Arabian Jazz: A Novel
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Arabian Jazz: A Novel
by Authors:
Diana Abu-Jaber
Released: April, 2003
ISBN: 0393324222
Paperback
Sales Rank: 187,695
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List price:
$14.95
Our price:
$10.47
(You save: $4.48)
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| Book > Arabian Jazz: A Novel > Customer Reviews: |
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Average Customer Rating: 
Arabian Jazz: A Novel >
Customer Review #1:
Whats wrong with being culturally clear?
Arabian Jazz is a wonderful novel, yes a little uneven in style, but overall great fun. Truly American. Knowing Arab culture here and in the Middle East, I loved the characters and the interactions with non-Arabs (loving, sad, sometimes racist). One real criticism of Abu-Jaber here, less so in her other novel, Crescent, is that she tries to incorporate Muslim attitudes and Muslim Arabic phrases in with what is her better-known culture, Christian Arab. There are differences and I think American readers are ready to understand that not every Arab is Muslim. They should not be misled by having Muslim customs and greetings appear to be universal. Melvie says to her Aunt Rima "May the grace of Allah and his prophet be upon you." This is not something a Christian girl would say to her Christian auntie, and on top of that it is not something any Muslim would say either. "...the grace of his prophet be upon you"?! Elsewhere there are serious comments and jokes made about multiple wives. If it were made clear that someone is advocating that the man would follow Muslim tradition and take another wife, OK, but it is about a Christian guy at a church party. Its true that secular Arabs of Christian background might mix it up with Islamic bits of culture, but not in the way Abu-Jaber has done. I just dont think it is as loose as the author makes it out to be, especially among Muslim Arabs, even if they are not practicing their religion. She has played into the trap of lumping all Arabs together just as many non-Arab Americans are accused of doing, but this time they are lumped together in a cultural stew of unbelievable elements. Never the less...I laughed as I laugh when I am in the Middle East. Someone once asked me why Muslims, especially Arabs, are so serious all the time. I thought this was odd, since I never laugh as much in America as I do in the Middle East. Abu-Jaber brings out the wry side, the compassionate, accepting of tragedy side, the hilarious side of Arab-ness.
Arabian Jazz: A Novel >
Customer Review #2:
Very moving, engaging story and characters.
Arabian Jazz recounts the experiences of an Arab-American immigrant family living in a depressed area of upstate Ney York. The story revolves around the themes of family, race, marriage and loss as the two grown daughters of Matussem Ramoud, daytime hospiatal maintenance man and night time jazz drummer work through the pressures of work, family pressure to marry "correctly" and the loss of their mother early in childhood.While I found the primary characters engaging and the story often moving, this book suffers, greatly at times, from what Id describe as "First Novel Faults". Many of the secondary characters have no substance, or have substance but appear and disapper from the narrative in haphazzard ways. The novel attempts to paint a picture of life in the community overall but does so in an inadequate, stilted manner at odds with the heart of the story. Some of the personal confrontations are contrived and some of the characters come across as stereotypes. All of those faults notwithstanding, the book nevertheless paints a vivid, moving picture of the immigrant experience, the difficulties inherent in interacial interpersonal relations and the groping for familial healing in the face of loss. In the end, the power of the story, the realism of the primary characters, and the sense of genuine love that suffuses the narrative more than compensate for the technical problems that crop up from time to time. I heartily recommend this book.
Arabian Jazz: A Novel >
Customer Review #3:
Uneven, but when its good it soars
Worth reading, though the first few pages (and some later) are extremely disappointing. Arabic names are mispronounced, the attempt at comedy is poor, and none of the characters are remotely sympathetic. As the book proceeds, we meet a very different kind of writing. Some of the passages in the book are exceptionally insightful and well written. For those passages it is well worth reading the book. I would rate the book between 1 and 5. It wont tell you much about Arab culture except in parody, but it portrays alienation and prejudice with candor and poignancy.
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Arabian Jazz: A Novel >
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