Let me put it out here right away – I haven’t read Pride and Prejudice. There. I said it. Don’t ask me why I haven’t picked it up yet. It is just one of those classics which I have kept for ‘later-read’ if you know what I mean.
So, it is only natural that I haven’t read any P&P inspired books either. But when I found that Ayesha At Last was loosely based on the epic classic, I decided to give it a go.
Book Review: Ayesha At Last by Uzma Jalaluddin
Ayesha is a modern Muslim who lives with her family in Canada. She is someone who wears a purple hijab and devout yet strong and independent at the same time. She teaches at a coed school, loves poetry and has a best friend who has a live-in boyfriend.
Khalid, on the other hand, is conservative and orthodox. He believes love comes after marriage and that his mother will choose a bride for him. He wears traditional Muslim clothes to work, never shakes hands with a woman, and doesn’t go to a pub. However, he is still trying to find himself and is conflicted when it comes to love.
And despite the fact that Ayesha and Khalid are poles apart, they fall for each other.
What I love most about this P&P spinoff is that it gives us a good insight into the religion and also about how judgemental society can be when you see a Muslim. You could be totally ignorant about a religion, its beliefs and customs but to mock someone’s faith and label them as dangerous because of the clothes they wear and the ideals they uphold are unacceptable.
Ayesha At Last succeeds in helping us overcome that stigma around the Muslim religion.
Overall, its a light, romantic read. I loved the characters but was a bit put-off by too many storylines and hurriedly tying the loose ends towards the end of the book.
3.5 Paws on 5!
Pin this Post!
Celebrating Women
Book with written by a woman about a woman (*with a woman on the cover)
This is a monthly check-in post for Reading With Muffy Monthly Reading Challenge.
Here’s what you should do!
- Follow @muffytales on Instagram
- Read at least one book on the given prompt of the month.
- Write a short/long review on your blog or Instagram with the hashtag #ReadingWithMuffy. If you aren’t comfortable writing reviews, write what you liked/disliked about the book.
- Link up your review post below on the Check-in linky. Please note that one review = one link. This is if you’ve read more than one book on the prompt. You may also add the review post from the additional prompts as well.
- The linky will be opened till Apr 10th.
- It’d be amazing if you could comment on this post and give a shoutout on your social media using the hashtag #ReadingWithMuffy. Feel free to tag us on Instagram.
I can’t wait to see what you’ve read this month. Hop in with your reviews.
But for now, here’s our winner from February!
Congratulations Sonali!
That’s all for now, folks! Thank you for joining in!
Please drop a comment on this post in case of any queries. We really look forward to your participation and also know of your book lists and choices.
Happy Reading!
Shantala says
I’ve had my eye on this one, but was simply not able to get to it. Though after reading this review, I don’t think I need to prioritize it. Thanks for sharing, Shalu.
Shantala recently posted…Books I Read in February 2020: Mini Reviews + Recommendations
Sim @ Flippinh Through the Pages says
Don’t worry if you haven’t read Pride and Prejudice yet. I haven’t either 😀 And Ayesha at last is on my TBR too. Hoping to read it someday soon.
Kala Ravi says
I am amazed by the variety of books you read! Hadn’t heard of this one. Being a die-hard P&P fan, I don’t want to mar the beauty of the original with spin-offs on the same. Still, your review as always is an honest and unbiased one!
Nikita Jhanglani says
I’ve wanted to read this one for a while now. I am big on P&P adaptations; in fact, I’ve got a few spinoffs downloaded on my Kindle already. There’s lots in the KU catalogue, if you’d wish to explore too!