Review by Brenny -- Keys to Tetouan by Mois Benarroch
[Following is a volunteer review of "Keys to Tetouan" by Mois Benarroch.]
3 out of 4 stars
Keys to Tetouan by Mois Benarroch is an exciting and emotional story of Fernando Benzimra who is elaborating his journey to discovering his ancestral roots. The story begins when Fernando’s father dies and leaves behind a letter that revealed he was Jewish. Fernando is determined to uncover his past, and so he travels from Tetouan where he lived to find his cousin and later other members of his family who lived all over Algiers, Spain, Venezuela, Brazil, and Oran. The author attempts to reveal how the Benzimra family always long to return to their homeland Tetouan in Northern Morocco.
Benarroch uses Fernando’s life story to highlight historical religious conflicts. Notably, the author focuses on the Jewish people and their discrimination by the French, Spaniards and British. Throughout the story, the author uses flashback to elaborate the lives of the characters in the book and intertwines events in his present life with those from his past. At first, it is difficult to follow the story because of the uniqueness of the style the author uses to unravel the story. Rather than using conventional chapters like any ordinary book, the author tells the story following the chronological order of the historical events.
I liked the poetic touch the author used to develop the story especially when Fernando’s grandfather narrating the history of Tetouan. Moreover, he uses the phrase “the key ” throughout the text to emphasize the relevance of the title of the book. The author seems to evade the usual punctuations to achieve his poetic intention. The author interludes his chapters with conversations, which kept me, entertained as I read the book. I did not like that the paragraphs were too long as it attracted boredom while reading the story.
I rate Keys to Tetouan 3 out of 4 stars. The story was engaging, and the theme was clear. However, a few grammar errors are evident throughout the text. For instance, on page 9, the second paragraph, “the whole the Benzimra family…” instead of “The whole of the Benzimra family…” In numerous instances, the author uses a comma instead of using the full stop. For example, on page 177, the chapter titled “Exile,” in the first paragraph. Several other paragraphs in the text exhibit similar use of the comma.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction or someone who seeks to understand the different religious conflicts in the world and how they affected people.
******
Keys to Tetouan
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READ to Keys to Tetouan in
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3 out of 4 stars
Benarroch uses Fernando’s life story to highlight historical religious conflicts. Notably, the author focuses on the Jewish people and their discrimination by the French, Spaniards and British. Throughout the story, the author uses flashback to elaborate the lives of the characters in the book and intertwines events in his present life with those from his past. At first, it is difficult to follow the story because of the uniqueness of the style the author uses to unravel the story. Rather than using conventional chapters like any ordinary book, the author tells the story following the chronological order of the historical events.
I liked the poetic touch the author used to develop the story especially when Fernando’s grandfather narrating the history of Tetouan. Moreover, he uses the phrase “the key ” throughout the text to emphasize the relevance of the title of the book. The author seems to evade the usual punctuations to achieve his poetic intention. The author interludes his chapters with conversations, which kept me, entertained as I read the book. I did not like that the paragraphs were too long as it attracted boredom while reading the story.
I rate Keys to Tetouan 3 out of 4 stars. The story was engaging, and the theme was clear. However, a few grammar errors are evident throughout the text. For instance, on page 9, the second paragraph, “the whole the Benzimra family…” instead of “The whole of the Benzimra family…” In numerous instances, the author uses a comma instead of using the full stop. For example, on page 177, the chapter titled “Exile,” in the first paragraph. Several other paragraphs in the text exhibit similar use of the comma.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction or someone who seeks to understand the different religious conflicts in the world and how they affected people.
******
Keys to Tetouan
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
READ to Keys to Tetouan in
English getbook.at/keys2tetouan
Castellano getbook.at/llavesdetetuan
Hebrew עברית http://www.lulu.com/shop/paperback/product-22974017.html
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