Purchased from the Millennium Library's used book sale for release in this year's Canada Day release challenge in celebration of Canadian books and authors. The book appears brand new - no library markings at all. What a deal at $5.00 for a whole bag of books.

I have no idea why I took so long to read this book. I remember when it was first published it got lots of positive reviews. And yet I dithered about buying it. Then when I eventually did buy it, you would think I'd read it right away. But no. It sat neglected on my shelf for more than 6 years.

However when fellow BookCrosser, gypsysmom suggested a challenge to celebrate Canada's 150th birthday by reading from the CBC's list of 100 novels that make you proud to be a Canadian and this book just happened to be on the list, well, what better time than now?

As it happened now was just the right time for me to read it. If I had read it when it first came out I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much. The story takes place in Ethiopia in the 70s and England in the 90s. Lilly was born in England to white hippy vagabond parents but when her parents die she is adopted by a Sufi sheikh who teaches her the way of the Qur'an. As a teenager she is left with a Muslim family in Ethiopia where she immerses her self in the Muslim faith and culture. She falls in love with Aziz, a doctor, only to become separated as a result of political revolution. I suspect that I would have been disappointed in the book had I read it back when it was first published. At the time I had little interest in anything Muslim and probably couldn't have accurately placed Ethiopia on a map. So it may well have been a pleasant enough story to read, but I doubt I would have thought it worthy of all the hype it was given.

I still don't know about the hype but with the recent US election result ( I still can't believe that happened) it behooves us all to become better acquainted with the 25% of the world's population who are Muslim. That and the fact that I have recently come to know some people in the Ethiopian community in Manitoba and so have become a little more familiar with their languages and customs. And foods!

Now I really have no idea of the veracity of Gibbs depiction of Ethiopia in the 70s or for that matter of the Muslim faith but it rang true for me and I enjoyed this story of faith and identity, love and loss, hope and exile.

Taking to the meeting today. If no one takes it home you'll find it on the BookCrossing shelf in the Cafe.

To the finder of this book:
I hope you enjoy your new read.

Welcome, also, to the wonderful and wacky world of BookCrossing! Here you'll find a unique and worldwide community of book lovers sharing their books. This book is now yours! Read it, enjoy it. Keep it or pass it on to someone you know, return it to any Little Free Library or even release it into the wild. It is all up to you.

If you make a journal entry (you can do it anonymously or as a BookCrossing member) all previous readers of this book will be notified by e-mail and can follow this book on its travels. BookCrossing is free to join, completely confidential (you are known only by your screen name and no one is ever given your email address) and it's a whole lot of fun!

What a catch! I've been wanting to read this book forever (well, ever since it was published) and as Pooker3 has said I am doing this challenge to read books from the CBC 100 lists during 2017, Canada;s Sesquicentennial and this book is on the list. Good thing there was no-one else at the meet-up today or I might have had to arm wrestle for it. Thanks Pooker3 for the book and the visit and the help with the OBCZ.

This is one of those books that seep into your soul. I really didn't want it to end and, yet, I wanted to know what happened to the characters. This book certainly deserves its place on CBC's 100 Novels that Make you Proud to be Canadian. There will be people who quibble with that because no-one in the book is Canadian, no action takes place in Canada and Canada is mentioned tangentially only two times that I can think of. It qualifies as Canadian because Camilla Gibb lives in Toronto although she was born in England. She spent time in Ethiopia doing research for her Ph. D. in social anthropology and that work forms the basis for this book.

Lilly is English by birth and white but she was raised by a Sufi teacher in Morocco and she has adopted the Muslim faith. Her teacher decided it was to dangerous in Morocco and so he sent her and another student, Hussein, to Harar in Ethiopia because the saint he worshiped had a descendent who ran a mosque in Harar. When they finally reached Harar, a journey of months by camel, they went immediately to Sheikh Jami who would not accept Lilly into his household but he did accept Hussein. Lilly was taken by one of the Sheikh's wives to a poor relative who could use the income Lilly would provide. Nouria had four children, no husband and survived by taking in washing. Lilly didn't actually have much money to give her but she started a school to teach neighbourhood children the Qu'ran. Even though she was a "farenji" (a foreigner) Lilly gradually came to be accepted by the neighbourhood women. There were some things that Lilly could not accept though. Most girls in Ethiopia had a clitorectomy to ensure their purity for marriage. Lilly witnessed Nouria's two young girls undergoing this barbaric practice and was appalled. One of the girls became very ill and finally a doctor was summoned. Aziz was able to save the girl and, over time, he and Lilly became friends and more. The government was still run by Emperor Haile Selassie at the time. Aziz and some friends wanted a socialist upheaval in Ethiopia but instead what they got was a bloody civil war. Lilly left Ethiopia and went to live in England where she became a nurse. She could not let go of wanting to get word of Aziz. In 1981 Lilly helped an Ethiopian refugee from Harar, Amina, give birth. Lilly and Amina became neighbours and good friends. More refugees were coming to England from Ethiopia so the two started an office to assist them, especially in reconnecting with their families. Amina had been separated from her husband in a refugee camp and was always searching the lists for his name. Similarily, Lilly was always looking for Aziz's name. One of them was rewarded.

I have gone to school and worked with a number of Ethiopians. I am quite sure they were all Christian and so this story of the Muslims in Harar was an eye-opener. They seem to be so contradictory; girls are genitally mutilated but parents were supportive of them being educated, especially in learning the Qu'ran. Women covered themselves in veils but quite often the veils were colourful and diaphanous. Marriages were arranged but it was the groom's parents who paid a dowry. So, so interesting.

judysh requested this book after I was done so I will hold onto it until I see her.

judysh requested this book after I had read it so I am taking it to the BookCrossing meeting tonight.

This book was passed on to me - thank you! - at our new bookcrossing meetup location, Second Cup, corner of Graham and Edmonton, Winnipeg. Looking forward to reading it, thank you.