The Parisian

by Isabella Hammad

Midhat Kamal - dreamer, romantic, aesthete - leaves Palestine in 1914 to study medicine in France, under the tutelage of Dr Molineu. He falls deeply in love with Jeannette, the doctor's daughter. But Midhat soon discovers that everything is fragile: love turns to loss, friends become enemies and everyone is looking for a place to belong.

Through Midhat's eyes we see the tangled politics and personal tragedies of a turbulent era - the Palestinian struggle for independence, the strife of the early twentieth century, and the looming shadow of the Second World War. Lush and immersive, and devastating in its power, The Parisian is an elegant, richly-imagined debut from a dazzling new voice in fiction.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Middle East, Historical, France, Literary Fiction, Novels

576 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2019

About the author

Hammad is the author of The Parisian and Enter Ghost.

Reviews

[Paromjit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Isabella Hammad writes of a period of history that frames and depicts one of the most intransigent conflicts of our contemporary world, she covers the can of worms that is the geopolitical nightmare of the incendiary and complex nature of Middle Eastern politics and conflict(s). She does it by giving it a humanity through her characters, specifically a young idealistic Palestinian, Midhat Kamal, from a comfortable background ordered by his father to study medicine in France, from WWI to the period approaching WW2. It is 1914, Midhat is bright and curious, encountering a freedom he has never previously experienced, surrounded by a new and fascinating culture. In Montpellier, he lives with a professor and his daughter, Jeanette, with whom he falls in love, but in all ends in tears and disillusionment with what Midhat perceives as betrayal. He finds himself in a turbulent Paris during the war years, engaging in lively political and philosophical discourse and more, and where friendships and relationships are turned upside down.

Midhat is recalled back home to Nablus by his father, with the expectation that he will fulfil his family duties. This sees him married to a woman he does not know, having children and working in the family business, meeting his family obligations. Never looking back at the world he left behind, his clothes and acquired European perspectives now mark him out as an outsider, where he comes to be referred to as The Parisian. However, his everyday life and family domesticity is to be shattered beyond belief, sparking and fostering a climate of political activism and rebellion in the Palestinian communities. This takes place amidst the arrogant and ill thought out behaviour and actions of the colonial powers of Britain and France, the drawing up of national borders that take little account of regional history and local populations. It sets forth the huge and epic tragedies, personal, family and national, through the years, right through to the present day. The repercussions and impact of the colonial powers doings and machinations of other major geopolitical powers entrench the horrific implications of what happened and the festering open wounds that look set to never heal, around which never ending wars are still being fought.

This is not always a easy read, but it is intensely thought provoking and throws much needed light on a period of history that is rarely the subject and focus of novels. Hammad's research is impressive, and her focus on portraying the Middle East through the years through the lives of Midhat, his observations, trials and tribulations in the times he lives through, along with that of others, works well in providing the reader with compelling characterisation to invest in. I am not sure this is a book that will work for everyone, but it is a novel that deserves to be lauded for providing insights into a critically important period of history, that offers opportunities to learn about the global geopolitical machinations and the key seeds and sources of complex contemporary global discord today. Many thanks to Random House Vintage for an ARC.

[Adam Dalva · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book - was really swept away by it - and will say more once it comes out! It does a lot of really good things (transporting historical fiction that is relevant to now, interpersonal drama that kept me hooked) and is simultaneously unusually ambitious.

The early 20th century timeframe is lush and fascinating, and Midhat Kamal, a dreamer between worlds (France, and love; Nablus, and community) is a terrific lead. One to watch out for.

[Beata · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was left almost speechless after finishing this novel. A review in one of the magazines caught my attention and I made a quick decision to purchase this novel and give it a chance despite knowing very little about the decline of the Ottoman empire and even less about the birth of the Palestinian nationalism. This is an epic tale of love and seeking identity which begins just after WW1 began and continues for approximately twenty years, moving from France to the Middle East. In my opinion Isabella Hammad makes a splendid debut with a historical novel that was a wonderful read for me and deserves five stars. There are no experiments in it, and if you are close to the 19th century literature, you will enjoy it as much as I did.

[Fran · Rating 5 out of 5]

"When I look at my life...I see a whole list of mistakes. Lovely beautiful mistakes. I wouldn't change them". Midhat Kamal reflects on a life lived, beginning in Nablus, a village north of Jerusalem. (On today's West Bank) In 1914, the Ottoman Empire was declining and World War I was on the horizon. In order to avoid conscription in the Turkish Army, Midhat's father, a rich textile merchant, sent him to Montpellier to study medicine. Midhat appeared uneasy but followed his father's dictates. Arrangements were made for Frederic Molineu, professor of anthropology, to host the Palestinian medical student.

Midhat's joy at new found freedom was complicated by "strong gusts of anxiety...[he had a ] comparative ignorance of European convention". His fondness and budding love for Jeannette Molineu, however, grew by leaps and bounds. He had "an explosive and unwieldy desire which only increased in strength the longer she ignored him". Unfortunately, Midhat discovered that Professor Molineu had a hidden agenda. He was hosting the medical student in order to assess the young Muslim's assimilation to European culture. Feeling betrayed, Midhat left Montpellier's Medical School behind, moved to Paris, and enrolled in the Sorbonne.

As a student of history, he debated with revolutionaries and political leaders. Civil unrest was building as the French then the British exercised control over Palestine. Midhat was caught between two cultures, never fully embracing either. In Paris, he could be a man about town, well dressed and sporting a cane. His exciting life was interrupted by his father's insistence that he return to Nablus, start his career, marry and have children. Nablus was "ancient", a city of "many tales, curses and charms". Where did Midhat belong? He arguably felt like a man without a country, an outsider to both Palestinian and French culture. His struggles mirrored the turbulence and the changing face of Palestine.

"The Parisian" by Isabella Hammad was a work of historical fiction addressing cultural identity, love, hardship and sorrow as Midhat navigated the realities of life during the unsettling political climate of the time. This hefty tome of almost 600 pages was well worth reading.

Thank you Grove Atlantic and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "The Parisian".

[Roman Clodia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sometimes it just seems like you've been reading a completely different book from fellow reviewers - this is the case for me here. It's certainly ambitious to attempt to tell the story of the troubled foundations of the Middle East from the First World War through to the mid-1930s or so, taking in the high-handed behaviour of colonial powers (Britain, France), nationalist movements and the promise of a Jewish homeland in Palestine - but I struggled to engage with this as a novel.

The five-page character list with family alliances already indicates that the scope is huge - so huge that the narrative can't stand alone and needs this prop. Characters don't come to life on the page, there are clunky introductions of a new person followed by extensive back-story, the pacing means we dither around at the beginning in Montpellier that has little to do with the rest of the story other than to introduce a kind of love affair and a horrible example of cultural racism that surely could have been handled with more finesse. I found the writing lacking in clarity and flow and in the sweep of history and events couldn't 'see' any of the characters.

All that said, other readers clearly have had different experiences - for some reason I just didn't gel with this book.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I expected longlisted for the 2020 Desmond Elliott Prize for debut fiction and a Betty Trask Award (for novels written by writers under 35) winner - but not a book which appeared on either the Booker or Women’s Prizes.

Midhat was only half-listening, because he was thinking about the way his own charade might be told after he was dead, when he no longer held the reins on his memories, and they galloped off into the motley thoughts and imaginations of others.

Unlike Midhat – we know the answer to this question.

His great-grandaughter Isabella, bought up on family stories of her great-grandfather Midhat (who returned to the Palestinian town of Nablus after a period studying in France during World War I, affected a Parisien style of dress), the most recurrent of which featured a mysterious French woman, has written this lengthy novel to tell his love story and alongside and through it a sprawling, multi-character, 23 year history of the Palestinian independence movements up to the mid 1930s.

The book’s style seems to owe much to a 19th Century tradition – this is a novel which (other than for a brief flurry towards the end when we are thrust into the middle of guerilla warfare between the Palestinian freedom fighters and the British Mandate army) takes place primarily in an interior and, in at many crucial junctures epistolary, rather than physical space.

It is also a novel of exile – exile which is both physical and mental.

Midhat himself is always on the fringes of the independence movement and his brief love affair in Montpellier while over almost as soon as it begins, haunts (quite literally) the rest of his life. Another main point of view character, a French priest, is also an outsider – observing the people of Palestine for reasons which become increasingly blurred in his own mind, and realising much too late that even those with who he thinks he identifies (a group of nuns who man a local hospital) are far more deliberately and directly involved in the struggle than he realises.

One of the impressive aspects of the novel is its rejection of two of the exposition modes of storytelling commonly adopted by historical novels (a third party narrator or artificial dialogue) – and while a third (the letter) is adopted it is used sparingly and more for conveying feelings between characters, with the sparing historical details included being natural and unforced. Instead historical context is supplied by an easily cross-referenced timeline in the appendix.

What is perhaps less impressive is the author’s grasp of either character or point of view writing – unfortunately I felt that the sense of being on another side of a barrier, of feeling that my own mental processes were more real than the world is which I was immersed and that I was somehow excluded from the day to day reality of those around me – applied not just to Midhat and the Priest but to my own experience as a reader. This sense was not helped by the liberal use of Arabic and French through the dialogue – a device I always find artificial (as well as unhelpful) when characters are speaking exclusively in a language but their translated speech is peppered with original language.

Despite its flaws this is an astonishingly ambitious debut novel (even more astonishing for the age of its author): a book surely destined to feature on prize lists such as the Desmond Elliot, Betty Trask or Dylan Thomas Prize, if not even less exclusive, better known prizes.

[emma]

these days i can't read enough isabella hammad

[Mandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This sprawling saga tells the story of Midhat Kamal as he leaves his native Nablus (now in the Israeli-occupied West Bank) in 1914, just before the outbreak of war, to study medicine in France. After a stay in Montpellier he spends time in Paris – hence his nickname – before returning to Nablus to take over the family business. Torn between East and West, he feels at home nowhere and seems to remain at one remove from the political turmoil all around him in the years between the two world wars. The novel covers a pivotal period in Middle Eastern history and politics, but just as Midhat never seems to come to grips with it, I didn’t find the book altogether successful in explaining the complexities of the situation. The book has garnered great praise, with Zadie Smith even comparing the writing to Flaubert and Stendhal, but I’m completely out-of-step with many other such reviewers. I found the characterisation flat, with none of the characters ever coming truly alive on the page, and with many just being “stock” characters (the grandmother, for example). And there are just too many of them, some of them playing only very minor roles and it’s difficult to distinguish between them. It’s certainly an ambitious novel, but far too long. A tighter narrative structure would have been more effective. In particular much of the Paris section could have been dispensed with, as apart from turning Midhat into the Parisian of the title they add nothing to the storyline. I didn’t find the writing anything special, although it’s certainly competent and with the occasional nice turn of phrase, but overall I found it hard to become absorbed in the narrative or to care very much about what happened. Disappointing after all the rave reviews.

[Roula · Rating 5 out of 5]

" λοιπόν, ήταν πριν από πολύ καιρό. Στην πραγματικότητα δεν ξέρω αν ζει ακόμη. Αν ζει, θα πρέπει μάλλον να χει ξεχάσει. Αλλά μπορεί και να με θυμάται. Πάντα ελπίζουμε οι άλλοι να μας θυμούνται,ομως δεν είμαι σίγουρος πως το κάνουν για πολύ καιρό. Ίσως μια φορά στο τόσο κάτι τους κάνει να θυμούνται. Κάποιο αντικείμενο ή κάτι άλλο. Όμως αυτό είναι μονο ένα σύντομο διάλειμμα-η τουλαχιστον θα πρέπει να είναι σύντομο, αν θέλει κανείς να συνεχίσει. Το παρελθόν μου ξανάρχεται πότε πότε. "χαμογέλασε" όμως δε ζω εκει".

Ο ήρωας του βιβλίου, ο Μιντχατ, είναι ένας ανθρωπος που σε όλη τη διάρκεια της ζωής του, όσο την παρακολουθούμε μέσα στο βιβλίο, αναζητά την ταυτότητα του. Η αναζήτηση αυτή είναι όμως δύσκολη όταν παντού θεωρείσαι ένας ξένος.. Ο Μιντχατ πηγαίνει για σπουδές ιατρικής στη Γαλλία οπου ζει υπέροχες στιγμές προσωπικής ανακάλυψης, έρωτα, φιλοσοφικών και επιστημονικων συζητήσεων, όμως θεωρείται ένας ξένος, ένας άνθρωπος που χαρακτηριζεται πρωτόγονος λόγω της καταγωγής του και των στερεοτυπων που την ακολουθούν, γίνεται ακόμη και αντικείμενο μελέτης από τους Ευρωπαίους που συσχετίζεται. Όλο αυτό τον οδηγεί στην απόφαση να εγκαταλείψει το αντικείμενο των σπουδών του και να γυρίσει στην πατρίδα του όπου θα ασχοληθεί με την οικογενειακή επιχείρηση, όμως κι εκεί όπου θα επρεπε να αισθάνεται όμοιος μεταξύ ομοίων, ξεχωρίζει, χαρακτηρίζεται και αποκαλείται ως "Ο παριζιανος". Όλα αυτά με φόντο τις πολιτικές αναταραχές από τον πρώτο παγκόσμιο πόλεμο μέχρι τη λήξη του και το αδιανόητα μπερδεμένο πολιτικό σκηνικό της μέσης ανατολής. Όπως και σε άλλα παρόμοια βιβλία το μήνυμα ότι σε τέτοιες πολεμικές συνθήκες δεν υπάρχουν νικητές, παρά μόνο χαμένοι, επικρατεί κι εδώ..
Η γνώμη μου για το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο, είναι η καλύτερη. Οι περιγραφές των χαρακτήρων, των χωρών είναι εξαιρετικές και πραγματικά αισθάνεσαι και μπαίνεις στο κλίμα της υπόθεσης. Παρόλο που έχω στο μυαλό μου τα ιστορικά μυθιστορηματα σαν εξαιρετικά δύσκολα και ίσως βαρετά, τείνω να αλλάξω γνώμη χάρη σε παραδείγματα σαν αυτό εδώ. Δεν είμαι σε καμία περίπτωση ειδική, αλλά η συγγραφέας φαίνεται να έχει ψάξει και μελετήσει πάρα πολύ καλά το αντικείμενο που πραγματευεται και σε καμία περίπτωση δε σου δίνει την αίσθηση ότι αυτό είναι το μόλις πρώτο μυθιστόρημα της.. Ήταν ένα βιβλίο που με συγκίνησε, με προβλημάτισε και μου έμαθε πολλά πράγματα, χωρίς να με μπερδέψει ή να με κουράσει. Με λιγα λόγια, εξαιρετικό.

[fatma · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

First, I just want to say that Isabella Hammad's writing is beautiful. It has the timeless elegance of a classic: poised, graceful, measured. It's precise and unsentimental, but in its directness is able to bring a strong and affecting emotional force to the novel's key moments. I found this to be especially the case in the novel's more contemplative first section, where nineteen-year-old Midhat, fresh out of school in Constantinople, tries to find his place as both a student and a young man in France. This was the section of the novel I enjoyed the most, and it's very clear to me why: the story's scope is much more limited, and so there is a much stronger emphasis on character psyche and dynamics. Many chapters in this section are so impressive in the ways that they give you such keen insight into Midhat's internal monologue, the minute and increasingly intricate webs of meaning that he creates in order to try to ascertain his place in this new environment he's found himself in. It's a section that really homes in on the intricacies of Midhat's psychology, and for that I loved it.

From the second section onwards, though, the novel just falls apart. The scope of the story gets increasingly larger, and the character work suffers--because the character work is simply not there. Many chapters--and long ones, mind you--follow characters that we literally never hear from again. And as the number of characters increases, the focus of the novel strays from Midhat, the character that the novel has, thus far, invested a significant amount of time in developing. Every time I got to a chapter that followed some seemingly random character who was not Midhat, a part of me just died. I wanted to get back to Midhat's story because Midhat was, by all accounts, the only developed character in this novel. Increasingly, it felt as though the novel had done all this excellent character-building work in the first section only to invalidate it in its second and third sections; making you invested in Midhat, only to then take the narrative focus away from him (and where we do get Midhat's story afterwards it's frankly just kind of boring and stale...).

The presence of these random peripheral characters, though, is symptomatic of a much larger issue with this novel, which is that it wants to be both a novel and a work of nonfiction. I don't mind reading a novel that takes as its basis a key historical event or events. What I do mind is that novel simply telling me that historical event without weaving it into its narrative. And that is by far my biggest frustration with The Parisian. Large swathes of its story are preoccupied with recounting various developments in the history of the Middle East and its relationship to--and rule by--the colonial powers of Britain and France. Where these developments are incorporated into the story, they are virtually impossible to follow (at least for me they were); the historical scope is just too broad, and despite my attempts to try to understand what was going on, I quickly lost the thread of the story. More often than not, though, we just get paragraphs and paragraphs recounting what we'd missed out on in terms of developments in Nablus, or Beirut, or Damascus. And the paragraphs are so utterly dry to read. If I wanted to read a work of nonfiction, I would've read a work of nonfiction. What I wanted, here, was a story, and I felt like so much of what I got was not that.

The Parisian wanted to have both the psychological precision of a character-focused novel and the sweeping scope of a historical novel--what it had, in the end, was neither. Reading its character-focused parts just highlighted how little I cared for its historical parts by contrast; and reading its historical parts just absolutely marred my enjoyment of its character-focused parts. It was like the worst of both worlds. In addition to all of this, the historical emphasis of the novel made the pace of the novel glacial, which ultimately meant that when you did get to those rare, significant character moments (i.e. the good parts; the parts the Hammad writes really well), you were just frustrated more than anything else because you had to wade through so many dry, bloated chapters to get to them.

I think I also really didn't like the whole plot with Jeanette's letter and Midhat's father. I just HATE plots that hinge on, like, a central miscommunication that fucks up the plot of the whole book. It reminded me of Atonement, a novel whose plot I despise. It felt like we'd invested all this narrative time in part one to Jeanette and Midhat's relationship only to have it mean very little in terms of the plot later on. Like, yes, Midhat thought about Jeanette a lot after he left Montpellier, and clearly seeing her letter at the end had a very strong impact on him, but by the end of the novel I was left wondering what was the point of the Jeanette plot at all if we were just never going to see her again.

Also if the book wasn't going to bring Jeanette back into the plot after part one, why not develop Fatima more? I felt like by the end of the novel I was asked to care about Fatima and Midhat's relationship, but she just wasn't given that much development as a character. Like I'm supposed to feel content about Midhat's marriage and situation in life, but I just don't care about it at all because we were shown virtually nothing about their dynamic as husband and wife?? Honestly it seemed like Fatima didn't even like Midhat at some points, so I didn't really understand his serenity in the last pages of the novel. It was like the novel was aiming for a really quietly moving ending focused on Midhat that it couldn't, and didn't, accomplish, because it didn't give us the development that was necessary for that ending to feel earned. We spent SO MUCH time on political/historical stuff that wasn't really part of Midhat's story, only to then go back to Midhat and pretend as though we were focused on him all along. It just didn't really make sense to me.

My overwhelming feeling about The Parisian is frustration--frustration not because I can write it off as a completely bad novel, but precisely because I can't. Because this novel had so much potential, and it could've been so much better than it was, but it just wasn't. I feel like I invested so much time and effort into a narrative that didn't give me much payoff, or any payoff at all in some ways. The more I read this novel, the more I could feel my patience for it running out. And by the end what little I had enjoyed about it in the beginning was just completely snuffed out.

[Will · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5, rounded up
Isabella Hammad’s ambitious, and accomplished historical novel is an auspicious debut and a remarkable achievement for such a young writer. There is little to criticize in such an intelligent and beautifully written book. If there are a few missteps, occurring in the later part of the novel where there is an introduction of many characters and a shift in focus, I thought them minor and forgivable. Internal, political, this was a highly compelling read for me. As any good historical novel will do it also imparts knowledge and understanding of the past, in this case a brief history of Palestine and its struggle for freedom. I repeat this so often after reading a great debut novel (so many lately) that it feels so clichéd, but here goes: Hammad is definitely one to watch. It will be interesting to see if this figures into major awards this year – I think it has the potential.

[Judith E · Rating 2 out of 5]

An educational telling of the evolution of Israel, Palestine, and Syria after WWI and the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire. Slow paced with a melancholy main character.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some time towards the end of the Ottoman empire, a young Palestinan boy, a son of a successful textile merchant, is sent to France to study medicine. The journey from the city of Nablus in today's Westbank (at the time a part of the empire), to Montpellier in France will be his life’s adventure. But the time spent in France, away from his family, will also be a period of personal change, time of emotional growing-up and maturing, and five years later, when it is time to go home, returning to his own culture will turn out to be, not less challenging.

Meanwhile the first world war changes the shape of Europe and any country participating in the conflict. Empires fall apart and new or long gone countries appear on the map. Among others the Ottoman empire ceases to exist. The Middle East is dreaming of freedom and independence but there is no consensus about its future shape or form.

It is Isabella Hammads debut novel and judging by the fact that some of the characters bear her own name, it is at least in some part based on her family history. It is ambitious and enormous in scope.
I loved observing France with Midhats eyes, and it was fascinating to witness his struggle to adjust and find himself in changing circumstances. I learned a lot about this period of history in the Middle East, and enjoyed the debates and discussions about its making. But at the same time, as a reader, I couldn’t help the impression that perhaps it is all a bit too ambitious and that, a little less might actually have been more….
But It is only a relatively small complaint against this otherwise brilliant book.

[Skorofido Skorofido · Rating 3 out of 5]

Μετά τη δική μας «Ιταλίδα από την Κυψέλη» εμφανίστηκε κι ο «Παριζιάνος από τη Ναμπλούς», που τόση σχέση έχει με το Παρίσι όσο εγώ με την ευγένεια… Ο Μιντχάτ, ένας νεαρός Άραβας, πηγαίνει με τις ευλογίες του πατέρα του για σπουδές Ιατρικής στο Μονπελιέ, φιλοξενείται από τον καθηγητή του, ερωτεύεται την κόρη του και μέσα σ’ένα χρόνο, αφήνει το Μονπελιέ και την Ιατρική για το Παρίσι, ένεκα ποδόγυρου, λαϊκιστί cherchez la femme… εκ��ί θα μπλεχτεί σε πολιτικούς κύκλους που επεξεργάζονται ανατροπές και ανεξαρτητοποιήσεις στις κατεχόμενες Παλαιστίνη και Μέση Ανατολή, θα γνωρίσει τον έρωτα πολλάκις μέχρι που θα κλείσει η πατρική στρόφιγγα και η επιστροφή στα πάτρια είναι μονόδρομος… στη Ναμπλούς ο Μιντχάτ από «ο Άραβας» γίνεται «ο Παριζιάνος» αλλά καλείται ν’ακολουθήσει τις επιταγές του πατέρα του και της γιαγιάς του (είπαμε από το σόι δεν γλυτώνει κανείς), παντρεύεται την όμορφη Φατίμα, κάνει παιδιά κλπ κλπ κλπ.
Η συγγραφέας θέλησε μέσα από την ιστορία του Μιντχάτ να σκιαγραφήσει την ιστορία της Παλαιστίνης (και της Μέσης Ανατολής εν μέρει) στο πρώτο μισό του 20ου αιώνα, τότε που η Οθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία κατέρρεε και όλοι πίστευαν πως θα μπορούσαν να αποφασίσουν για τις τύχες τους (εμ δεν ήξεραν, δεν ρώταγαν;). Ο τρόπος όμως που αναφέρονται όλα τα γεγονότα, εάν δεν γνωρίζεις τι συνέβη στην περιοχή, δεν προσφέρει και πολλά πράγματα… κάτι αψιμαχίες γίνανε, κάτι διαδηλώσεις, κάτι σκοτωμοί, κάτι ένοπλες δυνάμεις και συρράξεις αλλά τι, πως, που, γιατί, ο Θεός κι η ψυχή της συγγραφέως, μηδέν εις το πηλίκο, δυο παραγράφους εξήγηση δεν θα με χαλούσε και όχι το χρονολόγιο στο τέλος δεν ήταν αρκετό…
Το βιβλίο σε αρκετά σημεία το βρήκα φλύαρο χωρίς λόγο και ουσία… οι γυναικείοι χαρακτήρες πολύ πιο ενδιαφέροντες από τους άντρες… παρά τις κοινωνικές νόρμες, πολύ πιο δυναμικές, πολύ πιο έξυπνες, πολύ όλα πολύ πιο…
Ναι, αισθάνθηκα μέρος του τόπου, για πρώτη προσπάθεια, πάρα πολύ καλό, αλλά όχι να κόψουμε και φλέβες…
Το τέλος… αχ! το τέλος… για μένα τα κατέστρεψε όλα… wtf???

[Evi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Κλείνοντας τον Παριζιάνο της Isabella Hammad, έχω να πω πως μένω ικανοποιημένη ως αναγνώστρια. Κείμενο μεστό και πλήρες. Χαρακτήρες αρμονικά δημιουργημένοι. Πλοκή λεπτοδουλεμένη αν και επίφοβη εξαιτίας των πολλών ιστορικών στοιχείων.

Πρόκειται για το χρονικό μιας οικογένειας κατά τον Α' παγκόσμιο πόλεμο. Ο Παλαιστίνιος Μιντχάντ Καμάλ κινείται μεταξύ Γαλλίας και Παλαιστίνης γεμάτος όνειρα με σκοπό να ανακαλύψει τον εαυτό του και τη ζωή. Διαλυμένες οικογένειες, κατεστραμμένες φιλίες, σκοτωμένοι εραστές. Ένας κόσμος που θρυμματίζεται και οι πολιτικές εξελίξεις στη μέση Ανατολή που συνταράζουν τις εύθραυστες ψυχές των ηρώων.

Καταλαβαίνω πως διαβάζοντας τις παραπάνω σειρές σίγουρα θα αναρωτιέστε τι το ιδιαίτερο έχει αυτό το μυθιστόρημα, τι το κάνει τόσο μαγευτικό, γιατί εμένα με μάγεψε. Η συγγραφέας κατόρθωσε να συμπεριλάβει επιτυχώς το μικρόκοσμο μιας κοινωνίας μέσα σε ένα κατά τα άλλα ιστορικό βιβλίο. Αναφέρεται με διακριτικότητα και λεπτότητα σε μια από τις πλέον τραγικές πολιτικές καταστάσεις του κόσμου. Σε αυτήν της Παλαιστίνης. Ξετυλίγει την ιστορία του παλαιστινιακού λαού εξετάζοντας προσεκτικά τα γεγονότα και ξεκινά τη συγγραφή κατόπιν ενδελεχούς έρευνας.

Ο Μιντχάντ, λοιπόν, είναι πάντα ο διαφορετικός. Ο Άραβας στη Γαλλία και ο Παριζιάνος στην Παλαιστίνη. Ένας ξένος μέσα στους ξένους που πάντα αντιμετωπίζεται με καχυποψία. Αξιολογεί κάθε φορά ο ίδιος τον εαυτό του και συχνά διαπιστώνει πως θα μπορούσε να είναι κάποιος άλλος. Τραγικά γεγονότα και απωθημένα του παρελθόντος δεν τον αφήνουν να ηρεμήσει. Έπειτα από πολλές προσωπικές και όχι μόνο αναταραχές αντιλαμβάνεται πως ο χαρακτήρας του διαμορφώθηκε και σμιλεύτηκε χωρίς ο ίδιος να έχει πάντα άποψη. Μια κουλτούρα αλλιώτικη που αξίζει να εξεταστεί με ψύχραιμη και διερευνητική διάθεση. Τελικά τι αξίζει στη ζωή, τι αφήνουμε πίσω και πως πορευόμαστε όταν όλα δείχνουν να καταρρέουν;

Ένα βιβλίο που αξίζει και ξεχωρίζει! Διαβάστε το!

[Dan]

Terrific atmospherics, good story, good main character. Too long, too many characters: its length and surfeit of characters detract from its impact. Too much meandering, too many plot odds and ends, twists and turns, some more integral than others. Ending disappointing, not so much unresolved or concluded, just stopped. Look forward to reading her next, more finely honed novel.

[Jypsy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Parisian seemed promising but fell short. The story was boring and lost me. I couldn't get interested enough to really care about it. Unfortunately, this story was not for me. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

[8stitches 9lives · Rating 4 out of 5]

A masterful debut novel by Plimpton Prize winner Isabella Hammad, The Parisian illuminates a pivotal period of Palestinian history through the journey and romances of one young man, from his studies in France during World War I to his return to Palestine at the dawn of its battle for independence.

Midhat Kamal is the son of a wealthy textile merchant from Nablus, a town in Ottoman Palestine. A dreamer, a romantic, an aesthete, in 1914 he leaves to study medicine in France, and falls in love. When Midhat returns to Nablus to find it under British rule, and the entire region erupting with nationalist fervor, he must find a way to cope with his conflicting loyalties and the expectations of his community. The story of Midhat’s life develops alongside the idea of a nation, as he and those close to him confront what it means to strive for independence in a world that seems on the verge of falling apart.

Against a landscape of political change that continues to define the Middle East, The Parisian explores questions of power and identity, enduring love, and the uncanny ability of the past to disrupt the present. Lush and immersive, and devastating in its power, The Parisian is an elegant, richly-imagined debut from a superb new voice in fiction. With a beautifully written narrative and danger lurking around every corner, this is a stunning novel with heart and hope but above all, it covers a neglected period in history.

Many thanks to Jonathan Cape for an ARC.

[Melissa Dee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know I'm an outlier here, but I did not find “The Parisian” as engrossing as other reviewers. I found it hard to connect with the vast cast of characters. As the scene and time-frame shifted, I lost track and focus.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Tuti · Rating 2 out of 5]

it started well, and at the beginning i was immersed in midhat kamal’s experience of the trip towards montpellier, his arrival there and the first impressions of his medical studies. after around 90 pages, i started to feel disengaged, the characters didn’t really come to life, the motivations, relationships, dialogues felt empty, unconvincing... even though it is « historical fiction », these are the qualities i am looking for in a book, which engage the reader and keep him/her interested. i was disappointed, as a lot of buzz and praise sorrounds this book - but i hope that it might work better for other readers.

[Ari Levine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was intrigued by rave reviews in the NYTimes and Guardian, but this reading experience didn't repay the substantial investment of time. This is an ambitious attempt at writing a lengthy Flaubertian late-nineteenth-century novel about the life of an early-twentieth-century man moving between France and Palestine, from youthful innocence to middle-aged experience.

But after an focused and moving first third about a youthful love affair ruined by Orientalist racism, Hammad loses control of the strands of the narrative, and the quality of her prose becomes patchy. The passivity of the protagonist, and the generally shallow characterization of the other main characters, were further obstacles. So were the increasingly weighty historical exposition dumps about the Palestinian liberation struggle from Ottoman, and then British, domination.

[Emiliya Bozhilova · Rating 3 out of 5]

Острови от прекрасна, наситена проза плуват из разпокъсващо ги море от думи из немалкото страници.

Може ли в нерешителността си и желанието си винаги да угоди на всички, някой - като Мидхад - да откаже да бъде личност? И съществува ли такава личност, отказала да бъде личност, защото се разкъсва между няколко и не смее да избере? Всъщност да - масата от човечеството, вероятно. Мидхад всъщност Е личност, защото дори отказът дефинира, но не е този, който би могъл да бъде. Убежища в този свят не съществуват, дори във вътрешния свят. Ако вратите се залостят твърде здраво и се потопят в консерватизъм и бездействие, следват суеверия, мистицизъм и лудост. Както за хора, така и за нации.

След леко подвеждаща първа част, където пред 19-годишния Мидхад сякаш се разтварят дверите на свободата и познанието в университетите на Франция, следва рязък завой към една застинала сякаш в библейски времена Палестина. Там патриархалните нрави напомнят малко “Железния светилник”, но с твърде интересни местни специфики. Семейството, формирането на идентичност на хора и нация, изолацията от световните събития и при все това неизбежното преплитане с тях, дребнавите закостенели нрави в тих спор с желанието за промяна, бунт, просвета, огрени от уюта на чаршията, са част от мащабното платно, което Изабела Хамад се е опитала да изтъче. Палестина от 1919 до края на 30-те, когато надеждите за обединена арабска държава са още живи сред бившите поданици на разпадналата се Османската Империя, но Сайкс-Пико и конкретно тандемът Англия и Франция бързо ги попарва и нарязва границите. На всичкото отгоре на картата се готви да се появи Израел, когото никой от дотогавашните жители не е канил.

Самите жители на Палестина се борят да намерят себе си в настъпилите нови времена - вариациите са от патриархална ретроградност, през зараждащ се национализъм и дори екстремизъм, преплетени през племенна и кланова идентичност, до зараждаща се по-образована и прогресивна, но все още силно провинциална средна класа.

Хамад избира детайла на ежедневието в различни обществени сегменти като опорна точка и носител на сюжета. Наред с отлични ескизи и майсторски щрихирани образи и тенденции, има и напълно излишни, утежняващи части - най-вече втората половина на втора част, нея направо я прескочих. Голямата картина не e поднесена директно, както е и в живота, това е и реализмът на старите романи от 19-ти век. Но по-тежки ми бяха героите. Такива липсват. Мидхад е единственият относително очертан, но дори той остава често забулен в мъглите на непознаваемостта. Част от многобройните образи, втъкани в платното, са много интересни и провокират, но се явяват за съвсем кратко - например градските първенци на Наблус и самарянинът Ели. Други, по-централни, нямат собствена отличителна физиономия и са дразнещи, най-вече Фатима. Трети направо са излишни като Хасан, появил се незнайно защо в началото на втора част и изхабил ненужни страници. Краят ми дойде нелогичен предвид всичко предхождащо го, и твърде пожелателен.

Като цяло - богат език, прекрасен превод и оформление, но липсва открояваща се фокусна точка в морето от образи.

***
▶️ Цитати:
🎩 “Мисълта може да е добродетелна. Не и мястото.”

🎩 “Важното…е да не бъдем догматични за сметка на възможността да променим възгледите си. Да си гъвкав, е друг вид последователност.”

🎩 “Да се съчиниш, значи да се опълчиш срещу измислиците на другите.”

🎩 “До гуша ми в дошло от европейци. Мразя ги, няма по-вероломни от тях […]. Арабинът поне те лъже в очите.”

🎩 “Логиката не е отделна от живота […], всички се водим от философията, без значение дали човек е философ или не.”

🎩 “…от мен се иска да намеря най-справедливото решение. Кое обаче е най-справедливо? Онова, което прави човешкия живот не толкова тежък. Това пък е нещо, което не можеш лесно да претеглиш […].”"

🎩 “Той беше способен да сграбчи жаркия пламък на негодуванието и с няколко думи […] да го оформи в племенен бяс, който не се интересува от тънките разграничения […]”

🎩 “Твърде рано беше разкрила пред него стряскащата илюзорност на семейството, истината, че родителите са просто двама души, които са свързани в брак.”

🎩 “Не можеш да екстраполираш до безкрай, като заменяш “аз” с “ние”.”

🎩 “Силвен Льоклер беше безочливо ограничен”

🎩 “…най-често в медицината говорим за вероятности, а не за безусловности…”

🎩 “Хастарът на сърцето ми е съшит от въпроси.”

[Bryn Hammond · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a while since I've been so impressed by a historical novel. But then I love a strongly psychological historical. Midhat seemed as fully realised as a 19th century novel's central figure -- I thought of what Iris Murdoch wrote about how the 19thC explored real people in a way the 20th century eschewed. We have not lost the art. The above was particularly true of the first section set in Montpellier. After this, back in Syria, the historical range of the novel did at times crowd out that intimate portraiture. However, luckily, Midhat did expand to a full presence again. And others joined him: the women in particular, their experience of marriage; Fatima's unforgettable wedding night; the situation of Hani's child-wife who becomes an activist. Then the politics: rebellion, the educated classes and the common people; local prophets and internationalists; which of these can serve Syria's independence? Perhaps not The Parisian, which sticks as Midhat's nickname forever after his student days in France.

A wonderful novel.

[I read an ARC from NetGalley]

[Natasa · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting story briefly covering the political changes and challenges in the Middle East during the turn from the 19th to 20th century. The geographical changes are briefly covered by following a family’s story across four generations exploring their struggle for recognition, survival, and cultural belonging within the community.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

novel charting mainly post WW1 of the middle east Palestine and Syria as tensions rise in the region as dreams are broken looks at personal relationships interesting novel

[Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know that feeling you get when you near the end of a book and your heart breaks a little because you don’t want it to end? I only just finished The Parisian, but I already feel a bit lost, suspended in time, missing the characters, and the country I grew to love all over again through Isabella Hammad’s beautiful prose.

It’s funny, because during the first fifth of the book or so there were areas where I struggled, and wondered if I should just leave it and move on to something else. The thing is, every time I put the book down, Midhat stayed in my mind, following me around, and I couldn’t leave him hanging, could I? I’m so glad I didn’t, because firstly I would have continued to wonder how Midhat’s life played out, and secondly I would have missed the wonders of this book.

The Parisian revolves around Midhat Kamal, the son of a wealthy fabric trader from Nablus in Palestine, and follows him through about 20 years of his life, which coincide with the First World War in Europe, the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, the British Mandate, and the Arab uprising for independence in the mid 1930’s. The first quarter of the novel takes place in France, where Midhat’s father sends him to study medicine. Midhat falls in love, both with a woman and the country, but he then returns to Nablus alone, where he moves to learn his father’s trade. France never leaves his thoughts, but Nablus is where he stays. The rest of the novel is the story of a country fighting to exist in its own right. Midhat is the leading thread through the story but we also get to know many other characters, all of whom add depth and importance to the story, as well as necessary information towards grasping a concrete overview of the country, the changes, and a history we don’t talk about.

It’s beautifully written, and the setting, the characters, and the plot really interested me. I loved the depth, and the intensity of the descriptions, both visual and psychological. I also feel like I learned so much about a country I already thought I knew so much about.

The Parisian reminded me so much of the 19th century French and Russian literature I studied in depth in my teens and early 20’s. The richness of the character development, and the intensity of the language reminded me that literature is art, and that this book is actually a work of art. There is a level of commitment required from the reader, and if readers aren’t aware of that they may be put off by the story at first. I am glad that I persevered, because The Parisian is a very, very special book.

This is historical fiction, history, and literature at its finest. If you only buy one book in April make sure it is this one.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy!

[Suanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

In her debut novel, Isabella Hammad uses richly-textured prose to invoke the turbulence of the Middle East right after World War I. I have recently read Kurt Seyit and Sura by Nermin Bezmen andThe Carpet Weaver of Usak by Kathryn Gauci, both of which deal roughly with the Middle East pre-, during and post the War to End All Wars.

The nineteen-year-old protagonist, Midhat Kamal, arrives in Montpellier, France, to study medicine. He stays with the a professor of social anthropology at the university, the widower Molineau. During his stay, he falls desperately in love ,with Jeannette, Molineau’s daughter. This poignant romance fails. When he is betrayed by Molineu, Midhat moves to Paris and embarks on a hedonist journey. He constantly walks the knife-edge between fitting in and being different, being a woman’s love exotique. When World War I keeps him in France, he becomes part of a group of expatriates who debate the future of Palestine. At last recalled home by his father, Midhat faces the same dilemma of not fitting in at home, held apart by his newfound sophistication.

This book deals beautifully with big issues: personal identity, cultural identity, the struggle between self-self-fulfillment and family set against a background of a nation struggling for independence. Hammad is particularly gifted at showing both these emotions and the setting in which they occur. She deftly handles a large, complex cast (ignore the long list at the beginning of the book—you won’t need it), multiple settings, and the turbulence of the times. The middle of the book drags a bit. There are many foreign terms, that while giving a sense of a different culture, also tend to clutter her writing.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading this novel. Isabella Hammad captured my interest with her story of Midhat Kamal whose life unfolds amid the changing conditions of his city, Nablus--in Palestine--from 1914 through the 1930s. Midhat struggles between wanting a different life in Paris, or somewhere else in the world, and his family ties. He is an observer of life who is always outside of the conflicts around him. Any conflicts Midhat feels are within himself. As he outwardly conforms to traditional family values, his world is shaken to its core when he uncovers intrigues of the past which impact his present. The ending is both believable and slightly confusing.

Excellent prose throughout. "He did not often pause to reflect on what might have been, but every now and then he looked up from the inventory books and heard a sound like a strong wind whooshing past his ears, and with a vertiginous feeling, as though standing on the prow of a ship, his life slipped into view" (Hammad 399).

My favorite sentence in this novel: "With such wealth came unhappiness, and with unhappiness intrigue, and the circulation of bitter jokes, and the women who had been free to cut wheat in the fields and carry olives in their aprons were locked at last in their homes to grow fat among cushions and divert their vigor into childbirth and playing music, and siphon what remained into promulgating rumors about their rivals" (201).

[Lynn Horton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very difficult book for me to review. It has the scope and intricacies and multi-generational cast of a saga, which I seldom prefer. But it’s set in a region I adore, and whose history I’ve studied. So I’m going to break this review into positives and negatives, trying to be fair.

WHAT I LIKED: The setting. The characters. The evocative descriptions. The history woven throughout the story. The beautiful writing that so well depicts the more formal and poetic speech and thought patterns in the Middle East.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE: The pacing, which seemed slow. Material that seemed extraneous and that bogged the story down for me. The stereotypes. (Although sometimes stereotypes spring from truths.) The vast number of characters that are hard to delineate.

A SIDE NOTE: The Parisian contains quite a few Arabic words and phrases, most of which aren’t translated. I have a minimal knowledge of that language, so they weren’t problematic for me. But they might frustrate a reader to whom they are meaningless.

[ReemK10 (Paper Pills) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read! I found Isabella Hammad's The Parisian quite impressive and even more so knowing that it was the debut novel of a 27-year old young lady. And here is where it gets quite interesting! I actually know these people!! I met Midhat's two daughters, and know their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. The sense of familiarity as I was reading was quite thrilling! The people and events described, I had heard before. I knew Isabella Hammad's name was familiar, but I had no idea who she was before I read her novel!
While this novel is fiction, yet based on her great grandfather who I've been told was quite a formidable figure, I believe there is a fine line between fact and fiction. A very entertaining read!
Isabella Hammad is quite the storyteller. Brava! Brava! Brava!