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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Stories like this should be read. We should never remain ignorant of what our sisters in other parts of the world endure. The book was a little rough in the way it was written, but was an excellent reminder to what thousands of women in the world endure daily.
We Saudi women owned nothing but our souls, and only because no man had yet devised a method to seize them!
I read this series because I was hoping to gain an understanding into a culture I knew little about.
While the reader does gain insight into the experiences of a Saudi Arabian princess set in a time period many decades ago, I question whether her experience was comparable to that of a non-royal Saudi woman.
Sultana spends her time championing herself as a fighter for women's equality yet she frequently backtracks into cruel petty judgment of women she came into contact with, all the while congratulating herself of thinking charitably about them. She occasionally displayed moments of self-awareness, when she would ask herself what she could own when it came to improving the lives of individual women.
For the most part, however, looks, wealth, and status were her idols. She carelessly refers to Huda, her family slave, without a thought to Huda's circumstances or life beyond Sultana's immediate concerns. Having no real life of her own, she resulted to spying on her children, who were seemingly raised by others. It was difficult to relate to, or even like Sultana, when she did things such as cheat on her Eid resolution and then attempt to absolve herself of her sins by having her husband feed needy families, all the while without having to repent or trouble herself in the least. Sultana constantly name dropped designer brands, the hundreds of thousands of dollars she blew through on a New York shopping trip, or the number of new SUVs purchased for a desert camping trip.
She railed against the inequities in her society and occasionally her religion, pointing out the advantages of paradise for Muslim men and contrasting it with paradise for Muslim women. "Of course, since Muslim women do not have any sexual desires, there will be no sexual partners awaiting them in paradise" (my emphasis added). While all of her fiery opposition was an indicator of her personality, she was impotent when it came to stopping real violence against women, from her niece, a harem of her cousin, to her brother and the rapes and abuse he perpetuated on others. Her powerlessness, despite her gilded cage, was all very enraging. If someone of her status was unable to help others, what hope could women from the non-ruling classes, especially domestic help, expect to have?
It is my hope that Saudi women's right have advanced in the years that have passed since Sultana was young but even if Saudi women now have the right to drive, I'm sure that they are harassed and still not allowed out without being accompanied by a male family member or driver, so how much freedom have they really gained? I would love to read more about Saudi women from a non-royalist's perspective. I read an excellent trilogy by Zoe Ferraris, which, in my opinion, was much better than this series. I learned a lot more about the culture. [b:Finding Nouf|2302650|Finding Nouf (Nayir Sharqi & Katya Hijazi #1)|Zoë Ferraris|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348070517l/2302650._SX50_.jpg|2309056] is the first book in the series.
I read this series because I was hoping to gain an understanding into a culture I knew little about.
While the reader does gain insight into the experiences of a Saudi Arabian princess set in a time period many decades ago, I question whether her experience was comparable to that of a non-royal Saudi woman.
Sultana spends her time championing herself as a fighter for women's equality yet she frequently backtracks into cruel petty judgment of women she came into contact with, all the while congratulating herself of thinking charitably about them. She occasionally displayed moments of self-awareness, when she would ask herself what she could own when it came to improving the lives of individual women.
For the most part, however, looks, wealth, and status were her idols. She carelessly refers to Huda, her family slave, without a thought to Huda's circumstances or life beyond Sultana's immediate concerns. Having no real life of her own, she resulted to spying on her children, who were seemingly raised by others. It was difficult to relate to, or even like Sultana, when she did things such as cheat on her Eid resolution and then attempt to absolve herself of her sins by having her husband feed needy families, all the while without having to repent or trouble herself in the least. Sultana constantly name dropped designer brands, the hundreds of thousands of dollars she blew through on a New York shopping trip, or the number of new SUVs purchased for a desert camping trip.
She railed against the inequities in her society and occasionally her religion, pointing out the advantages of paradise for Muslim men and contrasting it with paradise for Muslim women. "Of course, since Muslim women do not have any sexual desires, there will be no sexual partners awaiting them in paradise" (my emphasis added). While all of her fiery opposition was an indicator of her personality, she was impotent when it came to stopping real violence against women, from her niece, a harem of her cousin, to her brother and the rapes and abuse he perpetuated on others. Her powerlessness, despite her gilded cage, was all very enraging. If someone of her status was unable to help others, what hope could women from the non-ruling classes, especially domestic help, expect to have?
It is my hope that Saudi women's right have advanced in the years that have passed since Sultana was young but even if Saudi women now have the right to drive, I'm sure that they are harassed and still not allowed out without being accompanied by a male family member or driver, so how much freedom have they really gained? I would love to read more about Saudi women from a non-royalist's perspective. I read an excellent trilogy by Zoe Ferraris, which, in my opinion, was much better than this series. I learned a lot more about the culture. [b:Finding Nouf|2302650|Finding Nouf (Nayir Sharqi & Katya Hijazi #1)|Zoë Ferraris|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348070517l/2302650._SX50_.jpg|2309056] is the first book in the series.
My 2009 bookcrossing review:
Well, I have now read the trilogy and I am glad I read her story right through. This is (obviously) a continuation from the first two books. Sultana's three children are now in their late teens, and certainly don't need their mother so much. This book is about a short period in her family's life: incidents and happenings. The international sex slavetrade also comes into this book more than I remember in the other two. And that is really grim. Rich men praying on poverty-striken people by persuading them to sell their young daughters as sex slaves. There really are some awful people out there. And not only would you be locked up for rape in most countries - which is what goes on here - but sometimes these girls are under ten. We're talking peodophaelia... and yet they're allowed to get away with it, because "legally" these girls are theirs to do with as they will. It's very, very depressing.
Something else that can become quite disgusting (although to a much lesser extent) is the ridiculous wealth and the flaunting of it. The shopping trip she describes in New York; or when they go camping! I couldn't believe that - when they suggested it, they almost made it sound like roughing it! They took persian carpets, fridges and freezers, tankers with water for her daily baths.... absolutely ridiculous. It can be quite hard to think that this isn't actually fiction when you're reading it.
Although she's not perfect by a long short, you've got to admire Sultana and her determination to help opressed women whenever she can. She does have guts. And the book ended quite positively that she was going to go ahead with her goals after the end of this book.
Well, I have now read the trilogy and I am glad I read her story right through. This is (obviously) a continuation from the first two books. Sultana's three children are now in their late teens, and certainly don't need their mother so much. This book is about a short period in her family's life: incidents and happenings. The international sex slavetrade also comes into this book more than I remember in the other two. And that is really grim. Rich men praying on poverty-striken people by persuading them to sell their young daughters as sex slaves. There really are some awful people out there. And not only would you be locked up for rape in most countries - which is what goes on here - but sometimes these girls are under ten. We're talking peodophaelia... and yet they're allowed to get away with it, because "legally" these girls are theirs to do with as they will. It's very, very depressing.
Something else that can become quite disgusting (although to a much lesser extent) is the ridiculous wealth and the flaunting of it. The shopping trip she describes in New York; or when they go camping! I couldn't believe that - when they suggested it, they almost made it sound like roughing it! They took persian carpets, fridges and freezers, tankers with water for her daily baths.... absolutely ridiculous. It can be quite hard to think that this isn't actually fiction when you're reading it.
Although she's not perfect by a long short, you've got to admire Sultana and her determination to help opressed women whenever she can. She does have guts. And the book ended quite positively that she was going to go ahead with her goals after the end of this book.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
3 book of princess series. The writing is so good. This is a true story and every book of princess that I read is very emotional and every human should read all the books in princess series once if very least. Particularly Princess Sultana's Circle is a very uplifting book. I loved the ending very much. As real as it can get and Princess Sultana is a very admirable and a kind human being. So hard to see people who are royalties who are also kind.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Murder, Sexual harassment, Classism
As I read the trilogy there was a distinct change of writing in the third book, and it wasn't for the better. Princess Sultana's Circle was not only poorly written but also the most superficial of the three books. When Sultana began this writing journey with Jean Sasson it was originally to bring awareness to the plight of Saudi Arabian women from someone who lived there. That mission was lost over the course of the reading and weakly brought to attention in this last book. It is hard to take the message seriously when the majority of the story is an account of how lavishly she and her extended family live. As stated in my previous review, this is simply and extended season of The Real Housewives of Saudi Arabia with charity cases thrown in as potpourri.
A sequel to Princess, this book was just as engaging as the first! I love reading about Princess Sultana, her love for her children, her temper, how she deals with her male family members!
It is fascinating to see how someone lives their life of suppression, but still manages to be her own person.
It is fascinating to see how someone lives their life of suppression, but still manages to be her own person.
Princess Sultana's Circle is the third book in Jean Sasson's Princess trilogy. I really loved the first book. The second was good. But by the time I got to the third book I was starting to feel a little jaded.
Let me just say that I believe that a lot of events described in this book are things that do occur in Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries. I believe that women are considered and treated as even lower than second class citizens there and that they suffer greatly because of it.
That said, these books are purported to be the true stories of a single Saudi Arabian woman and I find that fact to be a little difficult to swallow.
Books require tension and conflict to be interesting, and these books were nothing if not interesting. Every single chapter seemed to outline or highlight some atrocity or violation of basic human rights. If this were a collection of women's stories from across the social board in Saudi Arabia I would find it easier to believe. But the fact that all of these things happen to or in the life of one woman sounds more like fiction than fact to me.
I think that author Jean Sasson, who spent over a decade living and working in the medical field in Saudi Arabia, had ample material gathered over the years of women and stories that she encountered in her personal and professional life and chose to attribute them all to one person.
And maybe I'm wrong. This is just what I feel.
I still think that these books highlight important issues that should be seen and heard worldwide. I think they can help to educate people about the plight of women in the Middle East. And I think people should read them with an open heart and an open mind.
I just don't think they are the true story of one single woman.
I feel more like they are the true stories of a nation of women.
Let me just say that I believe that a lot of events described in this book are things that do occur in Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries. I believe that women are considered and treated as even lower than second class citizens there and that they suffer greatly because of it.
That said, these books are purported to be the true stories of a single Saudi Arabian woman and I find that fact to be a little difficult to swallow.
Books require tension and conflict to be interesting, and these books were nothing if not interesting. Every single chapter seemed to outline or highlight some atrocity or violation of basic human rights. If this were a collection of women's stories from across the social board in Saudi Arabia I would find it easier to believe. But the fact that all of these things happen to or in the life of one woman sounds more like fiction than fact to me.
I think that author Jean Sasson, who spent over a decade living and working in the medical field in Saudi Arabia, had ample material gathered over the years of women and stories that she encountered in her personal and professional life and chose to attribute them all to one person.
And maybe I'm wrong. This is just what I feel.
I still think that these books highlight important issues that should be seen and heard worldwide. I think they can help to educate people about the plight of women in the Middle East. And I think people should read them with an open heart and an open mind.
I just don't think they are the true story of one single woman.
I feel more like they are the true stories of a nation of women.
Third in the series. Enjoyed it but still horrified at some of the content.
The book has all the drama and emotion. A woman realizing her strengths and weaknesses. You could capture little bursts of beautiful description and metaphors; but the writing could have been better.
And then you realize all this is real. As real as it gets. And the perspectives come crashing down on you. And I'm reluctant to call it a good story/book because of this very fact.
To anyone who wants to read about a female who fights for her rights, this is a good book.
And then you realize all this is real. As real as it gets. And the perspectives come crashing down on you. And I'm reluctant to call it a good story/book because of this very fact.
To anyone who wants to read about a female who fights for her rights, this is a good book.