Girls of Riyadh

by Rajaa Alsanea, Marilyn Booth (Translation)

“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.

Genres: Fiction, Middle East, Romance, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Novels, Feminism

286 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

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 Chicago where she is a dental graduate student. She received her bachelor's degree in Dentistry from King Saud University in 2005. Her novel and lifestyle have caused controversy especially among the conservative sections of the Saudi society, but more liberal-minded individuals consider her a role model.

Reviews

[Karen Keyworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 read. I know it's one particular slice of Saudi female life, but no book can be all things to all people. A good book will take you in depth and, depending on the topic, deliberately not function as a survey text. I think the book does a good job of making an unknown group more connected to others who are interested. It's a quick read, and you will find yourself caring about what happens to each character.

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sex in the City, upper class Saudi society style! An unnamed blogger sends out an email newsletter with episodic stories of four young women's quest for love in Saudi Arabia in the 21st century. Love and dating is foremost, with Islam, gender equality and Saudi society taking a strong second place. Some might not like the almost irreverent approach to language and style used by Alsanea, but I found it made the book that more readable

Don't expect any deep dive delves into the Saudi world, this is essentially a gossip mag written from the pint of view of the people involved. A neat 21st century epistolary novel done well, with each email prefaced by the narrator's thoughts, feelings, quotes, poems and response to support and/or criticism. We do lose something in translation, as I believe each of the four women spoke different languages or dialects that were included in the original. The 24 year old debut novelist caused a storm, not so much for the criticism she got from some in Saudi Arabia, but moreso for the huge wave of support she got from the public, other writes and even members of the ruling government! A book that is unashamedly about four individuals their stories; and not to be seen as a societal critique? The big mystery in the book, is which one of the women is the narrator? 7 out of 12

Rajaa Alsanea

2021 read

[Foodie · Rating 1 out of 5]

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 annoying that after the first few chapters I skipped the introductory passage where she addresses the readers. It's only towards the very end that the characters turn fleshy. You get a slight glimpse into something profound but it lingers below the surface, at best.
The author lacks the craft to tap into the real issues, she states them out loud rather than hint at them and allow the reader arrive at his/her own conclusion, and this is where the book falls short.
There are loads of better books out there for those with a genuine interest in gaining an insight into the lives of people living in Islamic societies.

[Ava Semerau · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Nora · Rating 1 out of 5]

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

[nourah · Rating 1 out of 5]

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 ..

[shahadblossoms · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 bookshop in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and decided to finally buy it with no hesitation whatsoever.
I read a few reviews about it, some of them attacked the author and some agreed with her.
I couldn't judge the book until I read it.
So I began reading the book and like most of the girls I somehow related to what was written in it. The stories that she shared are (whether we hated it or not) were true. It happened and it is still happening to most of the girls in our society!
I believe that the author was being judged and attacked because she was "as the people claim" judgmental, Over reacting, lying and the list goes on..
But what I see is that she is only telling the truth, she's telling what she's seeing!
Where went the freedom of expressing your mind and opinion? It is semi-impossible in the Arabic, Muslim society specially in the Arabian gulf due to their strict rules of following the traditions. The funny thing is that they care more about their little traditions and habits more than they care about Islam itself! I am not saying that everyone is like that but hey, who are we kidding? Most of us are like that.
Parents, Grandparents and old folks only care about what others think of them even if that costed their and their children's freedom.
We are under a lot of pressure. A pressure of trying to be as perfect as possible and that is just non-acceptable because no one is perfect! perfection is for god himself! So tell me how are supposed to be perfect as they want us to be?
How can we act good all the freaking time? (I'm not saying that we are bad but simply people just cannot control your freedom, likes and interests!)
We've reached a level that we cannot express our thoughts without being made fun of. without being judged in a very harsh way. without being eventually disappointed. So we just stopped expressing ourselves all together.
What i'm trying to say is that I really admire her courage and patience with all the attacks she was getting from everyone around her and from other countries as well.
I've also read in one of the reviews that says her English was bad but i found it rather good. At least it's better than mine anyways.
She tried and stood in everyone's faces so she could show the world the truth & i respect that. translations were good. The book was good!
In the end..
I loved every single thing in it. ^^

[Abdullah Alsubaie · Rating 1 out of 5]

أحد أسخف ما كتب على وجه الأرض ..

[Tea Jovanović · Rating 4 out of 5]

Malo egzotike... Nesto drugacije od onoga na sta smo navikli... :)

[هَنَـــاءْ · Rating 1 out of 5]

لا أدري هل كنت في المتوسط أو الثانوي .. حينما تسللت لمكتبة والدي ليلاً لأقرأها. شدني حماس الآخرين لها .. ولأني سمعت أن والدي أحضرها معه من السفر لأنها لم تكن موجودة في المملكة. كنت كالآخرين .. وهي صفة لازمة للبشر "نحب أن نعرف سبب شهرة الشيء أو رفضه" ..
أخذتها لغرفتي وأعدتها بعد أن انتهيت .. واكتشفت حينها أن والدي يجمع بعض الأشياء المحظورة مثل هذا الكتاب ولا يقرأها هههههه
المهم : أنها كانت تافهة، لا تحمل فكرة معينة أو مصطلح رزين، كسوالف المنتديات وشطحات المراهقين المعتادة.
والسيء أكثر أسم الرواية، والشهرة التي لا تستحقها.

[Huda Fel · Rating 2 out of 5]

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

[Keturah · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 think is awesome. American women get enough chick lit and soap operas and such, Saudi women deserve some too!

3. The book was an underground best-seller in Saudi Arabia and I definitely wanted to see why. I understand why it had to be kept hidden, but I wanted to see why it was so popular.

I'm definitely glad I read it. It was a fun read, but it was also really enlightening. It helps me understand a lot of things better. I could certainly make criticisms of the book, like "where are all the poor, illiterate people?" But obviously, the author didn't intend to write a book about the lower class Saudis. She was writing of the privileged class and she succeeded in showing their lifestyle and customs.

[Odai Al-Saeed · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 جيلها في تلك المنطقة ..رواية جيدة

[Nouf Abdullah · Rating 1 out of 5]

قرأتها و ياليتني لم أقرأها !

[Mashael Alamri · Rating 3 out of 5]

قصص وحكايات

[Kavita · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting peep into upper class Saudi culture. Many of the love stories mirrored those of my friends around 10 years ago. Of course, most are now settled into semi-forced marriages. Of course, there are major differences because the law protects Indian women and there is a lot more freedom that belongs to us by birth, unlike in Saudi. But as far as love and marriage are concerned, I could see a lot of similarities, especially in the way men reacted when the family pressure started. For every Waleed who backed out after a woman put out for him, I know an Indian counterpart. For every Rashid who is in love with another woman and allows himself to be forced into a marriage by his family and then abuses his wife, I know someone who has done exactly that. So yes, familiar ground.

The story is about four women: Sadeem, Gamrah, Lamees, and Michelle. The four of them grew up together and had an enormous impact on each other. This is a simple romance book but makes an interesting read because it isn't the usual run of the mill story of boy meets girl. Here, these four women have to hide behind their computers and their smartphones to get in touch with men. They have to navigate the minefield of male expectations while at the same time not having to disappoint social and familial expectations. All of these expectations, as always, fall upon the women to fulfil.

In a way, this book is a feminist work merely because it talks about choice for women in a society where arranged/forced marriage is the norm or even the simple fact that this book is about women and their desires. On the other hand, it is a very unfeminist work because it concentrates only on love and marriage as goals for women, especially since they have all had the privilege of having a good education and been allowed to work. But either way, it proved to be very popular across the Middle East because it does talk to youngsters about their options. Originally banned by Saudi, it is now available everywhere.

One thing that did not please me with the translation is that it was excessively Americanised in ways that really undermined the feel of Saudi culture. I simply do not understand why publishers think American readers only can deal with Americanised stuff. Give them a chance! It was really disappointing, and if I knew Arabic, I would have reread this in original.

The tone of the writing was slightly juvenile, but that didn't surprise me. This was a book about women who were forced to act like teenagers and there wasn't much actual substance to the story, which again wasn't surprising because really, romance! But overall, I found it worth a read.

[فهد الفهد · Rating 1 out of 5]

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، وتنتهي مرمية في بيت والدها بعدما تخلى عنها راشد من أجل عشيقته اليابانية !!! لميس الجداوية التي تعتبر أسعدهن والتي تتزوج نزار وتعيش معه بسعادة، سديم الحريملي التي يتركها خطيبها وليد بعدما تسلمه نفسها، ومن ثم يتركها فراس الذي تتعرف عليه في لندن، بعدما تعلقت فيه، ويتزوج امرأة أخرى وتتزوج في النهاية ابن خالتها طارق، وأخيرا ً ميشيل أو مشاعل، وهي من أم أمريكية، والتي تعيش قصة حب مع فيصل الذي يتخلى عنها أيضا ً بعد رفض أمه زواجه من سديم - تعاقبه الكاتبة بتزويجه فتاة قبيحة، وحضور ميشيل لزواجه بقصد إذلاله وإيلامه -، كما أنها تفقد علاقة بابن خالها الأمريكي ماتي، وأخيرا ً ترفض الارتباط بزميلها الإماراتي حمدان لأنها لا تقبل إلا بالحب وحده أساسا ً للزواج.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

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, even after traveling to United Arab Emirates. I had absolutely no idea just how much more strict Saudi culture is. The author is very opinionated about Saudi Arabia and the way 'love' is percieved in Islamic culture. But she never openly critiques it, more she just whines and complains that love is hard and causes pain (and isn't this true worldwide?). She aims to be an Arabic Candace Bushnell but given the circumstances she can't pull it off. And not because the characters' simply aren't permitted by law to live and love the way the well known SATC girls do. But because the author lacks words and descriptions and emotions to adequately write about love. It's a worthwhile read if you are looking to learn more about the Islamic culture. But otherwise, skip it.

[نبيل المعجل · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 تعرضها لأعراض الناس بالاسم. من الممكن تصنيفها على أنها قراءة عنوسية بمعنى أن العوانس يلهين أنفسهن بالقراءة وبنفس الوقت ينتظرن أحدا ما أن يطرق بابهن تحدثت بحرية, وإن بدت غير ضرورية في مواقع قليلة, عن السلبيات التي تصادفهم في مجتمع مغلق ومزدوج الشخصية يقر الجميع بوجودها ولكن لا احد يجرؤ على الدخول في تفاصيلها فما بالك أن الراوي بنت من بنات الرياض بداية كل فصل بآيات قرآنية وأحاديث نبوية وبعض الشعر اعطاني شعورا بقرب الكاتبة من دينها ومجتمعها برغم نقمها على الظواهر السلبية

[La Petite Américaine · Rating 1 out of 5]

This author has watched and adored Sex and the City so much that she decided to write her own book about it, with the backdrop of Riyadh instead of Manhattan. No, it doesn't say that anywhere in the book, but it's obvious enough from reading it.

So, four superficial girls with too much money, who can't appreciate the lives and opportunities they have (I boldly assume it's better to be filthy rich in Saudi Arabia, as the characters are, than poor), whine about equally superficial stories, including men and the constraints of their oppressive society. Could be more interesting if not completely contrived, and in my opinion, made up in the author's Carrie-Miranda-Charlotte-Samantha worshiping mind.

I hate Sex and the City, but at least the show asks a few interesting questions like, can you be friends with an ex? or, are all men freaks? This book just backs up most womens' stereotypes of Islamic/Saudi society (uhh, it sucks, esp. if you're a woman) and offers no insights at all.

LAME. SUCKED.

[Ayala Levinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know how I should rate this book. Does a disappointing end weight more or less than an enjoyable book till this end?
It was a quick read and interesting. what was interesting was not that I learned a lot about saudi society because I knew nothing about it and not that I realized how saudi society resembles every other society that is not religious but the interesting part was that Rajaa Alsanea the saudi writer of this book is pretty sure that saudi society is different and specialy extreme. for example Sadeem, one of the characters tells us about women that men doesn't want to marry:

"Men who came from this part of the world, Sadeem decided, were by nature proud and jealous creatures. They sensed danger when face to face with females who might present a challenge to there capabilities. Naturally, such men would prefer to marry a woman with only a very modest education... "

And there were other observations about saudi men and saudi women but I am not saudi and these observation I can also make where I live.
All in all, It is a very heteronormative book. all the characters are young women looking for a man to marry and there was a huge emphasis on how people look. Everyone there falls in love because the other one is so pretty. All the men in this book are secondary characters but are the center of the existance of the main characters. But there are nice observations that I could really relate to ;) like:

"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"

Anyway, the end was disappointing and there were also 2 appearances of transphobia and fatphobia, who did bother me a lot but I still finished the book to the end. I would say maybe 3.5 stars

[Abdulrahman · Rating 1 out of 5]

لم اعتبر قرائتها مضيعه للوقت ولكني تعلمت منها ان هناك من يريد الصعود على اكتاف المراه. روايه عقيمه سيئه الهدف واللغه. (خالف تعرف) و (الممنوع مرغوب) هو الطريق الذي سلك من نظري للوصول بسرعه الى اسم كاتب مشهور

[Lina AL Ojaili · Rating 3 out of 5]

على رغم من ركاكة اللغة لديها إلا أنهاانتقدت بوضوح وجرأة، القيم الاجتماعية والدينية والأهم من ذلك حديثها عن الصراع الطائفي المسكوت عنه في مجتمعها ونظرة رجل الشرقي وخصوصا السعودي للمرأة

[Asem Alnabih · Rating 2 out of 5]

أولا: معظم ما قيل لي عن هذه الرواية كان مجرد أوهام غير منطقية واتهامات غير حقيقية.. فما أوردته رجاء الصانع جزء من حقيقة أي شعب وإن كان وضع المجتمع السعودي مختلفا نوعا ما, خاصة أنه يظهر بصفته مجتمعا محافظا.
من كثرة ما وصلتني (من فتيات من الرياض) تحذيرات وتوصيات بأن لا أقرأ هذه الرواية _لأنها فاحشة وبذيئة_ توقعت أن أشاهد فيلما سيئا جدا, لكنني تفاجأت بأنها عادية, عادية جدا.
ربما اشتهرت هذه الرواية لمجرد أنها جريئة, ليست جريئة لأنها تحدثت عن فضائح, ولكنها جريئة لأنها ناقشت أمرا لم يناقشه أحد قبلها.
أخيرا: أعلم أن هذه الرواية لا تمثل فتيات بلاد الحرمين وتحديدا "بنات الرياض" وهذا ما قالته المؤلفة نفسها, كما أن هذه القصص لا تستحق كلمة رواية, هي مجرد "ايملات " وهذا رأي الكاتبة أيضا. طبعا كان يمكنها ان تختار اسما آخر كي لا تقع في خطأ التعميم.
بالمناسبة, أفكر بكتابة قصص قصيرة عن فتيات الرياض, ربما لاحقا 

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having worked a lot with young female Saudi students, I read about half of "Girls of Riyadh", skimming the rest, and found it revealing (to others who don't know the Saudi culture) as to the relations between men and women there. Of course, Rajaa deals with the upper middle class of Riyadh. Not a bad read, if you are posted to Saudi Arabia or the Emirates. It gives you a feel of how the urban young deal with each other in a very conservative society.

[Shaikha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing that you haven't read before and definitely not as scandalous as everyone think it is.

[Wissam Mattar · Rating 2 out of 5]

رواية مجدها الاعلام بطريقة مثيرة الفضول
ولا أظن ان جهابذة الأدباء العرب من أمثال
نجيب محفوظ وصنع الله إبراهيم وعبدالرحمن منيف وجبرا إبراهيم جبرا وغيرهم

لا أظن أن أي من أدباء العرب على مر العصور قد حظي بهذا الكم من الدعاية الإعلامية والاهتمام !!!!

اثارت الضجة الإعلامية والاراء المتضاربة بين مؤيد ومعارض اهتمامي وتحمست كثيرا اقراءة الرواية

وهنا كانت لحظة الحقيقة... لم اجد لغة مميزة...ولا معالجة لقضية...ولا حتي اي عنصر اثارة وتشويق... الرواية مكتوبة بطريقة تعتمد على النميمة وكشف عورات المجتمع بأسلوب تجاري رخيص. وهي ملخص لقصص يتم تداولها في جلسات النميمة النسائية.

وهنا تسالت مجددا عن سبب الضجة الإعلامية فوجدته تجاري بحت.

هذه الرواية تذكرني بمجالات الصحافة الصفراء كثيرا

وقد نجد أنفسنا في زمن الرويات الصفراء التي تروي احداث الليالي الحمراء

وبالطبع هرع الغرب لترجمتها وهم يقولون
(شهد شاهد من أهلها).

ويجدون في هذه الرواية ما لذ وطاب من قصص التخلف في المجتمع السعودي!


شكرًا رجاء بيض الله وجهك.

[Nojood Alsudairi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book as it gives a portratit of "some" of the Saudi girls' lives and views. We are used to non-Saudis writing about Saudis and imposing thier own points of view. Assanea is a Saudi writing about a generation she knows very well, for a change!

[Gehad Hasanin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I saw this book in the bookstore's brochure, and heck I didn't even bother to know what it talks about [title issues:]. But a friend of mine bought it and brought it to school so I actually started reading the first few pages, only out of curiosity.

The story and the plot are okay, but not for the kind of purpose and the kind of place the book is meant for. The author wants to reveal to those in the West how the girls of Saudi Arabia go beyond the limits of their religion and rules and perform acts that go with those performed in the West, proving how the Girls of Riyadh are "sophisticated and open-minded".

Personally, I would call anyone with that type of thinking a "wanna-be". This author was motivated by a shameful attitude toward her religion and country; she has a longing to belong to the Western society that she would do anything to gain their acceptance. Again, my only rejection is the message she wants to convey, not the plot, and not the author's ideas.

[Naori · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is edible. I just couldn’t put it down. I think the best and worst thing about it was its format, which is written as blog-like emails introducing each very short section following one of the four girlfriends of the novel. While the emails emulate something informal and ritualistic in many of our daily lives, making it easy to slip into each segment, the segments themselves hop from one character to the next and are only a few pages long. The book doesn’t really read as disjunct but because it is so broken up it would’ve helped if each section that switched characters was a bit longer. Otherwise, I was thoroughly engaged by the characters as well as each of their commentaries on the politics of love and marriage in Saudi culture. I would absolutely recommend this and was sunk in every minute of it.