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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Ayesha & Khalid = ❤️
This turned out to be more enjoyable than I thought! I jumped at the setting, the theme and the people – a Pride & Prejudice-themed romcom set in the Indian Muslim community of Toronto. Also, I kept seeing this book in my feed.
This is not a exactly a Prude & Prejudice retelling, it’s more of a homage. There are some lines of dialogue, a few scenes, some situations. It so happens that I know P&P almost by heart, so it was fun to find all the Easter eggs.
”Because while it is a truth universally acknowledged that a single Muslim man must be in want of a wife, there is an even greater truth: To his Indian mother, his own inclinations are of secondary importance.”
The writing is nice, easy on the eyes and the brain – in a good way. Here are big families, domineering mothers and aunties, great food. And here are Ayesha and Khalid. Khalid is a very traditional Muslim. Ayesha is rather less traditional. Their first meetings are not promising:
”I do not wish to be introduced to your friend. I stay away from the type of Muslim who frequents bars.” (It’s not a bar, it’s a lounge. They have poetry nights. Honestly, Khalid.)
Ayesha: ”Who did that bearded fundy think he was?” And later: ”Someone who looks like you should avoid humour. You’ll only confuse people.”
Oh, and we have a “Wickham” (I recognized him at once!) and a “Mr Collins”. The latter is a life couch. Yes, I know. Brilliant.
The plot involves a case of mistaken identity, which works rather well. As the book progresses, it delves into serious issues: racism, people being forced into an arranged marriage, dark family secrets, alcoholism… But most of the time, the tone is not too dark. A lot of things happen before we get to the inevitable ending (it’s a romcom, remember?)
There were plot threads that seemed unnecessarily convoluted. There were also slightly too many of them! Some characters’ motivations felt off to me. These are probably the quirks of a debut novel, but I still enjoyed the book.
Quite a few things made me chuckle, and some made my eyes prickle a bit. Recommended if you want nice romcom vibes!
This turned out to be more enjoyable than I thought! I jumped at the setting, the theme and the people – a Pride & Prejudice-themed romcom set in the Indian Muslim community of Toronto. Also, I kept seeing this book in my feed.
This is not a exactly a Prude & Prejudice retelling, it’s more of a homage. There are some lines of dialogue, a few scenes, some situations. It so happens that I know P&P almost by heart, so it was fun to find all the Easter eggs.
”Because while it is a truth universally acknowledged that a single Muslim man must be in want of a wife, there is an even greater truth: To his Indian mother, his own inclinations are of secondary importance.”
The writing is nice, easy on the eyes and the brain – in a good way. Here are big families, domineering mothers and aunties, great food. And here are Ayesha and Khalid. Khalid is a very traditional Muslim. Ayesha is rather less traditional. Their first meetings are not promising:
”I do not wish to be introduced to your friend. I stay away from the type of Muslim who frequents bars.” (It’s not a bar, it’s a lounge. They have poetry nights. Honestly, Khalid.)
Ayesha: ”Who did that bearded fundy think he was?” And later: ”Someone who looks like you should avoid humour. You’ll only confuse people.”
Oh, and we have a “Wickham” (I recognized him at once!) and a “Mr Collins”. The latter is a life couch. Yes, I know. Brilliant.
The plot involves a case of mistaken identity, which works rather well. As the book progresses, it delves into serious issues: racism, people being forced into an arranged marriage, dark family secrets, alcoholism… But most of the time, the tone is not too dark. A lot of things happen before we get to the inevitable ending (it’s a romcom, remember?)
There were plot threads that seemed unnecessarily convoluted. There were also slightly too many of them! Some characters’ motivations felt off to me. These are probably the quirks of a debut novel, but I still enjoyed the book.
Quite a few things made me chuckle, and some made my eyes prickle a bit. Recommended if you want nice romcom vibes!
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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:
No
Forgettable and boring. Not the kind of representation I’d be looking for in a muslim story. And as soon as you finally get to read some actual heartwarming romance, the book ends. Not a fan of unnecessary miscommunication tropes and some characters felt comically evil: like Bond villains but in a completely average and normal world so they feel garishly out of place. There isn’t much chemistry to speak of either between the leads unfortunately.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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
This is a bit more clunky than Hannah Khan, but it still reads very well and is absolutely wonderful. I think that a chunk of that clunkiness was trying to fit (very loosely) the story to the framework of Pride and Prejudice. At the same time, I love that this story was fit (very loosely) over the framework of Pride and Prejudice. The scenes that mirror Austen's work were absolutely brilliant. Where it diverged, though, was the real strength of the story and I think that it might have been better to let it be entirely its own thing. I can't help but wonder if an earlier draft hewed closer to the Austen but didn't quite work.
Beyond that, the characters are as well drawn as they are colorful. Ayesha and Khalid are both so easy to get behind as protagonists that it's hard not to feel for them with every high and low moment they go through. And the general plot and its little mysteries are really engaging. Overall, I really enjoyed it and had a hard time putting it down.
Beyond that, the characters are as well drawn as they are colorful. Ayesha and Khalid are both so easy to get behind as protagonists that it's hard not to feel for them with every high and low moment they go through. And the general plot and its little mysteries are really engaging. Overall, I really enjoyed it and had a hard time putting it down.
3.5 stars. What began with a strong start and engaging body ended with somewhat of a fizzle for me, but on the whole I enjoyed the cast of characters, how laugh-out-loud ridiculous some moments were, and the development of the protagonists.
Sooo...*cringes and hides* I've never read [b:Pride and Prejudice|1885|Pride and Prejudice|Jane Austen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320399351l/1885._SY75_.jpg|3060926], of which this book is an adaptation. I don't even know what it's about. I know, I know...so I can't speak to the parallels between Ayesha at Last and P&P. The story follows Ayesha and Khalid, two Muslims living in Toronto who are opposites that DON'T attract (at first). But what I can say is that aside from tackling the world of arranged marriages and existing within the Muslim community, this story felt different. While both characters were attracted to each other, it wasn't a tired played-out insta-love relationships based almost entirely on looks I see a lot in romance novels. There was a magnetism between the two. It felt like something deeper, and like a relationship everyone should have--one that makes you grow.
However, this book wasn't without its faults. I found the climax of this book to be totally convoluted with too many characters, it had too much deception and back-and-forth 'gotcha' moments, and it was too over the top. I also didn't understand the character of Sheila, Khalid's racist boss. She wasn't a believable character to me--and don't get me wrong, I believe there are plenty of racist bosses out there, but it seems unthinkable someone as overtly racist like Sheila could ever get to a position like the one she has living in Canada. Maybe I'm naive about that, but her character seemed off.
While the ending was rocky, ultimately I'm glad to have read Ayesha at Last, because I learned about the complexities and ideological differences that can exist within the Muslim community. Now that I've put this book down, I'm ready to make all the delicious traditional meals Jalaluddin describes (seriously though, this whole book made me STARVING)!!
Sooo...*cringes and hides* I've never read [b:Pride and Prejudice|1885|Pride and Prejudice|Jane Austen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320399351l/1885._SY75_.jpg|3060926], of which this book is an adaptation. I don't even know what it's about. I know, I know...so I can't speak to the parallels between Ayesha at Last and P&P. The story follows Ayesha and Khalid, two Muslims living in Toronto who are opposites that DON'T attract (at first). But what I can say is that aside from tackling the world of arranged marriages and existing within the Muslim community, this story felt different. While both characters were attracted to each other, it wasn't a tired played-out insta-love relationships based almost entirely on looks I see a lot in romance novels. There was a magnetism between the two. It felt like something deeper, and like a relationship everyone should have--one that makes you grow.
However, this book wasn't without its faults. I found the climax of this book to be totally convoluted with too many characters, it had too much deception and back-and-forth 'gotcha' moments, and it was too over the top. I also didn't understand the character of Sheila, Khalid's racist boss. She wasn't a believable character to me--and don't get me wrong, I believe there are plenty of racist bosses out there, but it seems unthinkable someone as overtly racist like Sheila could ever get to a position like the one she has living in Canada. Maybe I'm naive about that, but her character seemed off.
While the ending was rocky, ultimately I'm glad to have read Ayesha at Last, because I learned about the complexities and ideological differences that can exist within the Muslim community. Now that I've put this book down, I'm ready to make all the delicious traditional meals Jalaluddin describes (seriously though, this whole book made me STARVING)!!
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Really enjoyed this modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in the Muslim community in Toronto. It’s not a straight plot dupe - the author has moved the characters round a bit, but you’ve got the couple who are clearly ideal for each other but totally fail to grasp each other’s character to start with, the slick duplicitous charmer, the scheming older woman and the key milestones of the original. Really nicely done and a cheering read.
This is a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in Canada, with Muslim characters. Ayesha dreams of being a poet, and definitely doesn't want an arranged marriage. Her father died when she was young, so she lives with her aunt and uncle who are wealthy. She takes a job teaching, which she hates, to pay off her debts to her uncle. Her cousin, Hafsa, is not serious, but Hafsa's parents want her married.
Khalid is a computer programmer. After his sister was sent away to India, Khalid devoted himself to his religion and worship. He is a devout follower of Islam. However, when Ayesha and Khalid meet, there is something between them. But, Khalid thinks Ayesha is Hafsa, and agrees to that arranged marriage. Ayesha is heartbroken, but there is more - someone is causing trouble for Khalid at work, and there are rumors about his family. Ayesha knows that she must get to the bottom of this, and in doing so, will she find love?
A good retelling, and a bit fun.
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
Funny, sweet, cute, and heartfelt. The Pride & Prejudice tie-in was kinda clunky but that’s okay. This book was exactly what I needed at this time. I want more cute rom-coms with Muslim characters!