Girls of Riyadh - Rajaa Alsanea

A clique of four college-age women are keen on finding Mr Right, they do get to know men, some are right or at least seem to be, some are so-so, some are as wrong as can be. So far, so uninteresting, the topic has been dealt with ad nauseam, however, what makes this novel outstanding, sensational even, is the fact that it is set in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, the most Islamic of all Islamic countries. I bet you've never heard of a chic lit novel that has attracted the attention of the authorities and involved the author in a lawsuit for slandering society. The author, twenty-something Rajaa Alsanea, knows her country well and foresaw trouble, so she ...  Read the complete review

This book was a Christmas present and reading the synopsis, I was really excited to read it. It is written by a girl explaining the lives of her friends in Suadi Arabia and how although rules for women are strict out there, girs will be girls and it is a tale of what they get up to when no-one os looking etc. It is likened to sex and the city. The reality of the book in fact doesn't quite live up to it's synopsis. Although I did really enjoy this book if you are expecting to read a juicey book as the synopsis and front cover suggests that's not what you get. The book is a series of weekly emails written by a young woman in Saudi about her friend's ...  Read the complete review

Many years ago I received a very unexpected marriage proposal from a man I'd met just a couple of hours earlier. I was attending an academic dinner arranged by a friend who thought I deserved a night off from studying and invited me along to make up numbers. My unexpected admirer was an outrageously handsome Saudi Arabian working for an international oil company. Did I flirt? I might have done, but not outrageously. Was I loud and outspoken and a bit shocking - probably, because I can't resist doing that when someone is culturally unused to a woman with an opinion. "I've never met anyone like you before" he said, and I thought to myself, "Yep, I ...  Read the complete review