Name: The Last Watchman of Old Cairo
ISBN: 9780399181160

Michael David Lukas

"Joseph, a literature student at Berkeley, is the son of a Jewish mother and a Muslim father. One day, a mysterious package arrives on his doorstep, pulling him into a mesmerizing adventure to uncover the tangled history that binds the two sides of his family"--Amazon.com.

A Novel

The Last Watchman of Old Cairo

Joseph, a literature student at Berkeley, is the son of a Jewish mother and a Muslim father. One day, a mysterious package arrives on his doorstep, pulling him into a mesmerizing adventure to uncover the tangled history that binds the two sides of his family. For generations, the men of the al-Raqb family have served as watchmen of the storied Ibn Ezra Synagogue in Old Cairo, built at the site where the infant Moses was taken from the Nile. Joseph learns of his ancestor Ali, a Muslim orphan who nearly a thousand years earlier was entrusted as the first watchman of the synagogue and became enchanted by its legendary-perhaps magical-Ezra Scroll. The story of Joseph's family is entwined with that of the British twin sisters Agnes and Margaret, who in 1897 depart their hallowed Cambridge halls on a mission to rescue sacred texts that have begun to disappear from the synagogue. The Last Watchman of Old Cairois a moving page-turner of a novel from acclaimed storyteller Michael David Lukas. This tightly woven multigenerational tale illuminates the tensions that have torn communities apart and the unlikely forces-potent magic, forbidden love-that boldly attempt to bridge that divide. Advance praise for The Last Watchman of Old Cairo oA beautiful, richly textured novel, ambitious and delicately crafted, The Last Watchman of Old Cairois both a coming-of-age story and a family history, a wide-ranging book about fathers and sons, religion, magic, love, and the essence of storytelling. This book is a joy.o-Rabih Alameddine, author of the National Book Award finalist An Unnecessary Woman oMichael David Lukas has given us an elegiac novel of Cairo-Old Cairo and modern Cairo-with a bit of Berkeley thrown in. His prose is deeply evocative, and a sense of mystery and profound tristesse pervade this unusual narrative, which tells the story of a young California man on a quest to understand a puzzling gift left for him by his late father, the descendant of generations of watchmen at the venerable Ben Ezra synagogue in the depths of Old Cairo. The novel is enhanced by Lukas' impressive historical research on the Geniza and the colorful characters involved in rescuing its treasure trove of documents. But his greatest flair is in capturing the essence of that beautiful, haunted, shabby, beleaguered, yet still utterly sublime Middle Eastern city.o-Lucette Lagnado, author of The Man in the White Sharkskin Suitand The Arrogant Years

Mellanie Ann Duque

at the very first place, I knew this book will be dear to my heart, not because it's a historical fiction novel (which is my favorite genre) but because of the concept it has. I have never read a book before about Jew or Muslims before which drawn my attention to dive into this gem immediately. For me the concept of this book is totally great and also because it's something unusual to me and Joseph's life is the most intriguing thing i have read this year so far especially his parents which i found really diverse to discover. there are a lot of diverse part in this novel, particularly Joseph's story. I truly adore his parents' story, it a mix twist of love and heartbreak that ripped my heart out.

This book is also about discovering the secrets behind their past roots which gave answers to what they are in the present. There are a lot of ups and downs here that majorly will torn your soul; a series of catastrophes tat happened into their life. A story of finding yourself in the middle of unhappy events.

what i slightly dislike is how the story was told. i found it really confusing at first because there are three side or persons telling the story here for each chapter with different point of views but i still managed to cope up with the story.

The thing i did love this book is that it gives so much lessons in life about Forgiving and relation with God. i have learned so much from this book, laugh, smile and cried because of it. I am still reminiscing how unfortunate the character's life was, but Joseph became a brave young man finding what he likes for life and searching answers for himself that made him strong. His relationship with his father is touched me throughout my being, he indeed made me cry about how he made an effort to look for answers that drawn him close to his father and understand him.

all in all i like this book and i recommend this to everyone who is up for something new and unique.

The book was sent to me by PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE PUBLISHING for review but this doesn't affect how i rated the book. huge thanks to the publisher for the free copy #PARTNER #AD #SPONSORED #PRHPARTNER

In this “wonderfully rich” (San Francisco Chronicle) novel from the author of the internationally bestselling The Oracle of Stamboul, a young man journeys from California to Cairo to unravel centuries-old family secrets. “This book is a joy.”—Rabih Alameddine, author of the National Book Award finalist An Unnecessary Woman WINNER OF: THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION’S SOPHIE BRODY AWARD • THE NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD IN FICTION • THE SAMI ROHR PRIZE FOR JEWISH LITERATURE • Named One of the Ten Best Books of the Year by the BBC • Longlisted for the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association Fiction Prize • A Penguin Random House International One World, One Book Selection • Honorable Mention for the Middle East Book Award Joseph, a literature student at Berkeley, is the son of a Jewish mother and a Muslim father. One day, a mysterious package arrives on his doorstep, pulling him into a mesmerizing adventure to uncover the centuries-old history that binds the two sides of his family. From the storied Ibn Ezra Synagogue in Old Cairo, where generations of his family served as watchmen, to the lives of British twin sisters Agnes and Margaret, who in 1897 leave Cambridge on a mission to rescue sacred texts that have begun to disappear from the synagogue, this tightly woven multigenerational tale illuminates the tensions that have torn communities apart and the unlikely forces that attempt to bridge that divide. Moving and richly textured, The Last Watchman of Old Cairo is a poignant portrait of the intricate relationship between fathers and sons, and an unforgettable testament to the stories we inherit and the places we are from. Praise for The Last Watchman of Old Cairo “A beautiful, richly textured novel, ambitious and delicately crafted, The Last Watchman of Old Cairo is both a coming-of-age story and a family history, a wide-ranging book about fathers and sons, religion, magic, love, and the essence of storytelling. This book is a joy.”—Rabih Alameddine, author of the National Book Award finalist An Unnecessary Woman “Lyrical, compassionate and illuminating.”—BBC “Michael David Lukas has given us an elegiac novel of Cairo—Old Cairo and modern Cairo. Lukas’s greatest flair is in capturing the essence of that beautiful, haunted, shabby, beleaguered yet still utterly sublime Middle Eastern city.”—Lucette Lagnado, author of The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit and The Arrogant Years “Brilliant.”—The Jerusalem Post

The Last Watchman of Old Cairo A Novel

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