An Imperfect Lens

by Anne Roiphe

Acclaimed author Anne Roiphe evokes the sights and sounds of 1880s Alexandria, Egypt, a bustling center of trade and travel. From teeming docks to overflowing market stalls, from grand homes to grimy narrow alleyways, cholera microbes rise and bob in streams of water and tiny droplets, clinging to moisture as man clings to air.

With a keen mind and dedication to his work, young Louis Thuillier has impressed his mentor—famed scientist Louis Pasteur—enough to be sent to Alexandria as one-third of the French mission searching for the source of the cholera that is terrorizing the city. Along with the other members of the French mission—scientists Emile Roux and Edmond Nocard and their enterprising servant Marcus—Louis longs to find the cure, bringing glory to himself and to France. Este Malina is the lovely daughter of a respected Jewish doctor, whose family has lived in Alexandria for hundreds of years. A life of comfort has made Este a romantic, and she hopes to marry a man with the heart of a poet. Neither expects to find a soul mate in the other, but when Este begins to assist at the French mission’s lab, a deep bond forms. Este, though, is engaged to another, and Louis is not Jewish—her family would never allow them to marry.

In spite of their many differences, the lovers’ desire grows and their fantasies threaten to distract them from their work. In Alexandria, the disease rages on, as mysterious as it was a thousand years before. Political intrigue threatens to separate Este and Louis permanently. Their love, as fragile as the glass slides they use in the lab, is in danger before it has had a chance to thrive.

With An Imperfect Lens, rich with the sights and scents of a different era, Anne Roiphe once again demonstrates the storytelling power for which she has long been hailed.


From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Africa, Middle East, Egypt, 19th Century, Historical

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 24, 2006

About the author

Over a four-decade career, Roiphe has proven so prolific that the critic Sally Eckhoff observed, "tracing Anne Roiphe's career often feels like following somebody through a revolving door: the requirements of keeping the pace can be trying." (Eckhoff described the writer as "a free-thinking welter of contradictions, a never-say-die feminist who's absolutely nuts about children"). Roiphe published her first novel, Digging Out, in 1967. Her second, Up The Sandbox (1970), became a national best-seller and made the author's career.

Roiphe has since published seven novels and two memoirs, while contributing essays and reviews to The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, New York Magazine, and others. In 1993, The New York Times described her as "a writer who has never toed a party line, feminist or otherwise." Her 1996 memoir Fruitful A memoir of Modem Motherhood was nominated for the National Book Award

From 1997 to 2002, she served as a columnist for The New York Observer. Her memoir Epilogue was published in 2008, and another memoir, Art and Madness, in 2011.

Reviews

[Stephen Gallup · Rating 5 out of 5]

Until now, I might not have said that historical fiction was more interesting to me than any of a dozen other genres. After finishing this one, however, and reflecting that it's the latest in a series of exemplary historical novels I've enjoyed over the last couple years, it's time to recognize what is happening to my reading preferences.

This story is set in Alexandria, Egypt, during the cholera epidemic of 1883. Louis Thuillier and two other scientists arrive, having been sent by the famous Louis Pasteur in hopes of identifying the microbe that causes cholera. That much is historical fact. To the mix, the author adds an assistant who is far more interested in womanizing than in doing his duty, a local Jewish doctor with a high-society wife and a much sought-after daughter, a morally inferior young man who has known that daughter all his life and intends to marry her, a stranded British merchant who is befriended by the doctor's family and is grateful up to a certain point, and there are other characters.

Given that the book is only 291 pages, the cast of characters seemed excessive to me. But that is my only complaint. There is a great deal to this story, and I'm sure a second reading will bring out more than I grasped the first time through.

Another character, of sorts, is the elusive microbe itself, which the narrator occasionally tells us is lurking in a damp towel hanging on a line, on the surface of fruits that have been sliced with an unwashed knife, and (when last glimpsed, as the epidemic is abating) in a strand of scum floating out to sea. The microbe, we are told, is amoral. It does what it does (the descriptions of its effect on people are gruesome) simply because that's what it does. But, frankly, certain other characters are little better. There is no true malice in what they do, but they hurt blameless individuals just the same.

Those who are not amoral, i.e.,those who attempt to do what is right, don't have such clear guidelines. The scientists, who send frequent telegrams back to the absent Pasteur, are like believers trusting in a silent God. He sent them forth with a few basic rules, such as being sure to wash their hands frequently and to avoid drinking water that hasn't been boiled, but as far as pursuing the microbe is concerned, they are flying blind.

I think I want to reread The Plague, the allegorical Camus novel this reminds me of, and then return to this again. And I think I'm going to wash my hands more often now, too!

[AdiTurbo · Rating 2 out of 5]

The historical story is fascinating, but Roiphe drowns it in too decorative descriptions, long and convoluted, which slow things down and dilute the facts. The pace was too slow for me, and I didn't like the writing. DNF.

[Chrissie · Rating 4 out of 5]

NO SPOILERS!!!

I have read other books by Anne Roiphe. I love the author's ability to create a time and place, to depict it with such detail that you see it, smell it, hear it and feel it. Again she succeeds with this, right from the beginning chapters of this novel. Here, in this story, we are transported back to Alexandria, Egypt, to 1883 when cholera is ravaging the city. There is a race on – which country's scientists will find the cause for this disease? Louis Pasteur has sent three young French scientists to Alexandria, along with clear guiding instructions and a servant boy named Marcus. The three are Louis Thuillier, Emile Roux and Edmond Nocard. And then of course there must be some romance thrown into the story, so Roiphe has thrown in Este Malina, the lovely daughter of a respected Jewish doctor. But look how Roiphe describes, with all the senses, Alexandria:

At last shore, the carts piled with goods rattling along the narrow planks of the docks, the strange sound of the muezzin calling the faithful to prayer, the gold sandy color of the buildings, the customhouse with its soldiers in uniform, braids and buttons glistening in the heat, and the donkeys with their long ears flattened back against their heads and the children with their hands out, crouching in the doorways, flies stuck to their encrusted eyelids. The smell was strange: dung, saffron, ginger, banana, human sweat, fish packed in barrels, waiting to be carried to the market. They saw turbans and loincloths, and sandals made of paper and wood. Bells were ringing, men were calling out numbers in Arabic and French and English, and sailors were tying up sails. Louis felt dizzy. Marcus placed the large carton they had brought on a wagon, and Louis hopped up on the front seat, with Roux and Nocard behind. Marcus rode standing on a rail in the back. They headed for Hotel Khedivial at the corner of rue Cherif Pasha and rue Rosette, where they had taken a week's lodgings. (at 7% of the book)

Roiphe is not only adept at describing places and scenes, but also people. Here we have a bit about Marcus:

The three of then walked into the café. Marcus followed them, his eyes glazed. If he were a dog, someone would have patted him on the head; as it was, he sat at a table in the darkened room, repeating his uncle's words as he departed Paris: "Travel is broadening for a young man. Shakes you up, it does" He did feel shaken, but was he broadened? His stomach still heaved and he barely sipped at the absinthe drink that Louis had ordered for him. It was on the table in a long thin glass, pale green, cloudy; the taste of licorice pleased him, but the burning in his esophagus did not. A boy who is not quite a man is not eager to know the outlines of his esophagus, the details of the act of eating, the route the food takes to his stomach. He prefers to think of himself as not so much a body with parts as a blossoming landscape, springtime in the pastures. He stared at his drink and grew sleepy. (7%)

You can also see from just this short passage that a major theme concerns the science of disease and the human body; how it functions, when well and when ill.

And who is Louis? Take a peek at the first dinner party, when the three scientists are invited to the consul general, M. Girard:

At dinner, Louis was seated next to the very round, rosy-colored wife of an Alexandrian doctor……The first course seemed to be a thumb-sized fish lying on a bed of mushrooms. Then concoction had a strange smell. Louis picked up his fork and mutilated the fish, smashing it into the mushrooms, without bringing the smallest piece to his mouth. Slowly he drank a glass of wine, after wiping the rim of the glass with his napkin.....he glanced down the table and saw a young woman with long dark haired back with a bright green ribbon. Her skin was coffee-colored, like that of the natives. Her eyes were dark and wide. Her neck was long and graceful. "Who is the young lady down the table?" he asked his companion.

"My daughter,"replied the lady. "She is beautiful, is she not?"

"She is," he said.

"Beauty is an asset in a woman," said the wife of the doctor.

"Of course," said Louis. Not wanting to seem like a beast, he added, "Beauty is worthless without character."

"True," said the wife of the doctor, "but character is often worthless without beauty – in a woman, that is."

Louis fell silent. What should he say next?........

Louis had never in all his life been served by a butler. There seemed to be ten of them in the room. He had never tasted the fowl with tiny bones that floated in a gravy on his gold-rimmed plate. He had never eaten from such a plate. He had never put such a large silk napkin on his lap before. He had never tasted such fine wine. In fact he did not like it quite so well as the kind purchased by the glass at any corner café in Paris, but he knew enough to know that this was his failure, not his host's. (9%)

That is enough. Are you intrigued by the characters, by the place, by the book's subject? You must decide if you are drawn to the descriptive writing style, learning about Alexandria and cholera. Do you want to know more about Louis, this young scientist, who know so much about chemistry and yet feels so misplaced in the splendor of the elite Alexandrian upper-class society?

I like that the history of cholera and what was known concerning the disease are documented here in the book. Here follows a quote concerning the history of the 1817 outbreak of cholera in India:

According to a conclusion arrived at in 1819 by the Bengal Medical Board, the "the proximate cause of the disease consisted in a pestilential virus, which acted primarily upon the stomach and the small intestines and the depressed state of the circulatory powers and diminished action of the heart were consequent on the severe shock which the system had received in one of its principal organs." (45%)

Many interesting facts are presented. It had been claimed on several occasions that the wealthy had purposely poisoned the poor using cholera to remove them from cities. And how does it feel to dissect a human being, a young child killed by cholera, to find the cause, to find the microbes there on the "imperfect lens"? Think, if the lens could be improved? Think, if they could only see more! You will find yourself washing your hands rigorously as you read this book!

Neither is the book just about cholera. It is about fathers and their daughters. It is bout both mother to son and mother to daughter relationships too:

One was married oneself, and showered with candies by one's friends, and lifted on high by the men of the community, and everyone admired you and the real life began and you had a daughter and the daughter grew and you went with her to purchase the dress for the most important event in her life. Was this not the way it had always been, generation after generation, l'dor v'dor, as they said in Hebrew. (55%)

What if your daughter is headstrong and wants to herself plan every step of the marriage without her mother's interference? Are times changing? I am just wondering?! But then I read a few pages more and I smile……. Este and her Mom certainly do not agree on everything. In fact, they do not agree at all, so they drop the subject. Now I feel more normal. :0)

And there is more……. You will be glued all the way through to the very last page. You must not look up the character names or cholera in Wikipedia! What an adventure! There is a clear and detailed author's note at the end. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute spent reading this book. I highly recommend it. It is a terribly fun read. Even when things are grim, I was laughing. Wait till you see the behavior of the French consulate's wife!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much, everything about it. The scientists, who as the author states we are all recipients of their hard work. The resilience of the characters, the growth of Este and the wisdom of her parents, and a glimpse into Alexandria in the 1880's.

[Mary-Ann Muffoletto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever read a book where a bacterium is one of the characters? Well, Cholera figures prominently is this book though it never speaks. Ominously lurking throughout the story, it is simultaneously evil and benign. (It doesn't mean to kill anybody; it's just making a living like everyone else.) To say it kills indiscriminately is not quite right; the poor suffer disproportionately.

This work of fiction is based on actual characters: a team of scientists Louis Pasteur dispatches to Alexandra, Egypt during an 1880s cholera outbreak to try and find the elusive microbe.

Woven into the story is a prominent Jewish family, whose ancestors have lived in the city for hundreds of years yet are still considered outsiders. And they become yet another generation victimized by anti-Semitism: "A Jew does not pay attention to every insult to his tribe. If he did, he couldn't live with his neighbors or do business in the marketplace or move about his city without fear."

Ultimately, the Malina family, well liked and respected in their community, cannot be saved from unfounded accusations. Ironically, they're exiled to Germany where, with relief, the family's father, Dr. Malina, says "At least, our family will be safe...our great-grandchildren will live in that civilized country in comfort."

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm tired of reading books based on wonderful ideas that aren't fully developed...

Also, Este is a brat.

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was anticipating a historical tale of medical discovery. What I read was a poorly-written story that meandered with no clear goal. Too many obtuse run-on sentences with multiple clauses rendered difficult to read or enjoy.

In the end, not only was the medical aspect secondary, it was left unresolved. Even the epilogue was short and lacking usefully information.

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the descriptions of Alexandria in 1883 and the subject matter of cholera was fascinating. The ending was very rushed and too dramatic. Would have been four stars, but ending knocked it down to three.

[K C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why not read a book about the search for a remedy for a pandemic in the final (we hope) throes of another? Throw a love story and a non-Western 19th century diverse culture on top of it and you have a good read.

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Another appropriate book to read during a pandemic: the story of the race to isolate the microbes causing cholera in Egypt 1880's. I usually like Anne Roiphe's writing but was disappointed with her personifications of the cholera microbes. It was a touch toopretentious.

[Ivy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three of Pasteur's scientists head to Alexandria, Egypt to find the source of cholera. Joined by a German scientist, consulars, Marcus the assistant, and Jewish family with daughter Este. Full of rich mini-stories and details about life in the 1880s. Enjoyable light read.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent historical fiction before the era of modern medicine and how hard discovery can be.

[Katia M. Davis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this book. I found it very long winded with a lot of info dumping. The story did not move along with much swiftness and it was a labour to plough through the pages. Nothing much seemed to happen apart from endless description of people falling ill and scientists peering in vain down their microscopes at things dredged from the bowels of the sick. The writing was wordy and florid. I particularly did not like the crystal ball sentence towards the conclusion of the book regarding Jews moving to Germany in the 1880s, whose 'great-grandchildren would be able to live in a peaceful and harmonious world'...clearly that would not be the case based on history, the characters obviously would not know that. I thought it a cheap trick thrown in to make the reader think, "ah, little do you know what the future holds...". It lessened the reading experience for me, such as it was.

I would not recommend this book, which could essentially be summed up in a few sentences.

Cholera breaks out in Alexandria, people start to die horrible deaths. A rival team of French and German scientists try to identify the cause while more people die horribly. Meanwhile, one of the female characters discovers love, but the 'romance' is pretty boring because the book is overwhelmed with more people dying. Some dodgy political and trade dealings are thrown in for good measure.

I did not feel close to these characters at all. I did not feel as if I was experiencing their world.

[Miss_otis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m a fan of well-done historical fiction, and I liked this a great deal. There are many, many things to hold the reader’s attention - the desperate race to find the cause of cholera, two romances (both involving the same girl, Este) with very different outcomes, British colonialism, the interaction of long-established Jewish families within Alexandria, the dynamic between the three young French scientists. It never became overwhelming, nor did it feel like Roiphe was trying to jam too many characters into one story; all the plot lines were well-developed and intertwined neatly. Par for the course with me, though, I thought the most interesting character was the lab assistant, Marcus, and could have read a little more about him.

What did get somewhat overwhelming were the lengthy passages describing both cholera and Alexandria. I felt those passages went far past simply evoking fear of the disease or awe/horror/disgust of the city – it became a bit like taking a vacation to Washington, DC, and trying to see every single museum in three days. Others may like it, I personally don’t need that much description to form an image in my mind. Additionally, there’s really only so much description of the scientific research process that I need.

[Lianne]

This novel, set in 1880's Alexandria, is both a medical mystery and a romance. It was inspired by a one line reference in a non-fiction book The Microbe Hunters, and deals with a mission to discover the causes of a devasatating cholera epidemic in the city. Louis Pasteur sends a team of his young assistants to gather evidence so that the French can claim the achievement. The main character is based on a real scientist named Louis Thuillier who rises to this challenge in a heroic way. In Alexandria he and his team befriend a Jewish doctor and his family, the Molinas. In the meantime, a German researcher, Koch, also arrives at the scene so a competition to discover the cause of cholera ensues. Louis and Este Molina, daughter of the Jewish doctor embark on a romance. The novel depicts the squalor and decadence of the city as well as a fascination with science and the scientific method. The story is both disturbing and realistic in its depiction of the disease and how powerless the citizens of the city are in the face of its path. i was interested to read this novel because I also have ben re-reading Durrell's Alexandria quartet, and recently read the new Cleopatra biography.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I definitely enjoyed Roiphe's tale of cholera in 1880s Egypt. The book kept me engaged and the reading was quick and effortless. In particular, I loved how Roiphe personified cholera, almost making it a character in the novel in and of itself. The treatment of cholera in the novel and frequent mentions of how the disease could potentially be spread kept me anxious about who could potentially be struck down next.

On the other hand, the book had quite a few run-on sentences that made reading a little problematic at times. Additionally, the characters were at times a little flat to me, with the romance being a bit "easy," if that makes sense. And, though I am sure Roiphe intentionally did this to reflect reality, none of the villains of the story got their comeuppance- only the protagonists suffered negative consequences in the novel. Again, this seems to have been a deliberate choice be Roiphe, but it left me a bit unsatisfied.

Overall, despite the minor issues I had, the novel is a quick and enjoyable read.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was very interesting to read about what life was like in Egypt during the British Rule in the 1880's. Without living through a great epidemic such as cholera, it is difficult to imagine how a disease can run rampant, completely uncontrolled, ravage through cities, and leave so many dead and affected in its path. It certainly made me appreciate the efforts of the first scientists who feverishly worked to discover the cause as well as cure for these diseases. Some of them even contracted the disease and died while striving to discover its origin. Kept my attention the entire time and I was sad to have the book be finished at the end. It didn't quite turn out how I'd expected. Definitely recommend it. It was a good clean read with appropriate language and lacking explicit sexual references that seem to often clutter and fill books these days.

[Loraine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rather disappointed in this one. There is not much story, neither science nor romance. It is mostly heavy, deep, vast descriptions of time and place which normally would make a book worthwhile all in itself. Not this one. Descriptive passages are far overdone to the point of being a distraction. There was none of the magic of being transported to an exotic time and place than I have come to look for in historical novels. Just a bunch of words on a page that did not work for me.

I did finish it so there must have been a thread of interest. I almost got caught up in Dr. Malina's story line. But in the end, not quite worth my time.

[zespri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful story of the hunt to isolate the cholera microbe by three french scientists. Sent by Pasteur to Alexandria in the midst of the cholera epidemic of 1883, the scientists work against the clock - not only to find the elusive cholera, but also to be the first to publish their work and their findings.

I loved the way Anne Roiphe described the elusive cholera, the way it moved about the city via its hosts, unknown to them, but deadly when given its right environment.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set during a cholera outbreak in Alexandria, two groups of scientists (French vs. German) race against the clock and each other to find the causative agent of the disease. Not for the squeamish. Historical fiction with a love story woven in.

[Tammy King Carlton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not for the faint of heart - although wonderfully written. Historical fiction, set in Egypt at the time of a Cholera outbreak, and a team of scientists from France head there to try to find a cure, and isolate the cells that are causing it. It has a very sweet love story woven in.

[Libscigrl · Rating 1 out of 5]

The story sounded good....falling in love while trying to determine how cholera is transmitted....true history mixed with fictional affairs. But I was on page 40, and nothing excited had happened yet, so moved on.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

extremely beautiful in cadence and word. how to make death by cholera pretty. the story was interesting enough. the end was not it's strong suit (the ending is hard in 90 percent of books) but i have little beef with it. enjoyed and easy to pick up for a five minute stint.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the author's voice here. Her style was very readable and the story very interesting, being based on actual events. I didn't love the ending, but since it was based on actual people who had actual things happen to them, I can accept it. I guess.

[Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

Heavy-handed and drawn-out. Florid descriptions of everything (some anachronistic). Flat characters and not much plot. A few of the scientific process discussions were mildly interesting. No need for spoilers- you'll see everything coming a mile away.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

excellent writing! set in Alexandria in the 1880's, during a cholera epidemic.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved it!

[Anne]

Very interesting tale of the search for the cause of a devastating disease in a part of the world I'm most interested in

[Jonna Higgins-Freese · Rating 2 out of 5]

Historical fiction and epidemiology -- should have fit me to a tee but I just felt like -- meh.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the style of this book, but I was frustrated by the ending!