Never Relieved

By Moustafa A. Moustafa

"Never Relieved" is the title of this collection which includes a novella, short stories, poetry and thoughts. The novel, which is also entitled "Never Relieved," tells the story of a woman who uses her beauty to trap and control would-be suitors, but who pays the ultimate price for her actions. In his short stories, poetry and thoughts, Moustafa draws from his Egyptian culture to explore a variety of themes including love, deception, spirituality, jealousy, personal sacrifice, revenge, envy and self-awareness. His writing is energetic, passionate and provocative. This collection is his first publication and was translated from Arabic.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1434828735
• ISBN13: 9781434828736
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 140 Pages
• Weight: 0.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.3" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

Refreshing!

I love autobiographies and though "Never" is not an autobiography I was truly relieved to read such a personable collection of literary work. From the 1st chapter about a young illiterate girl named Zahra, Moustafa spins a tale of the complexities of love and betrayal prefacing it with historical precedent from the tragic love stories of Romeo and Juliet all the way to the Arabian story of Antar and Abla. You get the sense the author is detailing painful and truthful feelings of resentment, betrayal, love and hope through the guise of fiction as witnessed in the tumultuous poem, "Tree of Love", where the poet muses past love and the shade tree that inspired it though now with wilting leaves because the betrayed love is no more. A mixture of morality tales, human psychology, inspiration and homespun fable, with "Never" one may feel like they found the pages to a very private, passionate and pain filled diary complete with hints of resentment which adds credibiblity to the pain relayed by the author..... Great ride and read (Bart Rider)

A realistic take on life in contemporary Egypt

Never Relieved has a novella, several short stories, some poems, and a few of the authors thoughts, all assembled in that sequence. The novella and the short stories relate the lives of a cross section of lower and middle class Egyptians. Much of what the book relates also plays out in our understanding of the Middle East. The gender-specific roles assigned to men and women, and the risks and consequences of transgressions of those roles. The crushing economic conditions that force a hapless populace to seethe against an opressive oligarchy are also an undercurrent.

one of my favorit books

I was very moved when i read this book. I give this book two thumbs UP!!! if you are looking for culture and creativety you gotta check this book out...right on Moustafa

My official review

I actually know the author personally, and he is a very energetic, spiritual author. He has a knack for writing his thoughts exactly how he sees them in his mind. You can see the passion for writing in his eyes as he tells the story of his book, and all that is written inside. His book lets the reader see what he sees, and feel what he does when he wrote his words. This will definately not be his last book.