In a masterly act of literary transformation, celebrated novelist Hanan al-Shaykh re-creates the dramatic life and times of her mother, Kamila.A Married at a young age against her will, Kamila soon fell head-over-heels in love with another mana??and was thus forced to choose between her children and her lover. As the narrative unfolds through the yearsa??from the bazaars, cinemas and apartments of 1930s Beirut to its war-torn streets decades latera??we follow this passionate woman as she survives the tragedies and celebrates the triumphs of a life lived to the very fullest.