Woman at Point Zero

De: Nawal El Saadawi

Narrado por: Amira Ghazalla

Bloomsbury presents Woman at Point Zero by Nawal El Saadawi, read by Amira Ghazalla.

'An unforgettable, unmissable book for the new global feminist.'
The Times

'I think her life has been one long death threat. At a time when nobody else was talking, she spoke the unspeakable' – Margaret Atwood


'All the men I did get to know filled me with but one desire: to lift my hand and bring it smashing down on his face.'

So begins Firdaus's remarkable story of rebellion against a society founded on lies, hypocrisy, brutality and oppression. Born to a peasant family in the Egyptian countryside, Firdaus struggles through childhood, seeking compassion and knowledge in a world which gives her little of either. As she grows up and escapes the fetters of her childhood, each new relationship teaches her a bitter but liberating truth – that the only free people are those who want nothing, fear nothing and hope for nothing.

This classic novel has been an inspiration to countless people across the world. Saadawi's searing indictment of society's brutal treatment of women continues to resonate today.(P)2024 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Reseñas de la Crítica

I think her life has been one long death threat. At a time when nobody else was talking, she spoke the unspeakable

Nawal El Saadawi writes with directness and passion, transforming the systematic brutalisation of peasants and of women into powerful allegory.

This book will look you dead in the eye… I thoroughly recommend this book because it will make you examine the ways in which people in impossible situations can retain dignity and control over themselves. Read it wide-eyed

The most influential feminist thinker in the Arab world over the past half-century.

El Saadawi has a flair for melodrama and mystery

A powerful indictment of the treatment of women in many parts of the Middle East, Labour Herald Woman at Point Zero should begin the long march towards a realistic and sympathetic portrayal of Arab women

Scorching

Simple, but sharp and infuriating... Woman at Point Zero is the story of one Arab woman, but it reads as if it is every woman’s life

An unforgettable, unmissable book for the new global feminist

This novella opened my eyes to the ideas of power structures

This extraordinary novel, written with such compassion, forces us to the edge, and deep inside what must be one of the worst tales of women’s oppression while somehow managing to inspire hope, if only through the courage of Nawal El Saadawi for being one of the first to tell this story to the world

Leaves an indelible mark. This is a tale of injustice, inequality and sheer bad luck - written with such grace and skill as to be on a part with the finest literature of this or any era - haunting, poetic and fiercely relevant

Beautiful! a must read.

One of the best books I've read. The narrator did an amazing job reading this. Firdaus will remain with me years to come. 🥲

Powerful

It is the most descriptive & realistic compilation of the cycle of violence that is experienced by the female body. It leaves you contemplating the significance of the constructs formed & normalized around us.

Pointless

I came into reading this book thinking it would be about feminism and uplifting women based a video I saw of the author but by God this book was disappointing. So much rape and sexual assault - it needs a warning . I highly dislike Firdaus even as I pity her life - her life is depressing . This book is disappointing.

Poor production, OK story.

I'm sorry to be cynical, but this story was a let down. In 1985when it was written, I'm sure it was revolutionary and I appreciate the empowering potential it has. It's also very poetically written and the structure has the call backs of verses in a song/poem, which is also admirable. But reading it today, it's "just" another hooker constantly disappointed by all the men in her life, what's new. If it wasn't for the horrible production value (genuinely the recording would skip or repeat sections, and some narrator choices were plain odd too), I would've given it probably four stars for the cultural value alone. But, honestly, if it wasn't for a bookclub, I wouldn't have finished it.