. I love to immerse myself in different customs, cultures, and languages. I adored Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur S. Golden, which I have to recommend. It's a wonderful story about Japan before and during World War II, so it's in the same time period as Palace Walk. (I even heard that Steven Spielberg bought the rights to Golden's book!) And while I'm at it, I must recommend the author, Amy Tan, who wrote The Joy Luck Club, (which was made into a movie). I also loved Amy Tan's book The Hundred Secret Senses, which is I great story about Chinese beliefs and customs. So if any of you are interesting in looking at the world in a completely different view through the eyes of foreigner half way around the world, Palace Walk is worth your time! I had no idea what this book was going to be about when I started it, but that's what made it all the more better. Naguib Mahfouz is an exceptional writer. He's an artist, to put it simply! He has the talent to dip his paintbrush into words of ordinary, every day use, and paint something magical! Palace Walk is filled of Mahfouz's metaphors, similes, allegories, and poetry. It's so beautiful the way his mind interprets life! I just know I'll have to read this book again so I can memorize all my favorite parts-which isn't a problem! I decided to look up Palace Walk while I was here on Amazon.com, and to my surprise, I found that there is a Cairo Trilogy! Oh, I can't wait to read the next two book of the trilogy, Palace of Desire and Sugar Street! I must admit that I was a bit disappointed in the end of Palace Walk. The ending wasn't bad; it was just that I didn't want it to end. I felt that there was more to the story...and atlas, there is! Now go out there and read this book! Carpe Diem! Take a chance and go pick a book blindfolded at the library! That's always the best way to pick a book. Never let a critic with diverse ideas and opinions from your own tell you what's good. You only know what's good, and sometimes that's not enough! Be open-minded and read something you thought you'd never read or do something you thought you could never in your wildest dreams imagine-you might surprise yourself! |