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couillac's review against another edition
2.0
Growing up in Pakistan, Halima doesn't give much thought to life outside her village. Her father is away in England most of the time, and she's content with her life. When he moves the whole family to London, she suddenly finds herself enrolled in school, making new friends, and dreaming of a university career. For the first time, she is experiencing a wider world and forming her own opinions. But a deal her father made back in Pakistan threatens her new life, and she must choose between her family and her own dreams for the future. Based on the experiences of an acquaintance, author Rosemary Hayes provides an eye-opening look at arranged marriage and the difficult circumstances that women from traditional Muslim families often face in Western countries. However, much of the book plods along as Hayes includes necessary back story and slowly develops Halima's growing sense of independence. Additionally, chapters written in other characters' voices appear suddenly, interrupting Halima's otherwise pleasant narration, and we lose her perspective entirely during the novel's pivotal moments. The climax depicted on the book's cover is indeed thrilling, but it ends all too soon. Halima is a devout, strong, authentic heroine, and books focusing on contemporary Muslim women are few and far between, but Hayes' version of Halima's story is unlikely to live up to its rather dramatic cover image. Buy it for the issues addressed, but anticipate some disappointed readers.
ceciliemadsen's review
4.0
This book, oh man, where should I start?
This book, is one of the most nerve wrecking books I have ever read, and I've read quite a few.
The story is ultimately about Halima, a young woman who after an entire life (which would be about 18 years if I'm correct) of obeying her father, finally learns to find her own voice.
Her childhood, at least early childhood, takes place in a small Pakistani village, before her father decides to bring the entire family to London, where he've been working for years.
In London, Halima ends up at an all girls school, where she ultimately forms a strong friendship with Kate, the opinionated Irish girl, and joins the debate club, where she meets the rest ever woman who is not controlled by any man, or the idea of "family honour".
As I said in the beginning, this helps Halima find her own voice, as well as forming her own ideas of what is right, and what isn't.
Therefore, when her father tells her that she's to be married to a sexist pig, who literally told her that she "belonged to him", as well as she would have to leave her home, friends, educations AND dreams, to be his picture-perfect wife; she decided she had had enough, and decides to run away.
I think the reason why this book LITERALLY crushed my soul, is
A: it's based on a true story.
B: we all know that forced marriages happens way too often, thereby meaning that the true story which inspired this book is far from being the only incident of this bullshit.
And C: Halima wouldn't even have thought twice about marrying this guy, if it hadn't been because of Kate, her education and the debate club teacher.
Halima wouldn't have thought "oh well, it's pretty shit ain't it? I don't know this guy, and my dad will only marry me off to him to pay off an old debt." If it wasn't for the fact, that she'd been exposed to RATIONAL THINKING, and the fundamental ideas of feminism.
If her dad had never brought her to London, into a society where debate, education and the thought of forced marriages is grotesque, is a part of life, she'd married that shitface, simply because that was what she was supposed to do, that was what was right in the small Pakistani village.
It breaks my heart to think about how different everything would have been, if Halima hadn't learned the stuff she had during her time in London. It frightens me, that her family would totally reject her for refusing to marry a guy she'd never even met.
And it worries me that it still happens till this day, that for some girls out there, THIS is their reality; THIS is their life. And they don't think it's wrong, because they've been taught to accept it.
This book has somehow managed to open my eyes even more and make me think about stuff that I haven't really considered before, even tho it isn't even 200 pages long.
I hate this book, and I absolutely adore it, therefore I simply HAVE to break its sad rating-statistics, and give it 5 stars.
And now, please excuse me as I cry my eyes out, and rereads it all over again.
This book, is one of the most nerve wrecking books I have ever read, and I've read quite a few.
The story is ultimately about Halima, a young woman who after an entire life (which would be about 18 years if I'm correct) of obeying her father, finally learns to find her own voice.
Her childhood, at least early childhood, takes place in a small Pakistani village, before her father decides to bring the entire family to London, where he've been working for years.
In London, Halima ends up at an all girls school, where she ultimately forms a strong friendship with Kate, the opinionated Irish girl, and joins the debate club, where she meets the rest ever woman who is not controlled by any man, or the idea of "family honour".
As I said in the beginning, this helps Halima find her own voice, as well as forming her own ideas of what is right, and what isn't.
Therefore, when her father tells her that she's to be married to a sexist pig, who literally told her that she "belonged to him", as well as she would have to leave her home, friends, educations AND dreams, to be his picture-perfect wife; she decided she had had enough, and decides to run away.
I think the reason why this book LITERALLY crushed my soul, is
A: it's based on a true story.
B: we all know that forced marriages happens way too often, thereby meaning that the true story which inspired this book is far from being the only incident of this bullshit.
And C: Halima wouldn't even have thought twice about marrying this guy, if it hadn't been because of Kate, her education and the debate club teacher.
Halima wouldn't have thought "oh well, it's pretty shit ain't it? I don't know this guy, and my dad will only marry me off to him to pay off an old debt." If it wasn't for the fact, that she'd been exposed to RATIONAL THINKING, and the fundamental ideas of feminism.
If her dad had never brought her to London, into a society where debate, education and the thought of forced marriages is grotesque, is a part of life, she'd married that shitface, simply because that was what she was supposed to do, that was what was right in the small Pakistani village.
It breaks my heart to think about how different everything would have been, if Halima hadn't learned the stuff she had during her time in London. It frightens me, that her family would totally reject her for refusing to marry a guy she'd never even met.
And it worries me that it still happens till this day, that for some girls out there, THIS is their reality; THIS is their life. And they don't think it's wrong, because they've been taught to accept it.
This book has somehow managed to open my eyes even more and make me think about stuff that I haven't really considered before, even tho it isn't even 200 pages long.
I hate this book, and I absolutely adore it, therefore I simply HAVE to break its sad rating-statistics, and give it 5 stars.
And now, please excuse me as I cry my eyes out, and rereads it all over again.
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