RaveThe GuardianArabs retells a familiar story in unexpected ways ... [Mackintosh Smith] combines deep learning with penetrating insights delivered with dazzling turns of phrase and illuminating comparisons ... The author’s acclaimed Travels in Dictionary Land was a clue to his fascination with both his adopted country and the Arabic language – the golden thread that runs through this wonderful new book ... Mackintosh-Smith has an enviable ability to enrich the big picture with fascinating detail and telling parallels ... Hope is kept alive by a writer who lifts spirits and fires the imagination by comparing pre-Islamic poetry to pop festivals ... Words are, indeed, still the sharpest weapons ...
