In the Land of Invisible Women

Could have been so much more

The writing ranges from indifferent to awkward, but that is not the only reason I rate this books as merely "ok". It had the potential to be so much more than it is.

Dr. Qanta A. Ahmed is capable of close observation--no critical care physician can lack this ability--and some of her descriptions are very closely observed, indeed. It is a shame that these are mostly limited to the physical appearance of the people she meets and of their clothing, homes and cars.

Yet we cannot call Ahmed shallow because the religious experience she underwent in the Kingdom was clearly deeply felt. I am disappointed that she did not spend more time exploring it and less time looking for well-worn metaphors to describe it.

The main problem with In the Land of Invisible Women, in my opinion, is that it never quite seems to decide what kind of book it is. Is it the description of the author's religious itinerary? Then why leave that almost exclusively to the section on her Haj (pilgrimage to Mecca)? Is it the story of a Western-trained double-boarded physician who happens to be a woman practicing in the very different and restrictive conditions experienced by female physicians in the Kingdom? Then tell us more about that.

Is this a book about Saudi culture? Then spend less time on describing cars, jewelry and clothing and more time on behavior, attitudes, laws and social expectations. Is it a book about the history of Wahabi extremism in Saudia? Then write it as a history and don't try to squeeze it in as background in artificial-sounding conversations.

The main problem I found with this book is its lack of focus. There is so much potential here for a riveting memoir or a fascinating analysis. Ahmed sold herself short by taking the easy way out.

This book will be particularly interesting to people with little or no knowledge of Islam, people who don't know many Muslims. Think of it as a long, chatty letter from the friend of a friend and you won't be as disappointed as I was.

Not a bad book, just not as good as it might have been.

11 of 11 people found this review helpful

Women under war

As our newspapers and news inform us there is a war on women in America. While they gloss over the fact the countries such a Saudi Arabia & Pakistan kill their women for being whores.

Enjoyed the book, enjoyed the voice of the narrarator. The thing of it is....

Where are all of the books written by women or for women who were not so lucky?

We can all grab bios on Tina Fey or Suzanne Sommers.

What about Wafta Sultan, Souad and Rana Husseini? What about some audiobooks from women in Saudi Arabia, Jordan or Pakistan?

Just Saying.

9 of 9 people found this review helpful

Important work, somewhat too ambitious

Where does In the Land of Invisible Women rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I enjoyed this book for the most part. Nicola Barber's performance was spectacular, and Qanta Ahmed's observational skills - crucial for a physician - are on full display. I could feel the oppressive heat, sense the culture shock, and awed by her description of her Haj experience. It is, however, somewhat lost in brand-name-dropping (particularly in the first half). Once you get past that, it is a very important enlightening book, giving faces and names to "invisible" women in an uncomfortable reality of Saudi Arabia.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The description of the Haj. I was blown away by such a mass amount of people, beautiful buildings, stones, waters, prayers... it was incredibly moving.

Any additional comments?

I did enjoy this book. The first half has a lot of brand name dropping - Mercedes, Rolex, etc. - and it gets a little bit grating. However, that aside, I will never forget this book, and will likely read it again.
Qanta is a moderate Muslim who is thrown into a kingdom where women are veiled, and the veiling of Muslims is definitely described as a prison. Through two years, she learns what women - and by extension men - endure in the Saudi kingdom. She is blunt, to the point, observant, giving a realism seldom viewed. Unlike Ayaan Hirsi Ali (Infidel, Nomad), Qanta's Muslim faith remains intact, even though extremism as witnessed in Saudi Arabia does not persuade her to think as many do there, or to become resigned to her fate.

Worth buying on sale, or even for its own cash value; I wouldn't spend a credit on it, but that's just me.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Could not finish... Boring.

She goes to the Saudi Kingdom to work as a doctor. You'd think this would turn into a fascinating look into a closed society but not so. She seems to love all the quirks of "covering" and "being invisible" and gender segregation, discovers her 'Muslim-ness', goes on a Hajj and is orgasmic about being called by Allah. (Allah calls those to Hajj so if you want to go, ipso facto you've been called.)

Think 'Lifetime for Women', Saudi style

Boring ain't in it. I would have happily returned this to audible but as of now you can only return 2 books per 6 months regardless of how many books you buy.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

MORE THAN I EXPECTED

Not know anything about this book, I was pleasantly surprised. I just had to know what this was about. I leant a lot about the women of The Kingdom and the menfolk.
I found the discussion with the writer, at the conclusion, to be a surprise and a well received time of listening. Will definitely look for more of Qanta A. Ahmed's book. She writes excelently.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Eye opening account

What did you love best about In the Land of Invisible Women?

It is amazing to discover how women, including enlightened and modern women, live under religious and male oppression in Saudi Arabia. Riveting account!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

A MUST READ for anyone living in the Western world.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

incomplete insight into the life in Saudi Arabia

I like how the book narrates outsider insight from the eyes of a doctor. However, I can tell as a Saudi citizen that many issues raised by the author lack deep understanding of other dimensions and perspectives. Also, one issue I noticed about the author is her prejudice towards the Saudi culture and quick judgement, sometimes generalisation from one incident she faced or even heard from colleagues. overall, the book is interesting and may worth listening to.

Understanding our Saudi Sisters

I have read many books about women in the Middle East and this was excellent. It was written by a British born, American trained Pakistani Muslim doctor. She moves to Saudi Arabia in 1999 and works in the intensive care and emergency departments of a hospital. Her observations of life there is honest and sometimes heart wrenching. She never was swathed from head to toe before and finds it oppressive and annoying. She makes dear friends and loves certain things about the country and finds others abhorrent. Her description of her Haj pilgrimage was beautiful and very honest. I couldn't put the book down. Nicola Barber did a beautiful job of narrating this book. The bonus interview with Qanta Ahmed at the end was wonderful and very informative.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about how lucky women in the west are compared to there sisters in some other countries. I appreciated the candidness and ability of the author to separate good from bad. The part about the 9/11 attack and the reaction there was eye opening. I would recommend this highly!

beautifully written. captivating story.

this was a book that was very difficult to put down. The author seemed so honest I felt myself blushing at times.

Was hoping for so much more.

What promised to be a fascinating cultural journey quickly deteriorated into an uneven, inconsistent, cliche-riddled train of thought -- replete with girlish giggles and catty observations. From one chapter to the next I had no idea what made this author tick or how she truly felt about things (unless she was gushing over a blue-eyed doctor or lavishly trashing fat or gaudy Saudi women). Though there were some truly fascinating anecdotes and observations, they quickly dissolved into a sea of random ramblings; there was little flow or growth in this narrative. She interrupts her tale of being a wide-eyed newcomer with Western sensibilities with a sudden eternity of endless chapters detailing her Haj and her trip to Mecca -- but no clue as to what made her decide to go. It doesn't help that the narrator--though skilled--gushes out this tale like a giddy preschool teacher breathily reading a fairy tale to an audience of toddlers. I'm sure this could have been salvaged by a good editor, but I'm left having little idea who this woman is... and, at the end, I'm hard pressed to care.