Moon Over Marrakech: A Memoir of Loving Too Deeply in a Foreign Land

by Nazneen Sheikh

On honeymoon in Marrakech, Nazneen Sheikh and her psychiatrist husband Cesar developed a spiritual connection to the city. After his unexpected breakdown caused their marriage to fall apart, she returned to Marrakech to write. Much remained seductive, especially Khadim, the tourist guide from her honeymoon. Little did she know that he, like Cesar, had a hidden side of his own.

Genres: Nonfiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2010

Reviews

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book on a recent trip to Marrakech, loving to read books based in settings in which I'm traveling.

The author's story is incredibly self-possessed and naive, relying on her seemingly endless bank account to save her from bad decisions. I, too, am a romantic, but Sheikh's accounting of her experiences in Morocco seem like a teenager's love affair rather than an adult's true amour. She chases men like phantoms, not seeing them for who they truly are but, instead, projecting her desires into them. When she finally realizes their true character (which was revealed to her countless times before) she simply waves her magic financial wand and whisks herself away.

I finished this book, but I found myself increasingly irritated until the very last page.

[Soheli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't often read memoirs - as they often tend to be self-indulgent (as another reviewer noted), but Sheik's Moon didn't strike me as such. I admit, I'm a bit biased in that I'm currently devouring anything to do with Morocco, but this was well-paced and descriptive enough to paint you a pretty vivid picture of the cities she inhabits as well as the curious characters in her life.
In general, I appreciate memoirs that read like novels and this one was able to do that without becoming too theatrical.
I think it helps if you already have an appreciation for Moroccan culture and the country itself before reading this.

[Sheridan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely devoured this book. Was done in 2 days! Felt so jealous that this woman had the opportunity to live in Morocco - oh to have money! BUT. Her naive behaviour with her 2nd and 3rd husbands annoyed me though. I wish she'd taken more control over her life. She did get there in the end though :)

[Janice]

Sheikh's greatest achievement is her ability to convey the intricate relationship
between pain and pleasure, and to suggest that teh two are inexorably linked.

This book is beautifully written.....her words are almost poetically inscribed...and the
story is an account of love gone wrong.........

[Connie Rock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and tragic true story of love and mental illness