While the story is an erotic tale of Muslim woman escaping her oppressive marriage to find freedom, sexual and otherwise in Tangiers, it reads much more like a political commentary. It reveals what happens when a society is restrictive against our natural sexual urges. Do they disappear? Of course not. They just emerge in other ways, some healthy and some not so healthy, but always in secret.

Overall, a decent read. Not quite erotica, but close enough. The writing did not feel luxurious and lyrical, but rather blunt and jabbing which could possibly be attributed to being translated from French. Something always gets a little lost in translation. also wish I had realized there is a glossary in the back before I finished the book!

I'll be releasing this in the Food Glorious Food Book Box headed my way.

Enjoy the book!

Well, I ended up picking this from the box, as most other titles are either cookbooks or mysteries, and this is a book I am somewhat interested in, despite the mixed reviews.
Thanks for sharing!!

Well, kind of a mixed feeling on this. The childhood part was great, the sexual awakening part somehow feels very French, like something Amélie Nothomb may have written. However, some of the passages about Driss, it just felt crude. Or as Ri said, jabbing, rather than lyrical. It almost feels like Badra was just living a very dependent life off Driss, addicted to the sex. She didn't really explore or open herself up to other men and women, despite a "promising" childhood. I'd thought sexual awakening would make her more confident of herself and of finding pleasure by herself, but it appears that her enjoyment is totally dependent on one man. Therefore in the end it just felt more like a story of a bad relationship, rather than a great erotica.

I picked this to read because I was needing an African author for a reading challenge.

Hi! How wonderful you've found one of my books! Thank you so much for checking out the journal. I would really appreciate if you can take a moment to let me know you have it now. Trust me, it'll totally make my day to hear from one of my "wild" books.

Bookcrossing is a wonderful online community of book lovers dedicated to sharing books with each other and the world at large. We are also curious to see how far and wide our books can travel. I would appreciate if you can make a journal entry on this book so we know where the book has been. You don't have to set up an account.

Feel free to keep this book, return it to where you found it, or pass it on to the next reader. If you sign up as a member, you will hear from the book as it travels and gets journaled. Feel free to explore the BookCrossing site, and visit our forum to meet other booklovers. Membership is confidential, free, and spam-free. Happy reading!

Released at the bookcrossing meeting in Tampere.

I took this from our meet-up. Thanks travelina! It was nice to see you again, I hope you have enjoyed your time in Finland! :)