The author had spent a number of years traveling around the Middle East as a reporter. Unlucky in love in each of these places, she decided to return to the U.S. to attempt to live a "normal" life. When she was awarded a Fulbright scholarship, after much wrestling, she accepted and went to Damascus for a year to study the Jesus of Islam. It proved to be a life-changing year as she learned Arabic, struggled with her Catholic Christian faith, spent time studying the Quran, and found herself falling in love with a novice monk. I picked this up in the library when I was looking for something non-fiction to read. It sounded interesting. After I started it, I seem to think that Goodreads had suggested this at one time among recommendations but I'd not marked it. I enjoyed it. Part travel-log, part love story, it is the account of her year in Damascus with background sections included where they apply to provide a coherent flow. I was looking forward to reading this book, but I didn't even finish it. This 'scholar' and student wanting to learn about the Middle East never bothered to learn more than books and letters, and even that she couldn't handle at times. Never in this book does she really delve into the people she meets, other than somehow always relating their very real, very difficult lives during the war (and lead-up to it) into some difficulty or hardship for herself. What were 'the terrible things' she had done? How was her life 'so difficult'? How could she possible claim to be in the same situation as the people who could not leave the area, or those who could flee but had to leave everything behind? Shallow and self centered.
Do You like book La Sposa Di Damasco (2009)?
Interesting, but I didn't like the mysticism. The reader did a good job.
—muteto
Excellent Book! it was truly a journey of Love and Faith.
—amiraghonaim1982
Quite a bit like Eat, Pray, Love, but better.
—sandyjunebug
