
Ayesha At Last
by Uzma Jalaluddin
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Pub Date Apr 04 2019 | Archive Date Apr 03 2019
Atlantic Books | Corvus
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Description
A big-hearted, captivating, modern-day Muslim Pride and Prejudice, with hijabs instead of top hats and kurtas instead of corsets.
AYESHA SHAMSI has a lot going on. Her dreams of being a poet have been overtaken by a demanding teaching job. Her boisterous Muslim family, and numerous (interfering) aunties, are professional naggers. And her flighty young cousin, about to reject her one hundredth marriage proposal, is a constant reminder that Ayesha is still single. Ayesha might be a little lonely, but the one thing she doesn't want is an arranged marriage.
And then she meets Khalid... How could a man so conservative and judgmental (and, yes, smart and annoyingly handsome) have wormed his way into her thoughts so quickly?
As for Khalid, he's happy the way he is; his mother will find him a suitable bride. But why can't he get the captivating, outspoken Ayesha out of his mind? They're far too different to be a good match, surely...
**Please note that we are using an uncorrected proof file, so there may be errors in the text**
Available Editions
EDITION | Paperback |
ISBN | 9781786497949 |
PRICE | £7.99 (GBP) |
Featured Reviews

I really loved this book. It was sweet, romantic and funny, and a great addition to the Pride and Prejudice retelling pantheon.
What I really liked about this book was that it was dual perspective. Often in Pride and Prejudice books, or modern love stories like this, we often only get the woman’s perspective on the story. With Ayesha at Last, we got to know both characters, their backstories, why they are they are the way they are and how they can make each other’s lives better. It made for a delicious reading experience because as a reader, you’re privy to both their thoughts, so you know that they’re falling for each other, even though they don’t.
I also I thought that Khalid was a very interesting take on Mr Darcy. He’s not necessarily stoic, but he is very loyal and dutiful, and many of his struggles are external, and to do with the prejudice of others and how he is perceived. This author did a great job of incorporating a story into a Muslim community in Toronto. I really enjoyed it.

"Ayesha At Last" is a charming and sweet romantic story based on "Pride and Prejudice" with Muslim main characters - hurray to diverse representation! .
Ayesha is a single modern hijabi who has just started her career a teacher, despite dreaming of becoming a poet. She has no time nor the inclination to search for a husband, despite being surrounded by well meaning aunties and a large family, who are all excited by her pretty cousin Hafsa receiving tonnes of marriage proposals. Then Ayesha meets Khalid - a conservative and religious young man, who believes that his mother will find him a suitable bride. They seem like a such an unsuitable couple, so how can Khalid/Darcy and Ayesha/Lizzie find love and happiness?
This is a funny and light romantic comedy which shows that some of Austen's truths are still valid in the modern world There is prejudice, misunderstandings, drama and romance, and yummy food as well. There are no kisses or sex scenes but somehow there is tension and love and some very sweet moments between the main characters. Some of the secondary characters might not be as villainous as I would have liked it, but I enjoyed guessing who was supposed to be whom in the story.
There was also a very current discussion on Islamophobia and discrimination at work in the book, as well as discussion on arranged marriages, which provided an interesting social commentary. Altogether, a lovely story with diverse main characters and a warm fuzzy happy ending.
The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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