Why a Booktrail?
1940s onwards:
As the First World War shatters families, destroys friendships and kills lovers, a young Palestinian dreamer sets out to find himself.
The Parisian
What you need to know before your trail
Midhat Kamal picks his way across a fractured world, from the shifting politics of the Middle East to the dinner tables of Montpellier and a newly tumultuous Paris. He discovers that everything is fragile: love turns to loss, friends become enemies and everyone is looking for a place to belong.
Isabella Hammad delicately unpicks the tangled politics and personal tragedies of a turbulent era – the Palestinian struggle for independence, the strife of the early twentieth century and the looming shadow of the Second World War. An intensely human story amidst a global conflict, The Parisian is historical fiction with a remarkable contemporary voice.
Locations
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Travel BookTrail Style to France and Palestine
This is a sweeping tale which helps to illustrate and explore the complex history of the events which eventually lead to the creation of the state of Israel. This is a moving and emotive subject as seen through the eyes of Midhat who returns to his homeland having studied in France and both seen and enjoyed the freedoms that life there gave him.
There are many aspects of the war and the uprisings detailed throughout the novel – and in particular the rebellion of the Palestinian people against the British. It’s an interesting look at how you can leave your homeland one day and return to a very different place the next – Oppression, foreign interference, immigration and instability has transformed it beyond all recognition.
BookTrail Boarding Pass: The Parisians
Destination: Montpellier, France Neblus, Palestine Author/guide: Isabella Hammad Departure Time: 1940s onwards
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