4 out of 4 stars
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I’d recommend an Adele playlist for this love story. It’s the music that transcends borders and ties up the experiences of the various characters in this beautiful story. It’s where love meets Adele.
The story starts out with Elias, an Italian resident nostalgic about a temptress he met back home in Morocco. Her name was Malika. It is while traversing the streets of Rome, consumed by his vivid memories of Malika, that a fortune-teller tells him of the black magic that was the reason for his separation from Malika. Pertubed, he leaves for Morocco to find her. The flashback of events from their last meeting eight years ago is a walk through the old city of Marrakesh in Morocco: appreciating the touristic attractions sprawled across its squares, shrines and alleys and the robust economy fuelled by tourists coming to enjoy the local cuisine, culture and exotic pleasures. It is through his dealings in Marrakesh that we find out how he met Malika and in a heart-wrenching revelation get to resonate with his agony at the fact that he had fallen in love with her, yet had deserted her in the hope of meeting in a different time and place, at an Adele concert.
Elsewhere in Vegas, Yaser, trapped with a boring wife he thought was more keen on creating impressions of a loving home to her peers than actually living out good memories with him, is out seeing a therapist to save his marriage. Mariam, his wife, is ever so quarrelsome-almost bitter I might say-with everything about him, and seems hardly able to reconcile her feelings for him. It’s been eight years but it will have to take a miracle to save this loveless marriage. The miracle is a trip to Adele’s concert- but will these two actually make it there?
Nadia, on the other hand, is content resident of Jordan, having walked out of an abusive, loveless marriage. Her life now resolves around her only child: Waleed. In her independence and with a strong will to protect her son at all costs, she clashes with her ex-husband, causing retaliation that nearly breaks her resolve. She wants Waleed to meet his favourite musician at a live concert- will they make it there?
I rate My Trip to Adele 4 out of 4 stars because it was enchanting and captivating to read. All the main characters were very well developed and had such a compelling story driving each of their actions. It was inevitable, crying at Elias’ forbidden love on the Atlas Mountains. It broke my heart that Yaser was so miserable living with Mariam until I realised just how much caring she harboured in her heart, carefully concealed. It crushed me, riding back home to Waleed with Nadia, still as independent as ever, but more aware of what mattered the most in life. I especially loved that each chapter ended in song-and that the music was relatable to the chapter it had just concluded. Adele echoed through the pages of this book, fused seamlessly with these three love stories lived out by her fans. While maintaining love as the main theme of the story, the authors effortlessly touched on many other themes such as vice in society-especially the kind that is propagated by economic constraints, religion as well as culture and women empowerment. The editing was top-notch as well! To all the romantics out there, My Trip to Adele comes highly recommended!!! Many thanks to Ahmad and Rana Alyaseer for this amazing book!
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My trip to Adele
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