Details Regarding Books Crescent
| Title | : | Crescent |
| Author | : | Diana Abu-Jaber |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 352 pages |
| Published | : | May 7th 2004 by Pan MacMillan (first published April 1st 2003) |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Food and Drink. Food. Romance. Contemporary |
Diana Abu-Jaber
Paperback | Pages: 352 pages Rating: 3.79 | 2395 Users | 347 Reviews
Rendition In Favor Of Books Crescent
A forty-year old chef, half American-half Iraqi falls in love with an Iraqi-exiled professor. The book is set in the Arab-American community in Los Angeles, and dances around some very complex family dynamics, love, and Arab culture. I found the book to be very slow at times, but liked the focus on Arab food/recipes and the differences highlighted among various Arab cultures. Chef Sirine and Professor Hanif made some poor decisions. Also, I found the Arab fable at the beginning of each chapter to be more annoying than interesting despite its mysticism.I preferred Pauls Toutonghi's Evil Knievel Days, which had similar themes.
Favorite irreverent quote: In reality, dogs are only reincarnated monks who didn't say their prayers right."
Specify Books To Crescent
| Original Title: | Crescent |
| ISBN: | 0330413279 (ISBN13: 9780330413275) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Literary Awards: | American Book Award (2004) |
Rating Regarding Books Crescent
Ratings: 3.79 From 2395 Users | 347 ReviewsCriticism Regarding Books Crescent
I didn't enjoy this book, but I forced myself to finish it and I'm not sure why I did. Sirine is a half-Iraqi chef who works at a Lebanese restaurant near UCLA. She has a love affair with a professor who is exiled from Iraq. Other characters include a depressed photographer, a scoundrel poet, a female college student, a loving uncle, and a feisty restaurant owner. The first problem with this book is that it's supposed to be a love story of sorts, and I couldn't have cared less about theThis book's description of Arabs, particularly students and academics, who live in the diaspora is heartbreakingly accurate. Abu-Jaber's descriptions are both intense and palpable. Just as you can taste the mujadara, so too can you feel the homesickness of the characters. Most are suffering from the type of homesickness that anyone plucked from their native home and transplanted into a foreign land would suffer. Sirine, the protagonist, suffers from a different kind of homesickness. Hers is a
I'm a little conflicted on this one and I'm not sure why. (Okay, I know why in some ways because I just wanted to throw the book across the room and yell AARGH!) The writing style was a little different. It was as if each noun required a descriptor (a little annoying at first). After I got the rhythm of the writing it went a little quicker. At some times I felt really invested in the characters (the writer wrote a passage regarding the lead character, Sirina, that seemed to be written about me)
One of the most enjoyable books I've ever read. Now I would like to read other books by this author. Loved the characters - some were quirky, some mysterious, all believable. Sirene is in her late 30s, the daughter of an Iraqi father and American mother. She works as a cook in an Arab restaurant in Los Angeles. Following the death of her parents, she was raised by her uncle, a wonderful man who likes to tell stories. So intertwined with the story of Sirene is a fable made up by her uncle about
I admit it, I'm such a design whore that I have a hard time NOT choosing a book by its cover. Sometimes I really luck out, as was the case with this PSU professor's book. A beautifully written, intensely rich and evocative book about love, family, food, and finding your place. Which is a really crappy description but somehow accurate.
I'll be thoroughly honest, it took a lot of effort to finish this book. I really had to push through it. I found too much of it contrived, and I really only got through it by the little chapter-opening stories, which turned out to be just as contrived in the end. The "love story" in this book quickly became overbearing, so much so that I generally became annoyed with the constant appearance of Hanif. I just really wasn't impressed by not only the writing, but the development of the story, and I
A forty-year old chef, half American-half Iraqi falls in love with an Iraqi-exiled professor. The book is set in the Arab-American community in Los Angeles, and dances around some very complex family dynamics, love, and Arab culture. I found the book to be very slow at times, but liked the focus on Arab food/recipes and the differences highlighted among various Arab cultures. Chef Sirine and Professor Hanif made some poor decisions. Also, I found the Arab fable at the beginning of each chapter
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