3.0
Girls of Riyadh
ByPublisher Description
“Alsanea's wisdom and insight into the female experience seem surreal. She captures the core, universal truths of the complications in finding and holding a life partner. Her characters provide wisdom to each other that are astounding in their accuracy, and Alsanea thus speaks for countless women everywhere.” —Bookreporter.com
When Rajaa Alsanea boldly chose to open up the hidden world of Saudi women—their private lives and their conflicts with the traditions of their culture—she caused a sensation across the Arab world. Now in English, Alsanea’s tale of the personal struggles of four young upper-class women offers Westerners an unprecedented glimpse into a society often veiled from view. Living in restrictive Riyadh but traveling all over the globe, these modern Saudi women literally and figuratively shed traditional garb as they search for love, fulfillment, and their place somewhere in between Western society and their Islamic home.
When Rajaa Alsanea boldly chose to open up the hidden world of Saudi women—their private lives and their conflicts with the traditions of their culture—she caused a sensation across the Arab world. Now in English, Alsanea’s tale of the personal struggles of four young upper-class women offers Westerners an unprecedented glimpse into a society often veiled from view. Living in restrictive Riyadh but traveling all over the globe, these modern Saudi women literally and figuratively shed traditional garb as they search for love, fulfillment, and their place somewhere in between Western society and their Islamic home.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesGirls of Riyadh Reviews
3.0
“This novel about four friends navigating the complex emotional and cultural pressures of finding love in Saudi Arabia’s extremely restrictive, conservative, Islamic society is a quick and entertaining read. But to me, most of the characters were flat. Whether bitter, vain, or even the likable one, the main characters are all entitled and unappreciative of their privilege. And while I understand society has changed a lot since the 2000s, the homophobia and fat shaming don’t age well. Not one I’ll be urging everyone to read.”
“It was a fun book to read and interesting to get to know a little bit about saudiarabian culture. But I have a feeling it won't stay with me for long.”
About Rajaa Alsanea
Rajaa Alsanea is the author of the novel Girls of Riyadh, which was long-listed for the International Dublin Literary Award. She grew up in Saudi Arabia as one of six siblings in a family of doctors and dentists. Alsanea received her bachelor’s degree in endodontics from King Saud University in 2005.
Other books by Rajaa Alsanea
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