My Reaction to " The Rock of Tanios"

1. In what way or ways do you "connect" with the book The Rock of Tanios by Amin Maalouf? In what way is it accessible or familiar to you?

While reading The Rock of Tanios, I really enjoyed it. One of the reasons for this is because I could really connect with the characters, their daily life styles, and the setting, having lived in Lebanon all my life. The names of the characters were mostly very familiar and easy to remember. In addition, I was familiar to many of the traditions, such as making “meghleh” when a child is born or the idea of a Sheikh ruling over a certain region. Also, some Arabic words are used throughout the novel, some of which are slang. Because I can understand them, they give the novel a more familiar feel and make the setting seem more realistic.