[Book Review] Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin
Synopsis (from Goodreads) :
Pride and Prejudice with a modern twist
AYESHA SHAMSI has a lot going on. Her dreams of being a poet have been set aside for a teaching job so she can pay off her debts to her wealthy uncle. She lives with her boisterous Muslim family and is always being reminded that her flighty younger cousin, Hafsa, is close to rejecting her one hundredth marriage proposal. Though Ayesha is lonely, she doesn’t want an arranged marriage. Then she meets Khalid who is just as smart and handsome as he is conservative and judgmental. She is irritatingly attracted to someone who looks down on her choices and dresses like he belongs in the seventh century.
When a surprise engagement between Khalid and Hafsa is announced, Ayesha is torn between how she feels about the straightforward Khalid and his family; and the truth she realizes about herself. But Khalid is also wrestling with what he believes and what he wants. And he just can’t get this beautiful, outspoken woman out of his mind.
AYESHA SHAMSI has a lot going on. Her dreams of being a poet have been set aside for a teaching job so she can pay off her debts to her wealthy uncle. She lives with her boisterous Muslim family and is always being reminded that her flighty younger cousin, Hafsa, is close to rejecting her one hundredth marriage proposal. Though Ayesha is lonely, she doesn’t want an arranged marriage. Then she meets Khalid who is just as smart and handsome as he is conservative and judgmental. She is irritatingly attracted to someone who looks down on her choices and dresses like he belongs in the seventh century.
When a surprise engagement between Khalid and Hafsa is announced, Ayesha is torn between how she feels about the straightforward Khalid and his family; and the truth she realizes about herself. But Khalid is also wrestling with what he believes and what he wants. And he just can’t get this beautiful, outspoken woman out of his mind.
My rating :
4/5 stars.
My review :
Another YA book written by a Muslim author. And this time, the arranged marriage concept was brought up again. For someone who had found this particular concept quite numerous times, I would expect it to be less irritating in this book, especially with the modern twist of everyone’s favourite classic, Pride and Prejudice. Does this book do its justice? My rating and book review shall justify it, so keep reading!
The plot, for me, was quite interesting. I did find the Pride and Prejudice modern twist sensible, and I liked the author’s effort to make it appropriately Muslim friendly. For me, personally, the plot was a bit fast-paced, and I did not think it was a great idea to have it in this book. Skip that aside – the author had compressed everything in to make the story even more entertaining. You would find some Islamophobic issues, romance, family relationships, friendships, the idea of sticking to your faith obediently, etc. I realized that the author was bringing up many different topics in this book, rather than just a normal arrange marriage issue. I simply think that the arranged marriage concept in this book was rational. I was able to accept it, as it was not that bad, to be honest.
However, I was a bit disappointed by the plot, as it was slightly predictable. Call me picky – but I am the type of reader who loves new ideas. Fortunately, the author had managed to add more things into her plot and had successfully attracted my attention again from getting bored. To sum it up, the plot was acceptable. I acknowledged and highly appreciated the diversity of the plot. I would love to see less predictable plots for the author’s upcoming books. For this book, it was not that bad, so well done!
I will have to say, that the characters in this book were uniquely occupied with their own characteristics. I loved Ayesha as the main character – I think she managed to represent all hijabis out there, and her character was positively great. She was smart, brave, and was sensible enough. I loved the idea of sharing the same passion with her – writing poetry was something that both of us fancied, and I liked the idea of having a character like her to love it, too! Was she the Muslim version of Elizabeth Bennet, you may ask? You can say that. She sort of mirrored Elizabeth’s character and I loved her for it. You will also find Khalid, who is the Muslim version of Mr. Darcy, and one of the pious characters in this book. I quite disliked Khalid at first, but at the story went on, I slowly opened my heart for him. Though in the end, he still did not really shine as a great male character for me. His character growth was great, though. The other characters in this book were agreeable. I hated – and even loathed – some of the characters in this book. High praise for the author for making me hate the bad characters – it is certain that the author managed to make them realistically irritating, to the point I was grateful they were simply fictional characters. Haha, yes, I am dramatic.
The writing style in this book was cool. I must say, the writing style enabled me to understand the story easier, thus allowed me to finish the book faster. I liked the fact that the writer did not make the story draggy. I appreciated the Arabic and Urdu words in this book. For me, the writing style was acceptable, and I had no problem with it.
Here is the thing that had concerned me. You might think it is not a big deal, but I did find it unacceptable. It is simply, the concept of aurah. I did not like the idea of hugging another Muslim sister or brother that had no connection with you at the first place, even though it was hugging that person at the back of his or her arm. This is just an opinion, where I felt it was unnecessary for the character to do so.
Overall, Ayesha at Last was a fun and light read, with adorable dialogues and realistic dramas. I am glad to pick this book up, and I am glad that the author managed to keep the romance in this book as halal as possible. Nevertheless, doors of improvement are always open.
My final rating for this book is 4 out of 5 stars. Highly recommend!
The plot, for me, was quite interesting. I did find the Pride and Prejudice modern twist sensible, and I liked the author’s effort to make it appropriately Muslim friendly. For me, personally, the plot was a bit fast-paced, and I did not think it was a great idea to have it in this book. Skip that aside – the author had compressed everything in to make the story even more entertaining. You would find some Islamophobic issues, romance, family relationships, friendships, the idea of sticking to your faith obediently, etc. I realized that the author was bringing up many different topics in this book, rather than just a normal arrange marriage issue. I simply think that the arranged marriage concept in this book was rational. I was able to accept it, as it was not that bad, to be honest.
However, I was a bit disappointed by the plot, as it was slightly predictable. Call me picky – but I am the type of reader who loves new ideas. Fortunately, the author had managed to add more things into her plot and had successfully attracted my attention again from getting bored. To sum it up, the plot was acceptable. I acknowledged and highly appreciated the diversity of the plot. I would love to see less predictable plots for the author’s upcoming books. For this book, it was not that bad, so well done!
I will have to say, that the characters in this book were uniquely occupied with their own characteristics. I loved Ayesha as the main character – I think she managed to represent all hijabis out there, and her character was positively great. She was smart, brave, and was sensible enough. I loved the idea of sharing the same passion with her – writing poetry was something that both of us fancied, and I liked the idea of having a character like her to love it, too! Was she the Muslim version of Elizabeth Bennet, you may ask? You can say that. She sort of mirrored Elizabeth’s character and I loved her for it. You will also find Khalid, who is the Muslim version of Mr. Darcy, and one of the pious characters in this book. I quite disliked Khalid at first, but at the story went on, I slowly opened my heart for him. Though in the end, he still did not really shine as a great male character for me. His character growth was great, though. The other characters in this book were agreeable. I hated – and even loathed – some of the characters in this book. High praise for the author for making me hate the bad characters – it is certain that the author managed to make them realistically irritating, to the point I was grateful they were simply fictional characters. Haha, yes, I am dramatic.
The writing style in this book was cool. I must say, the writing style enabled me to understand the story easier, thus allowed me to finish the book faster. I liked the fact that the writer did not make the story draggy. I appreciated the Arabic and Urdu words in this book. For me, the writing style was acceptable, and I had no problem with it.
Here is the thing that had concerned me. You might think it is not a big deal, but I did find it unacceptable. It is simply, the concept of aurah. I did not like the idea of hugging another Muslim sister or brother that had no connection with you at the first place, even though it was hugging that person at the back of his or her arm. This is just an opinion, where I felt it was unnecessary for the character to do so.
Overall, Ayesha at Last was a fun and light read, with adorable dialogues and realistic dramas. I am glad to pick this book up, and I am glad that the author managed to keep the romance in this book as halal as possible. Nevertheless, doors of improvement are always open.
My final rating for this book is 4 out of 5 stars. Highly recommend!
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