Review by raikyuu -- My Trip to Adele
Posted: 11 Jul 2017, 07:13
[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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If Adele’s songs were to write a book, then My Trip to Adele would be an accurate fictional portrayal of it by A.I. Alyaseer and R.I. Alyaseer. It talks about not just one, but three stories, each with its own characters, plot, and themes. The stories are written alternately, in which the reader must juggle three stories while reading the book, anticipating the development of each story at the same time. The title of the book could have included a different name, but it reflects the authors’ love and appreciation for the singer and songwriter Adele.
The first story talks about the journey of Elias to find his long-lost love Malika. Driven by his enduring love for Malika and his faith with a fortune teller, he travels back from Italy to Morocco where they fell in love eight years ago. He continues to reminisce the past as he scrambles through superstition, poverty, and prostitution.
The second one focuses on the dysfunctional marriage between the doctor couple, Yasser and Mariam. This couple in the US seeks the advice of a marriage counselor, hoping to rekindle the love that they have lost over the years. Will they ever work it all out in the end, despite their demanding work and suffocation in their marriage, as well as differences in their religious beliefs?
The third shows the struggle of Nadia, a divorced mother from Jordan. She strives to provide for her son, Waleed, while she deals with her request for an unpaid leave in her job and a lawsuit against her divorced husband. In the face of corporate slavery, adultery, clan feud, and sexist traditions, she shows the world that she will not back down easily, especially for the sake of her son.
I like how the authors describe the settings without bogging down with too many details. It becomes easy to be absorbed in the stories (at least in the first one) with their vivid descriptions. I enjoy the good adventure and occasional laughs from the book.
The authors try their best to make the stories relevant and relatable, even across cultures and differing experiences. For this, the stories are written like they are based on real life situations. Unfortunately, the authors risk their stories looking rather generic. The only unique feature I can point out is the characters’ connection to an Adele concert. Of course, it could have been any concert. I think the authors chose Adele because some of Adele’s songs are like stories themselves. The authors just need to add some names and a coherent plot to turn the songs into stories.
Even for an enjoyable book, it has some major problems. Each of these love stories introduced a lot of themes, most of which are never developed in the book. It looks like they’re only added in order to make a particular scene exciting, or to make the plot too convenient. For example, the authors could have removed the “corporate slavery” theme in the third story, and it would still make sense. Of course, it might result to a longer book if the authors developed the themes and find a way to bring some resolution to them. But if the book is simply about the love stories, they could just stick to one or two themes, which would make the stories more engrossing.
I also noticed that some scenes and dialogues are used merely for dumping information; that is, raw, dry information. This can be observed in most of the characters’ backstories and how there is a conflict in the first place. This makes the book boring and tiring to read in some parts. There could have been a way to show the backstories and conflicts creatively, but the authors fail to do so. Character development is present in the stories but that’s all I can say without adding spoilers.
It is important to mention that to write a single review for three different stories glosses over the merits of each particular stories. This review only contains the general similarities of the stories, so there is more I haven’t tackled, both good and bad points. To be fair, I really enjoyed the first story, as it is the most original and most engaging to read. I can’t give the book four stars due to the major problems mentioned, but I can’t also give it two stars because despite the problems, the stories are engaging and relatable. Therefore, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I would still recommend this book to readers who enjoy love stories, and to readers who are avid fans of Adele.
******
My Trip to Adele
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
If Adele’s songs were to write a book, then My Trip to Adele would be an accurate fictional portrayal of it by A.I. Alyaseer and R.I. Alyaseer. It talks about not just one, but three stories, each with its own characters, plot, and themes. The stories are written alternately, in which the reader must juggle three stories while reading the book, anticipating the development of each story at the same time. The title of the book could have included a different name, but it reflects the authors’ love and appreciation for the singer and songwriter Adele.
The first story talks about the journey of Elias to find his long-lost love Malika. Driven by his enduring love for Malika and his faith with a fortune teller, he travels back from Italy to Morocco where they fell in love eight years ago. He continues to reminisce the past as he scrambles through superstition, poverty, and prostitution.
The second one focuses on the dysfunctional marriage between the doctor couple, Yasser and Mariam. This couple in the US seeks the advice of a marriage counselor, hoping to rekindle the love that they have lost over the years. Will they ever work it all out in the end, despite their demanding work and suffocation in their marriage, as well as differences in their religious beliefs?
The third shows the struggle of Nadia, a divorced mother from Jordan. She strives to provide for her son, Waleed, while she deals with her request for an unpaid leave in her job and a lawsuit against her divorced husband. In the face of corporate slavery, adultery, clan feud, and sexist traditions, she shows the world that she will not back down easily, especially for the sake of her son.
I like how the authors describe the settings without bogging down with too many details. It becomes easy to be absorbed in the stories (at least in the first one) with their vivid descriptions. I enjoy the good adventure and occasional laughs from the book.
The authors try their best to make the stories relevant and relatable, even across cultures and differing experiences. For this, the stories are written like they are based on real life situations. Unfortunately, the authors risk their stories looking rather generic. The only unique feature I can point out is the characters’ connection to an Adele concert. Of course, it could have been any concert. I think the authors chose Adele because some of Adele’s songs are like stories themselves. The authors just need to add some names and a coherent plot to turn the songs into stories.
Even for an enjoyable book, it has some major problems. Each of these love stories introduced a lot of themes, most of which are never developed in the book. It looks like they’re only added in order to make a particular scene exciting, or to make the plot too convenient. For example, the authors could have removed the “corporate slavery” theme in the third story, and it would still make sense. Of course, it might result to a longer book if the authors developed the themes and find a way to bring some resolution to them. But if the book is simply about the love stories, they could just stick to one or two themes, which would make the stories more engrossing.
I also noticed that some scenes and dialogues are used merely for dumping information; that is, raw, dry information. This can be observed in most of the characters’ backstories and how there is a conflict in the first place. This makes the book boring and tiring to read in some parts. There could have been a way to show the backstories and conflicts creatively, but the authors fail to do so. Character development is present in the stories but that’s all I can say without adding spoilers.
It is important to mention that to write a single review for three different stories glosses over the merits of each particular stories. This review only contains the general similarities of the stories, so there is more I haven’t tackled, both good and bad points. To be fair, I really enjoyed the first story, as it is the most original and most engaging to read. I can’t give the book four stars due to the major problems mentioned, but I can’t also give it two stars because despite the problems, the stories are engaging and relatable. Therefore, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I would still recommend this book to readers who enjoy love stories, and to readers who are avid fans of Adele.
******
My Trip to Adele
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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