Girls of Riyadh - Hardcover

Alsanea, Rajaa

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1905490208 ISBN 13: 9781905490202

Publisher: Fig Tree, 2007

Synopsis

An inside peek into a hidden world: four young women navigate the narrow straits between love, desire and Islamic tradition.

Every week after Friday prayers, an email circulates among a group of subscribers to a vast online network. Over the course of a year, the realities of four university students from Riyadh’s elite classes, Gamrah, Michelle, Sadeem and Lamees, are revealed. Living in a society with strict cultural traditions while Sex and the City, dating and sneaking around behind their parents backs consume their lives, these four young girls face numerous social, romantic, professional and sexual tribulations. Never-ending cultural conflicts underscore the difficulties of being an educated modern female growing up in the 21st century in a culture firmly rooted to an ancient way of life.

Girls of Riyadh presents a rare and unforgettable insight into the complicated lives of these young Saudi women, whose amazing stories are unfolding in a culture so very different from our own.

About this title

Review:

The daring debut by a young Saudi Arabian womana aimagine Sex and the City, if the city in question were Riyadha
a"Time"
a [The] work of a brave, intelligent young woman. One of those rare books with the power to shake up an entrenched society.a
a"Los Angeles Times" aEngaging, enlightening, enjoyable.a
a"The Seattle Times" aA taboo-breaking novel.a
a"The Washington Post"
a A rare glimpse into ordinary life for young women in Saudi Arabia.a
a"San Francisco Chronicle"

The daring debut by a young Saudi Arabian woman imagine Sex and the City, if the city in question were Riyadh
"Time"
[The] work of a brave, intelligent young woman. One of those rare books with the power to shake up an entrenched society.
"Los Angeles Times" Engaging, enlightening, enjoyable.
"The Seattle Times" A taboo-breaking novel.
"The Washington Post"
A rare glimpse into ordinary life for young women in Saudi Arabia.
"San Francisco Chronicle"

The daring debut by a young Saudi Arabian woman? ?imagine Sex and the City, if the city in question were Riyadh?
?"Time"

? [The] work of a brave, intelligent young woman. One of those rare books with the power to shake up an entrenched society.?
?"Los Angeles Times" ?Engaging, enlightening, enjoyable.?
?"The Seattle Times" ?A taboo-breaking novel.?
?"The Washington Post"

? A rare glimpse into ordinary life for young women in Saudi Arabia.?
?"San Francisco Chronicle"

About the Author:

Rajaa Alsanea grew up in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the daughter of a family of doctors. She currently lives in Chicago where she is a dental graduate student. She is twenty-five years old and this is her first novel.

Originally released in Arabic in 2005, Girls of Riyadh was immediately banned in Saudi Arabia due to controversial and inflammatory content. Black-market copies of the novel circulated and the daring originality of Girls of Riyadh continues to create a firestorm all over the Arab world and has been a bestseller across much of the Middle East.

About this edition

• Publisher: Fig Tree
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1905490208
• ISBN 13: 9781905490202
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320