Review by Jroberts602 -- Trip to Adele

[Jroberts602]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Trip to Adele" by R I Alyaseer and A I Alyaseer.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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My Trip to Adele follows the journeys of three individuals – Elias, Yaser, and Nadia – linked by the theme of plans to attend an Adele concert in Verona, Italy. Each has their own reason for attending. Each is motivated by love, but the love looks different from their three perspectives. Elias has returned to his home country to seek a long lost romance. Yaser is attempting to revive a failing marriage. Nadia’s tale is of motherly, rather than romantic, love. Each chapter closes with lyrics from a different Adele song, relating to what the character is experiencing.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. The authors do a good job of explaining cultural nuances. That alone made My Trip to Adele worth the read. I learned a lot about fascinating folkways in Morocco and Jordan, such as shawfas (fortunetellers) and the hierarchy of tribal decision making. The authors did not romanticize the cultures they described, but showed the darkness and light in each one.

The plot was intriguing and even had a number of twists. I wondered if Elias would find his long lost love; if Yaser and Mariam’s marriage would survive; if Nadia would be able to wrangle all the details in order to take her son out of the country with her. Along the way my jaw dropped once or twice as surprises came out of left field. My Trip to Adele does not fall victim to predictability.

The characters were human. They struggled and evolved throughout the course of the book. Perhaps most importantly, they were each relatable and likable. They gave thought to their individual dilemmas and acted on principle.

My only qualms were stylistic. At times the sentence structure was awkward, for example: “I tried my best to control my nerves while my eyes followed my manager as he shuffled around and reorganized the papers on his desk.” There was more “telling” than “showing” what characters were experiencing: “Her professions of love caused me great distress.” (This as opposed to describing the indications of distress and allowing the reader to reach his/her own conclusions.) Each chapter seems to have a paragraph consisting of philosophical questions, which might have been more appropriately placed in a discussion guide at the end of the book.

The first-person format was initially confusing, as the reader enter the characters’ life stories mid-stream. But once they had each been sufficiently introduced, the plot carried the narrative along smoothly. For me as a reader, the book was somewhat of a slow starter, and the roles of each character were unclear. But the second half passed much more quickly as I was anxious to find out what would happen. I do think I might have enjoyed it more if I was an Adele fan, and/or perhaps in an audio format including her songs. I hope the authors send it to Adele, because she would be honored at this homage!

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Trip to Adele
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[palilogy]

I do agree with you how the characters in the book are human, they struggle - but for me I never connected with the idea of an intriguing plot.
I also wonder like you if I would have enjoyed the story more so if I appreciated and was a greater fan of Adele's music. That is an interesting connection to point out that could change the way a reader receives the book.