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| Ali and Nino: A Love Story | 
 enlarge | Author: Kurban Said
Publisher: Vintage
Category: Book
List Price: £7.99
Buy Used: £2.99
You Save: £5.00 (63%)
New (23) from £3.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 66662
Media: Paperback
Edition: New Ed
Pages: 240
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 4.9 x 0.7
ISBN: 0099283220
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780099283225
ASIN: 0099283220
Publication Date: October 5, 2000
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
 A fascinating romance set in early 20th C Azerbaijan July 11, 2008
Azerbaijan in the early 20th century was at the crossroads of civilisations, cultures and religions. Set against this backdrop at the start of WWI is this love story of Ali, a desert loving-Muslim, and Nino, a Christian Georgian princess who yearns to be more European. Theirs is a childhood romance that eventually blossoms fully and they marry despite many obstacles put in their way. However it finally becomes clear that Ali's real love is for his country which can only lead to tragedy.
Ali and Nino is a rediscovered novel, written in the 1930s and published in Vienna, then found and translated into English in the 1950s. It gives a fascinating glimpse of what life was like amongst the ruling classes in this cultural melting pot; neighbour to Persia, but stuck between the warring Turks and Russians. With derring-do, glamour, philosophy, and romance, this novel has everything, but ultimately failed to totally grab me - maybe because of Ali's lack of ambition and liking of an easy life, until his patriotic awakening. It was a very good, but not quite brilliant read.
A unique love story from AZERBAIJAN February 9, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I loved this book. As a woman born in USSR in Azerbaijan (Baku) at the end of the 20th century I can relate to the sentiments and events described in the book more than most people unless they come from Baku like myself. It shows what a leap my country has made in the time since the era in which the book was written. Sadly this cannot be said about the rest of Caucasus.
I want to draw the line between Azerbaijan and Caucasus because the book describes the events which happened in Azerbaijan and not in the whole of Caucasus. There are hundreds of nationalities with their own unique traditions and history who rightly claim their own place in the world history, so the point I am making is that the book specifically relates to Azerbaijan (and to Georgia to some degree) but should not be projected to what may have been happening in the rest of the Caucasus at the time.
More than just a love story October 4, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Truly the best love story and a very modern one at that.
Although it's a love story, it's so much more than just that. Ali and Nino is also a book about the divide between East and West and Islam and Christianity and the huge cultural gulfs between the two and whether that can be bridged or not - a very modern theme. This is a subject the author is very passionate about and it gets a lot of attention in the book.
Set in the turbulent times around World War I and leading up to the Russian Revolution, Ali and Nino is a tale about the love between a Muslim boy (Ali) and a Georgian orthodox christian girl (Nino).
It starts out in Baku on the shores of the Caspian Sea. Baku is one of the world's first great oil towns but also a town founded by Zoroastrians so a very romantic setting. Then the action moves to Nagorno Karabakh - one-time mountain holiday area for people living in Baku and then moves around all over the Caucasus. The cast of characters is as diverse as the region - Russians, Azeris, Georgians and Armenians and others.
I've read it several times and loved it as much on each read as I did on the first one. (I don't normally re-read books, so that shows how well this book stands up and how well written it is.) My parents read it and loved it and everyone I've given the book to has loved it. I've yet to meet someone who didn't recognize it for the masterpiece it is.
Read it if you're interested in the Caucasus, read it if you like a good love story, or read it if you're worried about the consequences of today's conflict between east and west on human relationships.
special January 28, 2007
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I agree with the person who described this book as special. It truly is a perfectly apt description for the book. I bought this book almost 5 o 6 years ago and it still had pride of place in my collection. The love that between ali and nino and the way it is developed by the author is different to the stories I am accustomed to and perhaps this is why it has remained in my mind all of this time. I would strongly recommend it.
A Gripping Story of Love, Blood, Pride and Honour October 10, 2001
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
The book was sent to me by a friend who like me also originates from the Caucauses. I was unable to put it down. My normally stressful commuting to and from work on the train became something to look forward to. I did not want the book to end. Apart from a good story, the author gives a very vivid and accurate tale of this complicated mosaic we know as the Caucuses in the early part of the 20th century.
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