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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
Slow to start but enchanting
I really enjoyed reading this book, the details are magnificent (this book would be a phenomenal mini series), and I truly enjoyed being transported to Morocco! It certainty dragged towards the middle but all came together wonderfully in the end.
I really enjoyed reading this book, the details are magnificent (this book would be a phenomenal mini series), and I truly enjoyed being transported to Morocco! It certainty dragged towards the middle but all came together wonderfully in the end.
This felt like a love letter to Morocco and I enjoyed the writing, but I felt like it went on for too long and I got bored.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The writing style is brusque and lacks nuance. This may be a partial result of being a translation, but it felt very abrupt and hard.
I enjoyed this book while I was reading it, and it's only sitting down to write this review that I'm thinking of the issues I really had with it. I'm one of those readers who's usually content to be along for the ride, and unless something seriously jumps out at me, I don't tend to think too critically as I'm reading.
First of all, I should have read the description of the book before starting it! I thought the book would be about a Moroccan woman, rather than a British woman living in Morocco. All the characters who are Moroccan (or non-European in general) are secondary/periphery characters, and the most prominent of these characters only becomes important in the last 1/3 of the book or so. So, if you're looking for a book about a strong-willed, independent WOC, this is not the book you're looking for! Again, it didn't bother me much while I read it, aside from the initial surprise from Sibylla, the main character, being British. But looking back, it is pretty crappy that the book was set in an ~exotic location without putting the inhabitants of that location in the front and center of the story.
Other than that gripe, it was a fairly enjoyable story, if a bit predictable. I guessed the ~twist very early on...not sure if I'm getting better at guessing twists, or if it was just that obvious. Though I'm not super into romance, I did appreciate some of the more romantic parts of the book, even though that too was pretty predictable and a bit half-baked. Love at first sight tropes are always kind of cringeworthy, and it played up the star-crossed lovers bit too much in my opinion. Though, somehow, I was still rooting for the couple, so I suppose the book did its job?
What I really enjoyed, however, was the historical background of the book, as well as some of the business dealings that took place. I'm surprised talk of Sibylla's company didn't go further over my head, but it was talked about in a fairly approachable way so it was pretty easy to understand.
Overall, it was okay. I actually lowered the star rating from 4 to 3, but I'll say 3.5 stars. I think the story was really interesting, but the more I think about the issues I've already said, as well as Sibylla's pretty cookie-cutter "independent woman" personality*, the more I'm disappointed.
*To clarify, I LOVE independent, forward-thinking women in my fiction. However, I felt like her characterization was pretty basic in those terms. Yes, she was independent because she ran the portion of her father's company, did what she liked despite propriety, and wore non-traditional (for Brits) clothing, but all of these things are pretty typical of the "independent woman" trope. I just wanted more from her.
First of all, I should have read the description of the book before starting it! I thought the book would be about a Moroccan woman, rather than a British woman living in Morocco. All the characters who are Moroccan (or non-European in general) are secondary/periphery characters, and the most prominent of these characters only becomes important in the last 1/3 of the book or so. So, if you're looking for a book about a strong-willed, independent WOC, this is not the book you're looking for! Again, it didn't bother me much while I read it, aside from the initial surprise from Sibylla, the main character, being British. But looking back, it is pretty crappy that the book was set in an ~exotic location without putting the inhabitants of that location in the front and center of the story.
Other than that gripe, it was a fairly enjoyable story, if a bit predictable. I guessed the ~twist very early on...not sure if I'm getting better at guessing twists, or if it was just that obvious. Though I'm not super into romance, I did appreciate some of the more romantic parts of the book, even though that too was pretty predictable and a bit half-baked. Love at first sight tropes are always kind of cringeworthy, and it played up the star-crossed lovers bit too much in my opinion. Though, somehow, I was still rooting for the couple, so I suppose the book did its job?
What I really enjoyed, however, was the historical background of the book, as well as some of the business dealings that took place. I'm surprised talk of Sibylla's company didn't go further over my head, but it was talked about in a fairly approachable way so it was pretty easy to understand.
Overall, it was okay. I actually lowered the star rating from 4 to 3, but I'll say 3.5 stars. I think the story was really interesting, but the more I think about the issues I've already said, as well as Sibylla's pretty cookie-cutter "independent woman" personality*, the more I'm disappointed.
*To clarify, I LOVE independent, forward-thinking women in my fiction. However, I felt like her characterization was pretty basic in those terms. Yes, she was independent because she ran the portion of her father's company, did what she liked despite propriety, and wore non-traditional (for Brits) clothing, but all of these things are pretty typical of the "independent woman" trope. I just wanted more from her.
I was torn between giving this three or four stars, and actually changed my rating a few times before settling on 3 stars. The world of "The Lioness of Morocco" is fantastic--the descriptions of harbors and caravans and city life in a Muslim-majority country in the 1800s is thrilling and what kept me reading. This is the key to historical fiction, for me--being able to have a vibrant idea of what life was like in that historical time period, and being able to believe that the characters in the story could have actually existed in that time. This book is well-researched and comes alive.
The story itself, however, falls a little flat, and like others have mentioned, I'm not sure if some tone or subtlety got lost in translation. My biggest complaint is that it just. Keeps. Going. There's a clear beginning, middle, and what could be a good place for the story to wrap up, but it just keeps charging forward into a 16 or 17 year timeskip, and the characters themselves don't seem to know why the reader should care to keep reading about them. Towards the end, one character laments along the lines that "The last 17 years in hiding were for nothing, then," and I can't agree more--I got no new insights to the characters in the second half of the book that I didn't already get from the first half. Most perplexingly to me, the first half of the book is full of characters marvelling at the "woman with hair like a lioness," which is where the book's title comes from. In the second half of the book, not only does the main character take a total backseat to the plot, no one seems to refer to her as a lioness, or spectacular, or key to the plot she's a main character of--just felt weird, like I was reading a half-hearted sequel to the book whose first half I thoroughly enjoyed.
The story itself, however, falls a little flat, and like others have mentioned, I'm not sure if some tone or subtlety got lost in translation. My biggest complaint is that it just. Keeps. Going. There's a clear beginning, middle, and what could be a good place for the story to wrap up, but it just keeps charging forward into a 16 or 17 year timeskip, and the characters themselves don't seem to know why the reader should care to keep reading about them. Towards the end, one character laments along the lines that "The last 17 years in hiding were for nothing, then," and I can't agree more--I got no new insights to the characters in the second half of the book that I didn't already get from the first half. Most perplexingly to me, the first half of the book is full of characters marvelling at the "woman with hair like a lioness," which is where the book's title comes from. In the second half of the book, not only does the main character take a total backseat to the plot, no one seems to refer to her as a lioness, or spectacular, or key to the plot she's a main character of--just felt weird, like I was reading a half-hearted sequel to the book whose first half I thoroughly enjoyed.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This won't win awards but it's definitely a Page Turner. I like historical fiction and this novel did not disappoint. A twenty-something English lady realizes her only way out from under her father's rules is to marry. What follows is a romantic story set in Morocco. The characters are sometimes flat and some of the story is tedious and predictable. But the story pulls you along. I enjoyed this book!
A beautiful jewel of a book! The descriptions of Morocco (geography, culture, climate, FOOD) were enchanting. I love how smart, witty, and strong Sibylla is, she’s way ahead of her time and I love her for it. Book #7 in 2024
Cheesy
Started out ok but couls barely read the last half of it with all of the cliche twists and dialogue.
Started out ok but couls barely read the last half of it with all of the cliche twists and dialogue.