Review by va2016 -- My Trip to Adele

[va2016]

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

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3 out of 4 stars

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This is a review of the book My Trip to Adele – A novel by R. I. Alyaseer and A. I. Alyaseer, which is available in Amazon under ‘Literature & Fiction’ books category.

The story revolves around three individuals who are all fans of the singer ‘Adele’ but do not know each other. Coincidentally, they all plan to attend the same concert of Adele. Would they meet each other, would they find happiness in their own lives – these are the questions that keep the reader interested in reading the book till the end.

Elias, one of the protagonists, meets Malika, a hooker in the city of Marrakesh in Morocco at its famous El-Fnaa square. He falls in love with her and longs to be with her, but is not sure if Malika loves him back. He travels out of Morocco to take care of his business. Being unable to forget Malika, he returns to Morocco to find her when he encounters a series of mystical contacts which lead him in an enchanting path. He eventually plans to attend Adele’s concert in Italy. The readers are kept wondering until the end if he would ever find Malika.

In Jordan, Nadia, a divorced woman is fighting for her rights over her son with her ex-husband. When her son gets injured, Nadia decides that it’s time to take more control of her son. She books tickets for herself and her son to attend Adele’s concert in Italy so that they can have a vacation together. The readers are kept in suspense until the end whether Nadia would be able to make that trip.

Meanwhile, Yaser, a doctor in Los Angeles, USA, feels tired and helpless because of his marital discord with his wife Mariam. Though theirs is a love marriage, Yaser realises that the characteristic over which he fell in love with Mariam is not compatible with his values. Both of them see a marriage counsellor after which Yaser books two tickets to attend Adele’s concert in Italy. Yaser and Mariam go through a series of mental flip-flops which keep the readers hooked to the story to find out if the couple will set aside their differences, make it to the concert, and live happily ever after.

Elias’ love and longing for Malika, Malika’s determination to learn English and travel the world, Yaser’s thoughts and efforts in trying to make his marriage work, Mariam’s strong beliefs, Nadia’s fight to assert herself for her rights, have all been described beautifully in words and their feelings expressed in detail. Towards the end of the story, the reader feels a loss of cohesiveness in the story.

The authors have touched upon several contemporary issues in this book - people uploading their happy-looking pictures in the social media while their real life is in the doldrums, marital violence, dominance of men on women, struggles that women have to go through to uphold their dignity, impulsive ways in which some people get married, questioning God's presence based on current day evils, faith, and the dark lives of the entertainers in Las Vegas.

It is very forthcoming that the authors are fans of the famous singer Adele. Every chapter ends with an excerpt from one of the songs of Adele. There is some narration intertwined with the story about Adele and her recent album.

The writing style and the formatting are good throughout the book. No spelling errors have been found by this reviewer anywhere in this book. There are some word usage errors: (1) ‘just like as parents did’ should be ‘just like your parents did’ in the chapter ‘Don’t you remember’, (2) a redundant word ‘items’ in the phrase ‘something of value items wasn’t always easy’ in the chapter ‘Take it all’, (3) ‘sport love’ should be ‘sports love’ in the chapter ‘Someone like you’.

Overall, this is a good book to read for all audiences. The authors are successful in expressing their thoughts and feelings on several contemporary social issues through the characters. The short narrations of tourist destinations like Marrakesh and Rome are done well without affecting the flow of the story. The overall narration is quite good. I could have rated this book a 4 out of 4 stars, but because of the mechanical errors and the loss of cohesiveness in the story towards the end, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars.

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My Trip to Adele
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Like va2016's review? Post a comment saying so!

[rs1977]

quite a detailed review, very helpful

[va2016]

thank you!

[Sarda Mohan]

Overall a positive review..would love to read the book.

[va2016]

Yes, this book is good. Some of the characters are built strong which takes the story forward.

[rs1977]

I have a quick question. From reading your review, I understand that there are strong people and strong situations. Are there any violent scenes in the book? How is it handled? Is it only for mature readers?

[va2016]

There are no violent scenes in the sense that you have asked. The book is suitable for all audiences, but adults and adolescents will be able to understand the story better. If children are reading this book, parental guidance is advised.

[Pilar Guerrero]

Thank you very much for your review.
The details and explanations about the plot and the characters make it easy for a readier to choose this book or not. What calls my attention is that this book has two authors, would one of them be a translator? and the other one the writer? I am just guessing....

[va2016]

Thank you very much for your review.
The details and explanations about the plot and the characters make it easy for a readier to choose this book or not. What calls my attention is that this book has two authors, would one of them be a translator? and the other one the writer? I am just guessing....

Thanks for your comments! I don't remember one of the authors being referred as the translator....
These days it's quite common to have two authors for a book! They write different portions of the
story, without affecting the flow in any way. I have read another book whose one author is an Indian,
while the other one is an American. Thanks.

[Amagine]

This book is perfect for Adele fans because of the incorporation of her lyrics into the story. I found it interesting how they wrote the plot around her songs. I've never really seen that done before.

Great Review!

[va2016]

Thank you! Yes, Adele Dana will love it! Also, women rights and thoughts are being extensively discussed in this story.

-- 12 Apr 2017, 01:40 --

Thank you! Yes, Adele Dana will love it! Also, women rights and thoughts are being extensively discussed in this story.

Sorry, I meant 'Adele FANS will love it'. Auto-correct error! Thanks for your understanding.