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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
Sometimes there were no words, only sunshine on your heart.“
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This is billed as a Pride & Predjudice retelling- but in my opinion the connection to the source material is pretty loose. That’s not a bad thing. Whether or not you’ve ever read P&P you can absolutely read this book. At the heart of this comedy/romance/family story is the Muslim community. I loved how the cultural undertones helped drive the story and character arcs.
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Certain sections did feel a little laborious- but overall I found it to be a diversely charming, delightfully witty and downright entertaining read.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
This is billed as a Pride & Predjudice retelling- but in my opinion the connection to the source material is pretty loose. That’s not a bad thing. Whether or not you’ve ever read P&P you can absolutely read this book. At the heart of this comedy/romance/family story is the Muslim community. I loved how the cultural undertones helped drive the story and character arcs.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Certain sections did feel a little laborious- but overall I found it to be a diversely charming, delightfully witty and downright entertaining read.
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Often described as a romance and a modern-day Muslim Pride and Prejudice, not typically my go-to genres, I nonetheless found [b:Ayesha at Last|43124133|Ayesha at Last|Uzma Jalaluddin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1544037862s/43124133.jpg|57683370] to be a real page turner. The nod to Shakespeare and a healthy dose of despicable characters makes it engaging and fun, while the wisdom of Nana and the Imam provide thoughtful reminders that intentions matter.
3.5! I really liked the idea of a modern Muslim take on Pride and Prejudice (which, because I have a pulse, is one of my favorite books), and quite enjoyed this. I'm a little bummed because it didn't live up to my (admittedly pretty lofty) expectations -- I had a hard time connecting to the writing style and I felt like some of the dialogue was rather stilted. That could be because I'm a dialogue-heavy writer, though! It's difficult for me to feel immersed in a story if the dialogue doesn't capture me and feel authentic.
This was also definitely P&P in a very loose sense, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Khalid made for a very interesting take on Mr. Darcy, and Ayesha had just enough of the trademark Elizabeth Bennet core values to make my heart swell a little bit! Just goes to show that every version of Mr. Wickham is dead to me.
Very fun, and a very necessary and original take on an old classic!
This was also definitely P&P in a very loose sense, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Khalid made for a very interesting take on Mr. Darcy, and Ayesha had just enough of the trademark Elizabeth Bennet core values to make my heart swell a little bit! Just goes to show that every version of Mr. Wickham is dead to me.
Very fun, and a very necessary and original take on an old classic!
Sheila (ESPECIALLY HER) and Hafsa got off super easy!
Other than that, this was amazing!
Other than that, this was amazing!
3.5 stars
Enjoyable but VERY over the top for me
Enjoyable but VERY over the top for me
I had a conversation with someone who is a Goodreads friend (HI BILL!) a few months ago, and we were on the subject of books (duh). He made the comment about how he noticed that I seemed to read ALL the 'Pride and Prejudice' re-tellings ('I didn't even know there were that many out there!'). And I laughed it off at the time, but I got to thinking about it...Why was I so obsessed with P&P (which isn't even my favorite Austen novel)?
I think because (in the Muslim/Arab-American re-tellings especially), the themes in P&P carry over so well (marriage, the concern over aging spinsters, women who are trying to be outspoken in a society that wants them to fit in a particular mold, family drama, the search for love, societal pressure, etc).
Not to say we are the only culture that deals with this, but with Muslim women writers slowly trickling in the mainstream, P&P is one of the most universal and flexible ways to laugh and make a point about the concerns of the new second generation of Muslims. I think there are more 'hard-hitting' novels by women Muslim writers that are out there, but deal with a lot more gritty topics (or, there are fantasy-based ones...looking at you [a:Sabaa Tahir|7770873|Sabaa Tahir|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1390501945p2/7770873.jpg] and [b:The City of Brass|32718027|The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy, #1)|S.A. Chakraborty|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1491417547l/32718027._SX50_.jpg|53299478]). Plus, Muslim romance is still a burgeoning genre and this is a good gateway to make people not scared of us (that's a whoooole other conversation I had with another person).
Rant over-- This book is awesome, it is (very very loosely) based on P&P, and I thought it was really clever to make the main guy a conservative Muslim man, but still show the flexibility and growth of different characters. Plus, I live for all the family drama. It makes me feel better about mine.
Bill-- to be fair, I genuinely didn't realize this was another retelling until after I started reading it.
I think because (in the Muslim/Arab-American re-tellings especially), the themes in P&P carry over so well (marriage, the concern over aging spinsters, women who are trying to be outspoken in a society that wants them to fit in a particular mold, family drama, the search for love, societal pressure, etc).
Not to say we are the only culture that deals with this, but with Muslim women writers slowly trickling in the mainstream, P&P is one of the most universal and flexible ways to laugh and make a point about the concerns of the new second generation of Muslims. I think there are more 'hard-hitting' novels by women Muslim writers that are out there, but deal with a lot more gritty topics (or, there are fantasy-based ones...looking at you [a:Sabaa Tahir|7770873|Sabaa Tahir|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1390501945p2/7770873.jpg] and [b:The City of Brass|32718027|The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy, #1)|S.A. Chakraborty|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1491417547l/32718027._SX50_.jpg|53299478]). Plus, Muslim romance is still a burgeoning genre and this is a good gateway to make people not scared of us (that's a whoooole other conversation I had with another person).
Rant over-- This book is awesome, it is (very very loosely) based on P&P, and I thought it was really clever to make the main guy a conservative Muslim man, but still show the flexibility and growth of different characters. Plus, I live for all the family drama. It makes me feel better about mine.
Bill-- to be fair, I genuinely didn't realize this was another retelling until after I started reading it.
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
finished in one sitting. it was like taking a lungful of fresh forest air, inhaling it with my soul. this author was really what the muslim community needed. i absolutely loved every bit of this book, especially the ability to recognize myself and the phenomena of my religion and culture, which allowed me to connect with the characters on a deeper level. sacrificed my sleeping schedule and studying hours but i dont regret anything. i am, in fact, so content <3