Take a photo of a barcode or cover
readingwithathena96 's review for:
Ayesha At Last
by Uzma Jalaluddin
4.5/5
When I was sixteen, I was obsessed with the French film Populaire. I was equally obsessed with the film's soundtrack, and when I found out it wasn't available on iTunes (at least in the US), I paid a ridiculous amount for the CD on Amazon, only to promptly forget about it. I don't even know where it is today. My dedication to getting Ayesha at Last was similarly manic but with a much better end result.
Retellings are tricky, and I was worried I'd be hit over the head with Jane Austen. Not only was I pleasantly surprised, but it was a genuinely funny, dramatic and romantic book. By the end of the first chapter, I knew it'd be a keeper. The second time around, my opinion is unchanged.
Ayesha is a 27-year-old substitute teacher/aspiring poet living in Toronto with her eccentric extended family. Her cousin, Hafsa, is en route to rejecting her 100th rishta, and Ayesha... isn't. She's sensible and passionate, with a solid head on her shoulders. Across the road is 26-year-old Khalid, a devout Muslim and admitted mama's boy. He trusts his mother to find him the perfect wife, and leads his life with the same confidence- Khalid knows who he is, and doesn't care if the world would prefer otherwise. When Ayesha and Khalid meet by chance, it goes as expected: badly. As kismet would have it, the two are thrown together again and again until their feelings evolve. But things are rarely that simple.
Ayesha At Last is based on Pride and Prejudice, but if you're expecting an exact retelling, you're in the wrong place. Yes, a lot is drawn from Jane Austen, but an equal amount is inspired by Shakespeare (and Bollywood, to0). The writing can be clunky, but the story was enthralling. Even if you grew up reading Pride and Prejudice (or watching the adaptations), there are still plot twists and surprises abound. If you want something equally fun and substantial, this is a great choice.
When I was sixteen, I was obsessed with the French film Populaire. I was equally obsessed with the film's soundtrack, and when I found out it wasn't available on iTunes (at least in the US), I paid a ridiculous amount for the CD on Amazon, only to promptly forget about it. I don't even know where it is today. My dedication to getting Ayesha at Last was similarly manic but with a much better end result.
Retellings are tricky, and I was worried I'd be hit over the head with Jane Austen. Not only was I pleasantly surprised, but it was a genuinely funny, dramatic and romantic book. By the end of the first chapter, I knew it'd be a keeper. The second time around, my opinion is unchanged.
Ayesha is a 27-year-old substitute teacher/aspiring poet living in Toronto with her eccentric extended family. Her cousin, Hafsa, is en route to rejecting her 100th rishta, and Ayesha... isn't. She's sensible and passionate, with a solid head on her shoulders. Across the road is 26-year-old Khalid, a devout Muslim and admitted mama's boy. He trusts his mother to find him the perfect wife, and leads his life with the same confidence- Khalid knows who he is, and doesn't care if the world would prefer otherwise. When Ayesha and Khalid meet by chance, it goes as expected: badly. As kismet would have it, the two are thrown together again and again until their feelings evolve. But things are rarely that simple.
Ayesha At Last is based on Pride and Prejudice, but if you're expecting an exact retelling, you're in the wrong place. Yes, a lot is drawn from Jane Austen, but an equal amount is inspired by Shakespeare (and Bollywood, to0). The writing can be clunky, but the story was enthralling. Even if you grew up reading Pride and Prejudice (or watching the adaptations), there are still plot twists and surprises abound. If you want something equally fun and substantial, this is a great choice.