About this title: A bold new voice from Saudi Arabia spins a fascinating tale of four young women attempting to navigate the narrow straits between love, desire, fulfillment, and Islamic tradition as the hidden world of today's upper-class Saudi women is revealed by an insider.
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Description: Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Penguin Press HC, The
Date Published: 2007-07-05
ISBN-13:9781594201219ISBN:1594201218
Description: Very good. Very minimal damage to the cover (no holes or tears, only minimal scuff marks), in some instances dust jackets are not included, no missing pages, minimal to no highlighting/under. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Penguin Press HC, The
Date Published: 2007
ISBN-13:9781594201219ISBN:1594201218
Description: Good. Used item may show library stamps, stickers and marks. Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Penguin Press HC, The
Date Published: 2007-07-05
ISBN-13:9781594201219ISBN:1594201218
Description: Like New. May be shiny, in some instances dust jackets are not included, no missing pages, no damage to binding, may have a remainder mark. read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Penguin Press HC, The
Date Published: 2007
ISBN-13:9781594201219ISBN:1594201218
Description: New. First printing 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2. Slight shelf wear. GoodwillnyBooks is committed to providing each customer with the highest standard of customer service. You may return new items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin Two
Date Published: 2008-06-24
ISBN-13:9780143113478ISBN:014311347X
Description: New. Book is Brand New, Gift condition. Free tracking # included! International buyers are welcome. We ship every business day. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed! read more
Description: New. AUDIOBOOK. NOT A BOOK! Please order accordingly! All Audiobooks are in the original factory sealed shrinkwrap box! Box may show signs of dents, etc. All CD's Are guaranteed to play! Audio CD, New, 2007, read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Date Published: 2008-06-24
ISBN-13:9780143113478ISBN:014311347X
Description: Like New. Like new softcover in excellent condition, no writing, non-smoking home, clean text, binding tight, Christian business. read more
"I didn't have time to read everyone's reviews tonight, but the 30 or so I did read or skim didn't mention what seemed most outstanding about the book (and regrettable about the culture, if the book is accurate): the parallels with the Jane Austen novels and with Memoirs of a Geisha, where finding a husband (or a patron) is paramount to everything else and necessary for survival of one sort or another. The tragedy here is that the women discussed have the advantages of wealth and advanced education, and they're STILL defining themselves (as do their families, etc.)in terms of the success (or not) of their relationships with men.
I read the book because it was recommended by a good friend and because I know so little about the culture and was hoping to learn more. While a single book certainly is not an adequate basis for conclusions, this one is consistent with some western perceptions of women's position in the SA culture.
If any other readers would like to suggest additional reading, I'll appreciate your recommendations."
"When I saw this book at Costco it immediately caught my attention. It looked pretty interesting, but after being burned a number of times buying books by unfamiliar authors I wasn't sure I should get it. But I did and was glad I did. Each chapter of the book is purported to be an e-mail from the author to a group of unknown people in Saudi Arabia who have indicated interest. The first part of each chapter is generally the author responding to criticism or other comments from those who have read the e-mails and responded. The e-mails cover the adventures of a group of four female friends, one of them most likely the author (but which one is unknown) as they look for love, make career choices, etc. Especially look for love and marriage. The book was published in Saudi Arabia in 2005. The blurb on the back compares it to "Sex and the City", which made me a bit reluctant to read it, but when I read that it was a hit in Saudi Arabia I figured it wasn't going to contain explicit sex. And it doesn't. It's not great literature and would be pretty standard chick-lit were it not very interesting from a cultural perspective. Courtship as well as ordinary life is very different in Saudi Arabia."
"Touted as a breakthrough, this epistolary novel needs to be understood in its cultural context in order to be something other than not-very-engaging chick lit. Within that cultural context, this novel-in-one-sided-e-mails is discrepant, jarring, and revolutionary (at least within the domestic sphere of the rich). However, even from this perspective, I had trouble with what felt like a self-conscious effort to mimic "Sex in the City." The characters' cattiness and meanspirited comments about other women's looks didn't make me like or respect them. Unlike the real women of RAWA and other revolutionaries, these self-preoccupied characters inspire no admiration. While the premise could work, the book suffers from telling, not showing, and is more like a gloss of the story than the story itself. The narrative itself just dribbles away and does not actually follow through on some of the promises the narrator makes to the reader-as-e-mail-recipient. It's an interesting idea, but it doesn't stand as a work of literature without its political and historical frame. This is not your mother's feminism, and not in a good way."
"When this book first came out, I was living in Saudi Arabia and it caused quite a stir - so much so that it was banned in Kingdom. I was teaching ESL at the time, and the women in my classes were frantic to get their hands on a copy of it. Turns out the enthusiasm they felt was short lived - as in as soon as they started reading it.
The book is written as a series of emails between a group of young Saudi women, and to folks who, like my students, had little experience reading fiction, it seemed too true for most of my students. Many were offended and defensive, believing the author was telling lies about them and their friends. Oddly enough, several of the women I spoke with insisted they actually knew some of the characters in the book!
Fast forward a few years and I picked up a deeply discounted English version of the book and read it in two sittings. I understood how and why my students were upset. Although fictional, the scenes and experiences portrayed happen every day in Saudi Arabia, and having the world read about them must have been scary - especially for women who live very private and secluded lives.
That said, the book is fiction, and readers need to remember that. It's well-written (albeit a translation), and the stories are compelling in a watching-a-train-wreck sort of way.
Having lived in Kingdom, there were no surprises or shocks hidden within the pages of this book, but for those unfamiliar with the culture, I'm sure it will be eye-opening. Again, however, remember it is fiction."
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