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dahabow's review
4.0
Actual rating: 3.75
The ending definitely redeemed this book for me. Its very different to the other Aboulela novels I've read but I still enjoyed the themes of faith and the grapple with responsibility and acceptance. Each woman was different even with the issues they faced and I love the exploration of pride and ego and the role it can play in your downfall.
There are mentions of reading Surah Fatiha at the graves of the deceased however there is no daleel (evidence) of the Prophet (SAW) and his companions doing this however making dua and giving to charity on behalf of the deceased is prescribed.
As always, Leila has a way with words and prose that makes me excited to read the rest of her works
The ending definitely redeemed this book for me. Its very different to the other Aboulela novels I've read but I still enjoyed the themes of faith and the grapple with responsibility and acceptance. Each woman was different even with the issues they faced and I love the exploration of pride and ego and the role it can play in your downfall.
There are mentions of reading Surah Fatiha at the graves of the deceased however there is no daleel (evidence) of the Prophet (SAW) and his companions doing this however making dua and giving to charity on behalf of the deceased is prescribed.
As always, Leila has a way with words and prose that makes me excited to read the rest of her works
jennms_qkw's review
4.0
This author is on the recommended list for Reading Women 2021 (one of four).
The story is compelling - long weekend away for three friends with a special quest. Women in various situations taking time for theirselves. The magical realism is foreshadowed early after a tumultuous beginning. Religion and culture. Relationships and power dynamics. And a little bird who tells stories.
The vision at the grave - I like to think the future is always in motion and what was seen was only one possible future.
The story is compelling - long weekend away for three friends with a special quest. Women in various situations taking time for theirselves. The magical realism is foreshadowed early after a tumultuous beginning. Religion and culture. Relationships and power dynamics. And a little bird who tells stories.
The vision at the grave - I like to think the future is always in motion and what was seen was only one possible future.
mimielaushi's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
oneshelf's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-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
4.75
lizbusby's review
4.0
This novel is difficult to categorize. It's some sort of speculative fiction, but is it magical realism or surrealism or religious fairy tale or something else entirely? Whatever it is, it's a fascinating story of three Muslim women in the UK who set out on an unusual pilgrimage and have a transformative experience along the way. You may want to familiarize yourself with The Conference of the Birds first, as the book draws a lot of its symbolism from it. I am not an expert on Islamic literature or theology by any stretch, but I am a religious person and I appreciated the way this book challenges the traditional narrative expectations.
Another caveat: the writing style is unusual, in that it switches back and forth between character's heads without giving a clear indication of who is thinking. This was somewhat confusing when listening to the audiobook, but the author does it so often that it's clear she's doing so intentionally. Just be prepared to put a little more work into paying attention than you might with a typical western novel and you should be good to go.
Read for Engl 450R.
Another caveat: the writing style is unusual, in that it switches back and forth between character's heads without giving a clear indication of who is thinking. This was somewhat confusing when listening to the audiobook, but the author does it so often that it's clear she's doing so intentionally. Just be prepared to put a little more work into paying attention than you might with a typical western novel and you should be good to go.
Read for Engl 450R.
now_booking's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
This book was highly recommended to me by several people whose literary fiction opinions I respect and I was promised I would like it and a year and a half ago, I started reading this and initially, I was intrigued. Female friendships, and faith are two things I’m particularly interested in and those are central to the plot of this book. However, I soon found these elements to drag a bit and for the self-perceived sense of stagnation in the three protagonists’ lives to be mirrored by a sense of stagnation in the plot for at least 75% of this book.
The premise is that three friends, Salma, Moni and Iman, brought together by their common faith, but having distinctly different backgrounds in the midst of great personal turmoils in their lives go on a road trip/pilgrimage to a small village in Scotland and there are able to explore their greatest torments and forge new realities away from the weighty expectations of their communities.
This to me felt like 2 separate books. The first 70% of so is a pastoral story of a friendship sort of imploding when the three women get on a road trip and are unbound by the strictures of their family and faith to explore their greatest desires seemingly with no repercussions. This could have been exciting but it was all very internalized. There were endless cyclical and repetitive depictions of Salma’s lust for a past life and a past lover through a text-based flirtationship, and Moni’s yearning to mother her son’s disability away to the exclusion of all else through her relationship with the young boy holidaying nearby, and Iman’s disdain for her femininity and pretty privilege which has been weaponised against her through her exploration of new identities through her costume play and removing her hijab. The issue is that the important conversations were never had. And nothing really happened. Because of the style of book, it was uncertain what was real and what wasn’t and there was not enough real dialogue or conversation to actually explore what the women were experiencing. This was clearly on purpose, but because it was all so unformed and the same depictions repeated over and over and dragged on for so long, it made this for me a less compelling read.
For me, the second part of the book, the final 30% where the author unapologetically catapaulted the story into the magical realism realm is where this really picked up and got some form and purpose. The final 30% used the stories the hoopoe had told Iman throughout the first part of the book to showcase consequences. It is unimportant whether the traumatic consequences faced by Salma, Iman, and Moni really happen or are merely dreams, because what is important is how these consequences teach them about themselves, about their flirtation with disaster and about their friendship. The author’s use of magical realism for this portion of the book I think provides a more creative exploration of consequence than using one that was based on religion. Using the hoopoe’s stories and parables makes the lessons more a commentary about humanity than they are specifically about being a Muslim woman although that is a huge part of the cultural identity in this book.
Overall, I liked this. Certainly, I enjoyed the last 30% more than the first 70%. I found it incredibly meaningful and I felt like it was doing something to further themes of friendship and identity more than the larger earlier section of the book. While the hoopoe makes appearances throughout the book, I wish the magical realism had been more incorporated throughout the story rather than the huge switch near the end, especially because it was executed so well. I was ambivalent about the whole premise of the pilgrimage to the “old Scottish lady who had been a Muslim”’s plot area. The author tried to tie it together in the end but to be honest, I didn’t really care much about that part of the story. I only cared about the protagonists and their relationships. Perhaps that was why I found a lot of this book very hard going. For one that had 3 protagonists, it was a very lonely sort of story. The women were alone in their thoughts a lot and there wasn’t a lot of doing or progression till near the end.
The premise is that three friends, Salma, Moni and Iman, brought together by their common faith, but having distinctly different backgrounds in the midst of great personal turmoils in their lives go on a road trip/pilgrimage to a small village in Scotland and there are able to explore their greatest torments and forge new realities away from the weighty expectations of their communities.
This to me felt like 2 separate books. The first 70% of so is a pastoral story of a friendship sort of imploding when the three women get on a road trip and are unbound by the strictures of their family and faith to explore their greatest desires seemingly with no repercussions. This could have been exciting but it was all very internalized. There were endless cyclical and repetitive depictions of Salma’s lust for a past life and a past lover through a text-based flirtationship, and Moni’s yearning to mother her son’s disability away to the exclusion of all else through her relationship with the young boy holidaying nearby, and Iman’s disdain for her femininity and pretty privilege which has been weaponised against her through her exploration of new identities through her costume play and removing her hijab. The issue is that the important conversations were never had. And nothing really happened. Because of the style of book, it was uncertain what was real and what wasn’t and there was not enough real dialogue or conversation to actually explore what the women were experiencing. This was clearly on purpose, but because it was all so unformed and the same depictions repeated over and over and dragged on for so long, it made this for me a less compelling read.
For me, the second part of the book, the final 30% where the author unapologetically catapaulted the story into the magical realism realm is where this really picked up and got some form and purpose. The final 30% used the stories the hoopoe had told Iman throughout the first part of the book to showcase consequences. It is unimportant whether the traumatic consequences faced by Salma, Iman, and Moni really happen or are merely dreams, because what is important is how these consequences teach them about themselves, about their flirtation with disaster and about their friendship. The author’s use of magical realism for this portion of the book I think provides a more creative exploration of consequence than using one that was based on religion. Using the hoopoe’s stories and parables makes the lessons more a commentary about humanity than they are specifically about being a Muslim woman although that is a huge part of the cultural identity in this book.
Overall, I liked this. Certainly, I enjoyed the last 30% more than the first 70%. I found it incredibly meaningful and I felt like it was doing something to further themes of friendship and identity more than the larger earlier section of the book. While the hoopoe makes appearances throughout the book, I wish the magical realism had been more incorporated throughout the story rather than the huge switch near the end, especially because it was executed so well. I was ambivalent about the whole premise of the pilgrimage to the “old Scottish lady who had been a Muslim”’s plot area. The author tried to tie it together in the end but to be honest, I didn’t really care much about that part of the story. I only cared about the protagonists and their relationships. Perhaps that was why I found a lot of this book very hard going. For one that had 3 protagonists, it was a very lonely sort of story. The women were alone in their thoughts a lot and there wasn’t a lot of doing or progression till near the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Islamophobia, Abandonment, Death, Infidelity, Ableism, Infertility, Toxic friendship, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Body shaming, Sexism, Dysphoria, Fatphobia, and Gaslighting
Minor: Classism, Colonisation, and Bullying
tjgreads's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
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
3.0
elizafiedler's review
4.0
Okay, this is an odd book. I didn't think I would like it at all at first; it felt like the characters were wallowing in their own struggles a lot. And they were. But that's not all... it's worth getting past the very, very slow start. The ending had me in tears.
ablondebooknerd's review against another edition
3.0
Three Muslim women living in Scotland decide to go on a pilgrimage to the grave of Lady Evelyn Cobbold, the first British woman to convert to Islam and travel to Mecca. Told over the course of a week, Bird Summons dives into the lives of very different women from very different backgrounds and countries (Egypt, Sudan and Syria). These women all have their own struggles and reasons for wishing to leave their current lives behind.
I did enjoy reading these women’s inner thoughts but I found the way the story jumps from character to character within a single chapter to be a bit disorienting. It felt like I was watching a tennis match but with three people and was constantly being lobbed from woman to woman. Sometimes it would be from one character’s perspective for a page or two and sometimes the perspective would only last one paragraph before jumping to the next character.
After reading the Author’s Note at the end, the book made a lot more sense to me. I was not familiar with the Hoopoe and why this bird is so important to Islam. I think that if this section had been either moved to the front or when the Hoopoe first appears it is explained to the reader what the bird is and signifies then what happens later in the book would make more sense.
This book despite being a bit hard to follow was very interesting and allows the reader to peak into the lives over different Muslim women.
Thank you to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
I did enjoy reading these women’s inner thoughts but I found the way the story jumps from character to character within a single chapter to be a bit disorienting. It felt like I was watching a tennis match but with three people and was constantly being lobbed from woman to woman. Sometimes it would be from one character’s perspective for a page or two and sometimes the perspective would only last one paragraph before jumping to the next character.
After reading the Author’s Note at the end, the book made a lot more sense to me. I was not familiar with the Hoopoe and why this bird is so important to Islam. I think that if this section had been either moved to the front or when the Hoopoe first appears it is explained to the reader what the bird is and signifies then what happens later in the book would make more sense.
This book despite being a bit hard to follow was very interesting and allows the reader to peak into the lives over different Muslim women.
Thank you to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.