Name: Girls of Riyadh
Rating: 3.461764705882353 (17 reviews)
ISBN: 9781905490202

Rajāʼ ʻAbd Allāh Ṣāniʻ

'Girls of Riyadh' captures the trials and tribulations of a middle-class society quite unlike our own and blows the lid off all our preconceptions of Arab life.

Girls of Riyadh

Marilyn Booth

Rajaa Alsanea

The tale of four young women university students from Riyadh follows their struggles to navigate the precarious paths between desire, fulfillment, and Islamic tradition while witnessing how the Arab world is being changed by new economic and political realities.

This book was a whirlwind to read. This story is so charming, captivating, and an immensely good read. I found myself uncovering biases I didn’t know I had about Saudi Arabia, and Islamic culture in general. I also found myself tucked into these pages, hiding inside some of the characters. I found parts of myself in each girl, and I honestly feel like I’ve been in some of their positions throughout different stages of my life. This book make me realize that girlhood truly is universal, and the everyday freedoms I have surrounding romance is humbling. The actions of some of the characters pissed me off sometimes, but that’s what kept me turning the page. This is a great book to read in the journey of decentering men. I’m so very glad this was the first book in my contemporary middle eastern writers class - I can’t wait to read more stories that feel like a tale from a Scheherazade. ❤️

Mackenzie Richardson

Sunelle Chamberlain

After reading the mixed reviews about this book here on Goodreads, I didnt quite know what to expect. 

BUT it was surprisingly enjoyable. I could relate what I read to my experiences with the Arab muslim world.

Gamrah's faith in her new husband is not exactly returned...Sadeem is a little too willing to please her fiance...Michelle is half-American and the wrong class for her boyfriend's family...While Lamees works hard with little time for love. The girls of Riyadh are young, attractive and living by Saudi Arabia's strict cultural traditions. Well, not quite. In-between sneaking out behind their parents' backs, dating, shopping, watching American TV and having fun, they're still trying to be good little Muslim girls. That is, pleasing their families and their men. Can you be a twenty-first century girl and a Saudi girl?

Girls of Riyadh

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