Reviewed by Rowena on
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 3 June, 2019: Finished reading
- 3 June, 2019: Reviewed
Ayesha at Last
by Uzma Jalaluddin
Winner of the 2019 Hearst Big Books Award - Cosmopolitan's Book of the Year
A Mirror 'Best Books to Read This Summer' pick
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A big-hearted, captivating, modern-day Muslim Pride and Prejudice, with hijabs instead of top hats and kurtas instead of corsets.
Ayesha Shamsi has a lot going on. Her dreams of being a poet have been overtaken by a demanding teaching job. Her boisterous Muslim family, and numerous (interfering) aunties, are professional naggers. And her flighty young cousin, about to reject her one hundredth marriage proposal, is a constant reminder that Ayesha is still single.
Ayesha might be a little lonely, but the one thing she doesn't want is an arranged marriage. And then she meets Khalid... How could a man so conservative and judgmental (and, yes, smart and annoyingly handsome) have wormed his way into her thoughts so quickly?
As for Khalid, he's happy the way he is; his mother will find him a suitable bride. But why can't he get the captivating, outspoken Ayesha out of his mind? They're far too different to be a good match, surely...
'A clever homage to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice that you'll love, even if you never got round to reading the original.' Cosmopolitan