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wyrmgirl 's review for:
Ayesha at Last
by Uzma Jalaluddin
Ayesha at Last has been on my to-read list for what seems like an age, and I finally picked it up from the library after a wave of Valentine's Day sentimentality got the better of me. I am an absolute nut for Austen's P&P, and after a dear friend read a Hindu revamp of P&P, I figured it was time to give this Muslim retelling a go.
Ayesha at Last is certainly well-written. This version and Austen's P&P are very loosely related plot-wise, and so many of the parallels that Jalaluddin draws between the two books come from her absolutely astute character analysis and translation of Darcy and Lizzie's personalities onto Khalid and Ayesha. The author clearly groks Austen's characters deeply, as though they are placed in different situations than the OG P&P crew, each action and decision made by the characters reflects onto the "true" nature of Austen's classic menagerie. I was also pleasantly surprised to realize that Ayesha at Last was penned by a Canadian author and set in Toronto. Particularly for a book so heavily focused on life in a multiculturalist setting, it was reaffirming to see Canada as the backdrop for this novel.
Despite Ayesha at Last's many strengths, I only found it to be "okay", and thus rated it two stars. As mentioned earlier, Ayesha at Last and Austen's P&P share little plot wise, and though I admire the author's stylistic choice to keep the plot of the two seperate (keeping it from feeling Xeroxed onto a Muslim background), at times it felt so loosely related that I felt more like I was rereading a general romance or fiction novel. Additionally, perhaps my most favourite part of Austen's P&P is the unique humour she weaves with her characters and plot. Ayesha at Last certainly lacked the humorous component of the original classic, and thus I was not attracted to it as a novel as I am to P&P. I am not one to typically enjoy general fiction novels with romance plots, which I suppose this one truly was. Finally, I cannot honestly rate this novel higher than two stars as there was NO Mr Bingley character. As he is far superior to Mr Darcy in every way, the lack of his presence in this novel leaves a glaring empty hole. I hate to be such a Jane Bennett about this, but come on.
That being said, I would recommend Ayesha at Last to lovers of general romance driven fiction, and to fans of Jane Austen's work simply for a genuinely new perspective on her most beloved classic. I think people who are interested in the lived experience of being a visible minority or life in a multiculturalist setting would also enjoy this novel. Two stars.
Ayesha at Last is certainly well-written. This version and Austen's P&P are very loosely related plot-wise, and so many of the parallels that Jalaluddin draws between the two books come from her absolutely astute character analysis and translation of Darcy and Lizzie's personalities onto Khalid and Ayesha. The author clearly groks Austen's characters deeply, as though they are placed in different situations than the OG P&P crew, each action and decision made by the characters reflects onto the "true" nature of Austen's classic menagerie. I was also pleasantly surprised to realize that Ayesha at Last was penned by a Canadian author and set in Toronto. Particularly for a book so heavily focused on life in a multiculturalist setting, it was reaffirming to see Canada as the backdrop for this novel.
Despite Ayesha at Last's many strengths, I only found it to be "okay", and thus rated it two stars. As mentioned earlier, Ayesha at Last and Austen's P&P share little plot wise, and though I admire the author's stylistic choice to keep the plot of the two seperate (keeping it from feeling Xeroxed onto a Muslim background), at times it felt so loosely related that I felt more like I was rereading a general romance or fiction novel. Additionally, perhaps my most favourite part of Austen's P&P is the unique humour she weaves with her characters and plot. Ayesha at Last certainly lacked the humorous component of the original classic, and thus I was not attracted to it as a novel as I am to P&P. I am not one to typically enjoy general fiction novels with romance plots, which I suppose this one truly was. Finally, I cannot honestly rate this novel higher than two stars as there was NO Mr Bingley character. As he is far superior to Mr Darcy in every way, the lack of his presence in this novel leaves a glaring empty hole. I hate to be such a Jane Bennett about this, but come on.
That being said, I would recommend Ayesha at Last to lovers of general romance driven fiction, and to fans of Jane Austen's work simply for a genuinely new perspective on her most beloved classic. I think people who are interested in the lived experience of being a visible minority or life in a multiculturalist setting would also enjoy this novel. Two stars.