Reviews with content warning for Islamophobia - Ayesha at Last

This was such a delightful read, and a refreshing addition to Pride & Prejudice re-tellings. Jalaluddin did a wonderful job of paying homage to Austen's classic, but I most appreciated the ways in which she riffed on original plot or character details. That she didn't feel the need to stick to the source material too closely freed up the story to become truly modern.

Ayesha is the kind of heroine we all want to root for: strong, stubborn, and compassionate. I would've liked to see more introspection when it came to her faith, like we got with Khalid. While it was clear what beliefs she didn't subscribe to, we didn't get much of a picture of what Islam meant to her.

That being said, I LOVED getting to read a modern love story where faith plays such a central role.

Overall, Ayesha at Last is a witty, deeply nuanced spin on P&P that breathes new life into the story and characters we know and love so well.

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fromjuliereads's review against another edition

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challenging funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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

4.5

I absolutely adored this book. I didn't want to put it down and wish I could have just kept reading it! The characters are so wonderfully developed, flawed, and loveable. I loved Ayesha and Khalid, Clara, Idris, Nana and Nani, so many of them! This is a loose retelling of Pride and Prejudice, and I absolutely loved that! I like that there were elements of the story and plot that aligned closely with the original, but it was told in such a unique and interesting way! Jajaluddin did a fantastic job of spinning the original P&P into a Desi Muslim retelling. I enjoyed it so much!
Also, I thoroughly loved the sprinkling of Shakespeare quotes! That was such a fun addition. And the quotes from the imam! He was such a great character - I even laughed out loud at a couple of his lines!

Highly recommend for anyone who loves Pride and Prejudice!! You will be tearing up, laughing, and cheering out loud!
Cannot wait to read Jalaluddin's next book!

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myfriendthatcanread's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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kissmyash0600's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

i really enjoyed this book. The story was cute, realistic, and relatable, and the characters were multifaceted and easy to relate to as well. I'm so glad I found this book, it was a nice, easy read with different characters than most novels in this genre.

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danielle_isreading's review

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed this Canadian Muslim Pride & Prejudice-inspired story!

I think Ayesha was really, really enjoyable to read and Khalid's perspective is something that is so different from my own that I loved being in his head.

Uzma Jalaluddin is really talented as writes tension so well! Her decision to include certain other POVs at times was a really interesting one that I overall liked. I sometimes almost wished that there was more mystery, but I also liked the idea that the reader knew SO MUCH more than Ayesha or Khalid did in general. The way she tackled a variety of issues impacting this Toronto community was fascinating, and I really liked where she went with the conclusion of the story.

My only main complaint is that I don't feel like the townhouse location situation was discussed like... at all! Why did Khalid not tell her that he lived across the street? Did I just miss that? It bugged me, clearly lol

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ashlightgrayson's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted 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

4.0

This is one of the more entertaining Pride and Prejudice retellings I've read. Both of the main characters and their families respectively are Muslim and Indian. It was great to see Muslim representation about normal families that acknowledged their experiences as immigrants in Canada. The characters in the story are shaped by their experience as immigrants, working to succeed in their careers in a society that isn't always the most accepting of those who are different. As the first-generation child of immigrants, I found this aspect of the book very compelling on a personal level. Immigrant parents work very hard to try to give the best life to their children when they immigrate. As their children grow up in a foreign country that becomes their own there can be cultural clashes over what is the best way to do things. This is seen in the relationship between Khalid and his mother and Ayesha and her mother.

There were liberties taken in this retelling, but I would say they added to the story rather than take away from it. The characters were properly adapted to the context of the setting and the culture they were in. I appreciated that we got to see the diversity within the Muslim community in this book. There were differences in the way each character interpreted the faith and how they practiced it. Characters like Khalid and his mother are more traditional while you have characters like Amir and Ayesha that are more lenient with their understanding of the Muslim faith. Characters that had more traditional views like Khalid were also not changed completely by the end to be more modern just because others wanted him to be. He became more open about other's beliefs while still staying true to his own, which is both more realistic and does not stigmatize more traditional Muslims. The strong message within the story is that you are happier when you are true to yourself while also abstaining from judging others too quickly.

In addition, I realy liked the relationship between Kahlid and his sister, Zareena. I really like seeing healthy love between siblings and you definitely get it here. Zareena is also a character that exemplifies how as a Muslim woman she did not need to adopt Western traditions in order to find happiness. I cannot say more for fear of spoiling anything, but she has a very interesting character arc that I think a lot of people will find interesting.

My final praise goes to the character development for everyone in the story. Every single character is involved in a subplot that helps flesh them out. No one is treated like a one-dimensional person. Everyone is flawed and some redeem themselves better than others, but they are all interesting and compelling. It is clear that even the more unlikeable characters have personal motives. As you are reading you can understand why characters made certain decisions, but when they are wrong the decisions are not excused and have consequences. All of the characters given nuance, which was great to see. This is one of the better retellings I have read. I look forward to reading more books by Uzma Jalauddin since reading this was so enjoyable.

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