[Book Review] A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum

 

A Woman is No Man

This debut novel by an Arab-American voice,takes us inside the lives of conservative Arab women living in America.

In Brooklyn, eighteen-year-old Deya is starting to meet with suitors. Though she doesn’t want to get married, her grandparents give her no choice. History is repeating itself: Deya’s mother, Isra, also had no choice when she left Palestine as a teenager to marry Adam. Though Deya was raised to believe her parents died in a car accident, a secret note from a mysterious, yet familiar-looking woman makes Deya question everything she was told about her past. As the narrative alternates between the lives of Deya and Isra, she begins to understand the dark, complex secrets behind her community.

This was my book club of the month's book, and I'm glad it was! I don't think I would have picked this book up if it were not for my book club, so thank you book club! This is an incredible book about the lives of Islamic women in pretty modern times. The POV goes between the 1990s and the 2000s and three generations of women. I really enjoyed this book because it gave me a perspective that I have never had before. I actually listened to the audiobook of this via Overdrive, and I really enjoyed the narration. 

Deya is the daughter of Isra, and Fereeda is the mother in law of Isra. Isra was a Palestinian girl that was married in 1990 at the age of 17. She married Adam, and after her marriage she moved with Adam into their home in Brooklyn, along with his mom, dad, two brothers and sister. The occupy the basement of their Brooklyn home. Isra is shy, a bit naïve, and submissive to her new family. She only wants to please, and in doing so she ends up with four baby girls within 7 years. Isra just wants romance and happiness at the beginning of the book, but during her short lifespan she only experiences heartache and disappointment with her new life. She quickly learns that a woman is no man, and that a woman's place is to cook, clean and provide offspring. Unfortunately, Isra only provides baby girls, which only adds to her heartache. Deya is the eldest daughter of Isra and Adam and in 2008 she is trying to find her place in the world as a woman. Generations have continuously felt that women belong at home. But, Deya wants to go to college and be more than just a wife.

I really enjoyed the new cultural perspective presented in this book. I felt like I had an idea of what it was like to be a woman in their culture, but I honestly had no clue it can be so hard for them. They want to preserve their culture, but at the same time they want more for themselves. It must be a really tough decision for these women and their families. 

Overall, I loved this book. My heart broke at the ending though. There were a few inconsistencies in dates and ages, but overall it was a great book and I am really thankful that I was able to experience this book. 

The daughter of Palestinian immigrants, Etaf Rum was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She has a Masters of Arts in American and British Literature as well as undergraduate degrees in Philosophy and English Composition and teaches undergraduate courses in North Carolina, where she lives with her two children. Etaf also runs the Instagram account @booksandbeans and is also a Book of the Month Club Ambassador, showcasing
her favorite selections each month. A Woman Is No Man is her first novel.

[Book Review] The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

 

A Life No One Will Remember. A Story You Will Never Forget.

France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.

Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.

But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.

I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, the writing is marvelous. It's flowy, beautiful and almost lyrical. On the other hand, the plot missed the mark for me. Because of the lyrical quality of the writing I did enjoy reading (actually listening, as I listened to this through the audiobook), but I was disappointed in the actual story. 

Parts of the book dragged on for me. It almost became monotonous at points. I felt like all Addie did was go on and on about how slow her life was, which made the story itself feel slow. I found myself wanting to get through the 1700 chapters faster than the 2014 chapters. When something significant would happen in 2014, the next chapter was always in the 1700s. Maybe that was why I just wanted to get through her past as fast as possible. I was intrigued by her romance with Luc. I was less than impressed with her romance with Henry. It felt dull and forced. They just didn't have any natural chemistry to me. 

I went into this book loving the concept of being invisible, and how this could really affect ones life. The concept is genius, the story was just okay. She left her mark with a series of pieces of art, even though she was invisible, and this was impressive in it's on right. But, as for the rest of her life story? It was just okay.

I am giving this book four stars, because it genuinely is a great book. But, I wanted it to go in a different direction than the one it did. So, I am personally disappointed. Does this mean this book deserves two stars? No. The book has a fantastic storyline premise, and the characters are well developed. The writing is lyrical and I really don't regret reading it. I am looking forward to the movie! 

*Sidenote: Team Luc anyone? 

Victoria “V.E.” Schwab is the #1 NYT, USA, and Indie bestselling author of more than a dozen books, including Vicious, the Shades of Magic series, and This Savage Song. Her work has received critical acclaim, been featured by EW and The New York Times, been translated into more than a dozen languages, and been optioned for TV and Film. The Independent calls her the “natural successor to Diana Wynne Jones” and touts her “enviable, almost Gaimanesque ability to switch between styles, genres, and tones.”

She is represented by Holly Root at Root Literary and Jon Cassir at CAA.

[Book Review]: A Stitch in Time

Thorne Manor has always been haunted...and it has always haunted Bronwyn Dale. As a young girl, Bronwyn could pass through a time slip in her great-aunt’s house, where she visited William Thorne, a boy her own age, born two centuries earlier. After a family tragedy, the house was shuttered and Bronwyn was convinced that William existed only in her imagination.
Now, twenty years later Bronwyn inherits Thorne Manor. And when she returns, William is waiting.

William Thorne is no longer the boy she remembers. He’s a difficult and tempestuous man, his own life marred by tragedy and a scandal that had him retreating to self-imposed exile in his beloved moors. He’s also none too pleased with Bronwyn for abandoning him all those years ago.

As their friendship rekindles and sparks into something more, Bronwyn must also deal with ghosts in the present version of the house. Soon she realizes they are linked to William and the secret scandal that drove him back to Thorne Manor. To build a future, Bronwyn must confront the past.

Are you a fan of Outlander or the movie The Lake House? Then this is the book for you! 

A Stitch in Time was a mix between paranormal, time travel, historical fiction, mystery and romance all wrapped up in one. You've got your ghosts, a brooding 18th century male character, a murder mystery, and some lovely romance all within one book, which is probably why I thoroughly enjoyed it! Kelley Armstrong is one of my favorite authors, but I have only read her young adult books up until now. This adult romance was refreshing and enjoyable. 

Bronwyn was the main female character, and she starts out questioning her sanity when it comes to seeing the ghosts in her house (with good reason). She used to spend her childhood Summers in this house and one fateful night sent her to the asylum. Years later, she inherits this house and decides to forfeit the notion of ghosts and time traveling. But, Bronwyn's past has a tendency of catching up to her and she's back in the arms of a certain gentleman with an equally dark past. Are the ghosts real? Is the time travel real? And, if so, can she overcome the obstacles from her past and solve the mysteries of this home?

Overall, I would give this book four iced coffees. It was an excellent read, and I am excited to read the sequel soon! 

Kelley Armstrong believes experience is the best teacher, though she’s been told this shouldn’t apply to writing her murder scenes. To craft her books, she has studied aikido, archery and fencing. She sucks at all of them. She has also crawled through very shallow cave systems and climbed half a mountain before chickening out. She is however an expert coffee drinker and a true connoisseur of chocolate-chip cookies.