Why a Booktrail?
1900s – An epic style of novel that deserves a place on the big screen. Think a more glamourous English Patient!
The Map of Love
What you need to know before your trail
Narrated from the point of view of the female character, this is the story of the men, the politics of Egypt and the history of their country. Whilst the men struggle for power in government and authorities, the women struggle to keep their marriages and affairs in order too.
Multiple characters tell the story of the country in various formats such as diary entries and letters of some kind. The letters reveal a love affair between a woman – an English widow and a rich Egyptian. Differences in wealth and status and age are bad enough but against the backdrop of war, nothing is easy.
Travel Guide
This book can be read on many layers – as a guide of sorts to Egypt (political , historical ,economical, cultural & social) for Egypt is the main character throughout and the characters almost become the backdrop themselves.
A love affair with so many obstacles is bound to run in to problems with age and social status being very different but when it takes place against the backdrop of two countries effectively at war with each other then things gets very tense indeed. With the days leading up to WW1 and the British occupation of Egypt there is a lot of soul searching to be done when reading this novel and we started to really think about the various sides of colonialism.
What we really found interesting was the aftermath of the war and how the West is judged in the Middle East, how women were treated whilst showcasing the Egyptian country, culture and fascinating landscape – both politically and geographically.
For us language lovers, there is also a glossary of the back with Arabic expression and other useful insights. A fascinating world and a literary journey that is worth its weight in (Egyptian) gold.
Where Next?
