Litsy

The Tremor of Forgery | Patricia Highsmith

pick

In the intro Graham Greene called this her "finest novel". One will either agree, or find it rather dry. Because nothing much ‘happens‘ most of the time, no plot twist, no actual murder..but always, there is a feeling of something not quite right. The protagonist deals with his conscience, and isolation in the heat of Tunisia. We hear his thoughts mostly, and a good insight of world politics of the 1960s through all the characters‘ views. ⬇️

erzascarletbookgasm .. I like the detailed descriptions of the place, I could picture the beautiful beaches, the desert, and the locals..and the complex, sympathetic portrayal of the protagonist. 4mo

LeahBergen Great review! I haven‘t read this and you know I‘m a Highsmith fan. 😄 4mo

batsy Nice review! It's not one of her novels that I've heard a lot about, either. Definitely adding to the list. 4mo

erzascarletbookgasm @LeahBergen @batsy Thanks. I‘ll be interested to hear your thoughts whenever you get to it. 😊 4mo

47 likes2 stack adds4 comments

coffees

Ardent Swarm | Yamen Manai

so-so

I briefly cried over this book before disappearing. Well, I powered through and finished it!

It wasn't the book for me. It was really hard to get a grasp at what was happening bc it felt like there were many threads and I couldn't find the link. Partially, I think it's bc of how vague certain things were. But I could feel like it was a social commentary of the state and its people. But I don't have that knowledge to really appreciate it #tunisia

3 likes

Hooked_on_books

The Tremor of Forgery | Patricia Highsmith

pick

Howard has traveled to #Tunisia to research and write a screenplay, but the plans fall apart in a somewhat horrifying way. However, he‘s having some success working on his latest novel, so he decides to stay for a while. Many of his decisions seem utterly nonsensical to me, but I was nonetheless intrigued by the book. Between pick and so-so.

#ReadingAfrica2022

Librarybelle, BarbaraBB

Librarybelle I‘ve yet to read anything by Highsmith! 1y

40 likes1 comment

Cinfhen

Sahara | Michael Palin

pick

I LOVED this travelogue! Flavorful,comical,respectful!!!
Michael Palin, a British actor once part of Monty Python acting troupe began hosting a travel show for the BBC from 1989- 2012🌎 He vividly describes all the places he visited with rich details and a sense of pleasure #ReadingAfrica22
#Gibraltar #Morocco #WesternSahara #Mauritania
#Senegal #Mali #Niger #Algeria #Libya #Tunisia
Total pick 😀

Librarybelle, BarbaraBB

Texreader Wow!! That‘s great! 1y

Cinfhen It was really enjoyable @Texreader 🧡 1y

BarbaraBB Lots of countries I haven‘t read. And he‘s great indeed! 1y

See All 8 Comments

Cinfhen Im using it for #Niger #WesternSahara and #Mauritania @BarbaraBB 1y

Librarybelle Sounds wonderful! 1y

squirrelbrain I love his TV programmes - he‘s just been to Iraq which was fascinating. 1y

jenniferw88 He's got one on Brazil for next year! 1y

Cinfhen I thought he might @jenniferw88 I will definitely read him again @squirrelbrain @Librarybelle 😄 1y

77 likes4 stack adds8 comments

BarbaraBB

In Extremis: The Life and Death of the War Correspondent Marie Colvin | Lindsey Hilsum

pan

Well this is a bit of a cheat. I am going to use this one for #Tunisia only because Marie Colvin stayed in Tunis to interview Arafat. Now that I‘ve come this far I‘ve had enough of the book. So much information, so fast, so boring. #ReadingAfrica2022 🇹🇳

Pic: Zen Musuem, Kanagawa, Japan

Librarybelle

Librarybelle That‘s a shame! But your scenery is gorgeous! 2y

squirrelbrain I haven‘t read it but I expected this book to be really good 🤷‍♀️ 2y

Liz_M For Tunisia, maybe see if this Europa title is available?

The Italian

See All 6 Comments

Liz_M Or this book:

A Tunisian Tale

BarbaraBB @Liz_M Thanks! I‘ll look them up! 2y

Megabooks Well, at least the trees are pretty… 2y

73 likes6 comments

Texreader

The Ardent Swarm | Yamen Manai

pick

This is an excellent story of a beekeeper whose bees have been slaughtered by a devilish killer at the same time religious extremists are assuming power in #Tunisia. Our beekeeper & his friends set out to discover and destroy the evil killing his “girls.” The author has a subtle sense of humor I really enjoyed and a lovely style of writing. The book is satisfying on all fronts. Highly recommended short read. #readingafrica2022

Librarybelle, BarbaraBB

Librarybelle Great review! 2y

66 likes4 stack adds1 comment