By: Kylie Quigley
Ramadan Mubarak! Since the start of Ramadan, I decided I wanted to read a few books by Muslim authors. I started out with Ayesha At Last by Uzma Jalaluddin, who is also a teacher and writes for a Canadian newspaper! Ayesha At Last is about Ayesha Shamsi, a schoolteacher who wants to be a poet, who meets Khalid, a hard working businessman. Differing opinions and prejudice against each other make a friendship hard for Ayesha and Khalid, but when they finally lay aside their pride, things work out. The two navigate torrents of gossip and misunderstandings between their very different families as they try to figure out their feelings for each other, but nobody said love was easy. Hafsa, Ayesha’s flighty younger cousin, who is busy rejecting her hundredth marriage proposal, sure isn’t helping. But with the help of Clara, Ayesha and Khalid’s mutual friend, maybe things will work out…
I really enjoyed the jovial tone and homage to Jane Austen’s classic novel, but Jalaluddin’s work also stood well on its own! I found myself looking forward to each new chapter and being really excited to see what new twists Jalaluddin had in store. The plot could have been stronger at the end, but overall I think my enjoyment of the book was the greater reward. Each character was built well, and I liked seeing them grow throughout the story. I’d recommend this book for ages 14 and up! Readers, please be aware that there is some Islamophobia that is challenged by the main characters and resolved. Overall, purely because of how much I loved reading this book, I gave it 5/5 stars!