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A review by vani_in_wonderland_
Madonna in a Fur Coat by Sabahattin Ali
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
~ For the Old School Romantics ~
In the realm of books, there are some that I'd shout from the rooftops for everyone to read, and then there are the ones I clutch close to my heart, gatekeep them selfishly, just for myself. Am I odd to feel this way?
A few days ago, I saw a post about this book on Instagram. It felt like theft, as though someone ate my favourite piece of chocolate. I know that is irrational of me, it's been ages the book released and many people have read it. Yet, I wanted to keep the experience of reading it within me for a little longer, cocooned in the notion that it was meant just to be mine.
It is a story of love and yearning, pure and unadulterated, with the ache of missed opportunities. It's about this quiet guy, Raif, a quiet dreamer who favored the realms of his imagination over the concrete world, falling in love with a woman in a painting. And eventually, with the woman who painted it.
I don't know what exactly made me feel so deeply about this one. Was it Raif's peculiarities that made me feel seen, or Maria's reluctance to believe in the possibility of companionship? Perhaps it was Ali's lyrical and introspective prose, each word carefully woven like work of an artisan, that lingered and gave a glimpse of the innermost thoughts and desires of his characters. Maybe it's the surprising shift in gender roles for that time which caught me off-guard. And yes, there's also my affinity towards tragic romances. It's probably all these elements that left me so moved.
This book is as special as they come. It makes you yearn for the kind of love and devotion Raif and Maria had. The desire for someone to hold your hand with that kind of tenderness, gazing into your eyes as though they hold the universe's greatest secrets. (I know, that's a bit much, but you get my point)
Asking you to share this book would again go against my attempt to gatekeep it but I would ask you to share it with that one person you know who feels the matters of heart a little extra, that one Heer bina Ranjha or Juliet without Romeo. If you happen to fall in that category, please make space for Raif and Maria in your heart❤️
A few days ago, I saw a post about this book on Instagram. It felt like theft, as though someone ate my favourite piece of chocolate. I know that is irrational of me, it's been ages the book released and many people have read it. Yet, I wanted to keep the experience of reading it within me for a little longer, cocooned in the notion that it was meant just to be mine.
It is a story of love and yearning, pure and unadulterated, with the ache of missed opportunities. It's about this quiet guy, Raif, a quiet dreamer who favored the realms of his imagination over the concrete world, falling in love with a woman in a painting. And eventually, with the woman who painted it.
I don't know what exactly made me feel so deeply about this one. Was it Raif's peculiarities that made me feel seen, or Maria's reluctance to believe in the possibility of companionship? Perhaps it was Ali's lyrical and introspective prose, each word carefully woven like work of an artisan, that lingered and gave a glimpse of the innermost thoughts and desires of his characters. Maybe it's the surprising shift in gender roles for that time which caught me off-guard. And yes, there's also my affinity towards tragic romances. It's probably all these elements that left me so moved.
This book is as special as they come. It makes you yearn for the kind of love and devotion Raif and Maria had. The desire for someone to hold your hand with that kind of tenderness, gazing into your eyes as though they hold the universe's greatest secrets. (I know, that's a bit much, but you get my point)
Asking you to share this book would again go against my attempt to gatekeep it but I would ask you to share it with that one person you know who feels the matters of heart a little extra, that one Heer bina Ranjha or Juliet without Romeo. If you happen to fall in that category, please make space for Raif and Maria in your heart❤️