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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
This is such a lovely book. The characters are fully formed, relatable, and just adorable.
3.5 stars. This is marketed as a modern take on Pride and Prejudice—which it is—but there’s also a lot of Shakespeare’s comedic mistaken identities in here. It’s cute and fun but didn’t fully stick the landing.
I'm a sucker for a good Pride & Prejudice retelling, although tbh I thought this book's strongest points were when it strayed away from an exact parallel. Still, it was an enjoyable read!
So fun! I absolutely loved this book. A delightful page-turner.
I'm not usually a fan of Pride & Prejudice re-imaginings, at least not in book form. However, Ayesha and Khalid's love story, especially in the second quarter of the book, charmed me, as did Nana and Nani. The author did a great job capturing what it feels like to fall in love for the first time, as well as bringing Canadian Muslim cultures and communities to life. Ayesha's journey of self-discovery also resonated with me.
However, many of the other characters felt very over-the-top and under-developed, particularly the villains. The build-up to the big misunderstanding at the halfway point was well done and kept me on the edge of my seat, but a lot of the drama that followed felt anti-climactic and less "earned," and I was much less invested in the last 100 pages or so, particularly as the book began to parallel Pride & Prejudice more and more. I liked the book more when it was subtly referencing P&P but mainly doing its own thing; when it pivoted to more slavishly following the beats of the original -- especially when the groundwork hadn't been done earlier on to make those developments feel authentic to this particular story -- it lost some of its magic.
This was an ambitious, joyous debut that worked on a lot of levels, but it tried to do too many things at once, and fell a little short for me.
However, many of the other characters felt very over-the-top and under-developed, particularly the villains. The build-up to the big misunderstanding at the halfway point was well done and kept me on the edge of my seat, but a lot of the drama that followed felt anti-climactic and less "earned," and I was much less invested in the last 100 pages or so, particularly as the book began to parallel Pride & Prejudice more and more. I liked the book more when it was subtly referencing P&P but mainly doing its own thing; when it pivoted to more slavishly following the beats of the original -- especially when the groundwork hadn't been done earlier on to make those developments feel authentic to this particular story -- it lost some of its magic.
This was an ambitious, joyous debut that worked on a lot of levels, but it tried to do too many things at once, and fell a little short for me.
This book was such a pleasant surprise! As I kid that grew up in Scarborough, it was nice to read a book set in all the places I know well! I will be reading her other novels for sure! I highly recommend
Cute! A bit rushed toward the last 1/3 of the story but very cute and nice to see some more diverse stories within the romance genre.
The moment I discovered that Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin was a Pride and Prejudice inspired retelling, I knew I would have to read the book. I love ANYTHING Pride & Prejudice, and I especially enjoy seeing an author take my favorite classic and give their own spin to it. This book sounded very promising, so I was super excited to check it out!
Not only is Ayesha At Last a retelling, it’s a modern day Muslim retelling, which is also set in Canada. (I have not read many books set in Canada, so this was especially interesting.) The storyline felt both familiar, yet completely fresh and new as well. Other than a few character changes, (and the obvious modern conveniences), it actually follows pretty closely along with the original storyline, which I liked. I did myself getting a little bored a few times in the book, but this was a really quick read, and the story always picked back up to grab my attention, which was nice.
The story is told through two of the main characters viewpoints. Ayesha is our modern day Lizzie Bennett, who dreams of being a poet, but is instead trying to find work so she can pay back her uncle. Khalid is the Mr. Darcy of the story, and much like the original Mr. Darcy, he took a while to warm up to. (Don’t worry, he won me over by the end.) I really enjoyed the alternate narration to the story, and I actually wish the original had had that as well. There are a lot of interesting secondary characters in the story as well, some that you will like, and a few that you will despise with a purple passion. Read the book to meet them all!
I also want to add that while I started reading the actual print copy of this book, I ended up listening to the audiobook about a fourth of the way through. I’m so glad I did! The story is narrated by Roshni Shukla, who has a fantastic voice, and I hope to find more audiobooks that she has narrated in the future!
Overall; Ayesha At Last was a very fun, quick modern day retelling of my absolute most favorite book, and I am very glad to have to read the book! I will definitely be keeping my eye out for more books by Uzma Jalaluddin in the future! If you like a good Pride and Prejudice retelling with a modern day twist, do check out Ayesha At Last!
Happy Reading!
Not only is Ayesha At Last a retelling, it’s a modern day Muslim retelling, which is also set in Canada. (I have not read many books set in Canada, so this was especially interesting.) The storyline felt both familiar, yet completely fresh and new as well. Other than a few character changes, (and the obvious modern conveniences), it actually follows pretty closely along with the original storyline, which I liked. I did myself getting a little bored a few times in the book, but this was a really quick read, and the story always picked back up to grab my attention, which was nice.
The story is told through two of the main characters viewpoints. Ayesha is our modern day Lizzie Bennett, who dreams of being a poet, but is instead trying to find work so she can pay back her uncle. Khalid is the Mr. Darcy of the story, and much like the original Mr. Darcy, he took a while to warm up to. (Don’t worry, he won me over by the end.) I really enjoyed the alternate narration to the story, and I actually wish the original had had that as well. There are a lot of interesting secondary characters in the story as well, some that you will like, and a few that you will despise with a purple passion. Read the book to meet them all!
I also want to add that while I started reading the actual print copy of this book, I ended up listening to the audiobook about a fourth of the way through. I’m so glad I did! The story is narrated by Roshni Shukla, who has a fantastic voice, and I hope to find more audiobooks that she has narrated in the future!
Overall; Ayesha At Last was a very fun, quick modern day retelling of my absolute most favorite book, and I am very glad to have to read the book! I will definitely be keeping my eye out for more books by Uzma Jalaluddin in the future! If you like a good Pride and Prejudice retelling with a modern day twist, do check out Ayesha At Last!
Happy Reading!