Rachel (bigrachwoowoo) reviewed on 12/28/2008 + 23 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 4

I wanted to read this book mainly because the author won the Nobel Prize. During the first 50 pages or so, I thought I was in for a real treat. The chapters are each told from the point of view of an alternating character and are sometimes very inventive (like the point of view of a painting of a dog, or a gold coin). Somewhere in the middle, the book becomes bogged down with the love story between Black and Shekure. There are also extensive descriptions of paintings which are Dickensian in length. This book became a chore to read near the end and I found myself not even really caring who the murderer was anymore. If you majored in Arabian art and literature or love Dickens, then this book is for you. If not, I wouldn't bother.

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