What a story, what a life, what a character!

What a story, what a life, what a character!

This biography, written by a daughter to tell the story of her mother was a truly fascinating read.

We follow Kamila her life story from a young age, being very poor, living in the south of Lebanon. After a move to Beirut, she is forced at age 14 ( or 11 ) into marrying her brother in law, a much older man. From a western perspective, The controlling behaviour of the men in the family are almost difficult to believe.

Kamila is a rebellious character and very resourceful in her thinking, to make sure she gets what she wants. I loved the anecdotes about her sneaking off to the cinema. She wasn’t allowed to go to school to get education but these movies educated her and provided some light hearted moments.
A brave women who sacrificed so much to be with Muhammed, the man she loves so deeply.
Their connection is beautiful. Muhammed loves to write, the way he uses words to describe his feelings and his love for Kamila is astounding and Kamila who loves to sing and make jokes and is cheeky, what a love story.

My biggest question after reading Kamila's story:
Why in all her life, after so many courageous steps she took in her life, didn’t she pick up the courage to learn to read or write?

I am very glad I picked this book as my 'Lebanon choice' and want to thank Hanan Al-Shakykh for sharing her mother's incredible story with us.