Girls of Riyadh
- Downloads：5552
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-30 05:53:04
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Rajaa Alsanea
- ISBN：0141030615
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
A bold new voice from Saudi Arabia spins a fascinating Scheherazade-like tale of four young women attempting to navigate the narrow straits between love， desire， fulfillment， and Islamic tradition-for the first time， the hidden world of today's upper-class Saudi women is revealed by an insider。
Reviews
Ximena Hall
，
This book is exquisite in its simplicity and its everyday-ness， attributes that make it a beautiful and captivating read。 The story of these four Saudi Arabia girls is truly amazing， in their successes and failures in life and in love， while at the same time calling out the small and big injustices of a culture and customs dictated by religion， reputation and family ties。 A truly amazing and courageous piece of work。 I would happily recommend this book to anyone that is interested in these kinds This book is exquisite in its simplicity and its everyday-ness， attributes that make it a beautiful and captivating read。 The story of these four Saudi Arabia girls is truly amazing， in their successes and failures in life and in love， while at the same time calling out the small and big injustices of a culture and customs dictated by religion， reputation and family ties。 A truly amazing and courageous piece of work。 I would happily recommend this book to anyone that is interested in these kinds of stories， as it is truly a heart-warming account。 。。。more
Katrina
，
A fascinating insight into the lives of young women in Saudi Arabia。 Sadly， despite the fact that the four friends in the story had the privilege of a good education and being allowed to work， their only ambition seemed to be marriage。 It was hard to warm to any of the characters， and the book was not particularly well written （though perhaps something was lost in translation）。 Nevertheless， worth reading for the glimpse into a very different culture。
Ilaria
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Consigliato a tutti/e！ Divertente e diverso。 Carino
Chris Kelly
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Meh。。。
د
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This book was iconic for its time but doesn’t represent Saudi culture in any way and was very gossip girl-y
Ronkeli
，
Riadin tyttöjen elämää säätelevissä tavoissa ja säännöissä on paljon， jota en ymmärrä。 Joskus heillä tuntuu olevan enemmän vapautta kuin olin kuvitellut tai olisin osannut arvata。 Suurimmaksi osaksi ja suurimmissa asioissa rajoitteet puristavat pahasti。 Kirjan blogimainen rakenne sekä runojen ja laulujen sitaatit tekivät lukemisesta kevyttä， ja ahmaisin tämän nopeasti。 Ajatuksia jää itämään。
milfandrewgarfield
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a childhood fascination， total throwback read
Miriam
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I didn't like the writing style or the characters much， but the plot kept me engaged throughout。 This book reads like Gossig Girl: Riyadh， and there's just as much drama and just as many love interests as that implies。 I liked the frame story of the email introductions more than the chapters themselves。 I didn't like the writing style or the characters much， but the plot kept me engaged throughout。 This book reads like Gossig Girl: Riyadh， and there's just as much drama and just as many love interests as that implies。 I liked the frame story of the email introductions more than the chapters themselves。 。。。more
Jewel
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It was easy to connect to the characters in this book。
Karen
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I bought this in paperback when it came out and loved it。 But， I don't really like the characters and it seems more shallow than it originally did。 Or perhaps it is just that I am older。 There could have been more character development。However， I enjoy this book's cultural insights and the quotations from other authors。 I highly recommend if you are a teenager or in your early twenties， but I think I am rating this a touch too high because of nostalgia。 I bought this in paperback when it came out and loved it。 But， I don't really like the characters and it seems more shallow than it originally did。 Or perhaps it is just that I am older。 There could have been more character development。However， I enjoy this book's cultural insights and the quotations from other authors。 I highly recommend if you are a teenager or in your early twenties， but I think I am rating this a touch too high because of nostalgia。 。。。more
Carolyn
，
Read Around the World: Saudi ArabiaAR 2。5 This has been compared to Sex and the City， but since I haven't read that， it reminded me of Gossip Girl。 I was hoping the writing would be more literary。 Read Around the World: Saudi ArabiaAR 2。5 This has been compared to Sex and the City， but since I haven't read that， it reminded me of Gossip Girl。 I was hoping the writing would be more literary。 。。。more
Ad
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loved this and also hated it， this was super relatable and a perfect insight of khaleeje girls in general， although i dislike the author a bit i still liked it。 it was a bit too westernized to my liking and white washed。。。
Haneen
，
The translation definitely wasn't perfect， but definitely an interesting and easy read。 Highlighted many issues that apply to every Arab community。 very good character development of the main characters， but found chapter introductions to be tedious and add little to plot The translation definitely wasn't perfect， but definitely an interesting and easy read。 Highlighted many issues that apply to every Arab community。 very good character development of the main characters， but found chapter introductions to be tedious and add little to plot 。。。more
Liz Davidson
，
Girls of Riyadh is not much different from any other chick lit， except that it's set in Saudi Arabia and the women involved have much more restrictive lives than your typical western heroine。 The girls involved in this story fall in love， get their hearts broken， possibly find happiness。 The contents are so non-controversial for me as an American reader that it is amazing—and revealing of how free my own culture is—that this book was banned in Saudi Arabia。 What makes this read particularly inte Girls of Riyadh is not much different from any other chick lit， except that it's set in Saudi Arabia and the women involved have much more restrictive lives than your typical western heroine。 The girls involved in this story fall in love， get their hearts broken， possibly find happiness。 The contents are so non-controversial for me as an American reader that it is amazing—and revealing of how free my own culture is—that this book was banned in Saudi Arabia。 What makes this read particularly interesting is that you pick up all kinds of interesting cultural quirks by reading it。 The way that men and women still manage to meet， to date， to carry on passionate relationships despite all odds， is fascinating。 Saudi Arabian ideas about flirting and romance give this book's courtships a distinctly different flavor。 Many of the characters split their time between Saudi Arabia and less restrictive countries， and I liked seeing the subtle behavioral changes and double standards。 It's clear that Saudi Arabian women get a bad deal when it comes to deciding their own fates， but I sympathized with them as they staunchly refused to stop trying。 The actual writing of this book is not particularly great， but I wonder how much of that has to do with translation。 I think that as an American reader， I missed a lot of the nuance and impact of this book that made it such a sensation in Saudi Arabia， and the language barrier did not help。 Overall this is very much worth a read if you 1） enjoy chick lit and 2） want to learn about and relate to a different culture。 。。。more
Majda
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3。75 rating。 It was a nice read but it felt childlike， as though I were reading a book written by my 13 year old self。 But I’m going to attribute this to the translation since it feels less weird when I translate the sentences in my head to Arabic。Beyond that the characters were certainly…。unique。 I didn’t like some of them and I really loved others。 I can’t comment on how accurate it is to what girls in Saudi/Riyadh are truly like as I’ve visited but never lived there。 It’s also about 17 years 3。75 rating。 It was a nice read but it felt childlike， as though I were reading a book written by my 13 year old self。 But I’m going to attribute this to the translation since it feels less weird when I translate the sentences in my head to Arabic。Beyond that the characters were certainly…。unique。 I didn’t like some of them and I really loved others。 I can’t comment on how accurate it is to what girls in Saudi/Riyadh are truly like as I’ve visited but never lived there。 It’s also about 17 years old now！ So I’m sure things have changed since then。 Nonetheless the dynamics of the girls of Riyadh were certainly interesting and fun to read about and I thoroughly enjoyed myself。 Definitely recommend if you’re looking for an easy， quick and enjoyable read。 。。。more
Sheri
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Rich and interesting characters。
Pat
，
Väldigt kul！
Aneesa Idrees
，
I almost skipped the chance to read this book a second time because of the reviews on here。 I am so glad I tuned them out and followed my heart for this was a pleasurable ride。Entertaining and enlightening， I enjoyed diving into the worlds of Ghamra， Sadeeem， Lamees and Michelle。 I loved this book the first time I read it when I was much much younger （final year undergrad） and I appreciate it so much more now that I am older。Not everyone is destined to have a happily ever after with the love of I almost skipped the chance to read this book a second time because of the reviews on here。 I am so glad I tuned them out and followed my heart for this was a pleasurable ride。Entertaining and enlightening， I enjoyed diving into the worlds of Ghamra， Sadeeem， Lamees and Michelle。 I loved this book the first time I read it when I was much much younger （final year undergrad） and I appreciate it so much more now that I am older。Not everyone is destined to have a happily ever after with the love of their life and this book tells us exactly that。 Each girl in the story is either on a quest to find her one true love or happens to stumble upon it。 Does it work out？ Mostly no， Hardly ever， but their resilience and ability to pick themselves up after each love calamity is appeasing。I am unsure of the cultural accuracy of the facts given but I truly enjoyed reading about their life and love adventures。 。。。more
Valerija
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Great book。 I am living in a part of world that is very different then SA， but problems of love are similar。 Thee book brought closer the way of life of women in SA。
Kathryn
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I really need to get a grip on my expectations of books！ But in this case， I’m glad for the deviation。 I thought I was about to read an extremely sad and poignant story about some young women in frustrating and oppressive situations。 While there definitely were some sad and frustrating moments （as a result of some oppressive traditions） the story itself was written in a lighthearted， entertaining， and satirical way。 Girls of Riyadh follows four young women （plus an anonymous fifth who is narrati I really need to get a grip on my expectations of books！ But in this case， I’m glad for the deviation。 I thought I was about to read an extremely sad and poignant story about some young women in frustrating and oppressive situations。 While there definitely were some sad and frustrating moments （as a result of some oppressive traditions） the story itself was written in a lighthearted， entertaining， and satirical way。 Girls of Riyadh follows four young women （plus an anonymous fifth who is narrating the tale of her friends， the four girls） in their love mishaps。 And， as in real life， some have happier results than others， but — spoiler — all end up satisfied with their lives， even if only with the resolve to take more control of their own destinies。 I liked the commentary on Saudi society， and that these characters represented various classes and situations。 I found the narrator， who writes the story via weekly emails to a subscriber group， to be sassy and smart， and though bold， not overly emboldened due to her anonymity。 （And honestly， I am seriously considering finding an email subscription similar to this。） I recommend if you enjoy satire and reading about other cultures。 And if you like Gossip Girl。 。。。more
Sarah Beth
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This book was absolutely amazing， I listened to it on audiobook and it was an absolute pleasure。 The characters are so real and thier lives are so vivid！This book is like a realistic version of Gossip Girl， and I can't stop reccomending it。 This book was absolutely amazing， I listened to it on audiobook and it was an absolute pleasure。 The characters are so real and thier lives are so vivid！This book is like a realistic version of Gossip Girl， and I can't stop reccomending it。 。。。more
Kalli Moon
，
This is fun and engaging but kind of shallow and not well written。 I guess I wanted more nuance and depth， but got entertainment and sensationalism。 I give her props for talking about women’s lives and opening up dialogue in her country though！
Sabia khan
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Girls Of Riyadh I don't know what took me so long to pick this one ， it's an absolutely entertaining， insightful and thought provoking read。 The narration will keep you hooked as each chapter of the story is depicted as an e-mail by a nameless writer to hundreds and thousands of UAE residents。 Each chapter begins with the thought on the emails she recieves from the readers along with some quotes and Quranic verses。The book portrays the lives of a group of four friends from elite Saudi families f Girls Of Riyadh I don't know what took me so long to pick this one ， it's an absolutely entertaining， insightful and thought provoking read。 The narration will keep you hooked as each chapter of the story is depicted as an e-mail by a nameless writer to hundreds and thousands of UAE residents。 Each chapter begins with the thought on the emails she recieves from the readers along with some quotes and Quranic verses。The book portrays the lives of a group of four friends from elite Saudi families focusing on their family ， careers and most importantly their love lives。In a patriarchal society ， their love lives are doomed as the men's in their lives comes out to be slaves of their customs and ancient traditions。The characters are beautifully interwoven with a great stroy line and it gives a clear glimpse of the Culture's and traditions there。 The most important thing is that Islam is not disrespected in here and instead it makes a point that women's can be liberated through it。 。。。more
Nandini Khaneja
，
It was kept in my library for too long as I was procrastinating reading it but finally I read it and it felt as if I gone through the same stories about Saudi Arabia being patriarchal or how the women have no rights or how men misbehave with them。I have read Desperate in Dubai and felt it was better than this one although the plot of these books is similiar。But，overall it was an okay read and author had done a decent job in portraying what characters felt and showing Saudi's image when it comes It was kept in my library for too long as I was procrastinating reading it but finally I read it and it felt as if I gone through the same stories about Saudi Arabia being patriarchal or how the women have no rights or how men misbehave with them。I have read Desperate in Dubai and felt it was better than this one although the plot of these books is similiar。But，overall it was an okay read and author had done a decent job in portraying what characters felt and showing Saudi's image when it comes to their treatment of women。 。。。more
Melanie H
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Meh。 This book is okay。 Sex and the City takes the Saudi Kingdom？ Not typically my cup of tea but I'm trying to expand my horizons and get a glimpse into a culture I don't know much about。 Being as this is fiction and I've never met a woman from Saudi Arabia， who realistic this book is， I don't know。 Meh。 This book is okay。 Sex and the City takes the Saudi Kingdom？ Not typically my cup of tea but I'm trying to expand my horizons and get a glimpse into a culture I don't know much about。 Being as this is fiction and I've never met a woman from Saudi Arabia， who realistic this book is， I don't know。 。。。more
Hannah Glass
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I couldn’t put this down！！ I loved the epistolary， “women tell-all” style which really fit the overall tone and theme of the book。 The narrator felt like a fun friend and the stories of sisterhood and womanhood were beautiful。 It’s fun to read books originally written in a different language and for a different cultural audience。 It’s challenging， eye opening， humbling， and a good reminder that we’re really not that much different from each other。 10/10 recommend！！！！
saira
，
3。5/4？It’s been a long working month and a short reading month for me。 😭Review will be up shortly
Ameerah
，
Alsanea’s tale of the personal struggles of four upper-class women offers Westerners an unprecedented glimpse into a society often veiled from view。 Living in restrictive Riyadh but travelling all over the globe， these women figuratively shed traditional garb as they search for love， fulfilment， and place between the eastern and western society。
Katie Rose Hodgson
，
3。5
E。Elegance’s
，
was one of my favorite back then ， it was first time reading book about saudi women rich lifestyle， talks about 4 women and thier journey at saudi society。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Girls of Riyadh
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Girls of Riyadh&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Girls of Riyadh&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0