Official Review: Whispers from the East by Amie Ali

[maroki13]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Whispers from the East" by Amie Ali.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Whispers From the East by Amie Ali is a compelling story about three Muslim women who are tied together by religion, love, and family. This novel, set in both Pakistan and the United States, explores both cultural and religious differences between the two countries. In addition, it highlights difficulties that may be faced trying to bridge the gap between the two worlds.

The story is alternately told from the point of view of all three main female characters: Ammi, Carolyn, and Ivy. All three characters are likable, but each is given a unique voice and background perspective that allow the reader to easily differentiate between them and, even more, identify with one or all of them in different ways.

Whispers From the East starts with Ammi migrating from India to Pakistan as a new bride, and skillfully winds its way through the first years of her marriage while living with family. A happy time in her life, the story then jumps ahead to when her children are older, and tragedy strikes. After another jump forward in time, we are introduced to Carolyn, and shortly thereafter, Ivy. (As a side note, these time jumps are neither detrimental nor distracting to the storyline.) While Carolyn and Ivy come from similar backgrounds, their roles in Ammi's life and the impact they have on her throughout the book are vastly different. These varied relationships are explored throughout the remainder of the story.

My favorite thing about the book is the ease with which the author continues to tie the storyline to the overarching theme of cultural and religious differences. Her choice of language makes it easy to imagine the difficulty of trying to straddle both. In addition, her descriptive writing brings to life the colorful wedding scenes and busy streets in Pakistan.

In all honesty, I didn't dislike anything about the book. If I had to choose, my least favorite thing is that it was over long before I was ready for the story to be finished. I wish the story line had been extended a bit more. I wanted to learn more about the characters I'd become connected with, especially what happened next in their lives, and the book felt like it was over too soon.

Overall, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, the complex relationships, and the author's skillful connections to the theme of cultural and religious differences. I'd highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys novels that explore different cultures and religions, especially ones that contrast those to the United States. This book is not for people who avoid religious novels or for people who don't like to read about the culture/religion of the Middle East and Asia. All in all, it is a book I'd definitely read again.

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Whispers from the East
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Like maroki13's review? Post a comment saying so!

[peprica21]

After reading your review, it sounds like a great read. With everything going on in the world today between the US and the Middle East, I would defiantly pick this book, to your suggestion, to learn more about the cultural differences. I also appreciate books that have multiple characters sharing their views on similar situations. Thanks for the review, looks like I need to add this to my must-read list.

[maroki13]

After reading your review, it sounds like a great read. With everything going on in the world today between the US and the Middle East, I would defiantly pick this book, to your suggestion, to learn more about the cultural differences. I also appreciate books that have multiple characters sharing their views on similar situations. Thanks for the review, looks like I need to add this to my must-read list.

I hope you enjoy it! I, too, appreciate reading about other cultures and that was one of the reasons I enjoyed this book.

[kimmyschemy06]

The only book I read about India was Far Pavilions by M.M. Kaye. Your review made the book sound interesting. Nice review!

[NicoleD404]

Thank you for the review, I will have to pick up that book. It sounds very intriguing, especially from a woman's perspective and being an American woman who has lived in the Middle East!