About the locust and the bird in a masterly act of literary transformation, celebrated novelist hanan alshaykh recreates the dramatic life and times of her mother, kamila. Alshaykh tells the story of her mother s childhood in 1930s lebanon, her forced marriage at the age of 14, her illicit love affair with the man who later became her second husband. What she has to give up to leave the marriage, and what she later loses is sad, yet uplift. Married at a young age against her will, kamila soon fell headoverheels in love with another manand was thus forced to choose between her children and her lover. Very interesting memoir of life in lebonon during the midcentury. My mother s story by hanan alshaykh a lebanese womans tale of forced marriage and illicit romance impresses joan bakewell. My mothers story by hanan alshaykh a lebanese womans tale of forced marriage and illicit romance impresses joan bakewell. Jayne anne phillips, more a vital work about the lives of arabic families. Becoming my mother s daughter life writing series in the life writing series, wilfrid laurier university press publi. Charming, egotistical, funny, vain, spellbinding, hanan alshaykh s mother kamila defies religion, family, and tradition to create a life on her own terms, demanding true love and resisting oppression at all costs. The birds daphne du maurier on december the third, the wind changed overnight, and it was winter.
Books kaelen wilsongoldie reads hanan al shaykhs latest work, a story of abandonment untainted by bitterness. San francisco chronicle the locust and the bird conquers the distance between mother and daughter, revealing the tragedies that can ensue when cultural machismo forces brave women into impossible choices. The locust and the bird puts to rest, with much gentleness and ease, every stereotype about. My mothers story by hanan alshaykh a lebanese womans tale of forced marriage and illicit romance. The locust and the bird hardcover my mothers story. My mothers story, the contemporary arab author hanan alshaykh writes the biography of kamila, her mother. In a masterly act of literary transformation, celebrated novelist hanan alshaykh recreates the dramatic life and times of her mother, kamila. A woman is forced to marry an older man when she is in love with someone her own age. Recommended for people interested in islamic life and marriage. The leaves had lingered on the trees, goldenred, and the hedgerows were still green. She attended the almillah primary school for muslim girls where she received a traditional education for muslim girls, before continuing her education at the ahliah school. This acclaimed book by hanan alshaykh is available at in several formats for your ereader.