Leo Africanus

Greg Stewart

So I just finished reading the first half of Leo Africanus by Amin Maalouf and I found it to be slow to start but once it gets into the protagonists adolescence it really picks up.  I really enjoyed the background in the first few chapters but I found it a bit dry and tough to read at certain points.  I find the plot to be very interesting though.  Maalouf brings in ideas revolving around the culture of the Andalusians that Tariq Ali did not touch upon in The Shadows of The Pomegranate Tree.  This novel contrasts to the stay and fight approach that Banu Hudayl took because Muhammad and his family flee from Grenada in order to preserve their faith.  The novels were similar in their treatment of the interpersonal relationships between the families.  There is a lot of drama between the characters because of the polygamist tendencies of the Muslim people in the novel.  I like that a large part of the text focuses on how all of the relationships play out, that is what kept me hooked.  I think that my favorite character would have to be Harun because he shows the curious yet mischievous side of the youth in Fez.  I like how him and Hasan are very contrasted; I think that it shows how diverse Northern Africa was in their time, even between people of very similar cultures.  I really enjoyed the connection between Hasan and Muhammad, I think Hasan's realization that he is going through the same predicament as his father did for the majority of Hasan's life.  It has a certain sense of connection between the two of them when it is clear that they have a tumultuous relationship.