{"product_id":"happiness-has-a-slippery-tail-paperback","title":"Happiness Has a Slippery Tail - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eAbla Farhoud\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eJudith Weisz Woodsworth\u003c\/b\u003e (Translator)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis novel paints the portrait of a Lebanese family that has settled in Montreal. The central figure is Dounia, a 75-year-old mother and grandmother. Hers is a story of loss--she first leaves her own village to live in her husband's hometown, and then is wrenched from her homeland, not once but twice, to live in a strange land whose language and customs are foreign to her. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDounia can neither read nor write, and she speaks only Arabic. Illiterate yet perceptive, nourished by Lebanese proverbs and pearls of wisdom, she has a unique and captivating voice. She struggles, yes, but manages to achieve fulfilment in her new world: \"My home is where my grandchildren are, clinging to my neck, calling me \u003ci\u003eSitto\u003c\/i\u003e Dounia [...] in my language. I want to die where my children and my grandchildren live.\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAbla Farhoud was an actor and playwright before becoming a novelist in 1998 with the publication of this novel, the French title of which was \u003ci\u003eLe bonheur a la queue glissante\u003c\/i\u003e, awarded the France-Québec - Philippe Rossillon Prize. Other novels followed, including \u003ci\u003eLe Sourire de la petite Juive\u003c\/i\u003e (published in English as \u003ci\u003eHutchison Street\u003c\/i\u003e), \u003ci\u003eLe dernier des Snoreux\u003c\/i\u003e, and the posthumous book \u003ci\u003eHavre-Saint-Pierre\u003c\/i\u003e. Abla Farhoud passed away in 2021.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBorn in Lebanon in 1945, \u003cb\u003eAbla Farhoud\u003c\/b\u003e immigrated to Canada in 1951. She later moved back to Lebanon and spent some time in France. She studied theatre at the Université du Québec à Montréal and wrote several plays. In 1998, she published her first novel, \u003ci\u003eLe bonheur a la queue glissante\u003c\/i\u003e, for which she was awarded the Prix France-Québec - Philippe Rossillon. A number of acclaimed novels followed. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAbla Farhoud passed away in 2021. She is survived by her children--musician Mathieu Farhoud-Dionne, also known as Chafiik, and singer-songwriter Alecka Farhoud.\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 152\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.33 x 8 x 5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e October 14, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47499356111069,"sku":"9780776642598","price":27.16,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0811\/9867\/8237\/files\/g2YSYYKjJf9780776642598.webp?v=1772000590","url":"https:\/\/handfulofbooks.com\/products\/happiness-has-a-slippery-tail-paperback","provider":"Handful of Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}