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Minaret A Novel Leila Aboulela 9780802170149 Books

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Minaret A Novel Leila Aboulela 9780802170149 Books

My knowledge of Sudan, the Muslim religion, and those exiled to England after the political upheaval of the 80s is minimal, so I was intrigued by many of the issues in this novel. Overall, it was just a so-so read for me though.

Najwa’s journey to spiritual fulfillment was the most satisfying part of this novel. Her voice was intimate and easy to identify with. I was pleasantly surprised to find that she chose to take what is considered a more conservative and prudish path in life. I think the author, Leila Aboulela, did a good job of showing why a young woman would want to reject prominent Western ideals (such as freedom in dress, freedom from family, etc.). Through Najwa’s struggles, it’s easy to see how these things can be so oppressive and unfulfilling. I thought the comfort and renewal Najwa finds in the Muslim religion was beautiful.

I’m afraid that’s where my praise of the novel ends.

Much as I appreciated her spiritual enlightenment, I wanted more from Najwa. Even though Najwa has the courage to leave a bad relationship and to follow her desire to know and understand her religion, she never seems to gain any momentum as a character. She is unassertive and dull. It's as though the author, Leila Aboulela, thinks that women who are religious and conservative must also be thoroughly boring.

Aboulela’s writing style is fairly simple and straightforward. There was nothing about it that excited me and I read this in a day. I can easily see this being shelved with the YA books.

The love story was strange and the ending really bothered me. It felt incomplete and was completely unsatisfying.

Overall, I would say that this is a good jumping off point for those who want to learn more about the Muslim religion and some contemporary issues in Sudan, but don’t set your expectations too high.


Tags : Minaret: A Novel [Leila Aboulela] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <div>Leila Aboulela's American debut is a provocative, timely, and engaging novel about a young Muslim woman -- once privileged and secular in her native land and now impoverished in London -- gradually embracing her orthodox faith. With her Muslim hijab and down-turned gaze,Leila Aboulela,Minaret: A Novel,Black Cat, GroveAtlantic,,0802170145,Literary,London (England),London (England);Fiction.,Love stories,Muslim women,Orphans,Political refugees,Political refugees;Fiction.,Rich people,Romance fiction,Sudanese - Great Britain,Sudanese;Great Britain;Fiction.,Women domestics,Women household employees,Africa,FICTION Literary,Fiction,Fiction - General,Fiction-Literary,GENERAL,General Adult,Great Britain,Islamic,Middle EastNorth Africa,REFERENCE General,Sudanese,United States,Women domestics,Women household employees,FICTION Literary,REFERENCE General,Fiction - General,Great Britain,Sudanese,Fiction

Minaret A Novel Leila Aboulela 9780802170149 Books Reviews

I ordered this book for a class assignment for my Diversity and Multiculturalism class. It was a great read, actually an interesting story. It was informative as well about the Islamic and Sudanese culture, as well as life overseas.
I thought I wouldn't enjoy this book because I had to read it for class, but I found myself not able to put it down. It's a beautiful story of Najwa's growth in her faith and in her self. I would definitely recommend this to other readers who want a female oriented story to read.
Beautiful, profound, moving, well-written. I had my students read it for a Literature class.
An interesting read. Depressing in the continued emotional free fall of the main character. She never seems to fit in anywhere and makes repeated decisions that go against her best interest. She spends her life longing for a bygone time while passing every opportunity that faces her.
Leila Aboulela's Minaret is the story of Najwa, a Sudanese woman who was raised in privilege in Khartoum, until a coup forces her to flee to London with her mother and her brother. The novel follows her life as she transitions from a Westernized teen in Sudan, to a devout Muslim woman working as a nanny/maid in London. This novel examines issues of class, religion, culture, and gender, all through one woman's personal journey. Despite tackling all of these themes, the novel is an easy read, with a plot that jumps throughout Najwa's life to demonstrate how she as an individual is able to handle her fall in class and loss of country by becoming more devout, and joining a religious community in London to replace her lost family.
It feels important to read this novel to gain a perspective on a culture and a background, with its own standards and ideals, that is different from my own. After initially reading the story, I felt disappointment for Najwa, because the life she is leading at the end of this novel, her goals for herself, and many other parts of her character are so different from what I would want for myself, or even what I would expect for this character from the beginning of the story. That said, just because I find it difficult to initially relate to this character does not mean that reading this story did not make me take the time to see that my own standards and ideas are not universal. Reading this story is a chance to experience a life completely different from my own.
Many of the issues I had with this novel revolve around the issue of gender. Much of Najwa's identity as a woman, and how she is treated by those around her is defined by her clothing. Aboulela utilizes clothing to show Najwa's transition from a Westernized teen to a devout Muslim woman. In Khartoum, Najwa wears tight pants, short skirts, and other clothing that brings attention to her body. Her first relationship with a man is with someone who disrespects her, her family, background, and ideas, but who was drawn to her because of her revealing clothing. The story seems to say that she was asking for this disrespect because of the type of clothing she wore (representative of larger cultural choices.) This relationship ends on the day she chooses to begin wearing a headscarf; this piece of clothing is shown to give her the confidence to end this relationship. It is only later in the novel, when she is wearing hijab and more shapeless clothing, that she feels comfortable, not so much because she is respected, but because she is hidden and anonymous. The only time her more devout and traditional clothing causes her a problem in the novel is when she is taunted and attacked by Londoners on a bus. Within her own community (Muslim ex-pats from a number of countries and cultures) her choice to wear a headscarf helps her fit in and feel accepted.
Najwa's transition to a practicing Muslim (rather than the secular Islam of her youth) is reflected in the story through her relationships with two men- the first relationship which began in Khartoum and ended with her wearing the headscarf, to a relationship she begins with Tamer, the 19 year old son of her employer. He is much younger than her, yet he idealizes her as a devout, subservient woman. The fact that she is subservient because she is his employee does not change the fact that he views her as a better woman and Muslim because she is simple compared to his sister pursuing a PhD, or his successful mother who travels the world. Much as he idealizes Najwa, she pursues the relationship with him because she respects how devout he is at such a young age- she frequently compares Tamer's desire to study Islamic history with her own youth in Khartoum spent in clubs, where she was only at college waiting to get married. Their differences in age, social standing, and family will prevent this relationship from lasting, but at the end of the novel we see Najwa preparing to go on a pilgrimage to Mecca. She has no family or country left, her only community and identity is that of a Muslim.
Great read, but....this is an easy read,perhpas because of the first person choice. Najwa is complex. But if she represents modern Muslim women, then her revolution is acceptance. But then. Was that no always womens fate in the third worLd.
And the men are fickle and weak- read
d "macho". No revolutionaries here. Not even her father,; especially her father. Not at all a good prognosis for the middle East.
I loved this book. It really does keep the reader on edge to find out more. However, I gave it a four because I didn't really care the ending. I suppose its not the authors fault but I just felt she could of done something different. I also didn't find the main character being "strong" in faith. I just felt like it was about a poor woman who just has a terrible life.
My knowledge of Sudan, the Muslim religion, and those exiled to England after the political upheaval of the 80s is minimal, so I was intrigued by many of the issues in this novel. Overall, it was just a so-so read for me though.

Najwa’s journey to spiritual fulfillment was the most satisfying part of this novel. Her voice was intimate and easy to identify with. I was pleasantly surprised to find that she chose to take what is considered a more conservative and prudish path in life. I think the author, Leila Aboulela, did a good job of showing why a young woman would want to reject prominent Western ideals (such as freedom in dress, freedom from family, etc.). Through Najwa’s struggles, it’s easy to see how these things can be so oppressive and unfulfilling. I thought the comfort and renewal Najwa finds in the Muslim religion was beautiful.

I’m afraid that’s where my praise of the novel ends.

Much as I appreciated her spiritual enlightenment, I wanted more from Najwa. Even though Najwa has the courage to leave a bad relationship and to follow her desire to know and understand her religion, she never seems to gain any momentum as a character. She is unassertive and dull. It's as though the author, Leila Aboulela, thinks that women who are religious and conservative must also be thoroughly boring.

Aboulela’s writing style is fairly simple and straightforward. There was nothing about it that excited me and I read this in a day. I can easily see this being shelved with the YA books.

The love story was strange and the ending really bothered me. It felt incomplete and was completely unsatisfying.

Overall, I would say that this is a good jumping off point for those who want to learn more about the Muslim religion and some contemporary issues in Sudan, but don’t set your expectations too high.