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lyricalreads 's review for:
Ayesha At Last
by Uzma Jalaluddin
[ 4/5 🌟 ]
*Note: I received an e-ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings: Islamophobia, controlling parents, death of a parent
When I saw that I was approved to review Ayesha At Last, I was so excited! Anything remotely related to Jane Austen/Pride & Prejudice, I am there! And to say the least, Ayesha At Last was a delight to read! The novel follows Ayesha Shamsi, Khalid Mirza, their families, and a piece of the Muslim community in Toronto. Besides the romance, Ayesha At Last considers the range that exists in how people practice Islam and also how they view their religion.
Ayesha At Last is not a play-by-play following of Pride & Prejudice but Muslim; I saw many of the essential elements of the original Pride & Prejudice, but the story is totally new. It does not rely too heavily on plot of P&P. Luckily, I did not come in with the expectation that Ayesha At Last would follow P&P too closely. The famous first line from Pride & Prejudice appears as a rendition, and a fair amount of Shakespeare quotes appears as well as Ayesha’s grandfather quotes the Bard a lot!
While I love YA and the stories that come out of it, it is nice to see adult characters weaving around romance and their work lives. Ayesha At Last is an adult romance, so the characters are older–Ayesha is 27-years-old and struggling to find her rhythm within the school she just started teaching at. There are younger characters, of course, such as Ayesha’s 20-year-old cousin, Hafsa, who has been given everything she has ever asked for in life; thus, she’s a bit naive and thinks that the process of arranged marriage and weddings is just a bunch of fun and games.
The main difference between Khalid and Ayesha was their view on arranged marriage: Ayesha was kind of over it, while Khalid was fine having his mother choose his bride for him. He liked the tradition aspect of it and the familial stability the marriage would hopefully bring.
Another thing about Khalid that is known early on is that he is very honest about his faith and how observes as a Muslim man; he also is not willing to compromise over his religion. One thing that I really got (as in I have experienced this but not because of my religion) was when Khalid’s new boss asked him “where are you from?” He replied Toronto, but then she asked “but where are you really from.” In short, Khalid’s boss is extremely Islamophobic, and throughout the book, he has to constantly deal with her.
Naturally, I cannot speak extensively on the Muslim rep, etc. but I really enjoyed seeing a different kind of (loose) P&P retelling. It felt like it was written from the heart as if the author was probably drawing from her own experiences. I liked being able to see some of the inner politics of a South Asian family (although Ayesha and Khalid’s families are by no means the only types of South Asian families out there) and of the mosque that both of the main characters belong to. I’m also glad that I was able to see rishtas for the first time in a story and the complexities of arranging a marriage.
As for the plot, I really loved the first half of this novel; it was the second half when I became a little more uncertain. I noticed that some of the plot suddenly seemed a bit forced/points were unexpected but not in a good way (some of the plot felt out of the blue like when Tarek really comes into the picture). Since Ayesha At Last is somewhat a modern retelling of Pride & Prejudice, there were certain things I was anticipating happening, but the execution did not seem particularly strong. On another note, Ayesha’s Nani deserves all the awe and respect. I truly admire that woman and her strength.
If the title seems familiar, that’s because Ayesha At Last had been previously published in Canada by HarperCollins in 2018. But June 4 marks the story’s official publication in the United States by Berkley Books!
Ayesha At Last is a book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading! It’s an honest story where the characters are firm in their beliefs, and there is the fun and lighthearted side of romantic possibility. And, if you read closely, the colors of the cover have an additional meaning👀.
*Note: I received an e-ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings: Islamophobia, controlling parents, death of a parent
When I saw that I was approved to review Ayesha At Last, I was so excited! Anything remotely related to Jane Austen/Pride & Prejudice, I am there! And to say the least, Ayesha At Last was a delight to read! The novel follows Ayesha Shamsi, Khalid Mirza, their families, and a piece of the Muslim community in Toronto. Besides the romance, Ayesha At Last considers the range that exists in how people practice Islam and also how they view their religion.
Ayesha At Last is not a play-by-play following of Pride & Prejudice but Muslim; I saw many of the essential elements of the original Pride & Prejudice, but the story is totally new. It does not rely too heavily on plot of P&P. Luckily, I did not come in with the expectation that Ayesha At Last would follow P&P too closely. The famous first line from Pride & Prejudice appears as a rendition, and a fair amount of Shakespeare quotes appears as well as Ayesha’s grandfather quotes the Bard a lot!
While I love YA and the stories that come out of it, it is nice to see adult characters weaving around romance and their work lives. Ayesha At Last is an adult romance, so the characters are older–Ayesha is 27-years-old and struggling to find her rhythm within the school she just started teaching at. There are younger characters, of course, such as Ayesha’s 20-year-old cousin, Hafsa, who has been given everything she has ever asked for in life; thus, she’s a bit naive and thinks that the process of arranged marriage and weddings is just a bunch of fun and games.
The main difference between Khalid and Ayesha was their view on arranged marriage: Ayesha was kind of over it, while Khalid was fine having his mother choose his bride for him. He liked the tradition aspect of it and the familial stability the marriage would hopefully bring.
Another thing about Khalid that is known early on is that he is very honest about his faith and how observes as a Muslim man; he also is not willing to compromise over his religion. One thing that I really got (as in I have experienced this but not because of my religion) was when Khalid’s new boss asked him “where are you from?” He replied Toronto, but then she asked “but where are you really from.” In short, Khalid’s boss is extremely Islamophobic, and throughout the book, he has to constantly deal with her.
Naturally, I cannot speak extensively on the Muslim rep, etc. but I really enjoyed seeing a different kind of (loose) P&P retelling. It felt like it was written from the heart as if the author was probably drawing from her own experiences. I liked being able to see some of the inner politics of a South Asian family (although Ayesha and Khalid’s families are by no means the only types of South Asian families out there) and of the mosque that both of the main characters belong to. I’m also glad that I was able to see rishtas for the first time in a story and the complexities of arranging a marriage.
As for the plot, I really loved the first half of this novel; it was the second half when I became a little more uncertain. I noticed that some of the plot suddenly seemed a bit forced/points were unexpected but not in a good way (some of the plot felt out of the blue like when Tarek really comes into the picture). Since Ayesha At Last is somewhat a modern retelling of Pride & Prejudice, there were certain things I was anticipating happening, but the execution did not seem particularly strong. On another note, Ayesha’s Nani deserves all the awe and respect. I truly admire that woman and her strength.
If the title seems familiar, that’s because Ayesha At Last had been previously published in Canada by HarperCollins in 2018. But June 4 marks the story’s official publication in the United States by Berkley Books!
Ayesha At Last is a book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading! It’s an honest story where the characters are firm in their beliefs, and there is the fun and lighthearted side of romantic possibility. And, if you read closely, the colors of the cover have an additional meaning👀.