Review by kkyach -- My Trip to Adele
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kkyach
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- Latest Review: "My Trip to Adele" by A.I.Alyaseer, R.I.Alyaseer
Review by kkyach -- My Trip to Adele
[Following is a volunteer review of "My Trip to Adele" by A.I.Alyaseer, R.I.Alyaseer.]
3 out of 4 stars
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My Trip to Adele by RI Alyaseer and AI Alyaseer is a work of fiction that includes three parallel stories about three different families throughout the book. Each family was from different cultural backgrounds, living in different places and in different phases of their lives. I found that I liked one family’s story much more than the other two. I believe that different readers will have different favorites based upon their own backgrounds and life stories.
In each of the families’ story lines, the reader gets a glimpse into different issues that crop up in relationships that most people can relate to. One of the themes of the book included relational issues between couples- both married and divorced, parents and children, adult children and their parents as well has relations with co-workers. There was also a look into American, Middle Eastern and European culture. I enjoyed learning more about cultures I was unfamiliar with which really drew me in. Each of the 3 parallel stories tied into the theme of Adele. Adele was to have a concert in Verona Italy. The first tour she had in several years. Each set of couples were fans of Adele’s and her songs played a large part of the story. The song lyrics of many of her songs were the last words in every chapter. It was interesting how her song lyrics were tied into the story lines so seamlessly. In fact it states in the book that so many people can relate to Adele’s themes in music and often feel that songs were written specifically for them.
Personally I’ve not listened too much of Adele’s music. I hear some songs on the radio, but I haven’t rushed out and purchased any of her cd’s. I didn’t agree with some of the paths the characters took in the book but there were a lot of twists and turns that kept my attention while I read. I became frustrated with the married couple’s interactions several times. I wanted to yell out- “Just talk to each other already, he/she can’t read minds!” That is a personal bias of mine though as I am big on communication in relationships and always encourage open communication with everyone with whom I come into contact. This book also stretched by empathy by describing the issues of the divorced mother having to seek approval from the men in her family due to the cultural expectations. Even though she sought freedom and individuality; cultural norms continued to come into play on things I wouldn’t have considered.
It was a well written piece of fiction. I only noticed one grammatical error in my reading. On the third page of the first Las Vegas chapter it says “But I wished my parents could have accompanied us just like as parents did”. I assumed it must have meant “just like your parents did”. This wasn’t overly distracting as it was noted but didn’t impact my flow of reading. The book actual captured my attention right away with the opening line. That is often the sign of a great book; one that can capture your immediate attention. I am rating this book 3 out of 4 stars. I liked the book and the story line, but the parallel stories often became confused as I was reading. Parallel story lines in a book are not a favorite of mine. In addition, not only did it shift each chapter to a different story line, each story line alternated between the past and the present.
I would have likely rated it higher had some of the decisions the characters made aligned more with my personal moral code. I became disillusioned and almost angry at times with them. However, one of the signs of a good book is the ability to draw emotions out of the reader. This one did do that.
This was a good read. It could have been a great read. Had they focused on one of the three parallel stories and wove it through a timeline of just that one couple and their family I would have liked it better. The shifting of my attention between vastly different narratives was distracting to me. The wrap up during the last chapter seemed as if it was quickly put together and didn’t feel like it matched up with the compilation the story was taking. There was a building of each story and then it felt like a letdown with two of the story lines. I would recommend this book to others.
******
My Trip to Adele
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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3 out of 4 stars
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My Trip to Adele by RI Alyaseer and AI Alyaseer is a work of fiction that includes three parallel stories about three different families throughout the book. Each family was from different cultural backgrounds, living in different places and in different phases of their lives. I found that I liked one family’s story much more than the other two. I believe that different readers will have different favorites based upon their own backgrounds and life stories.
In each of the families’ story lines, the reader gets a glimpse into different issues that crop up in relationships that most people can relate to. One of the themes of the book included relational issues between couples- both married and divorced, parents and children, adult children and their parents as well has relations with co-workers. There was also a look into American, Middle Eastern and European culture. I enjoyed learning more about cultures I was unfamiliar with which really drew me in. Each of the 3 parallel stories tied into the theme of Adele. Adele was to have a concert in Verona Italy. The first tour she had in several years. Each set of couples were fans of Adele’s and her songs played a large part of the story. The song lyrics of many of her songs were the last words in every chapter. It was interesting how her song lyrics were tied into the story lines so seamlessly. In fact it states in the book that so many people can relate to Adele’s themes in music and often feel that songs were written specifically for them.
Personally I’ve not listened too much of Adele’s music. I hear some songs on the radio, but I haven’t rushed out and purchased any of her cd’s. I didn’t agree with some of the paths the characters took in the book but there were a lot of twists and turns that kept my attention while I read. I became frustrated with the married couple’s interactions several times. I wanted to yell out- “Just talk to each other already, he/she can’t read minds!” That is a personal bias of mine though as I am big on communication in relationships and always encourage open communication with everyone with whom I come into contact. This book also stretched by empathy by describing the issues of the divorced mother having to seek approval from the men in her family due to the cultural expectations. Even though she sought freedom and individuality; cultural norms continued to come into play on things I wouldn’t have considered.
It was a well written piece of fiction. I only noticed one grammatical error in my reading. On the third page of the first Las Vegas chapter it says “But I wished my parents could have accompanied us just like as parents did”. I assumed it must have meant “just like your parents did”. This wasn’t overly distracting as it was noted but didn’t impact my flow of reading. The book actual captured my attention right away with the opening line. That is often the sign of a great book; one that can capture your immediate attention. I am rating this book 3 out of 4 stars. I liked the book and the story line, but the parallel stories often became confused as I was reading. Parallel story lines in a book are not a favorite of mine. In addition, not only did it shift each chapter to a different story line, each story line alternated between the past and the present.
I would have likely rated it higher had some of the decisions the characters made aligned more with my personal moral code. I became disillusioned and almost angry at times with them. However, one of the signs of a good book is the ability to draw emotions out of the reader. This one did do that.
This was a good read. It could have been a great read. Had they focused on one of the three parallel stories and wove it through a timeline of just that one couple and their family I would have liked it better. The shifting of my attention between vastly different narratives was distracting to me. The wrap up during the last chapter seemed as if it was quickly put together and didn’t feel like it matched up with the compilation the story was taking. There was a building of each story and then it felt like a letdown with two of the story lines. I would recommend this book to others.
******
My Trip to Adele
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like kkyach's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: "My Trip to Adele" by A.I.Alyaseer, R.I.Alyaseer
