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Girls of Riyadh
A bold new voice from Saudi Arabia spins a fascinating Scheherazade-like tale of four young women attempting to navigate the narrow straits between love, desire, fulfillment, and Islamic tradition-for the first time, the hidden world of today's upper-class Saudi women is revealed by an insider.
Paperback, 286 pages
Published
June 5th 2008
by Penguin Books
(first published 2005)
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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 commen...more
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 commen...more
Save for the last 3 chapters, Girls of Riyadh by Raja Alsanea was a huge let down. Sensationalized and immature, the author is clearly looking to cash in on the western stereotypes of the east. The 4 female protagonists act in the most predictable, girly-movie way.
The story did nothing for me, didn't enlighten me to the supposedly hidden side of the Arab way of life and society, as the author promised in many interviews. The author assumes this self-important, holier-than-thou tone that got so a...more
The story did nothing for me, didn't enlighten me to the supposedly hidden side of the Arab way of life and society, as the author promised in many interviews. The author assumes this self-important, holier-than-thou tone that got so a...more
29 likes · like · see review
Dec 22, 2007
Karen Keyworth
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
young Arab women
I think the author wrote a true account of life in Saudi Arabia. I am married to a Saudi, and I didn't find anything she wrote about to be in conflict with what I know from my 29 years of marriage, experience in SA, and extended family. Most importantly,her story rings true based on what my children (who are now the same age as the author) have told me about the private world of young people. It's an exciting peek into the inner world of young Saudi women, and that is enough to make it worth the...more
48 likes · like · see review
Nov 05, 2007
Jessica
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
anyone who is planning on living in a female hostel in the Middle East
Poor girls of Riyadh...their love lives are like mine in 5th grade was, if I had worn Roberto Cavalli dresses and my parents had forced me to marry my cousin. I'm giving this three stars for three reasons: 1. The author's courage (and the fact that other Muslim girls, feeling trapped, will surely look at her beautiful face, smiling out from a hijab, and read her profile - she is studying endodontics - and think, perhaps, that life has more possibility than it seems) 2. Her good writerly decsion...more
14 likes · like · see review
I really enjoyed this book on several levels. I'll try to clearly explain why:
1. I like books set in India and the Middle East. This book is set in Saudi Arabia. Most of what I know about Saudi Arabia comes from what I hear on the nightly news, so it's interesting to read a book written by a Saudi woman. It's a completely different culture, but this book is about far more than just war and inequality, it's also about culture and mores.
2.It's pretty much chick lit set in the Middle East, which I...more
1. I like books set in India and the Middle East. This book is set in Saudi Arabia. Most of what I know about Saudi Arabia comes from what I hear on the nightly news, so it's interesting to read a book written by a Saudi woman. It's a completely different culture, but this book is about far more than just war and inequality, it's also about culture and mores.
2.It's pretty much chick lit set in the Middle East, which I...more
Oct 17, 2007
Sarah
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
booksread2007,
fiction
I had a hard time reading this book for several reasons. First, it was never intended to be translated into English and by doing so I'm sure the author had to provide tons of extra passages of explanation about Arabic culture to the english speaking readers. Second, I'll openly admit that it is not a well written book (in English)-- it reads like a middle school essay on 'how I spent my summer'. But that aside, this was an interesting exploration into a culture that I know very little about, eve...more
8 likes · like · see review
Oct 18, 2008
Huda Felimban
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Huda Felimban by:
afnan
Shelves:
arabic-books
إذا لم تخني الذاكرة، مُنعت هذه الرواية في بداية إصدارها.
أذكر أن صديقتي كانت متحمسة جدا عندما أحضرتها من دبي، كما لو أنها وجدت كنزا
قرأتها وصدقاً لا أجدها تستحق أي ضجة أو بلبة
عادية، بكل المقاييس
أذكر أن صديقتي كانت متحمسة جدا عندما أحضرتها من دبي، كما لو أنها وجدت كنزا
قرأتها وصدقاً لا أجدها تستحق أي ضجة أو بلبة
عادية، بكل المقاييس
tertarik beli buku ini karena melihat tulisan di cover buku ini.."Dilarang beredar di Arab Saudi:Kisah Nyata"..ugh langsung membuat gw penasaran akan isi bukunya...ternyata ni buku berisi tentang email2 yang dikirimkan oleh sang penulis atau Lumeis,tokoh dalam buku ini..dan isnya adalah cerita kehidupan pernikahan dia dan sahabat2nya..
buku ini menceritakan tentang perjuangan wanita dalam kehidupan cintanya..yang mana kok kayaknya di Arab Saudi dianggap tabu..nah inilah yang membuat dilarang di A...more
buku ini menceritakan tentang perjuangan wanita dalam kehidupan cintanya..yang mana kok kayaknya di Arab Saudi dianggap tabu..nah inilah yang membuat dilarang di A...more
2 likes · like · see review
Jun 30, 2008
Ava Semerau
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
People curious about life in Saudi Arabia and Saudi women
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...more
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...more
لا جديد، قصص مكرورة ربما تشدّ من لم يقرأ أشباهاً لها. وأسلوب متوسط الجودة. اشتهرت لأسباب كثيرة ليس من بينها محتواها، ولعلي قرأت في مجالها ما هو أفضل منها.
أعجب أن تُرجمت إلى الإنجليزية في فترة وجيزة. هل عدمنا فناً وأدباً يصل إلى العالم خيراً من هذا؟
ـ
أعجب أن تُرجمت إلى الإنجليزية في فترة وجيزة. هل عدمنا فناً وأدباً يصل إلى العالم خيراً من هذا؟
ـ
29 likes · like · see review
May 18, 2008
Mashael Alamri
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
arabic-literature
تعتمد على الفضيحة كـ أساس للشهرة عاديه جداً هشة جداً رواية للمرهقين
لا أتحامل على الكاتبه ولا أحمل لها أي ضغينة لكن أرى أنها لو هذبتها قليلاً ولم تستعجل النشر ربما كانت بطريقة أدبيه أفضل من كلام المنتديات
ربما مايحسب لها فقط هو أنها تجرأت بطرح الواقع المرير الذي نعشية والإنحدار الشديد الذي يخفيه المجتمع تحت عبائة الدين
لا أتحامل على الكاتبه ولا أحمل لها أي ضغينة لكن أرى أنها لو هذبتها قليلاً ولم تستعجل النشر ربما كانت بطريقة أدبيه أفضل من كلام المنتديات
ربما مايحسب لها فقط هو أنها تجرأت بطرح الواقع المرير الذي نعشية والإنحدار الشديد الذي يخفيه المجتمع تحت عبائة الدين
13 likes · like · see review
قرأتها و ياليتني لم أقرأها !
12 likes · like · see review
أحد أسخف ما كتب على وجه الأرض ..
15 likes · like · see review
Girls Of Riyadh
Where could i possibly begin?
I will begin with the first time I saw it on the "Best Sellers" shelf in one of our local bookshops in Kuwait. The cover attracted me so I grabbed it and read few lines of random pages of the book and ended up liking it but i did not buy it at the time and bought "Shadow Kiss, Vampire Academy" Instead. Each time I paid a visit to the same bookshop I saw it there, laying then grabbed it and hesitated to buy it. Again. Until One time I visited Jareer's...more
Where could i possibly begin?
I will begin with the first time I saw it on the "Best Sellers" shelf in one of our local bookshops in Kuwait. The cover attracted me so I grabbed it and read few lines of random pages of the book and ended up liking it but i did not buy it at the time and bought "Shadow Kiss, Vampire Academy" Instead. Each time I paid a visit to the same bookshop I saw it there, laying then grabbed it and hesitated to buy it. Again. Until One time I visited Jareer's...more
6 likes · like · see review
بنات الرياض
أخيرا ً قرأت هذه الرواية، كنت عاهدت نفسي أن لا أشتريها، وأن أحصل عليها من أحد ممن اشتروها وهم كثر، ورغم أن هذه القراءة تأخرت إلا أنها لا تأتي كنوع من البحث عن القيمة في هذه الرواية، وإنما في الرغبة في الإطلاع على هذا النص الذي قطف شهرة قد نختلف حولها ولكن لا ننكرها.
رواية معادية للرجل، وخاصة الرجل السعودي، مكتوبة بطريقة رسائل الكترونية ترسلها فتاة مجهولة تروي فيها قصة صديقاتها الأربع أو بالأحرى قصصهن مع الرجل، مع الحب، مغامراتهن، قمرة القصيمي التي تتزوج راشد وترزق منه بولد تسميه صالح...more
أخيرا ً قرأت هذه الرواية، كنت عاهدت نفسي أن لا أشتريها، وأن أحصل عليها من أحد ممن اشتروها وهم كثر، ورغم أن هذه القراءة تأخرت إلا أنها لا تأتي كنوع من البحث عن القيمة في هذه الرواية، وإنما في الرغبة في الإطلاع على هذا النص الذي قطف شهرة قد نختلف حولها ولكن لا ننكرها.
رواية معادية للرجل، وخاصة الرجل السعودي، مكتوبة بطريقة رسائل الكترونية ترسلها فتاة مجهولة تروي فيها قصة صديقاتها الأربع أو بالأحرى قصصهن مع الرجل، مع الحب، مغامراتهن، قمرة القصيمي التي تتزوج راشد وترزق منه بولد تسميه صالح...more
5 likes · like · see review
Beberapa tahun lalu pernah mendapat email tentang hebohnya buku ini di negera asalnya, Saudi Arabia.
Penasaran, jadi ku beli saja.
Aku merasa kata "menghebohkan" tentang buku ini, terlalu di lebih-lebihkan.
Kisah cinta yang di balut dengan tuntutan sistem, seperti mengulang kisah sastra ala siti nurbaya, tapi versi arab.
Tapi yah..buku ini hebohnya di Arab ya..
mungkin budaya disana memang sulit menerima terungkapnya hal-hal tentang percintaan.
dari ke-empat kisah, perempuan di dalamnya..
kesimpulan y...more
Penasaran, jadi ku beli saja.
Aku merasa kata "menghebohkan" tentang buku ini, terlalu di lebih-lebihkan.
Kisah cinta yang di balut dengan tuntutan sistem, seperti mengulang kisah sastra ala siti nurbaya, tapi versi arab.
Tapi yah..buku ini hebohnya di Arab ya..
mungkin budaya disana memang sulit menerima terungkapnya hal-hal tentang percintaan.
dari ke-empat kisah, perempuan di dalamnya..
kesimpulan y...more
1 like · like · see review
The Girls of Riyadh sebenarnya adalah kumpulan postingan email seseorang yang kemudian dibukukan. Buku ini pada akhirnya dilarang terbit di negara aslinya dan menuai banyak protes (bahkan ketika masih berupa email sudah membuat kontroversi).
Buku ini sebenarnya mendeskripsikan bagaimana kebudayaan bangsa Arab Saudi dalam pernikahan. Bangsa Arab dianggap bukanlah bangsa yang menghargai cinta, terutama seorang wanita. Berdasarkan keterangan penulisnya, kisah yang dimuat merupakan kisah nyata orang=...more
Buku ini sebenarnya mendeskripsikan bagaimana kebudayaan bangsa Arab Saudi dalam pernikahan. Bangsa Arab dianggap bukanlah bangsa yang menghargai cinta, terutama seorang wanita. Berdasarkan keterangan penulisnya, kisah yang dimuat merupakan kisah nyata orang=...more
لم تحظ رواية في تاريخ السعودية وما جاورها من جارتها الدول من صيت كما حظت به هذه الرواية ...حسب شهادة قسم المبيعات العربية في مكتبة جريرعندما سألته أجاب المسؤولون في كل الفروع أن مبيعاتها هي الأفضل وكانت بأرقام خيالية ..إمتدت هذه الشهرة لدرجة أوسع في دول العالم العربي
والسؤال هنا ما هذه الخلطة السرية التي ابتكرتها رجاء الصانع في روايتها والتي استدعت كل هذه الجلبة لها .....رواية رجاء جاءت ممتعة سلسة مسلية بالطبع ليست هناك أي فائدة ثقافية تذكر سوى أنها شرحت بعض من الحالة السطحية التي يعيشها أبناء...more
والسؤال هنا ما هذه الخلطة السرية التي ابتكرتها رجاء الصانع في روايتها والتي استدعت كل هذه الجلبة لها .....رواية رجاء جاءت ممتعة سلسة مسلية بالطبع ليست هناك أي فائدة ثقافية تذكر سوى أنها شرحت بعض من الحالة السطحية التي يعيشها أبناء...more
11 likes · like · see review
I was eagerly looking forward to reading this book, as I have a liking for books about women in Saudi...but I was a bit disappointed...I did enjoy the book, but didn't feel it was gritty enough....all the chapters were too short and as you were about to be reeled in the chapter finished:(....also the beginnings of the chapter there was a short introduction in an email format which I found annoying and gave no susbstance to the book...if anything made it feel quite childlike to me....but I did en...more
ترجمت لأكثر من لغة
والسبب واضح
أنها تفضح بعض طبقات المجتمع السعودي
لكن المشكلة
أنها ستنقل للغرب صورة مزيفة عن المجتمع
فماورد فيما يسمى رواية ..
لا يمثل سوى شريحة محددة وليس غالب المجتمع
تألمت وأنا أقرأ آراء القراء الأجانب بها ..
والسبب واضح
أنها تفضح بعض طبقات المجتمع السعودي
لكن المشكلة
أنها ستنقل للغرب صورة مزيفة عن المجتمع
فماورد فيما يسمى رواية ..
لا يمثل سوى شريحة محددة وليس غالب المجتمع
تألمت وأنا أقرأ آراء القراء الأجانب بها ..
18 likes · like · see review
Mar 22, 2008
Amanda
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Amanda by:
Jane magazine
This is essentially Saudi chick lit, but I really liked it despite that.
The stories can resound with any girl,(unless my love life is really that fucked up that nobody agrees with this,) but there's also a special twist that makes this different from the run-of-the mill girly stories. The girls bring life living in an Islamic kingdom to the table, and what that means to their freedoms or lack thereof in relationships. As women, we all suffer a lot at the hands of men, no matter how strong of a p...more
The stories can resound with any girl,(unless my love life is really that fucked up that nobody agrees with this,) but there's also a special twist that makes this different from the run-of-the mill girly stories. The girls bring life living in an Islamic kingdom to the table, and what that means to their freedoms or lack thereof in relationships. As women, we all suffer a lot at the hands of men, no matter how strong of a p...more
Di cover edisi Indonesia ada stempel "Kisah nyata: Dilarang Beredar di Saudi Arabia". Jadi bikin penasaran emang. Isinya sendiri lumayan lah... meski kalo ditinjau dari kisah bertema sama (cinta), ya nggak terlalu istimewa. Tapi karena settingnya Arab (yang selama ini dikenal “tertutup” dan ketat menerapkan syariah), kisah 4 gadis Riyadh ini memang jadi menarik perhatian. Penulis berusaha mendobrak tradisi dan “kekakuan” masyarakat Arab, terutama soal kedudukan perempuan.
Penulis juga lumayan ce...more
Penulis juga lumayan ce...more
2 likes · like · see review
What I learned from this book is more about the Middle-Eastern culture, which is one of the reasons I picked up this book. Having read an entire college semester in Arabic literature, I thought I would try this book. While it was infinitely interesting learning about Arabian women, I really did not enjoy this book as much as I was expecting. It really seemed like a pseudo-soap opera, just set in Riyadh, instead of some made up city. I did enjoy reading about the differences in cultures, not just...more
استمعت بقرائتها واندمجت فيها برغم المصلطحات الغريبة الى كتير مبفهماش بتكن فى المقدمة فقط لكن غير كده اسلوب السرد جميل ومن ناحية المحتوى فانا شايفة انها إيجابية جدا وبتعالج ثقافة شكل بشكل مباشر ومهذب تجعلك تشعر بكل مشكله كأنها مشكلتك اتمنى انها تقدر تغير فى ثقافة بعض الرجال أولا والبنات ثانيا وهيا بتنطبق على شعوب كتير مش السعودية فقط
2 likes · like · see review
Ladies, if you want to get a little idea of how woman deal with their social lives here in the Kingdom, I recommend this book.
It is a bunch of emails written by a Saudi girl who decided to share her friends deepest secrets. I can't tell you that everything is true but from what I have seen so far, the marriage part is true.
Yesterday I was pretty sure I saw a woman driving in Jeddah, the car was going crazy in a very small street, and the windows were super tinted, but the driver was veiled all...more
It is a bunch of emails written by a Saudi girl who decided to share her friends deepest secrets. I can't tell you that everything is true but from what I have seen so far, the marriage part is true.
Yesterday I was pretty sure I saw a woman driving in Jeddah, the car was going crazy in a very small street, and the windows were super tinted, but the driver was veiled all...more
I literally could not put this book down (I read it in one night)and am trying to decide whether it is a "trashy" "chicklit" novel with little redeeming value or a brilliant cultural expose. Suffice it to say that it reminded me of my (now highly educated and divorced from arranged marriage) "godchild" who spent much of her adolescence in Riyadh to the point that I thought at times that I was reading about her and that the author was sued in Saudi Arabia for slandering the society (the book is b...more
l'autrice spiega nella nota la necessita' di ri-editare il libro per rendere appieno le sfumature associate alla lingua araba e che sarebbero inevitabilmente state perse nella traduzione.
Nonostante la limitazione intrinsenca alla traduzione questo e' e rimane un libro potente. Un libro consigliato a chi voglia imparare di piu' sul "dietro le quinte" del mondo arabo in generale e della societa' saudita in particolare. Non si parla di maltrattamenti, non si parla di prevaricazioni violente. Siamo...more
Nonostante la limitazione intrinsenca alla traduzione questo e' e rimane un libro potente. Un libro consigliato a chi voglia imparare di piu' sul "dietro le quinte" del mondo arabo in generale e della societa' saudita in particolare. Non si parla di maltrattamenti, non si parla di prevaricazioni violente. Siamo...more
Jan 19, 2009
نبيل المعجل
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
نعم ... للقارئ المبتدئ
Recommended to نبيل by:
تركي الحمد
ليس هناك قيمة أدبية تذكر على الرغم من الهزة التي احدثتها في المجتمع الذي يهزه اي شئ طالما عناصر "الهز" متوفرة من عنوان ملفت وكاتبة وتقديم شخص بمستوى الدكتور الأديب غازي القصيبي. أخذت منها الرواية 6 سنوات لكتابتها. لو أنها أمضت هذا الوقت للقراءة المكثفة لساعدتها على كتابة رواية أكثر عمقا. أنصح أن لا تتعجل في روايتها القادمة وأن تتعلم من سلبياتها قبل إيجابياتها. الرواية كانت دافعا للشباب من الجنسين للقراءة فهذه ايجابية تحسب لها لتشجيعهم على مسك الكتاب . لا اتفق مع البعض بأنها سلسلة فضائح وذلك لعدم...more
9 likes · like · see review
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 educati...more
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 t...more
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 t...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middle East/North...: Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa Alsanea | 34 | 47 | Mar 31, 2012 07:08am |
Rajaa Alsanea (Arabic: رجاء الصانع; variant spelling Rajaa al-Sanea)is a Saudi writer who became famous through her novel Girls of Riyadh, or Banat al-Riyadh. The book was first published in Lebanon in 2005 and in English in 2007. The book was long-listed for the Dublin Literary Award in 2009.Al-Sanea grew up in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the daughter of a family of doctors. She currently lives in Chi...more
More about Rajaa Alsanea...
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“Apparently, all men were the same. It was like God had given them different faces just so that women would be able to tell them apart.”
—
14 people liked it
“When love has been in your life you see that the only true, real pleasure of life is love. Every other thrill arises from that basic source of pleasure. The most meaningful songs are those your lover hums in your presence, the prettiest blossoms are the ones he offers and the only praise that counts is your beloved's. In a word or two, life only goes Technicolor in the very moment love's fingers caress it.”
—
4 people liked it
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Aug 11, 2010 03:07pm