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luzmalg96's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
victoriaslistening's review against another edition
3.0
Started strong and I do think it was ultimately a successful story even if I didn’t care for all the choices made here. I’m also not really the right audience for this story and I found myself annoyed with the main characters for much of the read but that’s on me, not on the book.
jojodoesntread's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-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? It's complicated
oh...well...wow🤗
mir_sputnik's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
What a wonderful book. I wish I had friendships like the ones described so lovingly in this story!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
liviethecat's review against another edition
5.0
don't remember the last time i cried this much . . this book was all everything that's been on my thoughts and i didn't know i needed to read about. the friendship, the complexities of relationship in love, family, friends and religion. all potrayed and written so well n beautifully (i literally cried uncountable amount of times).
and i might be relate to them *the characters* in some way a little bit too much. raised in a religious household in the middle of modernization. questioned alot about this life—its purpose, and the struggles to life up to every expectations—my parents, my faith has on me. and i really am glad i've read this book, i felt less alone ❤
and i might be relate to them *the characters* in some way a little bit too much. raised in a religious household in the middle of modernization. questioned alot about this life—its purpose, and the struggles to life up to every expectations—my parents, my faith has on me. and i really am glad i've read this book, i felt less alone ❤
allisonbuzard's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
5.0
I adored this gorgeous story of friendship. The writing was artful and the characters lovable. Check content warnings as these characters experienced generational and situational trauma. But amidst trauma, there was so much love, community, and friendship. Highly recommend!
samstillreading's review against another edition
4.0
These Impossible Things is a story of friendship, faith, values and growing up seen through the eyes of three British Muslim women – Jenna, Malak and Bilquis (Kees). As the women move from study to work and life as adults, they encounter many difficult moments that could have been easier if they were still friends after an argument.
The reader first meets the trio while they are still at university. Growing up in the same community, they are aware of the expectations their parents have on keeping their faith and marrying a good Muslim man. At university, both Kees and Malak have non-Muslim boyfriends and Malak and Jenna both drink alcohol. After Kees and Malak finish university (Jenna remains, studying medicine), they need to make some difficult choices. Malak breaks up with her boyfriend Jacob while Kees continues hers with Harry but keeps it a secret from her parents. It results in an argument about duty, faith and the happily ever after their parents want that cause Kees and Malak to stop talking to each other. Malak decides to go to Egypt to repair her broken heart, and falls in love – but with consequences that will change her. Kees and Harry both start work as lawyers, but the stress of keeping their relationship secret from Kees’ family proves too difficult to bear. It results her family cutting off all contact just as she is working harder than ever. Jenna is adrift without her friends and goes to seek pleasure wherever she can find it with dangerous, life changing results. All the women are hurting alone, can the pain drive them back together?
This is a fantastic story. It explores both coming of age in different ways, secrets, duty and female friendships. It is also not afraid to explore serious topics such as abuse (sexual, physical and psychological) and the conflict between faith and family. Salma El-Wardany handles both the serious and thorny topics exceptionally well. Religion (Islam and also Catholicism) also plays a role in the novel, but it’s not heavy handed. It’s explained as a part of each character’s life, drawing solace and peace, as well as being hard to bear in crises of faith and family. The role of family and expectations of the community was also described very well, with differences between the women’s families. This was further contrasted with Harry’s Catholic family, particularly his mother, who was so eager to assist with the nikah that she went quite OTT in a not-always-good way. The pain of Kees’ family cutting her off was visceral, with the ending being incredibly emotional. The guilt of each character for hurting her family, faith and neglecting friendships was strong, but not overpowering. Overall, the relationships are portrayed in all their messy complexity and the characters make mistakes, but overall it’s about friendship, love and support for each other.
Thank you to Hachette for the copy of this book. My review is honest.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
The reader first meets the trio while they are still at university. Growing up in the same community, they are aware of the expectations their parents have on keeping their faith and marrying a good Muslim man. At university, both Kees and Malak have non-Muslim boyfriends and Malak and Jenna both drink alcohol. After Kees and Malak finish university (Jenna remains, studying medicine), they need to make some difficult choices. Malak breaks up with her boyfriend Jacob while Kees continues hers with Harry but keeps it a secret from her parents. It results in an argument about duty, faith and the happily ever after their parents want that cause Kees and Malak to stop talking to each other. Malak decides to go to Egypt to repair her broken heart, and falls in love – but with consequences that will change her. Kees and Harry both start work as lawyers, but the stress of keeping their relationship secret from Kees’ family proves too difficult to bear. It results her family cutting off all contact just as she is working harder than ever. Jenna is adrift without her friends and goes to seek pleasure wherever she can find it with dangerous, life changing results. All the women are hurting alone, can the pain drive them back together?
This is a fantastic story. It explores both coming of age in different ways, secrets, duty and female friendships. It is also not afraid to explore serious topics such as abuse (sexual, physical and psychological) and the conflict between faith and family. Salma El-Wardany handles both the serious and thorny topics exceptionally well. Religion (Islam and also Catholicism) also plays a role in the novel, but it’s not heavy handed. It’s explained as a part of each character’s life, drawing solace and peace, as well as being hard to bear in crises of faith and family. The role of family and expectations of the community was also described very well, with differences between the women’s families. This was further contrasted with Harry’s Catholic family, particularly his mother, who was so eager to assist with the nikah that she went quite OTT in a not-always-good way. The pain of Kees’ family cutting her off was visceral, with the ending being incredibly emotional. The guilt of each character for hurting her family, faith and neglecting friendships was strong, but not overpowering. Overall, the relationships are portrayed in all their messy complexity and the characters make mistakes, but overall it’s about friendship, love and support for each other.
Thank you to Hachette for the copy of this book. My review is honest.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
pujadev's review against another edition
2.0
This book is so disappointing because it had so.much.potential. The pacing is decent, and the writing is good. I liked that this book focused on the modern Muslim version or atleast one version of them. It had a lot of lovely cultural references and a vivid description of Cairo. My biggest issue with the book is the portrayal of the men. How is it that all the white men are good/helpful/respectful and oh so perfect. In contrast, the Muslim men are basically caricatures of the 'bad Muslim man' - controlling, hypocritical, dominating and raging misogynists.
It is infuriating to me that the author had this wonderful opportunity for a nuanced narration of characters. Yet, she chooses to paint both the men and the women with the same stereotypical brush. What's worse is that this book is so popular and highly rated, further propagating the very stereotypes we spend our lives attempting to subvert.
It is infuriating to me that the author had this wonderful opportunity for a nuanced narration of characters. Yet, she chooses to paint both the men and the women with the same stereotypical brush. What's worse is that this book is so popular and highly rated, further propagating the very stereotypes we spend our lives attempting to subvert.