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Sex and Lies

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( 5,061 ratings, 567 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Sex and Lies by Leïla Slimani explores the lives of young Moroccan women caught between a conservative Arab culture and their desire for sexual freedom. In a society where sex outside marriage, homosexuality, and prostitution are criminalised, the book reveals the harsh binaries imposed on women: virgin or wife. Through vivid interviews and essays, Slimani confronts Morocco's intimate taboos, making a compelling plea for universal rights to love, desire, and self-expression.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book is suited for readers interested in women's rights, Middle Eastern culture, and contemporary social issues in religion and spirituality.

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From the prize winning and bestselling author of Lullaby and Adele: a fascinating and witty collection ofessays on the lives of women grappling with sexual politics in a deeply conservative culture.

From the prize winning and bestselling author of Lullaby and Adèle: a fascinating and witty collection of essays on the lives of women grappling with sexual politics in a deeply conservative culture.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Striking. - ELLE France

Brave. - iNews

Powerful. - TLS

Urgent. - Evening Standard

Original. - Cosmopolitan

In these essays, Leïla Slimani gives voice to young Moroccan women who are grappling with a conservative Arab culture that at once condemns and commodifies sex. In a country where the law punishes and outlaws all forms of sex outside marriage, as well as homosexuality and prostitution, women have only two options for their sexual identities: virgin or wife. Sex and Lies is an essential confrontation with Morocco's intimate demons and a vibrant appeal for the universal freedom to be, to love and to desire.

'Leïla Slimani has a knack for breaking taboos... Sex and Lies is well executed: the novelist paints vivid portraits of her interviewees.' - The Times

'Slimani trusts in her outrage, in the force of her own voice, and the voices of the women she listens to.' - Guardian

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

'Slimani trusts in her outrage, in the force of her own voice, and the voices of the women she listens to.' – Guardian

'This book of impassioned pleas, and of human impulses that resonate, is one step to more women breaking free.' – Evening Standard

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780571377763

Publisher: Faber & Faber

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 16 March 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Faber & Faber

Edition: Main

Contributors:

  • Translated by Sophie Lewis
  • Translated by Sophie Lewis

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 10.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 151g

Pages: 176

About the Author

Leila Slimani is the author of Adele, Sex and Lies and Lullaby, which made Slimani the first Moroccan woman to win France's most prestigious literary prize, the Prix Goncourt. A journalist and frequent commentator on women's and hu-man rights, she is French president Emmanuel Macron's personal representative for the promotion of the French lan-guage and culture. Born in Rabat, Morocco, in 1981 and a citizen of France, she divides her time between Paris, Portu-gal and international commitments that take her around the globe.

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    Alsace, 1944. Mathilde finds herself falling deeply in love with Amine Belhaj, a Moroccan soldier billeted in her town fighting for the French. After the Liberation, Mathilde leaves her country to follow her new husband to Morocco. But life here is unrecognisable to this brave and passionate young woman. Suffocated by the heat of the Moroccan climate, by her loneliness...
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