Well, this book is not very pro-Islam. Or rather, it's not in favor of some parts of Islam. Of course, the religion is called something else, and there is a "second prophet", but I sort of saw it as a thinly veiled criticism of certain aspects of Islam.
This book was very difficult for me to read. I'm a feminist, so a lot of the actions in this book just enraged me. I wanted to go in there and start eliminating some people. (Obviously, I am not a pacifist!) So, the book evoked A LOT of strong emotion in me. Especially since I know that most of the things in this book actually happen to women in many parts of the world - including the western world. Not all the parts were easy to read, although the author did a good job of not getting too graphic. Which was almost worse - it left a lot up to your imagination. Mine is very vivid!
All in all, I found this book fantastically brilliant. I loved the writing, the plot, the characters. I could relate to the main character, her desires, her motives, etc. I thought this book was also powerful in the amount of emotions it evoked - from tenderness to rage to fear to sadness. It ran the whole gamut. And, despite the focus on women, I thought the author also did a good job of portraying the fact that not all men are evil (obviously). Some feminist books really go overboard in the "all men are evil" theme. But, not this one. I thought it was very realistic in portraying human struggles, and what it means to be trapped by a belief system.
This book was very difficult for me to read. I'm a feminist, so a lot of the actions in this book just enraged me. I wanted to go in there and start eliminating some people. (Obviously, I am not a pacifist!) So, the book evoked A LOT of strong emotion in me. Especially since I know that most of the things in this book actually happen to women in many parts of the world - including the western world. Not all the parts were easy to read, although the author did a good job of not getting too graphic. Which was almost worse - it left a lot up to your imagination. Mine is very vivid!
All in all, I found this book fantastically brilliant. I loved the writing, the plot, the characters. I could relate to the main character, her desires, her motives, etc. I thought this book was also powerful in the amount of emotions it evoked - from tenderness to rage to fear to sadness. It ran the whole gamut. And, despite the focus on women, I thought the author also did a good job of portraying the fact that not all men are evil (obviously). Some feminist books really go overboard in the "all men are evil" theme. But, not this one. I thought it was very realistic in portraying human struggles, and what it means to be trapped by a belief system.
Excellent reading.
Fantastic world and fantastic story.
