Definit. You get them everywhere. Shut out from practicing her profession by the severe, ultra-sexist legal code of Saudi Islam, Frances writes in a . At least hed be a familiar face. Frances stay home in their little apartment, and cleans, and watches the giant cockroaches who also live there. tcl a503dl sim card. Rubens or anything? Not the stuff that appears on the BBC as a drama on a Sunday evening but actually reading the books. Cancel anytime. Im just relieved I didnt meet anyone like her when I was there! There was no sensation of movement, no intimation that they were in flight. A part of her, now, thought the persistence of the image sinister; a part of her said, things happen everywhere, and after all, she said, comforting herself, theres only the world. To get you out so soon., Its the company who organized it. autious sorts who suspect that it's a bad idea to venture beyond one's own garden gate will find their prudence amply confirmed by ''Eight. It must be your first trip. Sure on that brandy? the steward said; and moved away. How long now? he asked after a while. Its idolatry. The man stared at her. Tense and unnerving, punctured with moments that seem blackly comic until you remember that this is a depiction of a real place and time and not a dystopian parody, this novel reads like a cross between travel writing and psychological thriller. This book creeps up on you. The press reports had left an image in peoples minds: of lazy, glitzy, transient lives, of hard liquor and easy money, of amoral people turned scared and sour. At least, Im glad I went there. Well, did you do it? she said. It seemed that when oil was discovered in the Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia had no infrastructure, but that it had one now: roads, schools, hospitals, factories, mines, market gardens and chicken farms, airports and squash courts, telephones and filling stations, cold stores and police stations, take-away food shops, and the ten-pin bowling facilities at the Albilad Hotel. Andrew first poured himself a brandy; then he sat for some time and regarded the phone in their bungalow, like a man in a trance, or a man praying. But then last year when he was coming back after his summer holidays they took away his Test Match videos. He keeps a place in the Cotswolds though. Please try your request again later. This was my first Hilary Mantel novel, and most probably my last. I couldn't resist and stole this from my friend Beth's bookshelf and am so glad I did! As in UK, Arab expats or immigrants are intrusive and nosy, so the story is actually about Western expats in Arab countries. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness. Naked, just a line drawing. Id have to go around with a headscarf on all day. Its called the golden handcuffs., But what would happen I mean, what would be so awful if they did meet up? Why, it would be like the West, Samira said. Things always start off as being relatively straight forward and obvious in the mind but the maze of thoughts and ideas that Mantel always seems to present takes you to a place that one could never have imagined at the start of the book. And it's well written, I guess. Theyre always building, you see, money no object, but they dont think ahead. They were cowboys, headhunters, entrepreneurs; anywhere they hung their hat was their domicile, for fiscal purposes. The Saudia flights supposed to take off at twelve-thirty, but it never does. Sure, he said. You'll soon be transported to the Land of Nod. Paperback, 9780312422899, 031242289X He passed them, one by one. But having forced myself to finish the dullest, most sorry excuse of a book I have ever read, I am shocked that it is penned by a celebrated author. Frances, his wife, is a cartographer who goes with him but is not, as a woman, allowed to work there. It was strange how it had stuck in peoples minds, considering how little they usually remembered of what they read in the newspapers: young north-country girl, a nurse, found dead after an all-night party; nurses father, dogged ex-policeman, off out there to get at the truth. The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. "Hilary Mantel: on the path from pain to prizes", "Hilary Mantel: health or the Man Booker Prize? Top subscription boxes right to your door, 1996-2023, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates, Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt, Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon. Noon is movable, you see. The streets are not a woman's territory; confined in her flat, she finds her sense of self begin to dissolve. Additionally, I listened to the audiobook so its possible I missed something (something about the date of the memo, opening the book?). No Place For A WomanOr For A Man Either, Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2004. Ive not been out that way for a while. Andrew stood in the dusty thoroughfare known as the Mall, gazing into the window of the President Hotels gift shop: crocodile handbags, skin rugs, complete bushmen kits with arrows and ostrich shells, direct from the small factory in Palapye which had recently started turning them out. As ever; highly recommended. Theyre in a hurry., So you wont even be coming to England first?, Well listen, Fran, we wont be apart for long. And their talk had left an image in her mindwhich she did not like but could not now eradicatethe image of the broken body, still in its mortuary drawer. Were relinquishing this route next year, he said. Say what you will not be: an ice dancer, a cosmonaut, a mother of twelve. Andrew Shore shook hands with Eric Parsons, the Saudi man; Jeff Pollard, talking, conducted him down from the terrace and out into the street. By HILARY MANTEL Henry Holt and Company. You cant tell me it wasnt a cover-up., You find a young girl dead outside a high-rise block, after a wild partyyou ask yourself, did she fall or was she pushed? Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. We hope you have enjoyed we hope to have the pleasure we hope we hope and please to remain seated until the aircraft is stationary . A really interesting read and, as is so often the case, based on Mantel's experience - apparently she did the same. But Parsons isnt like that., Yes, youd know the one. All rights reserved. Give it to British Caledonian and welcome, thats what I say. I cannot understand why Mantel created her story around such an unpleasant woman. It concerns a British couple in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Things always start off as being relatively straight forward and obvious in the mind but the maze of thoughts and ideas that Mantel always seems to present takes you to a place that one could never have imagined at the start of the book. Got a husband out there?, Quick work, the steward said. It was the Carlton, he noted; Turadup did not penny-pinch. It's written as a memoir of her 4 year stay in Saudi Arabia for her husband's work during her younger life. "I hope we don't end up living near him . You never call the police about anything because you might end up in jail yourself. AU $124.26 . Hes a shareholder. Reprinted by permission. A great read - dark, claustrophobic and immersive. The only reason I can see for this book's existence is an agenda to bash Saudi Arabia and reinforce Western stereotypes. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 27, 2017. There are no discussion topics on this book yet. And women arent allowed to drive? He swayed toward her with the pot. I liked it, in a way. He wore his shirt open, and around his neck on a chain a small block of gold incised with the legend CREDIT SUISSE. It seemed such a small thing, obtaining a visa for one unimportant woman to join her unimportant husband, but she had once been assured, by a man called Jeff Pollard, who understood these things, that when corruption took root in a country it spread in no time at all from monarchs to tea boys, from ministers to filing clerks. Who knew that the author of Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies had lived in Saudi Arabia? She had been round and about southern Africa for five years, in regions where, by and large, the possibilities of corruption had not been fully explored. Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout. Although it takes place several decades ago, it reads as if it were happening today. Pollard says hes a millionaire. If you're a seller, Fulfillment by Amazon can help you grow your business. There was a sound of subdued laughter; briefcases intruded into the aisles. Could the man be right, she wondered, had someone been bribed on her behalf? Mantel's ability to recreate the setting of the Kingdom in that time left me breathless. They told her to bring flat sandals, British postage stamps, a bottle of Bovril. He took it. The UK building trade had slumped into what seemed chronic recession; they didnt know what they were going to do. by Harper Perennial GB. The main character becomes sort of obsessed with what she perceives as the misogyny and general backwardness/ilogicalness of SA society and it all ends up feeling super politically incorrect to the reader in 2012. Nobody knows the half of what goes on. Eight Months on Ghazzah Street Hilary Mantel 3.65 2,621 ratings340 reviews Frances Shore is a cartographer by trade, a maker of maps, but when her husband's work takes her to Saudi Arabia she finds herself unable to map the Kingdom's areas of internal darkness. And by the time you get out to Jeddah, well be fixed up with a house, and everything will be ready for you.. Those seated on the left-hand side of the aircraft will see below you the lights of Jeddah Kindly fasten kindly extinguish (And to the right, blackness, tilting, and a glow of red, the slow fires that seem to ring cities at night.) The authorities will never publicise what happened, and any sensible foreigner who happens to have information will keep his or her mouth well shut. British citizen Frances Shore accompanies her husband to his new job in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He leaned over her seat. Oh dear, a philosopher, she thought. unicorn meaning urban dictionary. Much less easy to make a single positive prediction even for the coming week; much less easy to say what, in a months time, you will have become. This colleague of mine, when he was last in the Kingdom, he had his book of limericks confiscated. "Eight Months on Ghazzah Street is a tautly written tale of suspense that makes brilliant use of monotony and claustrophobia to heighten the heroine's growing . Then he picked up the receiver; the lines were not down that day, and it was a mere ten minutes before he got an answer from the operator in Gaborone. I was completely drawn in by her story and everything that happens to her as she attempts to adapt to life in Saudia Arabia. Unable to add item to List. EIGHT MONTHS ON GHAZZAH STREET "Would you like champagne?" This was the beginning; an hour or so out from Heathrow. That Dr. Arnott, the chap that lived in the flat she fell out of and that wife of his, Penny wasnt it and the British Embassy? 1 title per month from Audible's entire catalog of best sellers, and new releases. This was written 25 years ago, so its really early. The story is modeled after "Turn of the Screw" by Henry James and, as such, leads to a suspenseful ending. I take sugar, in coffee., Its true, there were a lot of shortages.. I didn't, but once I started reading the book, I thought "Holy Smokes! Ok, so I'll be honest up front - I absolutely love Hilary Mantel and it's her books I love. Focalised via Frances, the wife of an ex-pat British engineer, this manages to make life in the Kingdom appear alien and troubling without recourse to any kind of unscrutinised Western cultural superiority, at least not from Frances. The biggest problem with this novel is that we slog thru the dialogue and activities of marginally interesting characters to the bitter endand there is no clear resolution to the mystery.IMO a much better book , involving modern Saudi Arabia and its rigid sexual polarization is the simple but well written "Finding Nouf." The story is modeled after "Turn of the Screw" by Henry James and, as such, leads to a suspenseful ending. Two to get you started? Hand hovering over the trolley, he seemed to approve her choice; as if what lay ahead were something to brace yourself for, not to celebrate. Are we to believe that this letter refers to the death of Frances and her husband AFTER the novel is over? They go through everything, he told her. Lets celebrate.. People who viewed this item also viewed . She imagined herself already in Saudi, a discreet teetotal housewife, homesick for this place that was not home in another place that was not home. Drinks were free of course, but on the Saudi run this standard airline ploy had the status of charity work. Were late, said the man across the aisle. He said that his only reservation was how youd settle in. And I had to re-read many sentences because they dont make any sense, and the style of sentence construction is irritating. People would be all the time having love affair.. It had this drawing on the cover, a woman, you know. He gestured in the air, describing half circles. But since the early 1970s the Middle East had been what they called their major theater of operations. Zambia for a bit, then Botswana., Oh, sweet Jesus, said the steward, animated now, but not impressed. By: Hilary Mantel. I loved how she portrayed the wife's feelings of going slightly stir crazy, more or less trapped as she was in their rather grim flat, yet with an interest in her neighbours and their way of life; setting that against the prejudices of other ex-pats, the antipathy and hostility of the authorities towards women, particularly Western women. Read 340 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. She closed her eyes. More brandy? the steward inquired. The regime is corrupt and harsh, the expatriates are hard-drinking money-grubbers, and her Muslim neighbours are secretive, watchful. Later, in the sagging double bed with which her government bungalow was furnished, he had lain awake while she slept, wishing furiously for her to act and understand; and although it had taken a little time to work, within a matter of weeks she had turned to him and said, We could get married if thats what you want., So perhaps, too, he should have wished her into suggesting Saudi Arabia; then she would have known it was her own decision. Unfortunately, the others haven't measured up. I am a big Mantel fan, having enjoyed her other books tremendously. They wont carry you., She thought of that cheese, that people say French taxi drivers wont let in their cabs. I couldnt put up with that., Fran, he said, we have to make some money. I ask you. : Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2014. And on that dayalways described by Andrew as the day I ran slap-bang into Pollardthe relevant phone number was handed over, and their future was set in train. At home, at her widowed mothers house in York, she had been reading books about her destination. I wouldnt have missed it., I expect youll find your Saudi lifestyle very different., He was hovering, waiting to tell her some horror stories. I can tell youve never been in the Kingdom. Andrew, a civil engineer, is there to make a lot of money by working on the construction of a new Ministry Building. They didnt want to stay in Botswana, even if there had been the option. Further suggestions might be found on the article's talk page. This book begins with a memo from an administrator of the company the protag's husband is working for. . This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 20, 2021. Length: 10 hrs and 39 mins. , Publisher Its set up to be this psychological thriller where Arab culture/Islam stands in for the "other" and the "alien." 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