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The Last Watchman of Old Cairo
The Last Watchman of Old Cairo: A Novel | Michael David Lukas
8 posts | 9 read | 20 to read
In this spellbinding novel, a young man journeys from California to Cairo to unravel centuries-old family secrets. Joseph, a literature student at Berkeley, is the son of a Jewish mother and a Muslim father. One day, a mysterious package arrives on his doorstep, pulling him into a mesmerizing adventure to uncover the tangled history that binds the two sides of his family. For generations, the men of the al-Raqb family have served as watchmen of the storied Ibn Ezra Synagogue in Old Cairo, built at the site where the infant Moses was taken from the Nile. Joseph learns of his ancestor Ali, a Muslim orphan who nearly a thousand years earlier was entrusted as the first watchman of the synagogue and became enchanted by its legendaryperhaps magicalEzra Scroll. The story of Josephs family is entwined with that of the British twin sisters Agnes and Margaret, who in 1897 depart their hallowed Cambridge halls on a mission to rescue sacred texts that have begun to disappear from the synagogue. The Last Watchman of Old Cairo is a moving page-turner of a novel from acclaimed storyteller Michael David Lukas. This tightly woven multigenerational tale illuminates the tensions that have torn communities apart and the unlikely forcespotent magic, forbidden lovethat boldly attempt to bridge that divide. Praise for The Last Watchman of Old Cairo A beautiful, richly textured novel, ambitious and delicately crafted, The Last Watchman of Old Cairo is both a coming-of-age story and a family history, a wide-ranging book about fathers and sons, religion, magic, love, and the essence of storytelling. This book is a joy.Rabih Alameddine, author of the National Book Award finalist An Unnecessary Woman
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Chrissyreadit
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Pickpick

I read this for #foodandlit #egypt and chose it after listening to the A Strong Sense Of Place podcast. It was not what I expected. It takes place over three timelines in Egypt regarding a Jewish scroll. The temple has hired a Muslim watchman for 1,000 years. The job has been inherited. It‘s a pick, because the writing is good, and the storylines flow, but it was not my favorite story/book.

Texreader Excellent review 3y
bookishdawg Such a great podcast! 👍🏻 3y
87 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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FountainOfWords
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Ok so I‘m at 40% and enjoying this however the “action” has yet to come as the writer eases you into the story gently however not in a tedious way. It gives some detail about Cairo and Jewish traditions etc without being pedantic.

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Cinfhen
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#WanderingJune I picked up this book at a recent charity shop because the cover caught my eye. Hoping to read soon as I discovered this book won the 2019 #JewishFictionAward from the #JewishBookCouncil #WalkLikeAnEgyptian ( why no pyramid emoji?!???)

TrishB Looks good 👍🏻 5y
Libby1 Yes, we definitely need a pyramid emoji. Hi, @Cinfhen ! Hi, @TrishB ! 👋 5y
Cinfhen Hi @Libby1 😘what ya reading today? 5y
See All 14 Comments
Libby1 I‘m reading the tagged book by Senegalese writer Mariama Bâ. It is fascinating. I picked up a copy from the library last week. What are you reading today? 5y
Cinfhen My daughter had to read that book in HS and she ended up loving it @Libby1 I always meant to read it one day!!! Im currently reading and loving an ARC from @WilliamMorrowBooks titled 5y
TrishB Hi @Libby1 👋 😘 5y
Nitpickyabouttrains I read this book this year and LOVED it 5y
BarbaraBB @Libby1 An impressive read, yours 💕 5y
BarbaraBB And yours looks good too Cindy. Jewish literature and old Cairo intrigues me! 5y
Cinfhen I‘m happy to share it with you @BarbaraBB after I read it 😘 5y
BarbaraBB That would be awesome! Thank you 😘 5y
Melissa_J This sounds good! 5y
Chrissyreadit @Cinfhen did you ever end up reading this? I‘m curious as to what you thought. 3y
Cinfhen I didn‘t @Chrissyreadit I think it‘s still sitting on my shelf 🤓 3y
107 likes5 stack adds14 comments
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Nitpickyabouttrains
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Pickpick

This book blew me away. Three intersecting stories set in Cairo over hundreds of years. I was totally drawn into this one.

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HardcoverHearts
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It was time for a good epic story that takes you to far flung places, in different points in history. This book has taken such a delightful start, especially given that I have always loved Egyptian stories.

Cinfhen I am so into this book...sounds fascinating 7y
25 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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JSW
Pickpick

I really enjoyed this one - my favorite kind of book; interwoven stories that connect over generations.

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JSW
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I‘ve had my eye on this one for awhile.

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Insightsintobooks
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Pickpick

So, I just finished this book. I really liked the multiple storylines and how they all gave a different perspective of history. This book pulls you in and keeps you reading until the end.

You can read my full review here: https://insightsintobooks.wordpress.com/2018/03/21/the-last-watchman-of-old-cair...

Bklover Welcome to Litsy!!! 7y
Insightsintobooks @Bklover thank you. 😊 7y
20 likes1 stack add2 comments