You should know where Egypt is. It's here:
The summary is here:
This sweeping novel depicts the intertwined lives of an assortment of Egyptians -- Muslims and Copts, northerners and southerners, men and women -- as they begin to settle in Egypt's great second city, and explores how the Second World War, starting in supposedly faraway Europe, comes crashing down on them, affecting their lives in fateful ways. Central to the novel is the story of a striking friendship between Sheikh Magd al-Din, a devote Muslim with peasant roots in Northern Egypt, and Dimyan, a Copt with roots in Southern Egypt, in their journey of survival and self-discovery. Woven around this narrative are the stories of other characters, in the city, in the villages, or in the faraway desert,
When I was looking into books for Egypt, there were like 3 of them that sounded SO good. I love that. I love having to choose between a bunch of books that sound amazing. And apparently I'm really into books set during WW2.
I thought this one sounded great because I normally think of the war in terms of Europe and a little bit of Asia. But of course it was a WORLD war.
I really liked reading about the impact the war had on different areas of the world. There were soldiers coming up from other parts of Africa, and the war being fought in Egypt. One thing I didn't expect was the feeling of wanting Germany and Italy to win. Nothing was said about Jewish people being murdered...but it turns out Egypt was pretty much under British rule at the time so it kinda makes sense that they wanted the British to be screwed. It was also really interesting to see the relationships between the Muslims and Copts (a Christian denomination...I didn't know that). It's complicated. Or was? I'm not sure. I do wonder sometimes how historically accurate these books are. I should really do more research into this stuff.
The relationships and situations in this book were complex and interesting. It was great.
I've also noticed with each book, I've felt the need to make excuses on how long it took me to read. But I've started realizing that instead of making excuses, I need to hold myself accountable and put in the work (not just talking about books here now). So I'll be trying harder to read them faster. And this weekend I'm planning on making a post about everything that's been going on in the world. I've tried to a couple of times and haven't been able to get through it. And, not that anyone really cares about my thoughts, but it's time. I'm trying to learn and grow and be better. You should too!
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