Diana Abu-Jaber

Crescent

"Abu-Jaber's voluptuous prose features insights into the Arab American community that are wisely, warmly depicted."—San Francisco Chronicle

Thirty-nine-year-old Sirine, never married, lives with a devoted Iraqi-immigrant uncle and an adoring dog named King Babar. She works as a chef in a Lebanese restaurant, her passions aroused only by the preparation of food—until an unbearably handsome Arabic literature professor starts dropping by for a little home cooking. Falling in love brings Sirene's whole heart to a boil—stirring up memories of her parents and questions about her identity as an Arab American.

Praised by critics from The New Yorker to USA Today for her first novel, Arabian Jazz ("an oracular tale that unfurls like gossamer"), Diana Abu-Jaber weaves with spellbinding magic a multidimensional love story set in the Arab-American community of Los Angeles.

Written in a lush, lyrical style reminiscent of The God of Small Things, infused with the flavors and scents of Middle Eastern food, and spiced with history and fable, Crescent is a sensuous love story and a gripping tale of risk and commitment.

"Abu-Jaber's language is miraculous....It is not possible to stop reading."—Booklist starred review

"A story that unfolds beautifully, as lightly and naturally as a roll of silk."—The Nation

"Radiant, wise and passionate...a book written by an author who never for an instant relinquished her grip on this willingly enchanted reader."—Beth Kephart, Chicago Tribune

"A powerful story about the loneliness of exile and the limits of love. An impressive second outing by Abu-Jaber."—Kirkus Reviews

"A deliciously romantic romp"—Vanity Fair

"Exquisite...Readers stuffed on headlines but still hungering for something relevant will enjoy this rich meal."—Christian Science Monitor

"Gorgeously written and deeply imagined, this novel is both a fable and a plea—a book that weaves a hypnotic, lasting spell."—Book Magazine, Beth Kephart, 1 June 2003

"A pleasing hybrid of Like Water for Chocolate and Haroun and the Sea of Stories."—Orlando Sentinel

"[A] lovely tale...an urgent mix of Scheherazade-style storytelling and treatise on the loneliness of exile."—Oregonian, Andrea Spencer

"Lush, poignant, and searing...unfolds with all the startling beauty of a hidden garden."—Connie May Fowler

"Abu-Jaber affirms the precious fragility of life, love, family, and the human community in meaningful ways."—Sena Jeter Naslund

"Abu-Jaber is a high-spirited, magnificently graceful storyteller, a poet of deliciously fluted fiction, character, and culture."—Naomi Shihab Nye

"[A] beautifully imagined and timely novel."—Publishers Weekly

"A bewitching and timely novel about Iraq, love and the loneliness of exile....a novel at once timely and timeless."—Andria Spencer, The Oregonian

"Crescent is a rich, delicious concoction that has you rooting for the star-crossed lovers."—John Muncie, The Baltimore Sun

"Readers stuffed on headlines but still hungering for something relevant will enjoy this rich meal."—Ron Charles, Christian Science Monitor

"Radiant, wise, and passionate....[Abu-Jaber] never for an instant relinquished her grip on this willingly enchanted reader."—Beth Kephart, Chicago Tribune

"Wise, spirited, and evocative, this work offers an ardent look at the human side of political cant."—Library Journal

"An impressive second outing by Abu-Jaber."—Kirkus Reviews

"Please read this book. Diana Abu-Jaber is a high-spirited, magnificently graceful storyteller, a poet of deliciously fluted fiction, character, and culture, and her work is needed now, now, now."—Naomi Shihab Nye

"It is a story about how to cook and how to eat, and how to live in the new country. And, like all good novels, it is about how to tell a story."—Sigrid Nunez

"Romantic, whimsical and wonderful in every way, being both sensuous and smart. I want to hang out all day at Nadia's Cafe."—Whitney Otto