Reviews

More to the Story by Hena Khan

miszjeanie's review against another edition

5.0

I ADORED THIS BOOK from the very first sentence–I just knew it would be good. And I was right. More to the Story is a heartwarming, charming middle-grade novel about sisterhood, family, and following your passion. I would highly recommend this novel to anyone looking for a wholesome, riveting middle-grade book. This book would be perfect for fans of The Vanderbeeker series and Amina’s Voice. Read my full review on my blog.

Thanks to the author and Salaam Reads for an ARC of this novel.

unseelier's review against another edition

4.0

love the story but feel really disappointed with the audio;(

jennyp0208's review against another edition

4.0

Loosely inspired by Little Women, set in a modern Muslim family in Georgia. It's a good quick read.

cheesehead_reader's review against another edition

4.0

Sweet modern day middle grade novel influenced by Little Women. Jameela Mirza is the character of Jo who has to deal with her father being away for work, learning about ethical journalism and dealing with a sick sister. This was such a sweet retelling. I love the strength of Jam but Hana Khan doesn't make her perfect (she makes a whopper of a mistake for the school newspaper) but she isn't one of those middle grade characters that is supposed to be cute while being disobedient. I loved this story of family and friendship.

suvata's review against another edition

4.0

This book mimics the trials and tribulations of the beloved “Little Women“ by Louisa May Alcott as played out by a Muslim American family. But, of course, it has been updated to the current day with different and bigger difficulties - 21st Century problems. It is really well done. As a matter fact took me a while before I realized it was a retelling of “Little Women“. Excellent book for middle graders and above.

shellysbookcorner's review against another edition

3.0

*I received a review copy from Amazon Vine and voluntarily provided an honest review. This does not affect the opinion of the book or the content of the review.*

This was a nice story but I had a hard time getting fully invested. It centers around four sisters but I would have liked to have points of views from all of them and not just Jameela. This story deals with serious topics such as illness and racism. Overall it was a nice read but it didn't blow me away.

katreadsalot's review against another edition

4.0

I loved the audio book of this lovely retelling of Little Women. It centered on 4 sisters in a Pakistani-American family living in Georgia and their trials when their father has to take a job in Dubai. I loved following the sisters, particularly Jameela and her journalism dreams. It would be a very good book to share with kids on cancer.

crafalsk264's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative reflective slow-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

4.0

This book is a retelling of “Little Women”. The first thing that surprised me was learning that “Little Women” was originally issued in two parts. Part 2 was originally titled “Good Wives”. These two parts were combined and issued in 1880 as a single book. These two along with the sequels, Little Men and Jo’s Boys, were eventually referred to as the “Little Women Collection.”

As to the story, More to the Story (MTTS) tells the story of the four Mirza sisters with a loving mother, and a loving but absent father living in Georgia, a Pakistani-American family.  The book follows the major points of the original plot, the sisters have names beginning with the same letter as their counterparts (Maryam and Meg, Jameela as Jo, Bisma and Beth, and Aleeza and Amy). The major personality traits from the original sisters carry forward to today’s twin as well. For instance Jo’s primary desire is to become a successful writer. The boy staying with a neighbor is Ali instead of Laurie.

In this retelling, we have a modern version of  “Little Women”, the MTTS and  “Little Women” are both stories of love of family, community and country. MTTS adds the elements of friendship, ambition, illness, death and racist micro aggressions. The characters deal with respect and empathy being the major themes for the friendship plot line. Overall this is a modern telling of a classic tale with characters who are sympathetic and who show generous support of family and friends. Recommend to readers of updated classic middle grade literature, stories of family, friendship and love, and readers who want more tales of Pakistani culture and racism . 

sandraagee's review against another edition

3.0

This book was sold to me as a [b:Little Women|1934|Little Women|Louisa May Alcott|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1562690475l/1934._SY75_.jpg|3244642] retelling featuring a modern Pakistani family. There are definitely elements that are borrowed directly from the classic story, but this modern retelling definitely gives the story it's own unique twist. I think it's especially significant that this version is narrated in the first person, from Jam/Jo's perspective, unlike Little Women which favors Jo but is distinctly third person. As a result the focus on sisterly relationships is lacking compared to the original and Maryam/Meg and Aleeza/Amy are, I think, underutilized.

But if you aren't expecting/hoping for a word-for-word retelling, this is a pretty fantastic book. There's definitely a lot going on in this sweet, satisfying story and it's well worth the read. I enjoyed getting to spend time with Jam and her family and getting to peek into their culture.

hilary_v's review against another edition

medium-paced

3.0