A House in Fez: Building a Life in the Ancient Heart of Morocco [Paperback]

i was very pleased with this book.
Suzanna Clarke and her husband bought a house in the medina of Fez and this is the story of the renovation project and those involved- architects, workmen, bureaucrats and neighbors.
she gives us her experiences with a freshness that will charm even those who know the country well. although she had little prior knowledge of morocco, there are only afew errors (some details about Islam-ramadan, cats).
the book that "A House In Fez" most resembles is Peter Mayne's "A Year in Marrakesh" (also titled "The Alleys of Marrakesh") A Year in Marrakesh, especially for its light tone (no long lectures on history, politics or architecture here).
Peter Mayne was injured in an attack on a cafe in the events leading up to Morocco's independence (1956) and he only wrote the one book (in print!) about this country. We can only hope that the author and her husband, Sandy McCutcheon, also a writer, will enjoy many years of residence and give us updates, not only in their popular blog, but also with future books.

I have lived in and visited the Muslim world for almost 20 years now and enjoyed every bit of this book. It really captured how wonderful the people can be, and yet how frustrating things can also be...for those who are still on "Western" time. From being concerned about overpaying, to trusting your neighbors, to the "fun" of trying to work with "City Hall"...the book is spot on. But not to dwell on the difficult times, but the author also dives into the warmth of the local people, which is the best part of the book to me.

Suzanna Clarke's memoir entitled A House in Fez: Building A Life in the Ancient Heart of Morocco, is not just the story of her restoring a three hundred year old house. I found her tale to be a delightful and insightful book about everything and everyone that is Morocco. The book is a very engaging introductory to Morocco's culture, complete with a magical blend of tidbits on the people, the place, and of times past, present and future. You will learn about the loveable people who are humorous, giving, and helpful, yet often frustrating when assisting Suzanna with her plan. The pace of Morocco as in most of the Middle East, is a tad slower than of the western world, every little project and chore can take a very long time to accomplish all at the will of Allah.

Suzanna and her husband Sandy, native New Zealander's, had traveled to Morocco a few times for vacation. They fell in love with this quaint and historic corner of the world and decided they wanted to buy a second home there. Traveling back and forth between countries, they soon found a gorgeous, yet run down, three century old riad, (a traditional Morocco house with central fountain enclosed courtyard) that they just had to have, even though they realized this would be the biggest challenge of their lives. Restoring an ancient house of this historic caliber is not cheap. They knew it would drain their budgets, and that the task would take a lot of their time. They are both busy journalists and this monumental project would take creative juggling of their careers.

From the time of purchase, Suzanna tells us her story of how difficult it was to find and deal with merchants and building contractors, how her blood pressure sky-rocketed with every time she needed to obtain permits from insane city officials, endless red-tape, how her patience was challenged every day with upsets, disappointments, lazy and carefree employees, and expensive fixes. Not to mention the drain on her marriage, as her and Sandy often had to alternate who would remain in Morocco as the other would fly home to keep the coffers full enough to pay for the new House in Fez.

Although at times I felt there was just a little too much detailed description of the day-to-day construction work, it was worth reading to learn of the history of Moroccan architecture, and of the city of Fez itself. Interspersed with the "house story" are many wonderful surprises of Suzanna's exploration of the city as she bit-by-bit learned of it's heritage, culture and residents. While turning the pages you hear their music, witness a celebration where Syrian whirling dirvishes swirl into dizzying white clouds, smell the aromatic spices in the souk, and taste the mouth-watering dishes of lamb tagines and couscous as they are concocted over open fire pits along the winding back alleyways, or on balconies by women of the veil.

Suzanna presents a light and easy read with this book, retelling her adventure of creating a magnificent authentic riad home, and in this process, gained a multitude of new Moroccan friends that become her new family. Humorous, educational, heartwarming, this book is a fabulous mixture of travel narrative and a story of rebirth and renewal for both Suzanna and Sandy, and also for the House in Fez!

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