A Beggar at Damascus Gate

Rating:
Summary: Taking a stand for freedom
Review: A Beggar at Damascus Gate is a compilation of journal entries between a Palestinian woman and her British husband. The fact that they are husband and wife is problematic because of the colonization of Palestine by England. We are privy to these writings through the eyes of an archeologist who uncovers them in his hotel room in Petra. He is at first hesitant about reading them because he realizes that the correspondence is a look into the hearts and souls of two people who cannot prevent his intrusion. He overcomes this reluctance and decides to read the journals first because of his curiosity and finally because he wants to publish them.
The journals track the lives of the couple over many years and are filled with their private thoughts, implications of murder, conspiracy, spying, and revolutionary activities. Since the archeologist decided what entries to publish, it was hard for me to establish a connection with the couple. It was also evident that the archeologist was fascinated by Ryya, the wife, which at first created a bias for me against her husband. The archeologist also tries to mold Ryya into the traditional role of a woman, but he realizes that she does not fit this mold and is forced to give the reader a picture of the true woman.
There is nothing traditional about the lives of the couple and they spend more time apart than together. They travel together and separately throughout their time together and the mission that each is committed to performing is suspected by the other, even though they have no concrete evidence of this fact.
To view this novel as merely a love story is to miss the underlying symbolism of the fight for freedom and against oppression by one country over another. Ryya has one true love left in her life, and that is her homeland of Palestine. It was a place of peacefulness, sacredness, and happiness that she is no longer able to enjoy because of her revolutionary stance against the occupation of Palestine by Israel. Alex doesn't understand her feelings about her version of what her homeland is and means to her. His annoyance comes from the fact that he cannot empathize with her because he has never been on the receiving end of oppression.
The archeologist spends ten years of his life searching for the couple and comes to believe that he will never find them. The significance of the title is revealed at the end of the novel. This novel was well worth the time because it is also a mystery. We have to put the clues together to realize the full impact of the novel.

Rating:
Summary: Two readers, two views, both liked the book!
Review: A poetic, empowering portrayal of the struggle for liberation -- both personal and political liberation.

Excellent characters -- including a realistic and strong Palestinian woman.

And, one of the few feminist novels in which the heroine is not obsessed with sexual liberation, but is a full 3-D woman, empowered and motivated by the struggle to liberate her land from military occupation.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Reading
Review: Having received my copy of this novel as a free promotional copy, I did not expect much in terms of quality. I was therefore pleasantly surprised when I began reading this intriguing novel, and could not put it down until I finished it in a single night! This is spy/love story, enclosed in the historical setting of Palestine in the immediate aftermath of the 1967 war. A beautifully poetic text weaves what turns out to be a highly suspenseful and symbolic novel. Even for people like me who thought they "knew it all" about Palestine, this novel brings with it fresh perspectives that deserve an ear. I was terribly sad when this novel was over. It evoked a lot of memories.

If you like this book you would definitely enjoy "Memory of the Flesh," by Ahlam Mustaghanmi.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Reading
Review: Having received my copy of this novel as a free promotional copy, I did not expect much in terms of quality. I was therefore pleasantly surprised when I began reading this intriguing novel, and could not put it down until I finished it in a single night! This is spy/love story, enclosed in the historical setting of Palestine in the immediate aftermath of the 1967 war. A beautifully poetic text weaves what turns out to be a highly suspenseful and symbolic novel. Even for people like me who thought they "knew it all" about Palestine, this novel brings with it fresh perspectives that deserve an ear. I was terribly sad when this novel was over. It evoked a lot of memories.

If you like this book you would definitely enjoy "Memory of the Flesh," by Ahlam Mustaghanmi.

Rating:
Summary: Unanswerable questions
Review: I really enjoyed Yasmin Zahran's novel, A Beggar at Damascus Gate. I had trouble, however, in categorizing it. One could call it a mystery novel, a romance novel, a spy novel, or a historical piece, and be right on each account. It effectively combined all of those elements to create an intriguing, tense, and sobering portrait of a love affair that wasn't what it appeared to be. In fact, little is really as it appears in this novel. Zahran's characters live in a world of duplicity and betrayal.
The story takes shape in Petra, Jordan. A man named Foster, is holed up in an empty inn during the off season. Bored and cold, he stumbles upon a dusty canvas bag hidden in a closet. The bag contains letters, journals, and poetry that belonged to two lovers. Foster is fascinated by the papers and takes them. As he pores over the papers, he learns that the two lovers are named Rayya and Alex. Rayya is a Palestinian poet, beautiful and extroverted. Alex is a quiet Englishman, pale and sickly. I found them to be an odd couple that love brought together.
As Foster digs deeper into their lives, we see a relationship that goes from playful ribbing about each other's heritage to suspicion and accusations. We know Rayya is dedicated to the cause of Palestine. But how does Alex really feel? And is he really the man he portrays?
I found myself stepping into Foster's shoes. I wanted to know where these two lovers were. Were they still together? Were they still alive? I looked for clues in the story as well as in the journal entries of both characters. I got the impression that as the lovers learned more about each other, they became embroiled in something that was far bigger than both of them.
As Foster tracks the whereabouts of Alex and Rayya, he too realizes that there are much bigger forces at work. Walking down the wrong alley or asking the wrong question can awaken unseen dangers. The author effectively raises the tension level as comes to a seeming dead end. And when he finally does learn the `truth' about Alex and Rayya, it is anticlimactic, as life often is. The author avoids the usual clichés. Good doesn't always triumph over evil. The hero doesn't always get the girl in the end. No, I found that Zahran uses a more realistic approach. Life is an ongoing struggle with no absolute winners or losers.

Rating:
Summary: Unanswerable questions
Review: I really enjoyed Yasmin Zahran's novel, A Beggar at Damascus Gate. I had trouble, however, in categorizing it. One could call it a mystery novel, a romance novel, a spy novel, or a historical piece, and be right on each account. It effectively combined all of those elements to create an intriguing, tense, and sobering portrait of a love affair that wasn't what it appeared to be. In fact, little is really as it appears in this novel. Zahran's characters live in a world of duplicity and betrayal.
The story takes shape in Petra, Jordan. A man named Foster, is holed up in an empty inn during the off season. Bored and cold, he stumbles upon a dusty canvas bag hidden in a closet. The bag contains letters, journals, and poetry that belonged to two lovers. Foster is fascinated by the papers and takes them. As he pores over the papers, he learns that the two lovers are named Rayya and Alex. Rayya is a Palestinian poet, beautiful and extroverted. Alex is a quiet Englishman, pale and sickly. I found them to be an odd couple that love brought together.
As Foster digs deeper into their lives, we see a relationship that goes from playful ribbing about each other's heritage to suspicion and accusations. We know Rayya is dedicated to the cause of Palestine. But how does Alex really feel? And is he really the man he portrays?
I found myself stepping into Foster's shoes. I wanted to know where these two lovers were. Were they still together? Were they still alive? I looked for clues in the story as well as in the journal entries of both characters. I got the impression that as the lovers learned more about each other, they became embroiled in something that was far bigger than both of them.
As Foster tracks the whereabouts of Alex and Rayya, he too realizes that there are much bigger forces at work. Walking down the wrong alley or asking the wrong question can awaken unseen dangers. The author effectively raises the tension level as comes to a seeming dead end. And when he finally does learn the 'truth' about Alex and Rayya, it is anticlimactic, as life often is. The author avoids the usual clichés. Good doesn't always triumph over evil. The hero doesn't always get the girl in the end. No, I found that Zahran uses a more realistic approach. Life is an ongoing struggle with no absolute winners or losers.

Rating:
Summary: Wish it had been longer
Review: This was a haunting story, in the same vein as Coelho's "By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept" (0060977264). Here's a line from the back of the book: "the narrator slowly pieces together the fate of two unfortunate lovers." Recommended.