Review: Daughters of Arabia by Jean Sasson

Ahh finally a book that grabbed my attention within the first page! From then on I knew that I wouldn't be let down and I was kind of right in some ways. I mostly read the book because I wanted to know how certain events unfolded and it was mostly curiosity regarding life amongst the royals in Saudi Arabia. I had prior knowledge concerning the inequality of genders within an Arab society but to read it from a royals point of view was interesting.  As it was a true account I don't think it would be fair to criticise the fact that it did not have a plot line, nor a climax and the ending was sudden. However, having read numerous other true stories before, I'd say the style of writing wasn't really what engaged me as a reader but more the content. Additionally, I didn't find myself feeling upset, angry, shocked or any other emotions that other readers have felt. It's most likely due to the fact that I'm already aware of how in certain countries men interpret women's status in Islam differently to what is actually correct. Perhaps readers that have only a slight knowledge of Islam and the Arab culture might experience these emotions and find the book more gripping. Nevertheless, it was a good read which I'd recommend to only selected people as oppose to The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul' which I would not recommend at all.

X

The overrated coffee shop of Kabul

Wow, it's been so long since I've blogged! Hope everyone had an amazing Eid In Sha Allah. 

So recently I finished reading a book and just wanted to share some quick thoughts. But firstly why I read the book in the first place. 

After hearing so many good reviews about The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul by Deborah Rodriguez, I really could not wait to read it for myself. What really encouraged me to read this book was the numerous times it was being campared to A Thousabd Splendid Suns and The kite Runner! Both those books I could not put down even for a second and to hear that this book was the exact page turner as Khaled Hosseini's, it further increased the suspense.

Firstly, I usually finish a 'good' book within a few hours. However, I believe it took me over a week to read The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul. The story seemed slow and some characters rather pointless. Nothing really happened until after reading two thirds of the book and even then it wasn't really enticing at all. The characters such as Candace and Isabel I felt had no purpose and their storylines extremely underdeveloped, so much so that when a drastic event takes place I felt no empathy at all. I only felt like I cared bout one out of five main characters. I'm really disappointed in the storyline and the authors writing style. To me it definitely can not be compared to Hosseini's page turners. 

Sorry it's a very short review but I feel like it's not even worth writing a long negative review. Let's hope the next book's a lot better! 

Xx