"How different other people are from him! They live in the real world, banal and industrious, while he skids the surface of pain and flutters against sadness. Beauty is his friend; loss is his friend. His is the pleasurable company of writing poems and making songs. He has fewer inhibitions than they do; less time, less space."

I knew nothing of Sudan or its history and culture before reading this book. I inhaled it in 48 hrs, reading till midnight each night. Not even a "reader's headache" could make me put it down. That's how engaging Ms Aboulela's prose is. Set in the 1950s at a time of unrest in the entire region (independence/Suez crisis/etc).The story begins with the illness of the patriarch, Mahmoud. He apparently nearly slipped into a "diabetic coma" at some point and is spending weeks in bed as his family and

Leila Aboulela 's Novel is a wonderful piece, it takes you in a journey to the Sudan in the period before and during independence, it showed many customs, traditions, real places that were at that time. It also went to Egypt to show the contrast between these two countries at that time, and to show also similarities and bonds that were exited between these countries.The Novel is based on a true story which is Hassan Awad Aboulela's (Leila Aboulela's Uncle) life story, a famous poet from the 1950...

Starting in Sudan, shifting to Egypt and then back again, this is the story of the family of an astute Sudanese businessmen, his two squabbling wives - one conservative Sudanese, the other a much more liberal Egyptian - and his two eldest sons who are married and engaged respectively to the daughters of his much more traditional brother. It highlights the changing political and cultural climate of 1950 when Egypt and Sudan were politically joined at the hip with a ruling monarchy in Egypt and wh...

AFRICAN BOOKS MARATHON BOOK: 5TITLE: Lyrics AlleyAUTHOR: Leila AboulelaCOUNTRY: SudanAnother book that takes place in a country on the verge of independence from the British Empire. An Empire that is crumbling.We are in Sudan in the early 1950's and we see the story of the rich Abuzeid family. The story takes place in the Abuzeids' mansion in Omdurman, a city lying on the western banks of the River Nile, opposite the capital, Khartoum. It also takes place in Cairo, Alexandria, London, and a f

It was interesting to read about life in Sudan in the 1950s. The use of characters from Egypt was also interesting as it gave a comparison between these two neighbours, one who's modernisation and westernisation was further progressed (I'm not saying this is a good thing).Mahmoud is the patriarch who has built a successful trading company, puts a lot back into his country and is relatively modern in his thinking. His first wife is uneducated, illiterate and represents the old Sudan. His second y...

A lukewarm like. 3.0, not 3.1. A number of themes at work - political history of Sudan and Egypt, as reflected in the storyline of the patriarch; culture-peeking (man with two wives, patriarch as absolute ruler, clash of traditional vs modern Africa); family dynamics with their usual soap opera type baggage; early dawning of the emergence of women's rights. So many threads, but none really strongly developed. The writing is serviceable but not notable - "meets expectations" I guess. Too much on

Found the book problematic in its depiction of sudan - and in contrast to egypt- in particular the notion of a modern egypt vs backward sudan, and as played out in the depiction of mahmoud's wives and their children. For example, its a bit difficult to believe that female circumcision here is depicted as a purely Sudanese practice, especially considering that even today, Egypt has the highest number of women who are circumcised (and the practice is said to originate in Egypt)... but here its pur...

SPOILER ALERT…….There is something seductive about this book. It is not just the poetry of the books poet Nur, his absolute and pure love for his cousin Soraya which drives his every word and thought and which continues to move and inspire him even when these are all he can move, but more, for this is a book which starts very slowly then you suddenly find yourself immersed into its very real sense of story, of time, of place. The differences between Mahmoud’s two wives, younger second wife Nabil...

This is the third of Aboulela's books that I've read recently. And each is unique unto itself; she is innovative and original at crafting stories. Her writing style reflects much grace and clarity. I am grateful for her ability to depict multiple and opposing perspectives with a confidence and empathetic tone. I will definitely read more of her books.This book provided me a perspective on Sudan in the 1950's and its relationship with neighboring Egypt and with the British who were in Sudan (and

A sad but compelling read. Characters who have both likeable and dismaying personality traits. It is based on the life of a real person but has been fictionalised. Sudan was dusty, hot but great to discover.

Lyrics Alley has some very beautiful moments but is a disjointed novel that never really pulls it together by the end. It is a quick and compelling story but the reasons for being pulled into the novel - the setting, the tragedy the characters, wondering about the outcomes - end up being less than fully realized. I was left dissatisfied, unfortunately, yet I am open to reading more by this author. I wonder, though, given the setting and political climate of the time (Sudan & Egypt, 1951 & 1952)

Well worth reading.I really enjoyed this novel, set in Sudan and Egypt in the 1950s.It covers a lot of ground, but the story at the centre is the true relationship between Sudan's famous poet and songwriter, Hassan Awad Aboulela and his childhood sweetheart, represented as Nur and Soraya in the novel. They were cousins, betrothed from a young age, until a serious accident changed everything. Hassan Awad Aboulela was Leila Aboulela's uncle and although he died before she was born, he remained qui...

Was able to see Leila Aboulela at the Writer's Center in Maryland. Amazing. I really enjoyed this book! So much of the culture rang true - going to Alexandria to the beach. Learned so much about the history between Sudan and Egypt.

So this is another saga about a patriarchal family in exotic setting. Don't you love those? Publishers sure do - there is a new one every two weeks.'Lyrics Alley' starts bizarrely with a family tree, even though there are only two generations on it - two brothers and their children. Who needs a tree? Please, I am a pro! I eat your tree for breakfast. I read Hundred Years of Solitude and got that under control and let me tell you there were about twelve generations, three hundred characters and a...

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Through its intersecting story lines, Lyrics Alley by Leila Aboulela portrays the Abuzeid dynasty in 1950s Sudan. Set against the backdrop of turbulent political times, Mahmoud Bey, the patriarch, navigates between clashing forces both in his public and private life: the indigenous population’s collision with British rule as it strives for independence; Waheeba, his Sudanese first wife steeped in the traditions of her culture versus Nabilah, his second wife, a younger and more progressive Egypti...

Thoughts later. I am steadily making my way through Leila Aboulela's stories.

It seems that I hardly ever read books written in English and when I do, it's so easy to read that it's like falling off a chair. When I started this one, I thought it was too easy and too happy and flowed too quickly and I was suspicious of it. But maybe that was just the ease of reading it and that yes, in the beginning of the book, all was easy and happy, but life changes and it's not happily ever after for everyone, even if they don't exactly live a hard life.Lyrics Alley is set in Sudan but...

4-1/2 stars for this beautiful novel that is part historical fiction, part family saga, and part meditation on love and loss, good and evil. I found Aboulela's portrayal of Sudan in the 1950's fascinating, as this is a country about which I knew virtually nothing. Her characters were well-developed, complex and realistic, and their circumstances and stories compelling. Mahmoud's two wives personified the contrasts between Sudanese and Egyptian cultures and lifestyles -- though both are described...