PositiveThe NationalThe book scorns romanticised history and happily-ever-afters. Individual characters are often taunted when they use romance as a way of understanding the world ... Celestial Bodies never actually gets to the \'ever after.\' Instead, it continually re-evaluates both present and past. And while the book doesn’t tell us how things turn out, it skillfully builds suspense by creating \'Aha!\' moments as characters come to better understand their pasts ... The translation does not coddle the reader who may be afraid of foreign words. Booth embroiders the text with the sound of Arabic wherever possible, maintaining rhythm and even rhyme, as well as the crackle and pop of the book’s humour. Celestial Bodies is not a straightforward book, but readers who can leap nimbly into its stream will certainly find themselves carried away.
