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The Parisian Paperback – December 17, 2019

4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 1,229 ratings

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WINNER OF THE SUE KAUFMAN PRIZE FOR FICTION
WINNER OF A BETTY TRASK AWARD
WINNER OF A PALESTINE BOOK AWARD

National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 Honoree

“Superb . . . The Parisian makes history, and its actors, live once again.”—Boston Globe

A masterful debut novel by Plimpton Prize winner Isabella Hammad, The Parisian illuminates a pivotal period of Palestinian history through the journey and romances of one young man, from his studies in France during World War I to his return to Palestine at the dawn of its battle for independence.

Midhat Kamal is the son of a wealthy textile merchant from Nablus, a town in Ottoman Palestine. A dreamer, a romantic, an aesthete, in 1914 he leaves to study medicine in France, and falls in love. When Midhat returns to Nablus to find it under British rule, and the entire region erupting with nationalist fervor, he must find a way to cope with his conflicting loyalties and the expectations of his community. The story of Midhat’s life develops alongside the idea of a nation, as he and those close to him confront what it means to strive for independence in a world that seems on the verge of falling apart.

Against a landscape of political change that continues to define the Middle East, The Parisian explores questions of power and identity, enduring love, and the uncanny ability of the past to disrupt the present. Lush and immersive, and devastating in its power, The Parisian is an elegant, richly-imagined debut from a dazzling new voice in fiction.

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From the Publisher

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New York Times Book Review quote about this historical fiction novel.

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

An Amazon Best Book of April 2019: You could label The Parisian as historical fiction, but it seems silly to limit it that way. This is just a great novel, and Isabella Hammad is an ambitions, sensitive, and abundantly talented writer. The Parisian is the story of Midhat Kamal. We first meet him in 1914 Marseilles, while he is on his way to Montpelier to attend medical school. He is also about to fall in love for the first time. Within a year, he is studying in Paris, absorbing the culture; but as a Palestinian living in France, he is always an outsider. Eventually, Midhat returns to his hometown of Nablus, where his father, a wealthy textile merchant, rules his days, and where Britain now rules the land. Midhat must answer to his father’s expectations at the same time that he is trying to make his way in a changing Palestine—and still there are tendrils that reach back to France. The Parisian is, almost unbelievably, a debut novel—a moving personal story set against a sweeping historical backdrop—and Isabella Hammad is an exciting new voice in literature. --Chris Schluep, Amazon Book Review

Review

Praise for The Parisian

WINNER OF THE SUE KAUFMAN PRIZE FOR FICTION
WINNER OF A BETTY TRASK AWARD
WINNER OF A PALESTINE BOOK AWARD

A New York Times Notable Book of 2019
One of Amazon's Best Books of 2019
One of Vogue's Best Novels of 2019
An April IndieNext Selection
One of Lit Hub's Ultimate Best Books of 2019
One of Lit Hub's 50 Best Contemporary Novels Over 500 Pages

“Dazzling… A deeply imagined historical novel with none of the usual cobwebs of the genre… The Parisian has an up-close immediacy and stylistic panache… that are all the more impressive coming from a London-born writer still in her 20s… Exquisite.”New York Times Book Review

“Assured and captivating… Ms. Hammad’s acute evocation of place and personality ensures that we are never lost… This agile writer sets us firmly in place, fixing our attention on intersecting lives.”Wall Street Journal

“Reminiscent of Michael Ondaatje’s The English Patient and Sebastian Faulks’s Birdsong, 27-year-old Isabella Hammad’s epic debut novel surpasses both in its scope.”New York

“Stunning…a lush rendering of Palestinian life a century ago under the British mandate and a sumptuous epic about the enduring nature of love.”Vogue

"Hammad uses the features of historical novels to cut through the familiar dichotomies of West and Near East, placing her protagonist in a rich web of families, political intrigues, and cultural exchanges, and subtly reconfiguring the literary tropes of 'home' and 'abroad.'"New Yorker

“Epic… Because the book takes place in the complicated time and spaces that it does, the narrative grapples with sociopolitical concerns as well as it does the intimate, human ones. It sweeps you along.”Vanity Fair

“[A] lush historical epic with echoes of Stendhal.”O Magazine

“Lavish, leisurely and immersive… The Parisian comes across as both old-fashioned and modern-minded…. Ms. Hammad's command of the broad picture and the filigree detail alike makes this paradoxical tone succeed. One of Midhat's French friends disdains the small stuff since he “was an architect, not a carpenter.” Ms. Hammad knows, and triumphantly shows, that a novelist of vision must be both.”Economist

“Remarkably accomplished… Hammad is a natural storyteller. She sustains tension and suspends revelation skillfully, and interweaves character and theme, the global and the local, with the assurance of a much more experienced author. The writing is deeply humane, its wide vision combined with poised restraint… The Parisian teems with riches – love, war, betrayal and madness – and marks the arrival of a bright new talent.”Guardian

“One of the most ambitious first novels to have appeared in years… Written in soulful, searching prose, it’s a jam-packed epic… Hammad is a natural social novelist with an ear for lively dialogue as well as an ability to illuminate psychological interiority… Hammad is a writer of startling talent – and The Parisian has the rhythm of life.”Observer

“Hammad has an exquisite control on her subject: this is precise writing, measured, and careful… Much of the pleasure of the book is to be found in Hammad’s often strikingly clear, original imagery … She also provides many canny shifts in focus, from a cinematic, establishing wide-shots of a location, deftly sketched, to zooming in on the tiniest, most intimate detail …It is Hammad’s sustaining of both perspectives, the minutiae that make up an individual life and the macro political upheavals that change a country forever, that makes The Parisian so impressive.”Independent

"[A] dazzling debut... every page a vibrant pleasure to read." LitHub

“Isabella Hammad shows rare maturity, both in her marshaling of a huge cast of characters and in her ability to illuminate such a politically charged period of history without didacticism or literary showboating.”Mail on Sunday

“Sumptuous and sharply observed – an old-school novel to lost yourself in.”Metro

“It's hard to believe this sweeping, sophisticated historical novel is Isabella Hammad's debut — Hammad is truly a talent to watch.”Refinery29

“Hammad is an ambitious, sensitive, and abundantly talented writer… An exciting new voice in literature.”Omnivoracious

“A triumph… A big, bold love story nestled within a powerful drama about the centuries-old Palestinian struggle for independence.”Shelf Awareness (starred review)

“In her exceptional debut, Hammad taps into the satisfying slow-burn style of classic literature with a storyline that captures both the heart and the mind….Richly textured prose drives the novel’s spellbinding themes of the ebb and flow of cultural connections and people who struggle with love, familial responsibilities, and personal identity. This is an immensely rewarding novel that readers will sink into and savor.”Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“An assured debut novel… closely observed and elegantly written.”Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“A hugely accomplished historical sweep of a book… a novel of immense skill and confidence.”Guardian

The Parisian is a gripping historical novel, a poignant romance, and a revelatory family epoch. Above all, it is a generous gift. There is a kind of joy that can hold not only pleasure, but struggle, and even sadness. This novel tells that kind of joyful story, and evokes that kind of joy in the reader.”—Jonathan Safran Foer

The Parisian is a sublime reading experience: delicate, restrained, surpassingly intelligent, uncommonly poised and truly beautiful. It is realism in the tradition of Flaubert and Stendhal – everything that happens feels not so much imagined as ordained. That this remarkable historical epic should be the debut of a writer in her mid-twenties seems impossible, yet it's true. Isabella Hammad is an enormous talent and her book is a wonder.”—Zadie Smith

The Parisian is extraordinary—wise, ambitious, and lavishly rewarding. With luminous prose and rare compassion, Isabella Hammad offers her readers an absorbing story of war and identity, of love and independence, of hope and history. It’s an astonishing novel, heralding the arrival of a major talent.”—Bret Anthony Johnston

The Parisian is a lushly imagined, beautifully written, expansive powerhouse of a debut. Isabella Hammad is a great new voice.”—Nathan Englander

"An exquisite, intricate and wise novel. I was utterly gripped from the first page until the last. This sweeping, historical epic marks the arrival of a wonderfully gifted author. Isabella Hammad is a marvel and The Parisian is an unforgettable read."—Irenosen Okojie

“With masterful lyricism and unflinching insight, The Parisian captures the personal passion and political violence of a nascent nation’s struggle for independence. Hammad has written a profound and intoxicating epic, brimming with unexpected, vivid imagery and unforgettable characters. Hers is a fresh voice of the first order.”—Bradford Morrow

“A model of what the short story can do…[A] most ingenious and openhearted work.”—David Gates on Isabella Hammad’s “Mr. Can’aan,” winner of the 2018 Plimpton Prize

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grove Press (December 17, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 576 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0802148808
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0802148803
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.45 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.25 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 1,229 ratings

About the author

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Isabella Hammad
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Isabella Hammad is the author of The Parisian and Enter Ghost. Her writing has appeared in The Paris Review, The New York Times, Conjunctions and elsewhere. She was awarded the 2018 Plimpton Prize for Fiction and a 2019 O. Henry Prize. The Parisian was a New York Times Notable Book of 2019, and won a Palestine Book Award, the Sue Kaufman Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and a Betty Trask Award from the Society of Authors. She was a National Book Award "5 Under 35" and has received literary fellowships from MacDowell and the Lannan Foundation.

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
1,229 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the story captivating and interesting. They appreciate the cultural context and historical importance of the book. However, opinions differ on the writing quality - some find it well-written and talented, while others find the prose fussy and difficult to read. There are also mixed reviews on the character development - some find the characters engaging, while others consider them flat and forgettable.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

24 customers mention "Story quality"18 positive6 negative

Customers find the story captivating and insightful. They appreciate the profound sense of time and place, as well as the evocative descriptions and historical context. The book is described as gripping, cohesive, and immersive, with rich historical detail and beautiful scenes. However, some readers felt the novel was overwritten.

"...The Parisian (al-Barisi in Arabic) is a story of love found, love lost, and love lost again in a shattering and tragic manner. You'll love it." Read more

"...The story is interesting and insightful." Read more

"...In 500 pages, she tells a gripping, cohesive story while also holding space for the inherent ambiguities and messiness of life...." Read more

"...a beautiful albeit realist story of family life and love, a fascinating story of a city and countries politics, economics and manipulations both in..." Read more

4 customers mention "Cultural context"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the cultural context in the book interesting. They appreciate the detailed exploration of cultural contrasts and customs in the Middle East. The historical context is well-researched, with evocative descriptions.

"...of characters, but I learned a lot about the history and customs of the Middle East...." Read more

"...novel has its strengths, such as its evocative descriptions and historical context, the story may not fully captivate all readers or provide the..." Read more

"...story of family life and love, a fascinating story of a city and countries politics, economics and manipulations both in front and behind the scenes..." Read more

"Early part of book is interesting interweave of French colonial mores & influence in Syria/Lebanon...." Read more

9 customers mention "Writing quality"3 positive6 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the writing quality. Some find it heavenly and talented, while others say it becomes fussy and prolonged, making it difficult to read and understand. They also mention that the plot lacks depth and is expositional, making it tedious and not very believable.

"...Likewise, her subjects take introspective jaunts that are tedious and not very believable. It was a slog of a book to get through...." Read more

"Beautifully written and though a Novel the author is still able to put you right there, right then... Read it and enjoy!" Read more

"...The third part grew tedious as the main character seemed to lose his personality and drive." Read more

"...The plot is lacking. The writing is expositional. At no point did I feel like this book had anything to say. At no point did it make me care." Read more

8 customers mention "Character development"5 positive3 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the character development. Some find the characters engaging and interesting, while others find them flat and forgettable. The plot lacks depth and the writing is expositional.

"...-century Paris, offering a vivid portrayal of the era and the protagonist’s journey...." Read more

"...because of the use of French and Arabic words, and the multitude of characters, but I learned a lot about the history and customs of the Middle East...." Read more

"...The first part And second parts engaging- interesting characters, story and setting...." Read more

"...this will surely be read and loved decades from now for its wonderful cast of characters, profound sense of time and place, and heart wrenching..." Read more

Extremely satisfying
5 out of 5 stars
Extremely satisfying
History, Politics, and a brilliant story. Each character drawn with a depth and breadth that is unique. And the style is exquisite!
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2019
    Though historical fiction, the author meticulously researched the culture and history of Palestine between the two great wars, from about 1914 (I know, that's during WWI, but the first few years are set in Paris) through the dissolution of the Ottoman empire and the slicing up of the middle east by the French and English, to the nascent assent of the Jewish state. It is a time most Americans know little about and, for the most part, what we do know doesn't really jibe with reality. But this is not a political treatise. One could call it a novel of manners, but it is more than that. The Parisian (al-Barisi in Arabic) is a story of love found, love lost, and love lost again in a shattering and tragic manner. You'll love it.
    8 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2020
    Reading this book was challenging because of the use of French and Arabic words, and the multitude of characters, but I learned a lot about the history and customs of the Middle East. If you read on a Kindle, as I did, I recommend printing out the list of characters at the beginning of the book for easy reference. The story is interesting and insightful.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2024
    The Parisian by Isabella Hammad is set against the rich backdrop of early 20th-century Paris, offering a vivid portrayal of the era and the protagonist’s journey. The setting is beautifully detailed, and the cultural contrasts are well-explored. However, some readers might find the plot a bit uneven or lacking in depth at times. While the novel has its strengths, such as its evocative descriptions and historical context, the story may not fully captivate all readers or provide the emotional impact one might expect.
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2019
    Isabella Hammad is a brilliant storyteller. In 500 pages, she tells a gripping, cohesive story while also holding space for the inherent ambiguities and messiness of life. Her attention to historical details adds a rich texture to the narrative (e.g. a grandmother's experience of peering into a camera for the first time; the evolution of French and Middle Eastern men's fashion) without the book reading like the product of copious research or a history lesson. The characters, from young revolutionaries to an aging priest, are complex and wholly believable. Hammad's novel is full of beauty, passion, and a wonderful sense of humor. I will return to this book again and again.
    9 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2021
    I’ve read several beautifully written memoirs by Palestinians touching on the events that led to the creation of the state of Israel. This is however the first English language novel of that period that I’ve come across. The Parisian is an ambitious historical fiction work, with a main anchor in Nablus in Palestine from early in the twentieth century to the early days of the Arab Revolt in the late 1930’s. A secondary anchor is France and life in France under the First World War.

    Isabella Hammad is a master painter of settings, her beautiful lyrical prose breathes life in places. Hammad transports the readers to Montepillier gardens, streets and houses, and to the dinner parties and the sophistication of an affluent segment of the French society. With equal mastery Hammad takes the reader to Nablus and the rugged mountains around it, the olive groves, the crowded homes and the bustling streets.

    Midhat Kamel, the central character of the novel, a Nabulsi son to a merchant who is sent to France for education during the war years and comes back to live in Palestine in the turbulent years following the fall of the Ottoman Empire and subsequent British Mandate over Palestine. While the reader gets to know a lot about this central character, he remains aloof, distant even after some 550 pages. The other characters of the novel are sketched by Hammad around Midhat, most are not fully developed beyond their physical appearance and their interactions related to Midhat.

    Hammad displays great knowledge of history, the novel recreates the early days of the Jewish immigarstion into Palestine and beautifully crafts the Palestinian search and development of their identity: Syrian, Arab, Palestinian, Muslim. Hammad humanized the various adversaries, the Jewish immigrants were not made out to be the baddies nor were the Samaritans or other Arabs. The Turks, the French and the British were painted as the cruel masters.

    The part of the story novel that deal with Qassam revolt was particularly fascinating. The tension between the urban city dwellers and the felaheen peasantry was well portrayed. I particularly found Hammad treatment of the issue of women veiling clever. After city women started shedding the veil, they were forced to adopt it again by the adherents of Qassam. This part of the novel reminded me of the beautiful memoir of Afaf Kenfani who viewed Palestinian women struggle for freedom from men as ultimately now less than the struggle against Zionism.

    The breadth of the novel and its adherence to the generally undisputed events of history may have made it difficult for Hammad to develop her characters and plot more fully. At the end we have a beautifully crafted impressionist painting of characters on top of a vivid historical photograph.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2020
    A beautiful albeit sad story of the fantasy of love, a beautiful albeit realist story of family life and love, a fascinating story of a city and countries politics, economics and manipulations both in front and behind the scenes, in a part of the world still raging with conflict affecting our entire planet, macro and micro view of colonialism and of the 20th century world wars consequences on the Middle East to start questioning and reflecting on all I thought I knew about it, which where mostly vague and stereotyped.
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2019
    Hammad is talented but her prose becomes a bit fussy and prolonged. Likewise, her subjects take introspective jaunts that are tedious and not very believable. It was a slog of a book to get through. The ending was sadly deficient, seemingly a function of finishing up and getting the work to her publisher.
    16 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2023
    A truly dazzling debut. Hammad clearly excels at historical scene setting but I thought the novel was overwritten in that aspect while character development, plot and the story itself were underwritten. Would have benefited from an editor with a firm hand. Too many extraneous details and characters that add little to the story. This is really a 300 page novel, not 500.
    3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • TheControversialPoet
    5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 13, 2024
    Arrived in great condition and currently I'm finding it very intriguing to read.
  • Olna
    5.0 out of 5 stars A gripping story from a little-known period and place
    Reviewed in Germany on July 14, 2020
    The way in which Hammad brings to life an epoch and place about which most of us know very little of is compelling. The protagonist's very subjective journey through the beginnings of the last century are grippingly brought to life by the author. Without teaching a history lesson about the struggle for Palestinian independence in the 20s and 30s she offers a very defferentiated perspective on the conflicts in Israel and Palestine which weren't solved in the last 100 years. She does this by focussing on the sufferings and struggles of individuals. A stark contrast to current public debates on the issues at hand, which mostly are driven by and argued on the basis of global power interests.
  • Reboni Saha
    3.0 out of 5 stars An inside view of Arab politics in the early 20th century
    Reviewed in India on June 30, 2019
    A world of a difference between this and Leon Uris' treatise of the same thing in the Haj; both dealing with the geopolitical tensions in the creation of new states in the Middle East. While the measured pace tested my patience it's sheer depth and beauty of language had me read this till the end. I put down this book with a warm fuzzy feeling that comes from engaging with masterful craft, especially a story dealing with humanity and cultural warmth.
  • david ormerod
    1.0 out of 5 stars Yawn
    Reviewed in Australia on July 15, 2019
    Probably one of the more boring books I have read. Dense and turgid prose. The point elusive and completely unexplainable.
  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Loved the books
    Reviewed in India on July 25, 2021
    Beautiful inside and out , excited to read 😀
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    Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Loved the books
    Reviewed in India on July 25, 2021
    Beautiful inside and out , excited to read 😀
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