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  • Girls of Riyadh

  • A Novel
  • By: Rajaa Alsanea
  • Narrated by: Kate Reading
  • Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (37 ratings)
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Girls of Riyadh

By: Rajaa Alsanea
Narrated by: Kate Reading
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Summary

In her debut novel, Rajaa Alsanea reveals the social, romantic, and sexual tribulations of four young women from the elite classes of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Originally released in Arabic in 2005, the novel was immediately banned in Saudi Arabia because of the controversial and inflammatory content, though black-market copies circulated widely. The daring originality of Girls of Riyadh continues to create a firestorm all over the Arab world, and the excitement has spread far beyond the Middle East.

While this novel offers a distinctly Arab voice, it also represents the mongrel culture and language of a globalized world, reflecting the way the Arab world is being changed by new economic and political realities.

Riyadh is the larger setting of the novel, but the characters travel all over the world shedding traditional garb as they literally and figuratively cross over into Western society. These women understand the Western worldview and experiment with reconciling pieces of it with their own. This groundbreaking novel might be the very first that opens up their world to us - their culture, their struggles, their frustrations, their hopes, and their beliefs.

With Girls of Riyadh, Rajaa Alsanea gives us 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.

©2007 Rajaa Alsanea (P)2007 Penguin Audio, a member of Penguin Group (USA), Inc. and Books on Tape. All rights reserved.

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What listeners say about Girls of Riyadh

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Intriguing. I enjoyed it!!

I’ve actually read the novel in Arabic a few years ago so when I saw this English version, I wanted to give it a try since I found the story very interesting and intriguing. I enjoyed it a lot.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
  • Mr
  • 15-05-16

Arabian Austen?

This is like an Austen tale for the Middle East. It is gossipy and full of trials and trivialities for the women and their paths into love. There is such a formality in the contracts of getting married and a code of honour to society life, but like most of Austen it becomes little more than background noise for me.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Boring

This is a story that never seems to get going or have a point. Igave up on it.

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1 person found this helpful