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sashas_books 's review for:
Ayesha At Last
by Uzma Jalaluddin
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Ayesha & Khalid = ❤️
This turned out to be more enjoyable than I thought! I jumped at the setting, the theme and the people – a Pride & Prejudice-themed romcom set in the Indian Muslim community of Toronto. Also, I kept seeing this book in my feed.
This is not a exactly a Prude & Prejudice retelling, it’s more of a homage. There are some lines of dialogue, a few scenes, some situations. It so happens that I know P&P almost by heart, so it was fun to find all the Easter eggs.
”Because while it is a truth universally acknowledged that a single Muslim man must be in want of a wife, there is an even greater truth: To his Indian mother, his own inclinations are of secondary importance.”
The writing is nice, easy on the eyes and the brain – in a good way. Here are big families, domineering mothers and aunties, great food. And here are Ayesha and Khalid. Khalid is a very traditional Muslim. Ayesha is rather less traditional. Their first meetings are not promising:
”I do not wish to be introduced to your friend. I stay away from the type of Muslim who frequents bars.” (It’s not a bar, it’s a lounge. They have poetry nights. Honestly, Khalid.)
Ayesha: ”Who did that bearded fundy think he was?” And later: ”Someone who looks like you should avoid humour. You’ll only confuse people.”
Oh, and we have a “Wickham” (I recognized him at once!) and a “Mr Collins”. The latter is a life couch. Yes, I know. Brilliant.
The plot involves a case of mistaken identity, which works rather well. As the book progresses, it delves into serious issues: racism, people being forced into an arranged marriage, dark family secrets, alcoholism… But most of the time, the tone is not too dark. A lot of things happen before we get to the inevitable ending (it’s a romcom, remember?)
There were plot threads that seemed unnecessarily convoluted. There were also slightly too many of them! Some characters’ motivations felt off to me. These are probably the quirks of a debut novel, but I still enjoyed the book.
Quite a few things made me chuckle, and some made my eyes prickle a bit. Recommended if you want nice romcom vibes!
This turned out to be more enjoyable than I thought! I jumped at the setting, the theme and the people – a Pride & Prejudice-themed romcom set in the Indian Muslim community of Toronto. Also, I kept seeing this book in my feed.
This is not a exactly a Prude & Prejudice retelling, it’s more of a homage. There are some lines of dialogue, a few scenes, some situations. It so happens that I know P&P almost by heart, so it was fun to find all the Easter eggs.
”Because while it is a truth universally acknowledged that a single Muslim man must be in want of a wife, there is an even greater truth: To his Indian mother, his own inclinations are of secondary importance.”
The writing is nice, easy on the eyes and the brain – in a good way. Here are big families, domineering mothers and aunties, great food. And here are Ayesha and Khalid. Khalid is a very traditional Muslim. Ayesha is rather less traditional. Their first meetings are not promising:
”I do not wish to be introduced to your friend. I stay away from the type of Muslim who frequents bars.” (It’s not a bar, it’s a lounge. They have poetry nights. Honestly, Khalid.)
Ayesha: ”Who did that bearded fundy think he was?” And later: ”Someone who looks like you should avoid humour. You’ll only confuse people.”
Oh, and we have a “Wickham” (I recognized him at once!) and a “Mr Collins”. The latter is a life couch. Yes, I know. Brilliant.
The plot involves a case of mistaken identity, which works rather well. As the book progresses, it delves into serious issues: racism, people being forced into an arranged marriage, dark family secrets, alcoholism… But most of the time, the tone is not too dark. A lot of things happen before we get to the inevitable ending (it’s a romcom, remember?)
There were plot threads that seemed unnecessarily convoluted. There were also slightly too many of them! Some characters’ motivations felt off to me. These are probably the quirks of a debut novel, but I still enjoyed the book.
Quite a few things made me chuckle, and some made my eyes prickle a bit. Recommended if you want nice romcom vibes!