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Unmarriageable
Alys Binat has sworn never to marry--until an encounter with one Mr. Darsee at a wedding makes her reconsider. A scandal and vicious rumor concerning the Binat family have destroyed their fortune and prospects for desirable marriages, but Alys, the second and most practical of the five Binat daughters, has found happiness teaching English literature to schoolgirls. Knowing that many of her students won't make it to graduation before dropping out to marry and have children, Alys teaches them about Jane Austen and her other literary heroes and hopes to inspire the girls to dream of more.
When an invitation arrives to the biggest wedding their small town has seen in years, Mrs. Binat, certain that their luck is about to change, excitedly sets to work preparing her daughters to fish for rich, eligible bachelors. On the first night of the festivities, Alys's lovely older sister, Jena, catches the eye of Fahad "Bungles" Bingla, the wildly successful--and single--entrepreneur. But Bungles's friend Valentine Darsee is clearly unimpressed by the Binat family. Alys accidentally overhears his unflattering assessment of her and quickly dismisses him and his snobbish ways. As the days of lavish wedding parties unfold, the Binats wait breathlessly to see if Jena will land a proposal--and Alys begins to realize that Darsee's brusque manner may be hiding a very different man from the one she saw at first glance.
Told with wry wit and colorful prose, Unmarriageable is a charming update on Jane Austen's beloved novel and an exhilarating exploration of love, marriage, class, and sisterhood.
When an invitation arrives to the biggest wedding their small town has seen in years, Mrs. Binat, certain that their luck is about to change, excitedly sets to work preparing her daughters to fish for rich, eligible bachelors. On the first night of the festivities, Alys's lovely older sister, Jena, catches the eye of Fahad "Bungles" Bingla, the wildly successful--and single--entrepreneur. But Bungles's friend Valentine Darsee is clearly unimpressed by the Binat family. Alys accidentally overhears his unflattering assessment of her and quickly dismisses him and his snobbish ways. As the days of lavish wedding parties unfold, the Binats wait breathlessly to see if Jena will land a proposal--and Alys begins to realize that Darsee's brusque manner may be hiding a very different man from the one she saw at first glance.
Told with wry wit and colorful prose, Unmarriageable is a charming update on Jane Austen's beloved novel and an exhilarating exploration of love, marriage, class, and sisterhood.
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 15, 2019
About the author
Soniah Kamal
9 books456 followersSoniah Kamal is an award winning novelist, essayist and public speaker. Her most recent novel, Unmarriageable: Pride & Prejudice in Pakistan, is a Financial Times Readers’ Best Book of 2019, a 2019 ‘Books All Georgians Should Read,’ a 2020 Georgia Author of the Year for Literary Fiction nominee, is shortlisted for the 2020 Townsend Award for Fiction, is a New York Public Library, a NPR Code Switch 2019 Summer Read Pick and People’s Magazine pick. Her debut novel, An Isolated Incident, was a finalist for the Townsend Award for Fiction and the KLF French Fiction Prize. Soniah’s TEDx talk is about second chances and ‘We are the Ink’, her address at a U.S. Citizenship Oath Ceremony, talks about immigrants and the real American Dreams. Soniah’s work has appeared in critically acclaimed anthologies and publications including The New York Times, The Guardian, The Atlantic, Buzzfeed and more. Soniah grew up in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and England and resides in Atlanta, Georgia.
Jane Austen Bio: Soniah is a life time member of the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA). She is a Featured Plenary Panelist at 2020 JASNA AGM. Soniah is the 2020 Keynote Speaker at the Jane Austen Festival held by JASNA Louisville Kentucky. Soniah hosted the year long Jane Austen 200th Anniversary Commemoration Book Club for all six Austen novels and wrote about it in Pride and Possibilities. She was Chief Guest at the 2019 JASNA Northern California Jane Austen Birthday Gala and delivered the Jane Austen Birthday Toast. Soniah has served as a Jane Austen Literacy Ambassador for the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation. Austenprose declared Unmarriageable ‘a dream retelling’ and the Jane Austen Center called it ‘a wonderful experience’. Guggenheim awardee Professor Devoney Looser of The Making of Jane Austen says Unmarriageable is a ‘a brilliant fictional homage to Pride and Prejudice’. While Soniah adores Pride and Prejudice, her favorite Austen novel is Mansfield Park. Onscreen she loves the 1995 BBC ‘Pride and Prejudice’, Emma Thomson’s ‘Sense and Sensibility’, Whit Stillman’s ‘Love and Friendship’ adapted from Lady Susan, and ITV’s time travelling ‘Lost in Austen’.
Soniah’s short story “Fossils”, judged by Claudia Rankine, won the Agnes Scott 2017 Festival Award for Fiction and her story ‘Jelly Beans’ was selected for The Best Asian Stories Series 2017. Her essay ‘The Fall: How to Survive Your Father’s Imprisonment’ was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Her short stories and essays have been shortlisted for awards including the Sequestrum Editor’s Reprint Award and the Payton James Freeman Prize and are recommended reads by VELA and Longreads. Soniah is the recipient of the Susan B. Irene Award from St. Johns College where she graduated with a BA Honors in Liberal Arts. She was awarded a Paul Bowles Fiction Fellowship from Georgia State University where she earned an MFA in Creative Writing. Soniah is a member of the National Books Critics Circle and PEN America and the Jane Austen Society of North America.
Soniah has taught creative writing and global literature at Emory University, Oglethorpe University and is faculty at Reinhardt University. She has served as Writer-in-Residence for the Fulton County Library System and is a repeat mentor for the Association of Writers and Writing Programs.
Jane Austen Bio: Soniah is a life time member of the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA). She is a Featured Plenary Panelist at 2020 JASNA AGM. Soniah is the 2020 Keynote Speaker at the Jane Austen Festival held by JASNA Louisville Kentucky. Soniah hosted the year long Jane Austen 200th Anniversary Commemoration Book Club for all six Austen novels and wrote about it in Pride and Possibilities. She was Chief Guest at the 2019 JASNA Northern California Jane Austen Birthday Gala and delivered the Jane Austen Birthday Toast. Soniah has served as a Jane Austen Literacy Ambassador for the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation. Austenprose declared Unmarriageable ‘a dream retelling’ and the Jane Austen Center called it ‘a wonderful experience’. Guggenheim awardee Professor Devoney Looser of The Making of Jane Austen says Unmarriageable is a ‘a brilliant fictional homage to Pride and Prejudice’. While Soniah adores Pride and Prejudice, her favorite Austen novel is Mansfield Park. Onscreen she loves the 1995 BBC ‘Pride and Prejudice’, Emma Thomson’s ‘Sense and Sensibility’, Whit Stillman’s ‘Love and Friendship’ adapted from Lady Susan, and ITV’s time travelling ‘Lost in Austen’.
Soniah’s short story “Fossils”, judged by Claudia Rankine, won the Agnes Scott 2017 Festival Award for Fiction and her story ‘Jelly Beans’ was selected for The Best Asian Stories Series 2017. Her essay ‘The Fall: How to Survive Your Father’s Imprisonment’ was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Her short stories and essays have been shortlisted for awards including the Sequestrum Editor’s Reprint Award and the Payton James Freeman Prize and are recommended reads by VELA and Longreads. Soniah is the recipient of the Susan B. Irene Award from St. Johns College where she graduated with a BA Honors in Liberal Arts. She was awarded a Paul Bowles Fiction Fellowship from Georgia State University where she earned an MFA in Creative Writing. Soniah is a member of the National Books Critics Circle and PEN America and the Jane Austen Society of North America.
Soniah has taught creative writing and global literature at Emory University, Oglethorpe University and is faculty at Reinhardt University. She has served as Writer-in-Residence for the Fulton County Library System and is a repeat mentor for the Association of Writers and Writing Programs.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,748 reviews
January 13, 2019
4.5 stars
I absolutely ADORED this book!
“It was a truth, universally acknowledged, … that people enter our lives in order to recommend reads.”
Unmarriageable is a charming retelling of Pride and Prejudice that takes place in Pakistan the early 2000's. Soniah Kamal captures the essence of the original and at the same time creates something new by transporting the characters and the plot to modern day Pakistan.
The plot stays true to the original P&P. Kamal effortlessly weaves in Pakastani cultural norms to add a new twist to the plot, as well as to emphasize gender norms and other elements of Pakistani culture.
P&P is one of my all-time favorite books. I have reread it numerous times. I also have read many modern updates and retellings. Some of these have failed greatly, while others have hit the mark. I must say, that Unmarriageable is one my new modern favorites retellings because not only does Kamal hit the mark on capturing the feeling of the original plot, but she also captures the spirit of the characters, while at the same time adding something new by highlighting the conventions of marriage and gender norms of Pakistani culture through the lens of the original.
I would highly recommend Unmarriageable to those who love Pride and Prejudice, as well as to those who have never read the original. This is a story that never loses its charm.
I received an ARC of this book from Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I absolutely ADORED this book!
“It was a truth, universally acknowledged, … that people enter our lives in order to recommend reads.”
Unmarriageable is a charming retelling of Pride and Prejudice that takes place in Pakistan the early 2000's. Soniah Kamal captures the essence of the original and at the same time creates something new by transporting the characters and the plot to modern day Pakistan.
The plot stays true to the original P&P. Kamal effortlessly weaves in Pakastani cultural norms to add a new twist to the plot, as well as to emphasize gender norms and other elements of Pakistani culture.
P&P is one of my all-time favorite books. I have reread it numerous times. I also have read many modern updates and retellings. Some of these have failed greatly, while others have hit the mark. I must say, that Unmarriageable is one my new modern favorites retellings because not only does Kamal hit the mark on capturing the feeling of the original plot, but she also captures the spirit of the characters, while at the same time adding something new by highlighting the conventions of marriage and gender norms of Pakistani culture through the lens of the original.
I would highly recommend Unmarriageable to those who love Pride and Prejudice, as well as to those who have never read the original. This is a story that never loses its charm.
I received an ARC of this book from Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
September 15, 2018
Out-freaking-standing!!! READ THIS BOOK!!
I'd love to share my review here, but it is an assigned book and the review will be copyrighted. However, I can not recommend this book highly enough. If you love Pride & Prejudice you will love this rendition set in modern day Pakistan. This is one of those books I just want to hold close to my heart and never let go. An absolute delight, but also insightful and educational.
5 BIG STARS!!
I'd love to share my review here, but it is an assigned book and the review will be copyrighted. However, I can not recommend this book highly enough. If you love Pride & Prejudice you will love this rendition set in modern day Pakistan. This is one of those books I just want to hold close to my heart and never let go. An absolute delight, but also insightful and educational.
5 BIG STARS!!
February 2, 2020
A Pakistani retelling of Pride and Prejudice? And by an author born in Pakistan? I was all, sign me up!
So ... 3.66 stars. It's not perfect, and often it follows the original P&P plot a little too closely, especially with the characters' names and some famous lines and scenes from P&P that were a little too spot-on. Alysba (Alys) Binat as Elizabeth Bennet and Valentine Darsee are okay, but I draw the line at Jeorgeulla Wickaam and the "Looclus" (Lucas) clan. Humeria (Hammy) and Sumeria (Sammy) Bingla for the Bingley sisters was pretty funny, though. Mr. Collins is Farhat Kaleen, an older widower with three children; Charlotte Lucas is Sherry Looclus. The character makeovers of those last two were awesome, by the way.
I liked it best where it veered from P&P in some interesting ways; Sherry's point of view and subplot, for example, was really fascinating to me . The Elizabeth Bennet character, Alys, is strident in her feminism, enough so that the ultimate romantic wrap-up seems a little out of character. The traditional P&P plot is modernized in several ways, including her character (age 30, and fighting against some of the traditions of her country relating to marriage and the role of women), as well as a gay character and sympathetic discussion of abortion.
I really enjoyed the immersion into modern-day Pakistani life. The moral quandaries transfer pretty well into current Pakistani culture, including the obsession with marrying well and the near-disaster that Lydia ("Lady") causes her family. The food sounded like it was to die for. And fairly frequently the novel was quite insightful into human relationships, in ways that aren't entirely owed to Jane Austen.
The writing is sometimes a bit clunky, especially when the author is making a social point. But it was still an interesting story, as long as you don't mind that it toes the P&P line pretty closely.
I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley for review. Thank you!
Content notes: a few F-bombs (4, to be exact). Some innuendos, but no other sexual content.
So ... 3.66 stars. It's not perfect, and often it follows the original P&P plot a little too closely, especially with the characters' names and some famous lines and scenes from P&P that were a little too spot-on. Alysba (Alys) Binat as Elizabeth Bennet and Valentine Darsee are okay, but I draw the line at Jeorgeulla Wickaam and the "Looclus" (Lucas) clan. Humeria (Hammy) and Sumeria (Sammy) Bingla for the Bingley sisters was pretty funny, though. Mr. Collins is Farhat Kaleen, an older widower with three children; Charlotte Lucas is Sherry Looclus. The character makeovers of those last two were awesome, by the way.
I liked it best where it veered from P&P in some interesting ways; Sherry's point of view and subplot, for example, was really fascinating to me . The Elizabeth Bennet character, Alys, is strident in her feminism, enough so that the ultimate romantic wrap-up seems a little out of character. The traditional P&P plot is modernized in several ways, including her character (age 30, and fighting against some of the traditions of her country relating to marriage and the role of women), as well as a gay character and sympathetic discussion of abortion.
I really enjoyed the immersion into modern-day Pakistani life. The moral quandaries transfer pretty well into current Pakistani culture, including the obsession with marrying well and the near-disaster that Lydia ("Lady") causes her family. The food sounded like it was to die for. And fairly frequently the novel was quite insightful into human relationships, in ways that aren't entirely owed to Jane Austen.
I wanted to tell him about my kind and generous Jena, my fearless Alys, my artist Qitty, who holds her head up no matter what anyone says to her, and my Mari, who just wants everyone to go to heaven. Even my silly, selfish Lady, who doesn't know what is good for her and just wants to have a good time all the time. But I didn't tell him about any one of my daughters. He doesn't deserve to know a single thing about my precious girls.Awww!
The writing is sometimes a bit clunky, especially when the author is making a social point. But it was still an interesting story, as long as you don't mind that it toes the P&P line pretty closely.
I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley for review. Thank you!
Content notes: a few F-bombs (4, to be exact). Some innuendos, but no other sexual content.
January 24, 2022
Not to be rude, but...we might need to file a big ol’ picture of this book under “how not to do a retelling.”
Because telling the exact same story but without a lot of the charm and making the social and moral aspects so obvious they all but hit you over the head crowbar-style rather than being seamlessly and amusingly included in the narrative...and also making all the characters have exactly the same name as the original story...but also having the original story exist in the retelling...and also having those characters discuss their same-name counterparts without a moment’s self-awareness...that just ain’t it, chief.
The thing about Pride & Prejudice is that it doesn’t feel boring that the love story is very slow, and takes so long to start, because the writing is lovely and the characters are wonderful. I didn’t connect to any of these characters, and the writing felt cold and clinical to me. And so much of the societal description, which is what Austen is renowned for, was completely told and not shown here. Like a nightmarish inverted version of ol’ Janie.
Not to mention the fact that lines like “Darsee said, ‘My mother adored Darcy’” are silly and have no self awareness. This is like a shot for shot retelling of a story where the characters are also talking about that story. Giving the characters identical names is just too far.
Beyond that, Alys is no Lizzy - she’s a lot crueler, a lot more self-satisfied, a lot more pretentious. Lizzy is imperfect but not intolerable.
AND THE LOVE STORY JUST ISN’T THERE. NO CHEMISTRY. NO YEARNING. THERE’S NOTHING. THIS IS A BARREN WASTELAND.
AND AS IF THAT WEREN’T ENOUGH (it definitely is enough to put this in my bad graces) (I don’t think bad graces is an expression but it should be), this absolutely screws the pooch (which is an expression but shouldn’t be) on most social issues, and also general kindness.
It’s not nice about infertility. It’s riddled with fat shaming. And a character who asks Alys for books with representation of chronically ill characters who rise above their illness gets the following: “Good Country People” by Flannery O’Connor (in which the main character is NOT chronically ill but does have one leg, and at the end of the story a boy takes advantage of her, steals her prosthetic, and leaves her stranded), and Pride & Prejudice because of Anne de Bourgh (who has not a single line of dialogue because she’s so sickly). I hate it here.
I do like that Alys tells Jena about Darsee’s letter, when Lizzy didn’t tell Jane about Darcy’s. I do like the setting and the representation.
I don’t like anything else.
Bottom line: Maybe retellings aren’t for me.
-------------
turns out the downside of pride & prejudice retellings is that nothing can live up to pride & prejudice.
review to come / 1.5 stars
-------------
reading two pride & prejudice retellings in one month as a cry for help
(thanks to Grace for the rec)
Because telling the exact same story but without a lot of the charm and making the social and moral aspects so obvious they all but hit you over the head crowbar-style rather than being seamlessly and amusingly included in the narrative...and also making all the characters have exactly the same name as the original story...but also having the original story exist in the retelling...and also having those characters discuss their same-name counterparts without a moment’s self-awareness...that just ain’t it, chief.
The thing about Pride & Prejudice is that it doesn’t feel boring that the love story is very slow, and takes so long to start, because the writing is lovely and the characters are wonderful. I didn’t connect to any of these characters, and the writing felt cold and clinical to me. And so much of the societal description, which is what Austen is renowned for, was completely told and not shown here. Like a nightmarish inverted version of ol’ Janie.
Not to mention the fact that lines like “Darsee said, ‘My mother adored Darcy’” are silly and have no self awareness. This is like a shot for shot retelling of a story where the characters are also talking about that story. Giving the characters identical names is just too far.
Beyond that, Alys is no Lizzy - she’s a lot crueler, a lot more self-satisfied, a lot more pretentious. Lizzy is imperfect but not intolerable.
AND THE LOVE STORY JUST ISN’T THERE. NO CHEMISTRY. NO YEARNING. THERE’S NOTHING. THIS IS A BARREN WASTELAND.
AND AS IF THAT WEREN’T ENOUGH (it definitely is enough to put this in my bad graces) (I don’t think bad graces is an expression but it should be), this absolutely screws the pooch (which is an expression but shouldn’t be) on most social issues, and also general kindness.
It’s not nice about infertility. It’s riddled with fat shaming. And a character who asks Alys for books with representation of chronically ill characters who rise above their illness gets the following: “Good Country People” by Flannery O’Connor (in which the main character is NOT chronically ill but does have one leg, and at the end of the story a boy takes advantage of her, steals her prosthetic, and leaves her stranded), and Pride & Prejudice because of Anne de Bourgh (who has not a single line of dialogue because she’s so sickly). I hate it here.
I do like that Alys tells Jena about Darsee’s letter, when Lizzy didn’t tell Jane about Darcy’s. I do like the setting and the representation.
I don’t like anything else.
Bottom line: Maybe retellings aren’t for me.
-------------
turns out the downside of pride & prejudice retellings is that nothing can live up to pride & prejudice.
review to come / 1.5 stars
-------------
reading two pride & prejudice retellings in one month as a cry for help
(thanks to Grace for the rec)
July 13, 2024
I know this is a retelling of Pride and Prejudice, but Alys Binat and Darsee?? The writer could have at least tried to come up with a bunch of decent Urdu names instead of these weird variations.
If I'm being honest, this felt more like a tacky dubbing of a famous movie in a regional language for the local audience's benefit. Reminded me of the time I watched Harry Potter and Draco shouting outrageous spells in Tamil and went through severe bouts of annoyance. Expected something better in P&P's unique flavor.
The writing was wonderful though. To give credit where it's due, Soniah manages to cultivate Austen's humor and cleverly aligns the present day Pakistan groom hunting scenes to that of Britain's regency era. However, the complete lack of originality was off-putting. Ardent Austen fans will either love this or hate this. I was mostly disinterested.
If I'm being honest, this felt more like a tacky dubbing of a famous movie in a regional language for the local audience's benefit. Reminded me of the time I watched Harry Potter and Draco shouting outrageous spells in Tamil and went through severe bouts of annoyance. Expected something better in P&P's unique flavor.
The writing was wonderful though. To give credit where it's due, Soniah manages to cultivate Austen's humor and cleverly aligns the present day Pakistan groom hunting scenes to that of Britain's regency era. However, the complete lack of originality was off-putting. Ardent Austen fans will either love this or hate this. I was mostly disinterested.
December 17, 2018
“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a girl can go from pauper to princess or princess to pauper in the mere seconds it takes for her to accept a proposal.”
Pride and Prejudice remains my favorite book of all time. So, I am a sucker for all “sequels”, takeoffs, etc. Some have been very good (Eligible, Longbourn), others deadly (Mary B, I’m looking at you).
This takeoff on P&P takes place in modern day Pakistan, which works well, because so few other places in modern times can get away with the idea that marriage and being a mother is the be all and end all for a woman.
What doesn’t work is the author’s idea that the names must all be bad take offs on the originals. As if we couldn’t have figured out for ourselves who was meant to be whom. This lacks the sophisticated dry humor of Austen, but few measure up there. The issue is always being humorous without descending into caricature. It skates dangerously close at times. But it’s charming and enjoyable in its own way. And I did appreciate Kamal getting a laugh in on those who see a movie or miniseries and feel like they’ve read the book. Cue Colin Firth in a wet shirt...
Where Kamal does shine is when she takes on Pakistani culture. Not just how the women are treated and valued, but how the citizens reconcile their history with the English empire, especially given that Alys teaches English literature. I don’t know much about current Pakistani culture, but it all just felt real.
Kamal doesn’t feel the need to mirror the plot of P&P exactly, which is a good thing. She retains enough of the original story while putting her own unique spin on it. Overall, this is one P&P revision I can recommend. My thanks to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.
December 19, 2018
5 stars to Unmarriageable! Don’t miss it! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
I usually plan a special read around my birthday each year, and I hope to post the review on my birthday. Well, this year, the book I’m reading is fantastic, but I haven’t had enough time to finish it (the NC snowpocalype really threw my plans for a loop!). That said, I read Unmarriageable recently, and it blew me out of the water. I hadn’t had a chance to post the review on Goodreads, so this worked out well to share with you today.
—
Wow, this one blew me away! If you are a Pride and Prejudice fan, don’t miss this one. If you aren’t, don’t miss this one. If you are a fan of diverse, multi-cultural reads, don’t miss this one. Moreover, if you are a fan of impeccable storytelling, Unmarriageable is a book not to be missed!
Unmarriageable is set in modern day Pakistan. The Binat family consists of five sisters and their parents. A scandal erupts that causes the family to lose their fortune and any chance at desirable marriages for their daughters.
Alys is the second sister in line, and she’s a pragmatist. She teaches English literature to school-aged girls who are unlikely to further their educations and will likely marry young. Of import to her teaching is Jane Austen because she believes this will inspire her students to dream.
One day an invitation arrives for a fancy wedding, one the likes of which the village has never seen before. Mrs. Binat is hard at work getting her daughters in shape for possible bachelors attending the wedding.
The oldest sister, Jena, has attracted an eligible bachelor, but his friend, none other than Valentine Darsee, is not a fan of the family, and Alys overhears him saying so. As the wedding continues, Jena awaits a proposal while Alys becomes more interested in Darsee…
Unmarriageable is steeped in the culture of a Pakistani family. I especially loved the dialogue between the sisters and with their mother. The idioms added to the authenticity of the story. The characters are so well-developed, and I loved the comparisons to Pride and Prejudice; so many connections and Easter eggs of commonalities to discover.
Unmarriageable is a smart, evocative retelling of a classic that reads just like a modern classic. Everything about the story is perfection, intriguing, and completely enthralling. It was enjoyable and engaging from start to finish and receives my highest recommendation.
Thank you to Random House Ballantine for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
My reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com
I usually plan a special read around my birthday each year, and I hope to post the review on my birthday. Well, this year, the book I’m reading is fantastic, but I haven’t had enough time to finish it (the NC snowpocalype really threw my plans for a loop!). That said, I read Unmarriageable recently, and it blew me out of the water. I hadn’t had a chance to post the review on Goodreads, so this worked out well to share with you today.
—
Wow, this one blew me away! If you are a Pride and Prejudice fan, don’t miss this one. If you aren’t, don’t miss this one. If you are a fan of diverse, multi-cultural reads, don’t miss this one. Moreover, if you are a fan of impeccable storytelling, Unmarriageable is a book not to be missed!
Unmarriageable is set in modern day Pakistan. The Binat family consists of five sisters and their parents. A scandal erupts that causes the family to lose their fortune and any chance at desirable marriages for their daughters.
Alys is the second sister in line, and she’s a pragmatist. She teaches English literature to school-aged girls who are unlikely to further their educations and will likely marry young. Of import to her teaching is Jane Austen because she believes this will inspire her students to dream.
One day an invitation arrives for a fancy wedding, one the likes of which the village has never seen before. Mrs. Binat is hard at work getting her daughters in shape for possible bachelors attending the wedding.
The oldest sister, Jena, has attracted an eligible bachelor, but his friend, none other than Valentine Darsee, is not a fan of the family, and Alys overhears him saying so. As the wedding continues, Jena awaits a proposal while Alys becomes more interested in Darsee…
Unmarriageable is steeped in the culture of a Pakistani family. I especially loved the dialogue between the sisters and with their mother. The idioms added to the authenticity of the story. The characters are so well-developed, and I loved the comparisons to Pride and Prejudice; so many connections and Easter eggs of commonalities to discover.
Unmarriageable is a smart, evocative retelling of a classic that reads just like a modern classic. Everything about the story is perfection, intriguing, and completely enthralling. It was enjoyable and engaging from start to finish and receives my highest recommendation.
Thank you to Random House Ballantine for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
My reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com
August 5, 2024
3,6 stars rounded up
LOG KYA KAHENGE?!...
WHAT WILL PEOPLE SAY?!...
*
IT IS A TRUTH UNIVERSALLY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT JANE AUSTEN's P&P MAY BE TRANSFERRED/TRANSPLANTED /TRANSLATED INTO ALMOST ANY TIME/SITUATION/CULTURE (if the author gets it right, of course! Attempting to write a P&P retelling doesn't automatically makes anyone of Austen-calibre).
(Although I've yet to find/read a P&P Space Opera...
...
...
In case you know about one that exists, please give me a shout!!
ETA on this particular issue: P&P Space Opera DOES exist... OF COURSE. :D
:)))
“It was a truth universally acknowledged, Alys suddenly thought with a smile, that people enter our lives in order to recommend reads.”
Pride and Prejudice in Pakistan.
Even after 211 years, and a few months (original publication date of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, 28 Jan 1813) it can still be translated into the present with valid content and context.
Author, Soniah Kamal adds fresh, sometimes entertaining, sometimes sad layers with the Pakistani-Muslim background, even though I wish she had sometimes steered away a bit more from the original plot.
And, OH MY, all that gorgeous food mentioned - yummmm.
Definitely recommended to JA and P&P fans.
* The image is from the film "Bride and Prejudice". And while it's taking place in Amritsar, India, it's in the geological-cultural Punjab region, just like the Pakistani town Lahore, and the fictional town of Delipabad, the setting for the book.
LOG KYA KAHENGE?!...
WHAT WILL PEOPLE SAY?!...
IT IS A TRUTH UNIVERSALLY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT JANE AUSTEN's P&P MAY BE TRANSFERRED/TRANSPLANTED /TRANSLATED INTO ALMOST ANY TIME/SITUATION/CULTURE (if the author gets it right, of course! Attempting to write a P&P retelling doesn't automatically makes anyone of Austen-calibre).
(Although I've yet to find/read a P&P Space Opera...
...
...
In case you know about one that exists, please give me a shout!!
ETA on this particular issue: P&P Space Opera DOES exist... OF COURSE. :D
:)))
“It was a truth universally acknowledged, Alys suddenly thought with a smile, that people enter our lives in order to recommend reads.”
Pride and Prejudice in Pakistan.
Even after 211 years, and a few months (original publication date of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, 28 Jan 1813) it can still be translated into the present with valid content and context.
Author, Soniah Kamal adds fresh, sometimes entertaining, sometimes sad layers with the Pakistani-Muslim background, even though I wish she had sometimes steered away a bit more from the original plot.
And, OH MY, all that gorgeous food mentioned - yummmm.
Definitely recommended to JA and P&P fans.
* The image is from the film "Bride and Prejudice". And while it's taking place in Amritsar, India, it's in the geological-cultural Punjab region, just like the Pakistani town Lahore, and the fictional town of Delipabad, the setting for the book.
February 15, 2019
Between 3 and 3.5 stars.
There's that classic line from the song "Beauty and the Beast" which goes, "Tale as old as time..." It signifies a story that's been heard so many times throughout the ages, although it may take on slightly (or drastically) different forms each time you hear it.
Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is definitely one of those tales as old as time. Not only have there been countless adaptations of this classic on television and in movies, both in the U.S. and abroad, but it has also been used as the basis of everything from Bridget Jones's Diary to Bollywood ( Bride and Prejudice ) to science fiction ( Pride and Prejudice and Zombies ), and everything in between.
Soniah Kamal's Unmarriageable is another take on Austen's novel, this time set in modern-day Pakistan. The once-wealthy Binat family has seen its fortunes dwindle as the result of rumors and vicious jealousy. Even worse than losing the creature comforts they had come to enjoy is the damage their financial fall from grace will do to the marriage prospects for the Binats' five daughters.
While this is dismaying for many of the Binat women, 30-year-old Alysba Binat could care less. She'd be fine with never marrying, if only her mother would stop hassling her. Working as an English literature teacher at a British school in her town, Alys tries to teach her students to think independently, to want more than marriage and a family, which is what they are all raised to desire. This often gets Alys into trouble with the school's principal, who wants her to focus on the actual lessons and not trying to change the girls' aspirations.
"Yet it always upset her that young brilliant minds, instead of exploring the universe, were busy chiseling themselves to fit into the molds of Mrs. and Mom. It wasn't that she was averse to Mrs. Mom, only that none of the girls seemed to have ever considered traveling the world by themselves, let alone been encouraged to do so, or to shatter a glass ceiling, or laugh like a mad-woman in public without a care for how it looked."
When the Binats are invited to their town's biggest wedding, attended by the who's who of Pakistan and elsewhere, Mrs. Binat hopes that Alys and her older sister, Jena, will catch the eye of eligible men, and hopefully reel them in. On the first night of the festivities, Jena meets Fahad Bingla, a successful entrepreneur, and he takes a shine to her. Bingla's best friend, Valentine Darsee, also meets the Binat family and is less than impressed with them, especially Alys. Darsee tells Bingla that she is neither smart nor good-looking enough for him, which Alys overhears.
If you've read or seen any version of Pride and Prejudice before, you know what comes next, as Alys and Darsee find themselves in a battle of wills, as the Binat family tries to make sure their daughters find suitable husbands. Mrs. Binat in particular isn't interested in what Alys herself wants; she needs to think of her family for once. But will she marry for money? For love? Or will she be the rare lucky one who can find both?
Unmarriageable is a sweet, fun romp, and Kamal retains enough of the core of Austen's book while adding twists of her own. I found that it worked better for me when I stopped trying to figure out how the characters' names corresponded to the original ones (and, for that matter, stopped comparing everything to the original). She did a great job creating vivid imagery that helped me picture the different settings, the fashions, and the way the love stories unfolded.
I thought the pacing of the book was a little slow, but beyond that, it was a fun, interesting read. I liked Kamal's concept, but I honestly hope it's not a growing trend. I'm one of those curmudgeons who like the classics to stay classic, and don't see the need to update them for the modern world.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2018 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2018.html.
You can follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/yrralh/.
There's that classic line from the song "Beauty and the Beast" which goes, "Tale as old as time..." It signifies a story that's been heard so many times throughout the ages, although it may take on slightly (or drastically) different forms each time you hear it.
Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is definitely one of those tales as old as time. Not only have there been countless adaptations of this classic on television and in movies, both in the U.S. and abroad, but it has also been used as the basis of everything from Bridget Jones's Diary to Bollywood ( Bride and Prejudice ) to science fiction ( Pride and Prejudice and Zombies ), and everything in between.
Soniah Kamal's Unmarriageable is another take on Austen's novel, this time set in modern-day Pakistan. The once-wealthy Binat family has seen its fortunes dwindle as the result of rumors and vicious jealousy. Even worse than losing the creature comforts they had come to enjoy is the damage their financial fall from grace will do to the marriage prospects for the Binats' five daughters.
While this is dismaying for many of the Binat women, 30-year-old Alysba Binat could care less. She'd be fine with never marrying, if only her mother would stop hassling her. Working as an English literature teacher at a British school in her town, Alys tries to teach her students to think independently, to want more than marriage and a family, which is what they are all raised to desire. This often gets Alys into trouble with the school's principal, who wants her to focus on the actual lessons and not trying to change the girls' aspirations.
"Yet it always upset her that young brilliant minds, instead of exploring the universe, were busy chiseling themselves to fit into the molds of Mrs. and Mom. It wasn't that she was averse to Mrs. Mom, only that none of the girls seemed to have ever considered traveling the world by themselves, let alone been encouraged to do so, or to shatter a glass ceiling, or laugh like a mad-woman in public without a care for how it looked."
When the Binats are invited to their town's biggest wedding, attended by the who's who of Pakistan and elsewhere, Mrs. Binat hopes that Alys and her older sister, Jena, will catch the eye of eligible men, and hopefully reel them in. On the first night of the festivities, Jena meets Fahad Bingla, a successful entrepreneur, and he takes a shine to her. Bingla's best friend, Valentine Darsee, also meets the Binat family and is less than impressed with them, especially Alys. Darsee tells Bingla that she is neither smart nor good-looking enough for him, which Alys overhears.
If you've read or seen any version of Pride and Prejudice before, you know what comes next, as Alys and Darsee find themselves in a battle of wills, as the Binat family tries to make sure their daughters find suitable husbands. Mrs. Binat in particular isn't interested in what Alys herself wants; she needs to think of her family for once. But will she marry for money? For love? Or will she be the rare lucky one who can find both?
Unmarriageable is a sweet, fun romp, and Kamal retains enough of the core of Austen's book while adding twists of her own. I found that it worked better for me when I stopped trying to figure out how the characters' names corresponded to the original ones (and, for that matter, stopped comparing everything to the original). She did a great job creating vivid imagery that helped me picture the different settings, the fashions, and the way the love stories unfolded.
I thought the pacing of the book was a little slow, but beyond that, it was a fun, interesting read. I liked Kamal's concept, but I honestly hope it's not a growing trend. I'm one of those curmudgeons who like the classics to stay classic, and don't see the need to update them for the modern world.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2018 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2018.html.
You can follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/yrralh/.
February 4, 2019
A beautifully told story full of character charm and culture! This was such a magical story, a modern retelling of “Pride and Prejudice“ set in modern day Pakistan... Full disclosure I have never read P&P ( don’t tell anybody) and this book still was pure magic! Soniah Kamal has crafted a wonderfully told tale that really brought the people and the culture of Pakistan to life...
Alys is a modern self-sufficient woman living in a not so modern or forward thinking Pakistan... there is a definite tug-of-war between what Alys wants and what her mother and society believe she needs... Alys is the second daughter in a family of five girls, and her mother is determined to get them all married off well... Alys Who works as a English literature teacher feels as though it is more important to educate girls and teach them that they can be more than just somebody’s wife...
The Pakistani culture absolutely fascinated me and I loved learning about a different culture... The characters in the story were so well developed and likable... I was seriously ready to hop on a plane to Pakistan and visit Alys and sisters... any similarities to P&P were completely lost on me, but as I mentioned previously that definitely did not hinder my enjoyment of this book... The story was captivating, the characters were charming, and the romance was sweet... yes there is a Mr. Darcy and even I know that is from the original...
This is an exquisite story that will make you proud to be a woman and grateful that there are wonderful books like this to read! Absolutely recommend!
🎵🎵🎵 song running through my head! I could see this being Alys’s anthem!
Question, tell me what you think about me
I buy my own diamonds and I buy my own rings
Only ring your celly when I'm feelin' lonely
When it's all over please get up and leave
Question, tell me how you feel about this
Try to control me, boy, you get dismissed
Pay my own fun, oh, and I pay my own bills
Always fifty fifty in relationships
The shoes on my feet, I've bought it
The clothes I'm wearing, I've bought it
The rock I'm rockin', I've bought it
'Cause I depend on me if I want it
The watch I'm wearin', I've bought it
The house I live in, I've bought it
The car I'm driving, I've bought it
I depend on me, I depend on me
All the women, who are independent
Throw your…
Destinys Child 2000
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tVDWYl5...
*** A huge thank you to Random House Valentine for my copy of this book ***
Alys is a modern self-sufficient woman living in a not so modern or forward thinking Pakistan... there is a definite tug-of-war between what Alys wants and what her mother and society believe she needs... Alys is the second daughter in a family of five girls, and her mother is determined to get them all married off well... Alys Who works as a English literature teacher feels as though it is more important to educate girls and teach them that they can be more than just somebody’s wife...
The Pakistani culture absolutely fascinated me and I loved learning about a different culture... The characters in the story were so well developed and likable... I was seriously ready to hop on a plane to Pakistan and visit Alys and sisters... any similarities to P&P were completely lost on me, but as I mentioned previously that definitely did not hinder my enjoyment of this book... The story was captivating, the characters were charming, and the romance was sweet... yes there is a Mr. Darcy and even I know that is from the original...
This is an exquisite story that will make you proud to be a woman and grateful that there are wonderful books like this to read! Absolutely recommend!
🎵🎵🎵 song running through my head! I could see this being Alys’s anthem!
Question, tell me what you think about me
I buy my own diamonds and I buy my own rings
Only ring your celly when I'm feelin' lonely
When it's all over please get up and leave
Question, tell me how you feel about this
Try to control me, boy, you get dismissed
Pay my own fun, oh, and I pay my own bills
Always fifty fifty in relationships
The shoes on my feet, I've bought it
The clothes I'm wearing, I've bought it
The rock I'm rockin', I've bought it
'Cause I depend on me if I want it
The watch I'm wearin', I've bought it
The house I live in, I've bought it
The car I'm driving, I've bought it
I depend on me, I depend on me
All the women, who are independent
Throw your…
Destinys Child 2000
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tVDWYl5...
*** A huge thank you to Random House Valentine for my copy of this book ***
January 22, 2019
Unmarriageable, as many no doubt know, is an entertaining re-telling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice – with a twist.
If you are familiar with the original Austen story, then the premise of Unmarriageable will be familiar to you; it is, in fact, the same. The difference, and what works so well, is that it is set in today’s modern Pakistan. If you are unfamiliar with the history of Pakistan, it once was part of India, separated now after a war for Independence, and is a thriving democracy that still very much is based on its British colonial past that it learned while it was part of British colonial rule. All that to say, they study English classics more often than many westerners outside of the UK and have a fascination with British literature rarely seen outside of Europe. And, while so much of Pakistan is quite modern, its class structure still is very much stuck in the colonial past. The roles of women, while evolving, still is stuck there as well. That is why this particular setting for this particular book is so utterly fascinating.
Kamal’s writing is tight and, while she doesn’t have a flare for wit like Austen (few do,) her characters are charming and their observations about the Pakistani culture are very much on point. I have several friends from Lahore, Pakistan and while reading Unmarriageable I could hear their voices and see their streets come alive in my mind. Although Kamal now lives in America, her Pakistani roots still very much shine through in her writing and those of us who rarely get a glimpse of the sub-continent are able to see a bit of it through her work.
Whether you are an Austen fan or just a fan of great fiction, you will find Unmarriageable delightful, entertaining as well educational.
My copy was furnished by #Netgalley, #RandomHousePublishing, #BallentineBooks
If you are familiar with the original Austen story, then the premise of Unmarriageable will be familiar to you; it is, in fact, the same. The difference, and what works so well, is that it is set in today’s modern Pakistan. If you are unfamiliar with the history of Pakistan, it once was part of India, separated now after a war for Independence, and is a thriving democracy that still very much is based on its British colonial past that it learned while it was part of British colonial rule. All that to say, they study English classics more often than many westerners outside of the UK and have a fascination with British literature rarely seen outside of Europe. And, while so much of Pakistan is quite modern, its class structure still is very much stuck in the colonial past. The roles of women, while evolving, still is stuck there as well. That is why this particular setting for this particular book is so utterly fascinating.
Kamal’s writing is tight and, while she doesn’t have a flare for wit like Austen (few do,) her characters are charming and their observations about the Pakistani culture are very much on point. I have several friends from Lahore, Pakistan and while reading Unmarriageable I could hear their voices and see their streets come alive in my mind. Although Kamal now lives in America, her Pakistani roots still very much shine through in her writing and those of us who rarely get a glimpse of the sub-continent are able to see a bit of it through her work.
Whether you are an Austen fan or just a fan of great fiction, you will find Unmarriageable delightful, entertaining as well educational.
My copy was furnished by #Netgalley, #RandomHousePublishing, #BallentineBooks
February 15, 2019
Set in early 2000s Pakistan, Unmarriageable is a retelling of Pride and Prejudice. Don’t shun me, but I’ve never read the classic original Pride and Prejudice. The premise here, however, is the same: A close family of 5 daughters (The Binats: Jena, Alys, Mari, Qitty and Lady) - Each daughter still unwed, much to their overbearing mother’s distress.
I enjoyed Unmarriageable’s fresh take on a classic story with this newer time period and the incorporation of a different culture. A few years ago, I read Curtis Sittenfeld’s Eligible, which is another take on Pride and Prejudice. I enjoyed that one more than this story. In Unmarriageable, I found Mrs. Binat to be especially exhausting and dramatic. I also didn’t feel much chemistry between the male characters and the Binat sisters. While the story started off strong, my interest did fade toward the middle and I felt the momentum really slow down. It did pick up again eventually, but not to the same level as earlier in the book. Not my favorite, but still a solid 3-star read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing an advance copy of Unmarriageable in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed Unmarriageable’s fresh take on a classic story with this newer time period and the incorporation of a different culture. A few years ago, I read Curtis Sittenfeld’s Eligible, which is another take on Pride and Prejudice. I enjoyed that one more than this story. In Unmarriageable, I found Mrs. Binat to be especially exhausting and dramatic. I also didn’t feel much chemistry between the male characters and the Binat sisters. While the story started off strong, my interest did fade toward the middle and I felt the momentum really slow down. It did pick up again eventually, but not to the same level as earlier in the book. Not my favorite, but still a solid 3-star read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing an advance copy of Unmarriageable in exchange for an honest review.
September 7, 2019
this was so over-the-top, trying too hard to be funny that it was painful to read. i love feminist themes in books as much as everyone else but i dont LIKE it being shoved down my throat and lectured at me, okay thanks
how did i make it through this?? i honestly would like to know too.
also mari's character featured some REALLY harmful stereotypes about muslims 😊😄😊😁😄😊😊😁😊😄
how did i make it through this?? i honestly would like to know too.
also mari's character featured some REALLY harmful stereotypes about muslims 😊😄😊😁😄😊😊😁😊😄
February 21, 2019
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
Okay, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but I have read it a crapton, buy every copy I see at thrift stores and read every retelling/variation I can get my hands on. From general modernizations to gender flips to zombies to even the Hallmark variety . . . .
Because, come on, y’all know Christmas makes your homegirl be like . . . .
In my opinion, when it comes to P&P there is never going to be too much of a good thing. I mean, for real, this DOES. NOT. GET. OLD. . . . . .
(Colin Firth did Darcy so nice, they had to cast him twice. Ha – looky there. I’m a poet and I didn’t know it.)
EVER.
Unmarriagable is a modern-day Pakistani take on my old fave. The Bennetts have morphed into the Binats (but don’t worry, their mother is still one of the most easy to hate characters in the history of literature), Darcy has become Darsee, Bingley is now Bungles. Let’s just take a moment to appreciate Bingley as well, shall we . . . . .
Yum.
Where was I? Oh yeah, picturebooking. To date I have not met a P&P revamp that I didn’t like, so even though I got a little bogged down in the billions of characters (most with ridiculous names such as “Hammy” and “Sammy” and “Pinkie” and the aforementioned “Bungles”) and their way-too-detailed family histories, as well as the monotony of what everyone was wearing or eating, this was still an A-Okay way for me to kill time. YMMV, of course. Oh, and if you think I’m kidding about my addiction, please note I have not only Pride checked out from the library, but Ayesha At Last on the soon-TBR as well. It truly is a sickness.
Okay, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but I have read it a crapton, buy every copy I see at thrift stores and read every retelling/variation I can get my hands on. From general modernizations to gender flips to zombies to even the Hallmark variety . . . .
Because, come on, y’all know Christmas makes your homegirl be like . . . .
In my opinion, when it comes to P&P there is never going to be too much of a good thing. I mean, for real, this DOES. NOT. GET. OLD. . . . . .
(Colin Firth did Darcy so nice, they had to cast him twice. Ha – looky there. I’m a poet and I didn’t know it.)
EVER.
Unmarriagable is a modern-day Pakistani take on my old fave. The Bennetts have morphed into the Binats (but don’t worry, their mother is still one of the most easy to hate characters in the history of literature), Darcy has become Darsee, Bingley is now Bungles. Let’s just take a moment to appreciate Bingley as well, shall we . . . . .
Yum.
Where was I? Oh yeah, picturebooking. To date I have not met a P&P revamp that I didn’t like, so even though I got a little bogged down in the billions of characters (most with ridiculous names such as “Hammy” and “Sammy” and “Pinkie” and the aforementioned “Bungles”) and their way-too-detailed family histories, as well as the monotony of what everyone was wearing or eating, this was still an A-Okay way for me to kill time. YMMV, of course. Oh, and if you think I’m kidding about my addiction, please note I have not only Pride checked out from the library, but Ayesha At Last on the soon-TBR as well. It truly is a sickness.
Read
December 6, 2018This latest of the many, many cash-ins on Pride and Prejudice was, unlike most of them, pretty entertaining. The twist here is that the story is set in Pakistan circa 2000, which seems to map well over the confining atmosphere of gentry England circa 1800.
Unlike the Curtis Sittenfeld version, whose characters all tended toward the crass and almost determinedly mundane, this version offers some genuine good people among all the antics of marriage-obsessed mamas and girls raised in a hothouse atmosphere that seems to foster competition and shaming rather than friendship and mutual support.
The novel stays close to the original—at times a trifle too on-the-nose. Alys (stand-in for Elizabeth Bennet) is sitting in the cemetery smoking with her bestie Sherry (stand-in for Charlotte Lucas) as the latter delivers Charlotte’s long speech about marriage that is almost word-for-word. There are many other such moments.
Despite the extremely close following of the plot, and the frequent mentions of P&P (Alys’s favorite book; the opening was one of the best scenes in the book, wrapped around that famous first sentence) there is no mention whatsoever of how very closely her life is following the plot. Not even noting that Alys is the second of five sisters, the middle of whom tends to spout well-worn religious (Muslim, in this case) saws, much less that the snobbish guy she hates has Darsee as a last name.
It’s a shame, because I think this book could have benefitted immensely from some interesting deconstruction, or at least literary conversation, with the original. There were plenty of vivid and clever passages that made me wish the author had been a little bolder.
I liked Sherry, who made an interesting Charlotte, unromantic as the original, yet determined to get married as the only way out of an impossible situation. I could have done without her ‘rebellion’ being smoking, that repulsive cliché, but the payoff was her genuine delight in her marriage, drawbacks and all.
Mrs. Binat (Mrs. Bennett) managed to be surprisingly sympathetic as well as silly. The Mr. Collins substitute, Farhat Kaleen, veered between being interesting and a caricature, but he was always entertaining. Mr. Darsee was suitably handsome and in the second half too good to be true, and the Wickham character a real snake. Mr. Binat was a fairly straightforward copy of Mr. Bennet, swapping out gardening for reading, except that the author gave him a truly splendid moment of insight at the end, prompting one of the best passages in the book. Another hats off was Qitty (Kitty)’s ending, even if we didn’t get a scene but a narrative summary.
Alys, for the most part, was sympathetic, an intelligent woman in an extremely constraining setting, but at times she seemed a tad too strident in her hardcore feminism, making me wish for a little of Lizzie Bennet’s grace. Hammy and Sammy, the Bingley sisters, were a crackup, as was Lady (Lydia), irrepressible to the end.
Overall the book was an entertaining and fast read, providing me with a list of Pakistani authors to try out. For that alone the book deserves an extra star.
Copy provided by NetGalley
Unlike the Curtis Sittenfeld version, whose characters all tended toward the crass and almost determinedly mundane, this version offers some genuine good people among all the antics of marriage-obsessed mamas and girls raised in a hothouse atmosphere that seems to foster competition and shaming rather than friendship and mutual support.
The novel stays close to the original—at times a trifle too on-the-nose. Alys (stand-in for Elizabeth Bennet) is sitting in the cemetery smoking with her bestie Sherry (stand-in for Charlotte Lucas) as the latter delivers Charlotte’s long speech about marriage that is almost word-for-word. There are many other such moments.
Despite the extremely close following of the plot, and the frequent mentions of P&P (Alys’s favorite book; the opening was one of the best scenes in the book, wrapped around that famous first sentence) there is no mention whatsoever of how very closely her life is following the plot. Not even noting that Alys is the second of five sisters, the middle of whom tends to spout well-worn religious (Muslim, in this case) saws, much less that the snobbish guy she hates has Darsee as a last name.
It’s a shame, because I think this book could have benefitted immensely from some interesting deconstruction, or at least literary conversation, with the original. There were plenty of vivid and clever passages that made me wish the author had been a little bolder.
I liked Sherry, who made an interesting Charlotte, unromantic as the original, yet determined to get married as the only way out of an impossible situation. I could have done without her ‘rebellion’ being smoking, that repulsive cliché, but the payoff was her genuine delight in her marriage, drawbacks and all.
Mrs. Binat (Mrs. Bennett) managed to be surprisingly sympathetic as well as silly. The Mr. Collins substitute, Farhat Kaleen, veered between being interesting and a caricature, but he was always entertaining. Mr. Darsee was suitably handsome and in the second half too good to be true, and the Wickham character a real snake. Mr. Binat was a fairly straightforward copy of Mr. Bennet, swapping out gardening for reading, except that the author gave him a truly splendid moment of insight at the end, prompting one of the best passages in the book. Another hats off was Qitty (Kitty)’s ending, even if we didn’t get a scene but a narrative summary.
Alys, for the most part, was sympathetic, an intelligent woman in an extremely constraining setting, but at times she seemed a tad too strident in her hardcore feminism, making me wish for a little of Lizzie Bennet’s grace. Hammy and Sammy, the Bingley sisters, were a crackup, as was Lady (Lydia), irrepressible to the end.
Overall the book was an entertaining and fast read, providing me with a list of Pakistani authors to try out. For that alone the book deserves an extra star.
Copy provided by NetGalley
January 22, 2019
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 / 5
Yesss you guys! I love a good Pride and Prejudice retelling, and Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal is one of the best ones I have read yet.
What it's about: Set in modern day Pakistan, the Binat family has lost their good reputation and none of their 5 daughters are married yet. All of her sisters want to be married, but Alys (the second oldest) is a headstrong and forward thinking English teacher, and she is perfectly happy being single - much to the chagrin of her mother Pinkie. When the Binat family gets invited to one of the biggest, most prestigious weddings they have been invited to in some time, Pinkie Binat is determined to find rich men for her daughters at it. Her eldest Jena ends up meeting Fahad “Bungles” Bingla, while Alys finds herself being watched by Bungles’s friend Valentine Darsee. But while Jena really likes Bungles, Alys and Darsee don't exactly get off on the right foot. Drama and hilarity ensue as Pinkie puts even more pressure on Alys and Jena, and the family deals with the consequences.
The setting of Pakistan really brought this retelling to life. I loved the vibrant descriptions of the surroundings and people, and Alys was by far my favorite character. Kamal makes this book so easy to read, and I loved how funny it was. There is definitely a dysfunctional family at the core of this book, and one that I just couldn't help but love. Due to the setting and the language, I wasn't able to read this book too quickly, but I enjoyed every minute of it. It is fascinating to read about a different culture, and a great addition to this classic retelling.
You can tell Kamal is a very smart woman, and that comes across in her prose. I just think that this retelling is super smart, and plus I adore the cover!
Final Thought: If you love retelling's of Pride and Prejudice, and want something a bit different from the others out there, I highly recommend Unmarriageable. This book is whip-smart, and I know a lot of people are going to love it as much as I did. And considering how gorgeous the cover is, it would be a beautiful edition to anyone's library. This is a book I could definitely see myself rereading which is not something that happens often. I will definitely have to add it to my collection!
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Yesss you guys! I love a good Pride and Prejudice retelling, and Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal is one of the best ones I have read yet.
What it's about: Set in modern day Pakistan, the Binat family has lost their good reputation and none of their 5 daughters are married yet. All of her sisters want to be married, but Alys (the second oldest) is a headstrong and forward thinking English teacher, and she is perfectly happy being single - much to the chagrin of her mother Pinkie. When the Binat family gets invited to one of the biggest, most prestigious weddings they have been invited to in some time, Pinkie Binat is determined to find rich men for her daughters at it. Her eldest Jena ends up meeting Fahad “Bungles” Bingla, while Alys finds herself being watched by Bungles’s friend Valentine Darsee. But while Jena really likes Bungles, Alys and Darsee don't exactly get off on the right foot. Drama and hilarity ensue as Pinkie puts even more pressure on Alys and Jena, and the family deals with the consequences.
The setting of Pakistan really brought this retelling to life. I loved the vibrant descriptions of the surroundings and people, and Alys was by far my favorite character. Kamal makes this book so easy to read, and I loved how funny it was. There is definitely a dysfunctional family at the core of this book, and one that I just couldn't help but love. Due to the setting and the language, I wasn't able to read this book too quickly, but I enjoyed every minute of it. It is fascinating to read about a different culture, and a great addition to this classic retelling.
You can tell Kamal is a very smart woman, and that comes across in her prose. I just think that this retelling is super smart, and plus I adore the cover!
Final Thought: If you love retelling's of Pride and Prejudice, and want something a bit different from the others out there, I highly recommend Unmarriageable. This book is whip-smart, and I know a lot of people are going to love it as much as I did. And considering how gorgeous the cover is, it would be a beautiful edition to anyone's library. This is a book I could definitely see myself rereading which is not something that happens often. I will definitely have to add it to my collection!
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
February 5, 2019
Unmarriageable is a retelling of Jane Austen's famed Pride and Prejudice, only this time it's set in Pakistan during the years 2000 and 2001. The classic plot line is followed meticulously and each familiar character is effortless to identify. But the best thing about this retelling is the author's dedication to honoring Jane Austen's independent spirit and her demand for more than what society dictated for her.
Author Soniah Kamal's use of the Pakistan culture appears to marry well with the themes of the original novel as the pressure on women to meet milestones within pre-determined time frames remains strong based on my limited research. However, Austen's Elizabeth Bennett has met her counterpart in Kamal's Alys Binat, and being a teacher to impressionable schoolgirls allows her to guide and empower future generations to dream beyond the norm. Jane Austen would be so proud!
Admittedly, when I saw this book I felt the list of the many recent Pride and Prejudice retellings is growing tiresome, but I am genuinely glad I moved forward with this title. Unmarriageable offers strong messages related to gender inequality, severe double standards, and choice. It's rich in culture and family, both which interestingly serve as positive and negative influences throughout the story as our heroine continually finds her independence challenged. But we all know how this story ends. Some say love wins. I (along with others) say the heroine wins. She wins the freedom to choose her future, and I always have time for that. Check it out.
Note: Audiobook narrated by the author.
Author Soniah Kamal's use of the Pakistan culture appears to marry well with the themes of the original novel as the pressure on women to meet milestones within pre-determined time frames remains strong based on my limited research. However, Austen's Elizabeth Bennett has met her counterpart in Kamal's Alys Binat, and being a teacher to impressionable schoolgirls allows her to guide and empower future generations to dream beyond the norm. Jane Austen would be so proud!
Admittedly, when I saw this book I felt the list of the many recent Pride and Prejudice retellings is growing tiresome, but I am genuinely glad I moved forward with this title. Unmarriageable offers strong messages related to gender inequality, severe double standards, and choice. It's rich in culture and family, both which interestingly serve as positive and negative influences throughout the story as our heroine continually finds her independence challenged. But we all know how this story ends. Some say love wins. I (along with others) say the heroine wins. She wins the freedom to choose her future, and I always have time for that. Check it out.
Note: Audiobook narrated by the author.
June 18, 2020
This contemporary Pride and Prejudice update is set in Pakistan, 2001, and features a modern-day version of the family you know and love: the Binat family includes a sharp-witted father, marriage-obsessed mother, and five daughters. Despite the difference of centuries, it’s clear how women’s concerns are similar between Austen’s time and Kamal’s. Alysba teaches English, and in a fun opening scene she challenges her teenage students to reinterpret Austen’s famous opening line. Kamal uses her heroine’s profession—and accompanying love of reading—to explore themes of colonialism and identity; she also despite these weighty themes she keeps her tone light and sometimes irreverent. (Just wait till you hear how the Bingleys make their money!)
This is, above all, a rom com—and it’s a fun one.
This is, above all, a rom com—and it’s a fun one.
May 9, 2019
A charming and engaging retelling of Pride & Prejudice that takes place in contemporary Pakistan.
If you enjoyed Jane Austen’s novel, then you will likely have a good time with this story. I felt the book captured its essence, it kept me interested and curious by being narrated in a different time and cultural setting from the original. The main themes are present and are still relevant to this day, double-standards, marriage, duty, family, and love.
I loved the pop-culture references, the characters mentioned books and movies I’ve watched and enjoyed. Also, food, who doesn’t love the mention of sumptuous, delicious dishes described in detail, you will be craving some of it.
Overall, I enjoyed it and highly recommend it.
If you enjoyed Jane Austen’s novel, then you will likely have a good time with this story. I felt the book captured its essence, it kept me interested and curious by being narrated in a different time and cultural setting from the original. The main themes are present and are still relevant to this day, double-standards, marriage, duty, family, and love.
I loved the pop-culture references, the characters mentioned books and movies I’ve watched and enjoyed. Also, food, who doesn’t love the mention of sumptuous, delicious dishes described in detail, you will be craving some of it.
Overall, I enjoyed it and highly recommend it.
August 7, 2019
“It is a truth universally acknowledged that hasty marriages are nightmares of bardasht karo, the gospel of tolerance and compromise, and that it’s always us females who are given this despicable advice. I despise it.”
I was cautious before I could even properly decide how I felt about this book because I had very recently read a horrible desi adaptation of P&P. There’s only so many versions of the same story you can read, waiting for at least one of them to be good. But I was pleasantly surprised, because Soniah Kamal, who has already written a short story that I loved, managed to do good things with Austen’s characters.
I’m not going to bother actually going over the story, because I’m assuming that most readers checking out a desi P&P adaptation already have some idea of what the original is all about. Of course, with adaptations the possibility of creating something great is as present as doing it all wrong. Because if the new setting doesn’t work, it can fall apart spectacularly since the reader has an original source to which they are constantly comparing. But when it works, it can be such an experience.
Kamal veers closer to the latter, managing to create an authentic setting while still retaining most of the dynamics that Austenites so loved in the original. It’s already obvious that the Pakistani marriage system closely resembles that of the times in which the Bennet sisters lived, but the ways in which Kamal creates a parallel world—taking into account Jane Austen’s setting while also remaining conscious of Pakistan’s current reality—really shows. The most obvious example of this is how Alys, our Lizzie Bennett, is in her thirties and unmarried. Since the age of marriage can now reasonably be mid-twenties for girls in Pakistan, it isn’t until you hit your thirties that you’re considered way past your marriageable date. These slight changes show that we have an author who wanted to create the same dynamics but in a set-up that was faithful to her setting, for which I gave her full marks.
Soniah Kamal’s characters are also refreshingly original, which is a funny thing to admit about an adaptation, since you already bring so much of what you know about the characters from the source story. The way she explains why people are the way they are show how sympathetic she is to the characters she creates, especially Mrs Bennet, whose frequent insistence about her daughters’ marriages is shown as more than just silliness and swooning. It is, in fact, quite amazing how the author manages to lend credibility to characters in whose actions I didn’t place much stock when I first read Austen’s version. This is especially true for Sherry, the Charlotte to our Lizzy, who is a forty year old unmarried woman frequently reminded by her brothers and parents about what a burden she is to the family. As such, her decision to marry a man whom our heroine has turned down so recently makes more sense. Not only do these actions feel more realistic the way Kamal has explained it, she has also managed to introduce great dynamics within the female relationships she has explored (mother daughter, sisters, friends), which is always a plus for me.
Of course there were a few things I didn’t care much for. My personal pet peeve, that of the italicization of the desi word, very faithfully popped up, but once again that argument of whom the story is written for followed soon after. Since this story has been published by a United States publisher, one could argue that it’s written for a non-desi audience. I know that argument, I get it, and I’m still pissed, so there’s that.
There’s also the fact that the story came very, very close to being very heavy handed in its rants about patriarchy and sexism. I’m usually always up for stories which are smart and aware of all these topics which are very close to my heart, but I prefer that these things be embedded into the story itself, rather than delivered verbatim through the mouths of my characters. I think what was ultimately the saving grace of this story was that the person who expressed such frequent and strong opinions was Alys, a character who is supposed to be strongly opinionated anyway. Also, of course, the story doesn’t tilt all the way over into being didactic, but just skirts the edges a little, in ways which I can find a little forgivable.
‘But, Miss Alys,’ Tahira said resolutely, ‘there’s no nobler career than that of being a wife and mother.’
‘That’s fine.’ Alys shrugged. ‘As long as it’s what you really want and not what you’ve been taught to want.’
I also realize that I’ve barely talked about the Darcy, or Valentine Darcee, as he is known in this story. But a month after having read the story, I remember absolutely nothing about him. And a story where one of the two major protagonists is so forgettable as to be barely worth discussing did something wrong. I do remember liking him well enough when I read this story, but the fact that I can’t think of a single scene worth mentioning about him should explain why I overall gave the book three stars.
‘Unfortunately, I don’t think any man I’ve met is my equal, and neither, I fear, is any man likely to think I’m his. So, no marriage for me.’
It’s still a good book, no doubt about it. Smart and witty and aware of the ways in which marriage works in a Pakistani setting. For someone who is in the early years of their reading habits, or someone looking for a cute, desi book about relationships, or even someone who wants a pleasant time pass, I’d definitely say give this a go. Recommended.
***
I review Pakistani Fiction, and talk about Pakistani fiction, and want to talk to people who like to talk about fiction (Pakistani and otherwise, take your pick.) To read more reviews or just contact me so you can talk about books, check out my Blog or follow me on Twitter!
***
ORIGINAL UPDATE:
Oh wait, this is a Pakistani author. I have to review this. But I don't make any notes!
Oh well. Guess this'll have to depend upon what I remember. RTC.
I was cautious before I could even properly decide how I felt about this book because I had very recently read a horrible desi adaptation of P&P. There’s only so many versions of the same story you can read, waiting for at least one of them to be good. But I was pleasantly surprised, because Soniah Kamal, who has already written a short story that I loved, managed to do good things with Austen’s characters.
I’m not going to bother actually going over the story, because I’m assuming that most readers checking out a desi P&P adaptation already have some idea of what the original is all about. Of course, with adaptations the possibility of creating something great is as present as doing it all wrong. Because if the new setting doesn’t work, it can fall apart spectacularly since the reader has an original source to which they are constantly comparing. But when it works, it can be such an experience.
Kamal veers closer to the latter, managing to create an authentic setting while still retaining most of the dynamics that Austenites so loved in the original. It’s already obvious that the Pakistani marriage system closely resembles that of the times in which the Bennet sisters lived, but the ways in which Kamal creates a parallel world—taking into account Jane Austen’s setting while also remaining conscious of Pakistan’s current reality—really shows. The most obvious example of this is how Alys, our Lizzie Bennett, is in her thirties and unmarried. Since the age of marriage can now reasonably be mid-twenties for girls in Pakistan, it isn’t until you hit your thirties that you’re considered way past your marriageable date. These slight changes show that we have an author who wanted to create the same dynamics but in a set-up that was faithful to her setting, for which I gave her full marks.
Soniah Kamal’s characters are also refreshingly original, which is a funny thing to admit about an adaptation, since you already bring so much of what you know about the characters from the source story. The way she explains why people are the way they are show how sympathetic she is to the characters she creates, especially Mrs Bennet, whose frequent insistence about her daughters’ marriages is shown as more than just silliness and swooning. It is, in fact, quite amazing how the author manages to lend credibility to characters in whose actions I didn’t place much stock when I first read Austen’s version. This is especially true for Sherry, the Charlotte to our Lizzy, who is a forty year old unmarried woman frequently reminded by her brothers and parents about what a burden she is to the family. As such, her decision to marry a man whom our heroine has turned down so recently makes more sense. Not only do these actions feel more realistic the way Kamal has explained it, she has also managed to introduce great dynamics within the female relationships she has explored (mother daughter, sisters, friends), which is always a plus for me.
Of course there were a few things I didn’t care much for. My personal pet peeve, that of the italicization of the desi word, very faithfully popped up, but once again that argument of whom the story is written for followed soon after. Since this story has been published by a United States publisher, one could argue that it’s written for a non-desi audience. I know that argument, I get it, and I’m still pissed, so there’s that.
There’s also the fact that the story came very, very close to being very heavy handed in its rants about patriarchy and sexism. I’m usually always up for stories which are smart and aware of all these topics which are very close to my heart, but I prefer that these things be embedded into the story itself, rather than delivered verbatim through the mouths of my characters. I think what was ultimately the saving grace of this story was that the person who expressed such frequent and strong opinions was Alys, a character who is supposed to be strongly opinionated anyway. Also, of course, the story doesn’t tilt all the way over into being didactic, but just skirts the edges a little, in ways which I can find a little forgivable.
‘But, Miss Alys,’ Tahira said resolutely, ‘there’s no nobler career than that of being a wife and mother.’
‘That’s fine.’ Alys shrugged. ‘As long as it’s what you really want and not what you’ve been taught to want.’
I also realize that I’ve barely talked about the Darcy, or Valentine Darcee, as he is known in this story. But a month after having read the story, I remember absolutely nothing about him. And a story where one of the two major protagonists is so forgettable as to be barely worth discussing did something wrong. I do remember liking him well enough when I read this story, but the fact that I can’t think of a single scene worth mentioning about him should explain why I overall gave the book three stars.
‘Unfortunately, I don’t think any man I’ve met is my equal, and neither, I fear, is any man likely to think I’m his. So, no marriage for me.’
It’s still a good book, no doubt about it. Smart and witty and aware of the ways in which marriage works in a Pakistani setting. For someone who is in the early years of their reading habits, or someone looking for a cute, desi book about relationships, or even someone who wants a pleasant time pass, I’d definitely say give this a go. Recommended.
***
I review Pakistani Fiction, and talk about Pakistani fiction, and want to talk to people who like to talk about fiction (Pakistani and otherwise, take your pick.) To read more reviews or just contact me so you can talk about books, check out my Blog or follow me on Twitter!
***
ORIGINAL UPDATE:
Oh wait, this is a Pakistani author. I have to review this. But I don't make any notes!
Oh well. Guess this'll have to depend upon what I remember. RTC.
Want to read
September 21, 2018you all know where I’m going to be january 15th, just chilling on my couch with some tim hortons sponsored french vanilla & jamming to atif aslam while reading this book!!
August 1, 2020
4 stars
I am a huge Jane Austen fan so as soon as I saw this book I knew I had to read it. Soniah Kamal has crafted a fabulous tale that is true to Jane Austen and infused with Pakistani culture and history, particularly the effects of British colonialism. The parallels to Pride and Prejudice and the references/nods to Jane Austen are entertaining, and I enjoyed comparing the story with the original tale. However, my favorite part of the book was learning so much about Pakistan. Unmarriageable is a fabulous book, and I highly recommend it.
Listen to my podcast at https://www.thoughtsfromapage.com for fun author interviews. For more book reviews, check out my Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/thoughtsfro....
I am a huge Jane Austen fan so as soon as I saw this book I knew I had to read it. Soniah Kamal has crafted a fabulous tale that is true to Jane Austen and infused with Pakistani culture and history, particularly the effects of British colonialism. The parallels to Pride and Prejudice and the references/nods to Jane Austen are entertaining, and I enjoyed comparing the story with the original tale. However, my favorite part of the book was learning so much about Pakistan. Unmarriageable is a fabulous book, and I highly recommend it.
Listen to my podcast at https://www.thoughtsfromapage.com for fun author interviews. For more book reviews, check out my Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/thoughtsfro....
March 6, 2019
There have been numerous novels written which echo the plots of Jane Austen’s books, and Sonia Kamal’s updated version of “Pride and Prejudice”is a stand-out in that sub-genre. Set in Pakistan, the Binat family endeavors to make matches for their five daughters with wealthy, successful, and handsome bachelors. Complications and misunderstandings ensue, enlivened by Kamal’s witty and delightful writing. While the plot may be familiar to Austen fans, the Pakistani setting reveals much about that country, their culture, and the expected roles of women. The descriptions of their cuisine immediately had me searching for Pakistani recipes. (Of course, being the kind of cook I am, I had to find the easiest recipes and discovered Allrecipes is a great source!) A charming, funny, and recommended read.
Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
January 20, 2019
I have frequently thought about the similarities between Jane Austen’s regency era and Muslim life, so I’m always glad to see an Austen reboot with a Muslim spin. Unfortunately, I found the Muslim representation in Soniah Kamal’s Unmarriageable offensive and the writing mediocre.
Unmarriageable is a very close adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, sticking to the original story turn for turn. Because it takes place in modern-day Pakistan, the author makes minor changes. Balls become weddings, and while Darcy shocked Elizabeth when he asked her to dance, Darsee shocks Alysba when he gifts her a book he thinks she should read.
What this close adaptation means for readers, however, is that their perceptions of characters and events are amplified by their reading of Pride and Prejudice. That is why I got a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach when I discovered that Kamal chose to make Mary and Mr. Collins, the two most odious characters in the original, the primary representation of practicing Muslims in the new version. In Unmarriageable, Mari and Kaleen are stupid, disagreeable, and intolerant. Mari is sanctimonious and judgmental. Here is an example: “‘Disgusting,’ Mari hissed at Lady and Qitty. ‘You both need to get your heads examined before you really head to hell.’”
In one scene, Kaleen refuses to shake hands with members of the opposite sex (supposedly representing his piety) and then reminisces about a time when he was young and blackmailed his cousins into giving him a lewd magazine cutout. He then says the following abhorrent line. “‘That picture,’ Kaleen said, ‘allowed me an early window into the different types of women available in the world, and so I was able to see clearly at a young age which women were worthy of my time, attention, and earnings.’”
Further amplifying my dislike of the treatment of Islam in this novel is my sense that the author has an agenda she’s pushing. There is a scene where the sisters meet some people, and Mari declines to shake a man’s hand. Alys doesn’t have any problem shaking the man’s hand, and she does, but then she calls Mari “self-righteous” for declining. What kind of colonized feminism is this? Am I alone in thinking that every woman should have the choice to touch or not touch whomever she wants?
The only neutral representation of Islam that I found in this book is that at one point, Jena, who is a beloved character, prays before dressing for an event. But aside from this simple, everyday moment, nearly all representations of Islam in Unmarriageable are of characters that we either dislike or that we are meant to laugh at practicing an ugly distortion of Islam.
Another quibble that I have with this novel is the wholly ridiculous obsession that its characters have with Pride and Prejudice. How are they constantly discussing the original story and its characters and not seeing the similarities to themselves and their own lives?
A final complaint is with the vulgarity, which I found inappropriate both in its essence and in the probability that those characters would actually be that vulgar. For example, Kaleen says that his late wife smoked a hookah because “hookahs do not possess the indecent shape of a cigarette.”
I refuse to be 100% negative, however, and there were a few things I liked. For example, there were quite a few gender flips in this adaptation that were clever and that got my nerdy feminist heart beating wildly. For example, Alysba is the first to notice Darsee's “fine eyes,” rather than the other way around. Another flip is an insult that Alysba flings at Darsee when she refuses his offer of marriage; she calls him “unmarriageable.” This is wonderful because Alysba lives in a society and teaches at a school where the goal is to “groom girls into the best of marriageable material.”
Another positive is Kitty’s adaptation into Qitty—a plus-sized artist. She struggles throughout the book with Lady’s (Lydia’s) teasing, but eventually learns that she is “fat and intelligent, fat and funny, fat and kind,” etc. She becomes a blogger, columnist, and role model, and she writes a graphic novel.
I love Pride and Prejudice as much as the next book nerd, but I will not be recommending this adaptation to anyone. Instead, I highly recommend Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin. It’s a loose Pride and Prejudice adaptation set in Toronto; it’s really funny and it has great Muslim representation.
I know that so many people have really liked this book, so I’d love hear other opinions. Have I got it all wrong? Am I being too sensitive?
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for giving me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Unmarriageable is a very close adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, sticking to the original story turn for turn. Because it takes place in modern-day Pakistan, the author makes minor changes. Balls become weddings, and while Darcy shocked Elizabeth when he asked her to dance, Darsee shocks Alysba when he gifts her a book he thinks she should read.
What this close adaptation means for readers, however, is that their perceptions of characters and events are amplified by their reading of Pride and Prejudice. That is why I got a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach when I discovered that Kamal chose to make Mary and Mr. Collins, the two most odious characters in the original, the primary representation of practicing Muslims in the new version. In Unmarriageable, Mari and Kaleen are stupid, disagreeable, and intolerant. Mari is sanctimonious and judgmental. Here is an example: “‘Disgusting,’ Mari hissed at Lady and Qitty. ‘You both need to get your heads examined before you really head to hell.’”
In one scene, Kaleen refuses to shake hands with members of the opposite sex (supposedly representing his piety) and then reminisces about a time when he was young and blackmailed his cousins into giving him a lewd magazine cutout. He then says the following abhorrent line. “‘That picture,’ Kaleen said, ‘allowed me an early window into the different types of women available in the world, and so I was able to see clearly at a young age which women were worthy of my time, attention, and earnings.’”
Further amplifying my dislike of the treatment of Islam in this novel is my sense that the author has an agenda she’s pushing. There is a scene where the sisters meet some people, and Mari declines to shake a man’s hand. Alys doesn’t have any problem shaking the man’s hand, and she does, but then she calls Mari “self-righteous” for declining. What kind of colonized feminism is this? Am I alone in thinking that every woman should have the choice to touch or not touch whomever she wants?
The only neutral representation of Islam that I found in this book is that at one point, Jena, who is a beloved character, prays before dressing for an event. But aside from this simple, everyday moment, nearly all representations of Islam in Unmarriageable are of characters that we either dislike or that we are meant to laugh at practicing an ugly distortion of Islam.
Another quibble that I have with this novel is the wholly ridiculous obsession that its characters have with Pride and Prejudice. How are they constantly discussing the original story and its characters and not seeing the similarities to themselves and their own lives?
A final complaint is with the vulgarity, which I found inappropriate both in its essence and in the probability that those characters would actually be that vulgar. For example, Kaleen says that his late wife smoked a hookah because “hookahs do not possess the indecent shape of a cigarette.”
I refuse to be 100% negative, however, and there were a few things I liked. For example, there were quite a few gender flips in this adaptation that were clever and that got my nerdy feminist heart beating wildly. For example, Alysba is the first to notice Darsee's “fine eyes,” rather than the other way around. Another flip is an insult that Alysba flings at Darsee when she refuses his offer of marriage; she calls him “unmarriageable.” This is wonderful because Alysba lives in a society and teaches at a school where the goal is to “groom girls into the best of marriageable material.”
Another positive is Kitty’s adaptation into Qitty—a plus-sized artist. She struggles throughout the book with Lady’s (Lydia’s) teasing, but eventually learns that she is “fat and intelligent, fat and funny, fat and kind,” etc. She becomes a blogger, columnist, and role model, and she writes a graphic novel.
I love Pride and Prejudice as much as the next book nerd, but I will not be recommending this adaptation to anyone. Instead, I highly recommend Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin. It’s a loose Pride and Prejudice adaptation set in Toronto; it’s really funny and it has great Muslim representation.
I know that so many people have really liked this book, so I’d love hear other opinions. Have I got it all wrong? Am I being too sensitive?
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for giving me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
July 8, 2024
Settle in, folks. This one's going to be a doozy.
So, I really wanted to like this. No, I wanted to LOVE it. Why? I'm a big Pride & Prejudice fan, as well as being a Pakistani Muslim. I rarely ever find Pakistani Muslim rep in books (or any other kind of media), so I was elated when I found out this existed!
Now, after reading it, I am no longer elated. In fact, I'm pretty upset. I'll break this review down into two main portions: 1) The Retelling Aspect, and 2) The Pakistani Muslim Representation Aspect.
So to start with the Retelling Aspect... This was not a very good retelling. Everything was far too on the nose. The names were utterly ridiculous --- and also not very Pakistani. Valentine Darsee for Fitzwilliam Darcy (when hello, Fahad Darzada was right there)? Alysba for Elizabeth (when hello, Aleeza was right there)? Qitty for Kitty (when hello, Kiran or Kinza were right there)? Mari for Mary (when hello, Maria or Maryam were right there)? Jena for Jane (when hello, Jannah was right there)? Also...Jorgeullah Wickaam? Hammy and Sammy? I mean, really, what is this nonsense? It was so weirdly distracting. She tried to force all these quirky, half-made-up names that tried too hard to match the original names, when she could have just used normal Pakistani names and made the story seem more realistic. I hate to think that non-Pakistani readers actually think our names are like this.
But that's not even close to being the biggest deal. Not only were the names bizarre and distracting, but so too were the actual characters. None of them held the charm or appeal of the original characters. Whereas Elizabeth was prideful but also charming, Alysba was merely judgmental, rude, and Not Like The Other Girls. Whereas Lydia was flighty and silly, Lady was downright demented and ridiculously self-centered --- to the point where I wanted her parents to actually send her to some sort of reform school. Whereas Mary was quiet and firm in her beliefs, Mari came off as some sort of fun-hating religious fundamentalist. I could go on and on about all the characters, but...you get my point. All of the negative attributes of the original characters were ridiculously played up in these characters, with none of the charm or calm or moderation remaining. I think Jena was the only character who lived up to the original Jane: she was sweet, she was gentle, she was romantic, but she was also strong and graceful and unwilling to humiliate herself over a man she didn't believe loved her. I liked Jena. Can we get a whole book about Jena instead?
Alysba was an atrocious Elizabeth Bennett. She was just so...rude and judgmental. And of course having pride and prejudice is an integral part of this story --- but Alysba took it too far. She had her head so far up her own ass I'm surprised she could see straight. She genuinely seemed to think she was Not Like The Other Girls; all other girls were silly creatures who wanted, shudder, marriage. Whereas she, Alysba, was clever and well-read and really knew what the world was about. Which is a laughable notion, because Alysba was just as privileged and ignorant as the girls she looked down upon. She simply COULD NOT understand why her friend Sherry wanted to marry a man who Alysba found unappealing. In the original story, Elizabeth herself is confused and dismayed when her friend desires to marry Mr. Collins --- but Alysba took it too far. She was like, Gee, I genuinely wonder why my friend who is lonely and poor and desires companionship and receives no nice suitors would like to marry this respectable man who could provide her with a good life? Why doesn't Sherry want to be FREE, like me? Why doesn't she want to live the same life as ME? Gee, idk Alysba, maybe because your family has more money and comfort? Maybe because everyone is not you?
Even after visiting Sherry in her new home and seeing her friend look healthy and content and happy, wearing nice new clothes, enjoying being lady of her own house --- Alysba still can't see past her own little bubble to comprehend how or why Sherry, a poor girl well past the normal age of marrying in Pakistan, could ever be happy. Cue massive eyeroll. You would think someone as well-read as Alysba would be able to understand other perspectives a little better. And this is closer to the end of the book, so it shows that Alysba hasn't really grown as much as we'd have liked her to.
Alysba's and Darsee's relationship is, quite frankly, boring. There's none of the interest or intrigue of the original story's romance. They really just seem forced together and Alysba spends so much of the story being a crotchety, man-hating feminist (I say this as a feminist myself) that her sudden acceptance of Darsee at the end feels rushed and strange. When the ROMANCE of a Pride & Prejudice retelling isn't good...sorry, but you haven't done your job right. Next time, perhaps less Alysba judging her friend and less hitting readers over the head with various social issues, and a little more focus on building a believable and exciting romance?
The book did have enough overall entertaining antics and dramatics that I kept reading steadily. That's the reason I'm giving the book two stars and the reason that I didn't put the book down without finishing it. At the very least, things were always happening with the Binat family and they kept me interested enough to finish the book fairly quickly.
(ALSO? There was this weird thing in the story where...Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen ACTUALLY EXISTED in their world? And the characters actually even referenced it a few times --- BUT NO ONE EVER MENTIONED THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE BOOK AND THEIR LIVES? At one point Darsee even said something about how his mother loved Mr. Darcy, and I was like...okay, are you gonna address the similarities in your names...? No? Oh, okay. Breaking the third wall can be fun when done correctly, but here, it was just a really weird choice for Ms. Kamal to make.)
Speaking of social issues...let's move on to the second aspect of the review, the Pakistani Muslim Representation Aspect. We've already covered the fact that the retelling aspect failed. But guess what? The Pakistani Muslim rep also miserably failed.
First of all, Soniah Kamal seemed determined to forcibly stuff as many social issues --- women's rights, LGBT rights, abortions, and on and on --- into the novel as she humanly could, which I found condescending and irritating. I'm a left-wing feminist; I have no issue with social issues being part of stories. But what I do have an issue with is bluntly being hit over the head with them as if we readers are morons, and having them stuffed down my throat as if I'm reading a Tumblr social justice discourse post from ten years ago. When I get the feeling that an author feels the need to prove how woke they are, I am immediately turned off and annoyed. And what worsened this feeling of annoyance was the fact that you could tell Soniah Kamal was stuffing all these issues into the novel because she was desperately trying to convince people that Pakistani Muslims are progressive. But you know what? It's just condescending and weak. You don't need to pander to liberal Western white people by stuffing every social justice issue known to man into your novel in order to gain their acceptance and approval of your own people.
Second of all, the portrayal and inclusion of Islam was horrible and made me think that Ms. Kamal is one of those self-hating Pakistanis who feels the need to mock Islam --- or ignore it --- in order to be accepted by Western people. No one in Alysba's family besides Mari seemed to give one hoot about Islam, which is insulting. Are people like Soniah Kamal aware that you can be Islamic and still be a normal family? Did she think that Western readers would be turned off if the Binat family were normal Muslims who, gasp, prayed five times a day AND still attended weddings, fell in love, and did normal people things? The idea that a middle-class Pakistani Muslim family would only have ONE person that actually cares about Islam in it is unrealistic, and insulting as well. I could be taking this more personally because I am Pakistani myself --- but I've met more than enough self-hating Pakistanis who want to bootlick for Western people and want to act like "No, no, I'm not really religious haha" in order to be accepted...for this book to raise red flags for me.
And that one character who did care about Islam? Mari? She was basically portrayed as some sort of fun-hating fundamentalist who brought everyone down with her negativity. Are you kidding me? THIS is the representation we get of the only devout Muslim in a book set in Pakistan? A Muslim who's dour, strict, refuses to have fun or live life, and is constantly mocked by the whole family (which...by the way...the way they mocked and ignored her when she quoted Hadith and Quranic verses didn't sit well with me either; what exactly was Soniah Kamal trying to get at there? That Islam is silly and should be ignored?).
So thank you, Miss Kamal, for writing a book which confirms all the negative stereotypes people think about Muslims and for doing your best to convince them that all the normal, "reasonable" Pakistanis don't give one hoot for Islam. What a wonderful (cue another intense eyeroll) thing that was to read, as a Pakistani Muslim myself who considers myself very devout --- but also intelligent, learned, independent, stylish, free, feminist, and proud to be of my religion and from my country. And I'm no unicorn; there are plenty of Pakistani Muslims like me. Perhaps you should meet some of them and try writing about them sometimes.
So, I really wanted to like this. No, I wanted to LOVE it. Why? I'm a big Pride & Prejudice fan, as well as being a Pakistani Muslim. I rarely ever find Pakistani Muslim rep in books (or any other kind of media), so I was elated when I found out this existed!
Now, after reading it, I am no longer elated. In fact, I'm pretty upset. I'll break this review down into two main portions: 1) The Retelling Aspect, and 2) The Pakistani Muslim Representation Aspect.
So to start with the Retelling Aspect... This was not a very good retelling. Everything was far too on the nose. The names were utterly ridiculous --- and also not very Pakistani. Valentine Darsee for Fitzwilliam Darcy (when hello, Fahad Darzada was right there)? Alysba for Elizabeth (when hello, Aleeza was right there)? Qitty for Kitty (when hello, Kiran or Kinza were right there)? Mari for Mary (when hello, Maria or Maryam were right there)? Jena for Jane (when hello, Jannah was right there)? Also...Jorgeullah Wickaam? Hammy and Sammy? I mean, really, what is this nonsense? It was so weirdly distracting. She tried to force all these quirky, half-made-up names that tried too hard to match the original names, when she could have just used normal Pakistani names and made the story seem more realistic. I hate to think that non-Pakistani readers actually think our names are like this.
But that's not even close to being the biggest deal. Not only were the names bizarre and distracting, but so too were the actual characters. None of them held the charm or appeal of the original characters. Whereas Elizabeth was prideful but also charming, Alysba was merely judgmental, rude, and Not Like The Other Girls. Whereas Lydia was flighty and silly, Lady was downright demented and ridiculously self-centered --- to the point where I wanted her parents to actually send her to some sort of reform school. Whereas Mary was quiet and firm in her beliefs, Mari came off as some sort of fun-hating religious fundamentalist. I could go on and on about all the characters, but...you get my point. All of the negative attributes of the original characters were ridiculously played up in these characters, with none of the charm or calm or moderation remaining. I think Jena was the only character who lived up to the original Jane: she was sweet, she was gentle, she was romantic, but she was also strong and graceful and unwilling to humiliate herself over a man she didn't believe loved her. I liked Jena. Can we get a whole book about Jena instead?
Alysba was an atrocious Elizabeth Bennett. She was just so...rude and judgmental. And of course having pride and prejudice is an integral part of this story --- but Alysba took it too far. She had her head so far up her own ass I'm surprised she could see straight. She genuinely seemed to think she was Not Like The Other Girls; all other girls were silly creatures who wanted, shudder, marriage. Whereas she, Alysba, was clever and well-read and really knew what the world was about. Which is a laughable notion, because Alysba was just as privileged and ignorant as the girls she looked down upon. She simply COULD NOT understand why her friend Sherry wanted to marry a man who Alysba found unappealing. In the original story, Elizabeth herself is confused and dismayed when her friend desires to marry Mr. Collins --- but Alysba took it too far. She was like, Gee, I genuinely wonder why my friend who is lonely and poor and desires companionship and receives no nice suitors would like to marry this respectable man who could provide her with a good life? Why doesn't Sherry want to be FREE, like me? Why doesn't she want to live the same life as ME? Gee, idk Alysba, maybe because your family has more money and comfort? Maybe because everyone is not you?
Even after visiting Sherry in her new home and seeing her friend look healthy and content and happy, wearing nice new clothes, enjoying being lady of her own house --- Alysba still can't see past her own little bubble to comprehend how or why Sherry, a poor girl well past the normal age of marrying in Pakistan, could ever be happy. Cue massive eyeroll. You would think someone as well-read as Alysba would be able to understand other perspectives a little better. And this is closer to the end of the book, so it shows that Alysba hasn't really grown as much as we'd have liked her to.
Alysba's and Darsee's relationship is, quite frankly, boring. There's none of the interest or intrigue of the original story's romance. They really just seem forced together and Alysba spends so much of the story being a crotchety, man-hating feminist (I say this as a feminist myself) that her sudden acceptance of Darsee at the end feels rushed and strange. When the ROMANCE of a Pride & Prejudice retelling isn't good...sorry, but you haven't done your job right. Next time, perhaps less Alysba judging her friend and less hitting readers over the head with various social issues, and a little more focus on building a believable and exciting romance?
The book did have enough overall entertaining antics and dramatics that I kept reading steadily. That's the reason I'm giving the book two stars and the reason that I didn't put the book down without finishing it. At the very least, things were always happening with the Binat family and they kept me interested enough to finish the book fairly quickly.
(ALSO? There was this weird thing in the story where...Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen ACTUALLY EXISTED in their world? And the characters actually even referenced it a few times --- BUT NO ONE EVER MENTIONED THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE BOOK AND THEIR LIVES? At one point Darsee even said something about how his mother loved Mr. Darcy, and I was like...okay, are you gonna address the similarities in your names...? No? Oh, okay. Breaking the third wall can be fun when done correctly, but here, it was just a really weird choice for Ms. Kamal to make.)
Speaking of social issues...let's move on to the second aspect of the review, the Pakistani Muslim Representation Aspect. We've already covered the fact that the retelling aspect failed. But guess what? The Pakistani Muslim rep also miserably failed.
First of all, Soniah Kamal seemed determined to forcibly stuff as many social issues --- women's rights, LGBT rights, abortions, and on and on --- into the novel as she humanly could, which I found condescending and irritating. I'm a left-wing feminist; I have no issue with social issues being part of stories. But what I do have an issue with is bluntly being hit over the head with them as if we readers are morons, and having them stuffed down my throat as if I'm reading a Tumblr social justice discourse post from ten years ago. When I get the feeling that an author feels the need to prove how woke they are, I am immediately turned off and annoyed. And what worsened this feeling of annoyance was the fact that you could tell Soniah Kamal was stuffing all these issues into the novel because she was desperately trying to convince people that Pakistani Muslims are progressive. But you know what? It's just condescending and weak. You don't need to pander to liberal Western white people by stuffing every social justice issue known to man into your novel in order to gain their acceptance and approval of your own people.
Second of all, the portrayal and inclusion of Islam was horrible and made me think that Ms. Kamal is one of those self-hating Pakistanis who feels the need to mock Islam --- or ignore it --- in order to be accepted by Western people. No one in Alysba's family besides Mari seemed to give one hoot about Islam, which is insulting. Are people like Soniah Kamal aware that you can be Islamic and still be a normal family? Did she think that Western readers would be turned off if the Binat family were normal Muslims who, gasp, prayed five times a day AND still attended weddings, fell in love, and did normal people things? The idea that a middle-class Pakistani Muslim family would only have ONE person that actually cares about Islam in it is unrealistic, and insulting as well. I could be taking this more personally because I am Pakistani myself --- but I've met more than enough self-hating Pakistanis who want to bootlick for Western people and want to act like "No, no, I'm not really religious haha" in order to be accepted...for this book to raise red flags for me.
And that one character who did care about Islam? Mari? She was basically portrayed as some sort of fun-hating fundamentalist who brought everyone down with her negativity. Are you kidding me? THIS is the representation we get of the only devout Muslim in a book set in Pakistan? A Muslim who's dour, strict, refuses to have fun or live life, and is constantly mocked by the whole family (which...by the way...the way they mocked and ignored her when she quoted Hadith and Quranic verses didn't sit well with me either; what exactly was Soniah Kamal trying to get at there? That Islam is silly and should be ignored?).
So thank you, Miss Kamal, for writing a book which confirms all the negative stereotypes people think about Muslims and for doing your best to convince them that all the normal, "reasonable" Pakistanis don't give one hoot for Islam. What a wonderful (cue another intense eyeroll) thing that was to read, as a Pakistani Muslim myself who considers myself very devout --- but also intelligent, learned, independent, stylish, free, feminist, and proud to be of my religion and from my country. And I'm no unicorn; there are plenty of Pakistani Muslims like me. Perhaps you should meet some of them and try writing about them sometimes.
February 25, 2019
I went into this book thinking that I knew what I was getting in to. I'm a sucker for P&P retellings - they are a staple of my "fluff" reading. I like knowing generally how the plot is going to turn out, but getting to discover the author's unique spin on how the characters get to the ending I'm expecting. This book, however, didn't deliver - every event and conversation from the original is repeated in this retelling. There were no surprises. Even that would have been ok, except the writing was just awful. Instead of writing well rounded characters, the author chose a single defining trait of each person and amplified it - and came out with exaggerated caricatures of Austen's characters. Jane is only shy. Lydia is only promiscuous. Mary is only religiously fanatic. Elizabeth is only a know-it-all. The most depressing one for me, though, was Mr. Bennett - he's been turned into an incompetent doormat. None of the witty observations that define his character.
I almost did not finish this book, but continued on, hoping that the final scenes between Darcy and Elizabeth would make up for the rest of the book... nope. Every iconic scene was rewritten as quickly as possible, and with none of the charm you expect. Here's the first of Darcy's proposals:
"Will you marry me?"
Alys stared at him.
"I LOVE you."
This was so preposterous, Alys let out a hearty laugh.
"My admission is a joke to you?"
"Is this a prank?" Alys looked around. "Is there a hidden camera somewhere?"
-pg 239
I mean... really? That's what you make of one of the most pivotal scenes of the whole story?
The following dialogue is representative of basically every conversation between the Bennett sisters (Jena, Alys, Mari, Qitty, Lady) or the Bingley sisters (Hammy & Sammy):
"Honestly, Lady," Qitty said, "You are so inconsiderate."
"Shut up, baby elephant."
"You shut up," Qitty said, "Miss See-Through Nighty You-You Eyes while Wickaam was here."
-pg 176
300+ pages of that. I just can't.
Here's a sampling Lizzy's (Alys) personality while she's visiting Charlotte Lucas (Sherry Looclas) :
Bobia Looclus could not help but burst out in pride, "Sherry, you've transformed from the local sitar into an international-level guitar."
"Nothing lesser about the sitar or other local instruments, Aunty Bobia," Alys said, because it was not in her nature to let anything go.
-pg 214
She literally has a social commentary on everything, even in passing. Is it any wonder that everyone finds her obnoxious and that she's not married yet??
I was looking forward to the Pakistani spin on this story, but it was more gimmicky than anything. When the girls get dressed, every single item of Pakistani clothing is listed. When they eat (literally every meal mentioned in the book), every single dish is listed - even for meals in passing. The first few times it was neat, and I looked some of the words up, but using that as your sole markers of a different culture is lazy writing. It reminded me of P&P&Zombies - no creativity was used to create an alternate world... the new "theme" was just shoved into the original story at random.
Which leads me to the most perplexing part - this book has SO many glowing reviews. It makes me wonder if I'm missing something. Terrible writing aside, do I just not know enough about Pakistani culture? Is the crudeness and cruelty in the book really representative of Pakistani culture? Maybe if I understood the culture better the book would make more sense??
At the back of the book the author says she wrote this whole book in two months. It really, really shows. I was so excited to read this, and was just incredibly disappointed - in the writing, the lack of creativity, the simplification of beloved characters (I mean, really, how do you ruin Elizabeth Bennett??). Ugh. Read it if you really can't bear to skip any P&P retellings, but don't expect much.
I almost did not finish this book, but continued on, hoping that the final scenes between Darcy and Elizabeth would make up for the rest of the book... nope. Every iconic scene was rewritten as quickly as possible, and with none of the charm you expect. Here's the first of Darcy's proposals:
"Will you marry me?"
Alys stared at him.
"I LOVE you."
This was so preposterous, Alys let out a hearty laugh.
"My admission is a joke to you?"
"Is this a prank?" Alys looked around. "Is there a hidden camera somewhere?"
-pg 239
I mean... really? That's what you make of one of the most pivotal scenes of the whole story?
The following dialogue is representative of basically every conversation between the Bennett sisters (Jena, Alys, Mari, Qitty, Lady) or the Bingley sisters (Hammy & Sammy):
"Honestly, Lady," Qitty said, "You are so inconsiderate."
"Shut up, baby elephant."
"You shut up," Qitty said, "Miss See-Through Nighty You-You Eyes while Wickaam was here."
-pg 176
300+ pages of that. I just can't.
Here's a sampling Lizzy's (Alys) personality while she's visiting Charlotte Lucas (Sherry Looclas) :
Bobia Looclus could not help but burst out in pride, "Sherry, you've transformed from the local sitar into an international-level guitar."
"Nothing lesser about the sitar or other local instruments, Aunty Bobia," Alys said, because it was not in her nature to let anything go.
-pg 214
She literally has a social commentary on everything, even in passing. Is it any wonder that everyone finds her obnoxious and that she's not married yet??
I was looking forward to the Pakistani spin on this story, but it was more gimmicky than anything. When the girls get dressed, every single item of Pakistani clothing is listed. When they eat (literally every meal mentioned in the book), every single dish is listed - even for meals in passing. The first few times it was neat, and I looked some of the words up, but using that as your sole markers of a different culture is lazy writing. It reminded me of P&P&Zombies - no creativity was used to create an alternate world... the new "theme" was just shoved into the original story at random.
Which leads me to the most perplexing part - this book has SO many glowing reviews. It makes me wonder if I'm missing something. Terrible writing aside, do I just not know enough about Pakistani culture? Is the crudeness and cruelty in the book really representative of Pakistani culture? Maybe if I understood the culture better the book would make more sense??
At the back of the book the author says she wrote this whole book in two months. It really, really shows. I was so excited to read this, and was just incredibly disappointed - in the writing, the lack of creativity, the simplification of beloved characters (I mean, really, how do you ruin Elizabeth Bennett??). Ugh. Read it if you really can't bear to skip any P&P retellings, but don't expect much.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 20, 2019
[@randomhouse #partner] 📚 “.....it is a truth universally acknowledged, Alys suddenly thought with a smile, that people enter our lives to recommend reads.”
Brava, Soniah Kamal 👏🏼 I will fully admit that Jane Austen’s P&P isn’t my very favorite book of all time, as it is for so many others. However, “Unmarriageable” and its Pakistani revamp IS one of my favorites.
I’ll take Alys Binat in early 2000s Pakistan any day over Elizabeth Bennett in early 1800s England! This is definitely partially due to my tendency to avoid the traditional English canon as a whole, but mostly just my complete and utter love for how Kamal blatantly takes on issues of gender, class, sexuality, body size and race while maintaining the original story within. Alys is now one of my all-time female characters ❤️
The essay at the end of this book explains the genesis for “Unmarriageable”, so please do go and read that too - all about the attempt to erase indigenous languages and replace them with English. In this story, Kamal is reclaiming Pakistani heritage and entertaining us with her writing prowess simultaneously, and I thank her immensely for that. It was a book that required me to slow down and savor the setting and had me constantly wanting to highlight quotes and share them with reading friends.
If you haven’t realized it yet, I loved this one 😉 Its releases this Tuesday 1.22.19 so make sure to watch for it at libraries and bookstores SOON!
Thanks to Random House for this free review copy - all opinions are my own.
Brava, Soniah Kamal 👏🏼 I will fully admit that Jane Austen’s P&P isn’t my very favorite book of all time, as it is for so many others. However, “Unmarriageable” and its Pakistani revamp IS one of my favorites.
I’ll take Alys Binat in early 2000s Pakistan any day over Elizabeth Bennett in early 1800s England! This is definitely partially due to my tendency to avoid the traditional English canon as a whole, but mostly just my complete and utter love for how Kamal blatantly takes on issues of gender, class, sexuality, body size and race while maintaining the original story within. Alys is now one of my all-time female characters ❤️
The essay at the end of this book explains the genesis for “Unmarriageable”, so please do go and read that too - all about the attempt to erase indigenous languages and replace them with English. In this story, Kamal is reclaiming Pakistani heritage and entertaining us with her writing prowess simultaneously, and I thank her immensely for that. It was a book that required me to slow down and savor the setting and had me constantly wanting to highlight quotes and share them with reading friends.
If you haven’t realized it yet, I loved this one 😉 Its releases this Tuesday 1.22.19 so make sure to watch for it at libraries and bookstores SOON!
Thanks to Random House for this free review copy - all opinions are my own.
March 27, 2021
This is exactly what it promises on the tin -- a straight-up retelling of Pride and Prejudice, set in modern day Pakistan. The plot follows the same arc and its fun to see how iconic moments are reshaped to fit the culture. Oddly, what I most enjoyed are the chapters where it deviates from the original plot. This might be because those were the ones where I was surprised. I particularly liked when the Anne de Burgh substitute breaks from her archetype and speaks. In the novel, her disability renders her voiceless and here she is consciously not.
July 11, 2019
Read the full review at Elgee Writes
My initial thoughts
I picked Unmarriageable because I missed Jane Austen and wanted to get into her world, and Unmarriageable did exactly that. I could see the Austen’s characters in Soniah Kamal’s and it stayed true to the original. The sub plots of Kaleen and Sherry (Colleen – Charlotte) and the way they had been adapted to the modern Pakistan fit perfectly.
While I understand it is a retelling, I wish the author had explored the characters deeper. Lady’s character was a cliche and I felt there was more scope for development, given the period it is set in.
I couldn’t avoid feeling it was weird that the characters discuss so much about Austen and even a character talks about Alys being similar to Lizzie, but they didn’t figure out they were literally acting like them. A glaring plot hole maybe?
Things that worked for me
Unmarriageable stayed true to the original Pride and Prejudice, in terms of social commentary and the plot.
I loved many of the desi version of the characters like Sherry and Kaleen.
There are parts where the author shines, especially where she had changed Austen’s text to suit her narration.
Things that didn’t work for me
Maybe, Unmarriageable was too close the original and I found it unimaginative at places.
There were places that the prose to be dragging.
I didn’t find the charm of the Lizzie Bennet in Alysba, but that might be a personal bias.
Bottom-line
While there are lot of things that I wish were better with Unmarriageable, but as a retelling the author succeeds in making me fell nostalgic about Pride and Prejudice. I am still on the lookout for a better retelling of Pride and Prejudice. If you know any, let me know.
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon |
My initial thoughts
I picked Unmarriageable because I missed Jane Austen and wanted to get into her world, and Unmarriageable did exactly that. I could see the Austen’s characters in Soniah Kamal’s and it stayed true to the original. The sub plots of Kaleen and Sherry (Colleen – Charlotte) and the way they had been adapted to the modern Pakistan fit perfectly.
While I understand it is a retelling, I wish the author had explored the characters deeper. Lady’s character was a cliche and I felt there was more scope for development, given the period it is set in.
I couldn’t avoid feeling it was weird that the characters discuss so much about Austen and even a character talks about Alys being similar to Lizzie, but they didn’t figure out they were literally acting like them. A glaring plot hole maybe?
Things that worked for me
Unmarriageable stayed true to the original Pride and Prejudice, in terms of social commentary and the plot.
I loved many of the desi version of the characters like Sherry and Kaleen.
There are parts where the author shines, especially where she had changed Austen’s text to suit her narration.
Things that didn’t work for me
Maybe, Unmarriageable was too close the original and I found it unimaginative at places.
There were places that the prose to be dragging.
I didn’t find the charm of the Lizzie Bennet in Alysba, but that might be a personal bias.
Bottom-line
While there are lot of things that I wish were better with Unmarriageable, but as a retelling the author succeeds in making me fell nostalgic about Pride and Prejudice. I am still on the lookout for a better retelling of Pride and Prejudice. If you know any, let me know.
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon |
April 1, 2019
Unmarriageable, a retelling of the classic Pride and Prejudice, is a fun little rom-com set in Pakistan. Set against the modern culture of India, it still has the same themes and ideas surrounding a woman's "place." Where I struggled was trying to keep all the names straight, but that's a "me" problem, not a problem with the book. I think Kamal wrote a fun story that lovers of Pride and Prejudice will enjoy!
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