"Under the hot sun, the Jeddah streets resemble a scene from an old black and white movie: the women dressed like long, dark shadows and the men in...
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Sep 21, 2009
Aimee
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The Consequences of Love is a book about love, about political and social and cultural constraints, and the consequences of following your heart in direct conflict with those rules and constraints. The novel is set in the year 1989, in Saudi Arabia, where the women are covered head to toe in black cloth, and the men move freely in light coloured cotton through the streets. Naser, a 20 year old man, feels like an outsider. His life from a little boy has been to serve others and survive, but Naser
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Sep 04, 2011
Parita
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Its taken me a while to finish this one - and even now, I cant decide whether I like it. Considering that it was a debut novel, I am happy to give it 3 stars.
This is a story of love supressed in a male dominated regime. In jeddah, pre-marital love is a sin. Yet 2 kindred spirits dare to rebel. Silently, from behind veils and closed doors, they express their love for each other, first through notes and then in hushed whisper. But how long can they go on like this in secret?
T More...
This is a story of love supressed in a male dominated regime. In jeddah, pre-marital love is a sin. Yet 2 kindred spirits dare to rebel. Silently, from behind veils and closed doors, they express their love for each other, first through notes and then in hushed whisper. But how long can they go on like this in secret?
T More...
Nov 30, 2009
Shari
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I thought this was a remarkable book. Naser is an Eritrean (Ethiopian) refugee who ends up in Muslim controlled Saudi Arabia. As a refugee Naser is forced to endure sexual abuse by his employers, sponsors and supposed friends – all men who turn to boys due to the controls imposed against relations between men and women by the controlling fanatical Imams and religious police. Against all odds Naser begins a relationship with a daring woman, known only to him by her pink shoes, worn under her he
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Mar 27, 2009
Virginia
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Once i started this book, i couldn't put it down anymore. The central love story is gripping, sensual, dangerous and makes your heart beat. All what you need from a great novel! The focus is on Naser and Fiore, who live in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and because they are not married are not allowed to meet in public under the strict Wahhabi regime of Saudi Arabia. While the story is thriving, many other aspects are highlighted - like the situation of immigrants in Saudi (Naser is a refugee from Eritre
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Jul 28, 2011
Wow - this was intense. Like The Kiterunner, I had to put it down for awhile part-way through but I'm glad I picked it up again. As children, both the author and the novel's main character moved from a refugee camp in the Sudan to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The novel tells the story of forbidden love between the refugee and a young woman completely veiled and identifiable only by her pink shoes. The description of the warped culture which develops when a society chooses to keep color, beauty, sof
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Oct 19, 2011
Jeannie
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Reading The Consequences of Love by new Eritrean author Sulaiman Addonia literally stopped my heart and took my breath away. Addonia delivers a very personal and inside view of a society filled with both religious and governmental repression, a world where love is a luxury, passion forbidden, sex a crime.
Set in present day Saudi Arabia, this is a gorgeous literary debut not to be overlooked. Consequences of Love weaves a story of sensuous secret liaisons between two lovers risking the More...
Set in present day Saudi Arabia, this is a gorgeous literary debut not to be overlooked. Consequences of Love weaves a story of sensuous secret liaisons between two lovers risking the More...
Nov 20, 2009
Sara
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4.5 stars. Set in Saudi Arabia, The Consequences of Love tells the story of a young immigrant from Eritrea who falls in love with a veiled woman who tosses a note at him one day. Though he's never seen her face, or even seen any woman for ten years since arriving in the country, he falls in love with her, communicating only through notes. The setting makes the story all the more interesting, since it shows so much hypocrisy in the laws and religious dictations made by people, and the conseque
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Apr 02, 2011
Vanillabricot
rated it:
Il y a des livres dont on a du mal à parler. Celui-là en fait partie et j'ai attendu presque un mois pour écrire mon avis.
J'ai du mal à construire un raisonnement objectif dessus, vous devrez donc vous contenter d'un méli-mélo entièrement subjectif et encore plus fouilli.
Evidemment d'un livre qui parle d'amour dans une société musulmane et particulièrement en Arabie Saoudite j'attendais pas mal de choses.
Quelque part j'attendais qu'on parle de moi et de mon histoire. Ca n More...
J'ai du mal à construire un raisonnement objectif dessus, vous devrez donc vous contenter d'un méli-mélo entièrement subjectif et encore plus fouilli.
Evidemment d'un livre qui parle d'amour dans une société musulmane et particulièrement en Arabie Saoudite j'attendais pas mal de choses.
Quelque part j'attendais qu'on parle de moi et de mon histoire. Ca n More...
Jul 26, 2011
Ghaliya
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well it's not my kinda romance =s...
n' about the all Saudi Arabia stuff.i am a Saudi girl,and i have to say that he generalized facts on a whole nation most of what he narrated was considered in the lowest social classes in Saudi... yes it's not an easy concept to love here.. but it's not fought as he showed at least not among all Saudis.. we are a system based on families what your family allows u.. is what your allowed to.. so to generalize would be unfair.
n' about the all Saudi Arabia stuff.i am a Saudi girl,and i have to say that he generalized facts on a whole nation most of what he narrated was considered in the lowest social classes in Saudi... yes it's not an easy concept to love here.. but it's not fought as he showed at least not among all Saudis.. we are a system based on families what your family allows u.. is what your allowed to.. so to generalize would be unfair.
Jun 27, 2010
Jackie
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Another story based in the Islamic world - this one a romance in Saudi Arabia. I wouldn't have believed half of what the author writes when describing life in Saudi Arabia had I not heard similar stories from my Saudi students. Tragic, but with glimpses of hope. For awhile, I thought the author was going for a happily-ever-after ending, but was pleased to read a more realistic ending - slightly hopeful, though, and not completing depressing.
Apr 24, 2011
Dem
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This is a love story set around the middle east, had read Finding Noufa couple of months ago and found it a much better read. The Consequences of Love: A Novel is a slow book to get into and a little depressing although it is a good insight into the Saudi culture, Not one of my favourite books and was glad to finish it.
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Oct 08, 2009
Tyler
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Ummmm....disturbing, oppressive, hypocritical, sick. Wondering how much truth there is to the story and the acts that take place in it. I know so little about our Saudi allies and their seemingly oppressive culture but if there is even a glimmer of truth to this. It's sad and disgusting....what a rotten interpretation of the Koran. Just to clarify I'm not talking about the writer or the writing itself just what takes place in the story..
Jul 27, 2011
Amy
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oh bleah. I have read lots of books that require I suspend disbelief - or accept a different world - but this one just doesn't work. I'm sure it's all true to life and all that, but I couldn't muster up a bit of feeling for these people - not because the characters are unpleasant, but because the author is lousy. No stars. Don't bother.
Aug 11, 2011
Millicentlydia
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A fascinating glimpse of an Eritrean immigrant into Saudi culture. The only way he can pursue his true love is by pretending to be a woman and visiting her under the cover of a burqa, and by sacrificing himself to the wealthy and powerful Saudis who are his employers and the religious police.
Apr 02, 2011
Sarah
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How does a refuge in Saudi Arabia find a wife? When finding a wife means having parents who are Saudi citizens with money and connections. This young man has none of that and dreams of a day he can actually look at a woman's face. Instead he is banned from even talking to one...until one day a note drops at his feet. A turbulent affair begins and the couple is not safe.
An amazing story of how difficult Saudi laws make it for young adults to find love. Also interesting how homosexual relat More...
An amazing story of how difficult Saudi laws make it for young adults to find love. Also interesting how homosexual relat More...
Jun 04, 2011
Maria
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A saudi romance that shows how much people are willing to risk in the name of love. I also liked that the book sheds light on the corrupt, perverted and un-islamic lives the enforcers of the law actually hold.
Jul 22, 2010
Joanne
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This was a beautifully written book about the challenges young people face in Saudi. I felt like the book really didn't pick up speed until the final part. Although I liked the characters, I just didn't fall in love with the story.
Aug 13, 2009
Katie
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I devoured this book. I had never thought about the implications on young mens development when they grow up never setting eyes on women in Saudi Arabia (or in any muslim society I guess). Bizarre and sad really./
Oct 24, 2010
Leona
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This is a beautiful, beautiful book detailing the struggle young couples face in Saudi Arabia. The writing is lyrical and while telling a strong, sometimes distressing, story it carries us with it towards its emotional conclusion.
Feb 20, 2011
Linda
rated it:
Gelezen in het Nederlands Als gevolg van liefde.
Indrukwekkend boek over de manier van leven tussen mannen en vrouwen in Saodi-Arabie. En de liefde natuurlijk
Indrukwekkend boek over de manier van leven tussen mannen en vrouwen in Saodi-Arabie. En de liefde natuurlijk
Jan 04, 2010
Katy
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It took me a LONG time (100+ pages) to get into this book. I almost just dropped it 2-3 times. Once I got into the story, I couldn't put it down! However, that part quickly ended and it the story was over. Interesting though to look into such a limited life and amazing how this particular man and woman played the system in order to have a relationship.
Oct 06, 2009
Mikaila
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An absolutely beautiful love story, that showcases the triumph of love through gender segregation and religious oppression in Saudi Arabia.
Dec 21, 2010
Peter
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Beautifully written fantastic read.A real eye opener as to what life is like in Saudi Arabia
Aug 10, 2010
Jessi
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This was an interesting love story. It is the story of an immigrant living in Saudia Arabia who falls in love with a woman and their relationship continues through letters. It is a brutal story, exposing all of the corruption that a strict Muslim culture has created in human relationships. I enjoyed the story, although I warn that it contains graphic violence and sexual content.
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Mar 11, 2010
Jessie
rated it:
Adult subjects...bordered on fantasy romance by the end, but read it in one sitting!
May 17, 2011
Beatrice
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A sad and lovely book. I am not moving to Saudi Arabia anytime soon.
Mar 24, 2011
Tabitha
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Sulaiman Addonia's first book has a bit of a slow beginning, but is absorbing after the first few chapters. I was consumed by his description of love and freedom in Saudi Arabia during the 80s. I'm not sure how accurate he is, but I was enthralled by his details and moved by each letter dropped from the shadows.
