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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
Pride & Prejudice retellngs can sometimes get a bit stale but I thought this book was a great, fresh take. I have read quite a few books with Muslim characters this year and it was great to find modern Muslim young people who were thriving within the bounds of their religion.
Content warning: Islamophobia, workplace racism, revenge porn. (more to be added...)
Ayesha's dream of being a poet is on a standstill as she's stuck paying off a debt to her uncle. So while she's stuck being a substitute teacher, she's also tailing behind her gorgeous cousin who has marriage proposals thrown at her every day. An identity mishap leads her to be in charge of a fundraising conference for the young Muslims at their local mosque and pairs up with Khalid Mirza to run it. Khalid is conservative and judgemental with secrets of his own. Why should Ayesha fall for a man who acts above her? But a surprise engagement blows everything out of the water.
I enjoyed this book a lot more than I had expected. Like, wow. I couldn't get enough Ayesha and her family. And her hilarious antics as she falls further down a web of lies by pretending to be her cousin. Each character was so unique and likeable. The narration jumps between different people. It was a bit too much, but each character has a distinct voice that separated them all, voices that were authentic and funny.
Khalid was the one that took me a while to get used to. I didn't even think he deserved Ayesha for a good half of the novel. He just reminded me of most Muslim men I've met who are pretty ridiculous and judgemental before getting to know anyone. You can tell from the offset he's grown to follow whatever his mum agrees to because of the history of his sister's dark past. And he does learn to become less judgemental, but when I say it took a while, it took a long while.
Apart from the growing relationship between Ayesha and Khalid, multiple complex conflicts grow in the back that adds to this drama-filled debut. Weddings to be planned and had, gossiping aunties that get their due and a very unexpected twist at the end.
I think this book addressed so many issues and was so well done in that aspect. Workplace racism, Islamophobia, and double standards that women face. A great window into Muslim communities that explored the complexities of life, family and belief. Ayesha At Last was refreshing and hilarious.
Ayesha's dream of being a poet is on a standstill as she's stuck paying off a debt to her uncle. So while she's stuck being a substitute teacher, she's also tailing behind her gorgeous cousin who has marriage proposals thrown at her every day. An identity mishap leads her to be in charge of a fundraising conference for the young Muslims at their local mosque and pairs up with Khalid Mirza to run it. Khalid is conservative and judgemental with secrets of his own. Why should Ayesha fall for a man who acts above her? But a surprise engagement blows everything out of the water.
I enjoyed this book a lot more than I had expected. Like, wow. I couldn't get enough Ayesha and her family. And her hilarious antics as she falls further down a web of lies by pretending to be her cousin. Each character was so unique and likeable. The narration jumps between different people. It was a bit too much, but each character has a distinct voice that separated them all, voices that were authentic and funny.
Khalid was the one that took me a while to get used to. I didn't even think he deserved Ayesha for a good half of the novel. He just reminded me of most Muslim men I've met who are pretty ridiculous and judgemental before getting to know anyone. You can tell from the offset he's grown to follow whatever his mum agrees to because of the history of his sister's dark past. And he does learn to become less judgemental, but when I say it took a while, it took a long while.
Apart from the growing relationship between Ayesha and Khalid, multiple complex conflicts grow in the back that adds to this drama-filled debut. Weddings to be planned and had, gossiping aunties that get their due and a very unexpected twist at the end.
I think this book addressed so many issues and was so well done in that aspect. Workplace racism, Islamophobia, and double standards that women face. A great window into Muslim communities that explored the complexities of life, family and belief. Ayesha At Last was refreshing and hilarious.
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
This is how you write romantic tension! Ayesha's and Khalid's fingertips barely brush, and I'm falling all over myself! Jalaluddin nails it!
She also understands what makes Pride and Prejudice such a great book, and she can expand and adjust the character basics to fit the specific contemporary South Asian Muslim community in Toronto, where her novels are based.
I adored Ayesha from the moment we met her. She's at the perfect age: She knows enough to be an adult (or a spinster) but is also massively self-unaware or does not have the full picture of her family's dynamics. Ayesha was a nice balance between a dreamy character who lives in her head and someone who takes action.
Jalaluddin was smart about Khalid's journey and growth. Ayesha isn't the reason for his changes; it's everything in his life that he's been ignoring for years, including his mother's behavior. Plus, he's influenced by a lot of other great female characters and actively takes in their opinions and respects them regardless of whether he's related to them or in love with them.
I love a story that incorporates grandparents, and Ayesha's grandparents were my favorite. I appreciated how they balanced each other and let Ayesha and, later, Khalid make their own choices while giving out wisdom instead of a "here's how I'd do this" prescription.
This is my first 5-star read of the year, and I will continue to read Jalaluddin's books as she's an incredible writer.
She also understands what makes Pride and Prejudice such a great book, and she can expand and adjust the character basics to fit the specific contemporary South Asian Muslim community in Toronto, where her novels are based.
I adored Ayesha from the moment we met her. She's at the perfect age: She knows enough to be an adult (or a spinster) but is also massively self-unaware or does not have the full picture of her family's dynamics. Ayesha was a nice balance between a dreamy character who lives in her head and someone who takes action.
Jalaluddin was smart about Khalid's journey and growth. Ayesha isn't the reason for his changes; it's everything in his life that he's been ignoring for years, including his mother's behavior. Plus, he's influenced by a lot of other great female characters and actively takes in their opinions and respects them regardless of whether he's related to them or in love with them.
I love a story that incorporates grandparents, and Ayesha's grandparents were my favorite. I appreciated how they balanced each other and let Ayesha and, later, Khalid make their own choices while giving out wisdom instead of a "here's how I'd do this" prescription.
This is my first 5-star read of the year, and I will continue to read Jalaluddin's books as she's an incredible writer.
A modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice with a lot of humor.
It's another 3 star read unfortunately - the good news is that I finally hit on a 5 star book with [b: Emma|6969|Emma|Jane Austen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1373627931l/6969._SY75_.jpg|3360164] but this reading slump lasted a fair while before I got back into it!
So, being a Pride and Prejudice retelling, I was already excited about it. I watch Jane Austen adaptations all the time and I am slowly making my way through her works (half done, half to go!). While I liked the main characters, I didn't really believe in the romance and the ending felt quite rushed and contrived, especially in a modern contemporary setting. I really liked the rep though and how it explored love and dating for second-gen Muslims and there were a fair few things that I could sympathise with as someone from a fairly similar background to the main characters (being British-South Asian!). All in all, it wasn't brilliant but it was an enjoyable, breezy read and I might have a look at other works by the author.
So, being a Pride and Prejudice retelling, I was already excited about it. I watch Jane Austen adaptations all the time and I am slowly making my way through her works (half done, half to go!). While I liked the main characters, I didn't really believe in the romance and the ending felt quite rushed and contrived, especially in a modern contemporary setting. I really liked the rep though and how it explored love and dating for second-gen Muslims and there were a fair few things that I could sympathise with as someone from a fairly similar background to the main characters (being British-South Asian!). All in all, it wasn't brilliant but it was an enjoyable, breezy read and I might have a look at other works by the author.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’m a sucker for a Pride & Prejudice retelling and really appreciated how the Muslim and Southeast Asian culture could play into the original story. In many ways, I didn’t feel that Jalaluddin was too tired to the original to not allow some creativity in, but there were some places where sticking to the original story made things a bit awkward. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the characters and their growth and especially loved how much Southeast Asian culture was incorporated.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Islamophobia, Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content, Xenophobia, Abortion