Were late, said the man across the aisle. She turned away and bent over the tea chest again, cleanly stabbed by avarice, like a peach with a silver knife. It tells the story of an Englishwoman, Frances Shore, who moves to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to live with her husband, an engineer. But her tone wrapped up the conversation. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 27, 2017. This was written 25 years ago, so its really early. Drinks were free of course, but on the Saudi run this standard airline ploy had the status of charity work. A young English woman, Frances, follows her English husband to Saudi Arabia where he works for an international company. Good story, good ending,interesting characters. This colleague of mine, when he was last in the Kingdom, he had his book of limericks confiscated. Listen, if anything goes wrong, if by some mischance hubbys not there, dont hang about, dont speak to anybody, get straight in our airline bus and come downtown with us to the Hyatt Regency. He was a silent man, who never asked for anything, or set arrangements in train, or egged life on; instead he waited for what he wanted, with a powerful, active patience which seemed to surround him, like an aura: an aura of forbearance, of self-control. Ive got numbers to ring, in case anything goes wrong. : Its idolatry. The man stared at her. much less easy to say what, in a month's time, you will have become. Was Yasmin meeting Samira's husband in the empty flat? We, he indicated his cohorts, are stopping at the Marriot. Its set up to be this psychological thriller where Arab culture/Islam stands in for the "other" and the "alien." She has only rumours, no facts to hang on to, and no one with whom to share her creeping unease. Frances, his wife, is a cartographer who goes with him but is not, as a woman, allowed to work there. eight months on ghazzah street ending. He didnt know how to describe Jeddah. Accompany her husband for a short period of work living in Saudi. If you like that sort of thing. He turned away, back to his companion. Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. Or someone will. Nothings what it says it is.. And then the inquests, and the coroners reports, and the hints of diplomatic cover-ups, and skulduggery in high places; the pleasures of moral censure, the frisson of violent death in faraway places. 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. So much smoked salmon is consumed on aircraft that it is a wonder there is any left to eat at ground level. I suppose the staff are having prayers. I couldnt put up with that., Fran, he said, we have to make some money. It even shows the differences between Saudi Arabia and other Islamic cultures. We have to get something behind us.. This is such a weird bookI don't know what to think about this, almost a month after I finished it. His patience was not like other peoples, a rather feeble virtue, which had, by its nature, to be its own reward; it was a virtue like a strong magnet, which drew solutions to problems. And you were in Zambia too? As her days empty of certainty and purpose, her life becomes a blank -- waiting to be filled by violence and disaster. As youve been a working woman., Well, if youre going to earn all that money, Im sure I can occupy myself. There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Unable to add item to List. He said that his only reservation was how youd settle in. Give old Eric a call, Jeff said. All the more disappointed because I had high hopes for this book. The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. But he never went for them. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness. At what price to our treasured freedoms? Parts of the book might be considered racist today, but then I guess that was how people were in the '80s. eight months on ghazzah street endingplaskett creek first come, first serve. Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2014. Genial old duffer. British citizen Frances Shore accompanies her husband to his new job in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Frances, his wife, is a cartographer who goes with him but is not, as a woman, allowed to work there. Sure on that brandy? the steward said; and moved away. I hope you havent got anything in your suitcase that you shouldnt have?, I havent got a bottle of whiskey or a shoulder of pork. Also upstairs is a strangely active "empty" apartment which offers the mystery of the story. If the reader is interested in life in the kingdom, there are more recent memoirs and accounts to choose from. The tension slowly rises, to the mysterious end. His fingers, dispensing the miniature bottles, were as clean and careful as a bishops. Please try again. He took it. And they look at your books. 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. EIGHT MONTHS ON GHAZZAH STREET Copyright 1988 by Hilary Mantel. Were relinquishing this route next year, he said. 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. Id have to go around with a headscarf on all day. "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 . Another pang stabbed her, as sharp as the first. She was apprehensive, yes. The only reason I can see for this book's existence is an agenda to bash Saudi Arabia and reinforce Western stereotypes. Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout. If you're a seller, Fulfillment by Amazon can help you grow your business. "I hope we don't end up living near him . Eight Months on Ghazzah Street A Novel Author: Hilary Mantel Read Excerpt About This Book When Frances Shore moves to Saudi Arabia, she settles in a nondescript sublet, sure that common sense and an open mind will serve her well with her Muslim neighbors. Theyll take the wheels off your hire-car as soon as look at you. Mantel authored over a dozen books, including. At the same time, Mantel has never shied away from creating unsympathetic or nasty main characters, so maybe she meant for the reader to come away thinking that the main character was pretty racist? This book is pure dynamite. Youre with me?, Never mind. But still, what a hole it is, Gaborone. It had been raining, earlier that day, and there was a heavy, animal scent of drenched earth and crushed flowers. Travel ends and routine begins and old habits which you thought you had left behind in one country catch up with you in the next, and old problems resurface, but if you are lucky you carry as part of your baggage the means of solving those problems and accommodating those habits, and you take with you an open mind, and discretion, and common sense; if you have those with you, you can manage anywhere. The city of Jeddah is steeped in darkness and changes too often to be caught on paper, while as a Western woman in this culture, she is both objectified a. 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. It's all in her imagination, she's told by her neighbors; the upstairs flat is empty, no one uses the roof. Im just doing a final drinks round. When the Shores were leaving Africa there had been a lot of people like Jeff around, doing their recruiting in golf-club bars. You cant lose by it., The details were fixed up, at the President Hotel this time (there being, in Gaborone, a choice of two) over a tough T-bone steak and a glass of Lion lager. We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Andrew Shore shook hands with Eric Parsons, the Saudi man; Jeff Pollard, talking, conducted him down from the terrace and out into the street. Back in the 80s Id hear of Brits working on Saudi for much more money. It was at that point that I . Gazelles are hunted from the backs of pickup trucks. Read 340 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Welcome back. Let us know whats wrong with this preview of, Published Getting through some of the chapters was like wading through treacle, but as the sometimes surreal, almost dreamlike sequences followed one another, I began to feel the oppression building to screaming point, as it does for the main character. The twists and turns, the little gem-like gimmicks of the crafty writer to entice us in the mystery of the plot and keep us page-turning are all there - she reminded me of Patricia Highsmith at times, in intent if not in style. We have enough development of the characters to allow empathy or luck thereof, dependingThere is a plot so entwined with the character development that it has you gripped by the throat, you are convinced these characters are real, these events are real, this actually happened to a person. Its set up to b. It is the story of Frances Shore who moves to Saudi Arabia to join her husband who is working as an engineer on a construction project. No more to drink then? He prepared to abandon her, move away. Theyre doubling my salary, he said flatly. The East is portrayed as mysterious and secretive as opposed to the intrusive and nosy Western expats. It would be wastepaper the day it was printed., But in a way it must be quite exhilarating?, He gave her a withering look. Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web. I would not be surprised if Mantel was paid to write this, because there is literally no story here, just non-stop nauseating Saudi-bashing. Gazelles are hunted from the backs of pickup trucks. But its SUCH an uncomfortable read. Eight Months on Ghazzah Street: A Novel by Hilary Mantel. Basically, the idea is that a British woman follows her husband to Saudi Arabia for a contracting job he gets, and then slowly goes crazy stuck in the apartment alone. The protagonist's life in Saudi Arabia was so restricted as to make it feel as though she was imprisoned, and one got a real feel for the lives of women in that society. Turadup are offering free housing, a car allowance, paid utilities, yearly leave ticket, school feesthough of course, That would be plain greedy, she said, having children so that you could get their school fees paid., Pollard did say He looked at her in slight anxiety. . He had an unsparing fund of anecdote, a knowing, dirty laugh; a British passport, and a vaguely Australian accent. The steward had just now whisked her tray from under her nose. The Saudia flights supposed to take off at twelve-thirty, but it never does. She hears whispers, sounds of distress from the 'empty' flat above her head. A dozen people had raised the question, in her two-month stay in England. EIGHT MONTHS ON GHAZZAH STREET By Hilary Mantel. But since the early 1970s the Middle East had been what they called their major theater of operations. Youre not a person anymore. Doggedly, courteously, as if their conversation had never occurred, he reached for a glass from his trolley: Would you like champagne?, Soon, the crackle from the PA system: Ladies and gentlemen, we are now beginning our descent to King Abdul Aziz International Airport. There is no plot. Thats life, the steward said. 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. Andrew, a civil engineer, is there to make a lot of money by working on the construction of a new Ministry Building. He says its not that easy, but theyve been in Saudi for a while and they know how things are done., We all know how things are done, the steward said; he rubbed finger and thumb together, rustling an imaginary wad of notes. Are we to believe that this letter refers to the death of Frances and her husband AFTER the novel is over? It concerns a British couple in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. They go through everything, he told her. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. He peered into his empty ice bucket. Either that, or she's just the most narrow-minded woman of her time. Half an hour later she is inside the terminal building. . Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition. Eight Months on Ghazzah Street. But since the early 1970s the Middle East had been what they called their major theater of operations. A really interesting read and, as is so often the case, based on Mantel's experience - apparently she did the same. 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. This book creeps up on you. She smiled. Two sons at medical school, showed me their photographs. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. However, the length of the book (albeit short) served as a drag on the plot. So an independent, young married couple move to Saudi in order for th. She leaned down to inch out her bag from under the seat in front, and as she groped for it she felt his eyes on the back of her neck. To see what your friends thought of this book, Not an answer, but kudos on your sharp eyes! She pushed up the window shade and looked out, into featureless darkness. I must like it, she thought. I dont really know. During those phone calls (direct dial, good clear line) shed not inquired of Andrew, Are you happy? See guidelines for writing about novels. Andrew had never been communicative, so it had been necessary to notice these things. The woman held up her coffee cup. 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. He moved away again. This book creeps up on you. He couldnt take the hassle., Youve not got any art books, have you? She felt stiff, uncomfortable. Frances closed her eyes again. I cannot understand why Mantel created her story around such an unpleasant woman. He swayed toward her with the pot. Wed love your help. Giving Up the Ghost : A Memoir (John MacRae Books), Mantel Pieces: The New Book from The Sunday Times Best Selling Author of the Wolf Hall Trilogy.
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