Nadine Dajani
Autore di Fashionably Late
Opere di Nadine Dajani
Etichette
Informazioni generali
- Sesso
- female
- Luogo di residenza
- Beirut, Lebanon
Montréal, Québec, Canada
Grand Cayman - Istruzione
- LaSalle College
Utenti
Recensioni
I think that the title of this book, Cutting Loose, was very appropriate as the story seemed very easy and carefree. This was a fast read but it was also very fun and refreshing to be immersed into the Miami clubs and social society. The story deals with three women all with different problems and at various points in their lives. Ranya is the pampered Arabian socialite, Rio the tough Latina magazine editor that worked hard to get to where she is today, and the talented Palestinian Zahra, who is very talented but can't seem to let go of her past mistakes.
The story opens with Ranya in London, who recently left her newly married husband because she learned that he was gay. Ranya came from a well-off family and her husband was prepared to offer her the same luxurious lifestyle. When she informs her family that she will not be returning to her husband they cut her off financially, leaving her to figure out how she will survive without their support.
As Ranya spends time in London she runs into the handsome Georges a couple of times and although she is married, there is an attraction between the two of them. Georges is an entrepreneur and has various businesses in the works and is always accompanied by Zahra, who heads his financial team. Ranya cannot figure out why Zahra seems to instantly dislike her since they hardly know each other, but this comes to light soon enough in the novel.
When Georges and Zahra complete their business in London, they return to the main office in Miami, Florida. This is where Rio enters the novel. Rio is the editor and chief of the Sueltate magazine that Georges owns. Rio works very hard at her job and she is good at it, and it also helps that she is having a passionate affair with her bosses playboy brother Joe.
Ranya doesn't know where to turn for help so she finds herself at the door of the Sueltate magazine. Georges wants to help her and keep her around as long as possible so he asks Zahra if Ranya could stay with her and offers her a job at the magazine. Rio finds herself quite upset with the hiring of this new employee without any experience and struggles to think of projects to keep Ranya busy.
As the story goes on, all of these women find themselves dealing with new emotions that come into play with the changes that are thrown at them. You could definitely tell how their ethnic backgrounds influenced decisions that were made by these women. This is a fast paced story that will make a great beach read, as you are visualizing life in the fast lane in Miami.… (altro)
The story opens with Ranya in London, who recently left her newly married husband because she learned that he was gay. Ranya came from a well-off family and her husband was prepared to offer her the same luxurious lifestyle. When she informs her family that she will not be returning to her husband they cut her off financially, leaving her to figure out how she will survive without their support.
As Ranya spends time in London she runs into the handsome Georges a couple of times and although she is married, there is an attraction between the two of them. Georges is an entrepreneur and has various businesses in the works and is always accompanied by Zahra, who heads his financial team. Ranya cannot figure out why Zahra seems to instantly dislike her since they hardly know each other, but this comes to light soon enough in the novel.
When Georges and Zahra complete their business in London, they return to the main office in Miami, Florida. This is where Rio enters the novel. Rio is the editor and chief of the Sueltate magazine that Georges owns. Rio works very hard at her job and she is good at it, and it also helps that she is having a passionate affair with her bosses playboy brother Joe.
Ranya doesn't know where to turn for help so she finds herself at the door of the Sueltate magazine. Georges wants to help her and keep her around as long as possible so he asks Zahra if Ranya could stay with her and offers her a job at the magazine. Rio finds herself quite upset with the hiring of this new employee without any experience and struggles to think of projects to keep Ranya busy.
As the story goes on, all of these women find themselves dealing with new emotions that come into play with the changes that are thrown at them. You could definitely tell how their ethnic backgrounds influenced decisions that were made by these women. This is a fast paced story that will make a great beach read, as you are visualizing life in the fast lane in Miami.… (altro)
I'm not sure I've read a book that was this much fun in a long time. Things are heading toward summer in my neck of the woods (I say heading, because we've had a pretty gray and gloomy week, but I still have hope), and Cutting Loose just FELT like a summer book. It's set mainly in sunny Miami, and has a light, breezy tone that would make it perfect "sitting in the sun with a tropical drink in your hand" fare.
Dajani's three main characters take turns narrating the novel, and each voice is distinct and developed. I felt an immediate empathy with both Ranya and Zahra - each was facing issues I could completely relate to, and it made me feel a connection to the characters right away. Rio took a little bit longer to click with me, but I came to appreciate her strength and drive, and by the end of the novel was rooting for her as well.
When I say the novel is fun and light, I don't want to imply that it is lacking in depth or emotion. All three women have serious obstacles to face - from money and job situations to difficult family and personal relationship issues, each has to face up to their past and decide which path to take, and how to grasp happiness for themselves. It was this honest journey for each of her characters that kept me turning pages, eager to find out what happened next.
I completely enjoyed this novel. It would make a perfect beach or vacation read! It does contain adult language and situations, so if that bothers you, you might want to steer clear of this one. However, if you are looking for a novel that goes deeper than the usual chick-lit fare, but still retains the fun and romance, I would definitely recommend you pick up this book.
@2009 Elizabeth Schulenburg www.needmoreshelves.blogspot.com… (altro)
Dajani's three main characters take turns narrating the novel, and each voice is distinct and developed. I felt an immediate empathy with both Ranya and Zahra - each was facing issues I could completely relate to, and it made me feel a connection to the characters right away. Rio took a little bit longer to click with me, but I came to appreciate her strength and drive, and by the end of the novel was rooting for her as well.
When I say the novel is fun and light, I don't want to imply that it is lacking in depth or emotion. All three women have serious obstacles to face - from money and job situations to difficult family and personal relationship issues, each has to face up to their past and decide which path to take, and how to grasp happiness for themselves. It was this honest journey for each of her characters that kept me turning pages, eager to find out what happened next.
I completely enjoyed this novel. It would make a perfect beach or vacation read! It does contain adult language and situations, so if that bothers you, you might want to steer clear of this one. However, if you are looking for a novel that goes deeper than the usual chick-lit fare, but still retains the fun and romance, I would definitely recommend you pick up this book.
@2009 Elizabeth Schulenburg www.needmoreshelves.blogspot.com… (altro)
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NeedMoreShelves | 6 altre recensioni | Jun 29, 2009 |
NeedMoreShelves | 6 altre recensioni | Jun 29, 2009 | Story Overview
Set primarily in glitzy Miami, this book tells the stories of three different women at a crossroads in life.
* Ranya is a stunningly beautiful but sheltered daughter of wealthy Lebanese parents. She has lived a pampered existence and recently won the "marriage sweepstakes" -- until she finds out her new husband seems to prefer their interior decorator Paolo. Fleeing her sham marriage and protective family in Montreal, she travels first to London where she meets Georges Mallouk -- a handsome, kind millionaire who is quite taken with her. She eventually ends up in Miami, where she seeks out Georges' help in starting a new life.
* Zahra is Georges's intelligent, competent right-hand woman and CFO of his company. Her Palestinian roots run deep -- as do her insecurities about her appearance. She knew Ranya when they were in school years ago. Although Zahra recognizes Ranya instantly upon running into her, Ranya barely remembers her. Zahra is half in love with Georges -- and still wishing that the night they shared years ago will return and Georges will realize Zahra is the right woman for him. But waiting is getting her nowhere -- especially when Georges seems to have fallen for Ranya.
* Rio is the tough-talking, ambitious editor of Sueltate magazine -- an up and coming Latina magazine that is Rio's pride and job. Rio is proud of how she's escaped the poverty of her native Honduras -- even though her parents don't seem to appreciate her success as much as she wished. Her affair with Georges's younger playboy brother Joe is not always the best thing for her -- but Rio can't seem to just say no. After all, she can't let anything jeopardize her position at the magazine. But with the Mallouk brothers questioning whether the magazine truly benefits their company, Rio's hard work may be for naught.
Circumstances bring these three women together in Miami, but what transpires between them is not quite what you might expect. Each woman learns important lessons about themselves and their past and realize that to move forward, you sometimes need to "cut loose."
My Thoughts
What I liked most about this book was seeing the three women go from being their own worst enemies to learning how to trust and believe in themselves. When we meet them, each lets herself be defined by a man, family expectations, and her own need to "fit in" to the world where she chose to live. Yet each is fundamentally unhappy. Over the course of the book, each woman learns that letting others define you leads to an unfufilling life. Only when they learn to "cut loose," do they begin to find true happiness and success.
It was interesting to have three strong female characters from different cultural backgrounds that you don't often see represented in mainstream fiction. Yet the author does a good job of making each woman "universal." They all worry about their appearance, anguish over the "wrong guy," and try to please their parents. One aspect of the book that I thought was "right on" was how each woman struggled with similar issues but their fears and insecurities keep them from opening themselves up to each other. For example, Zahra is intimidated by Ranya's beauty, and Ranya is awed by Zahra's intelligence. Therefore, they never allow themselves to become friends. Unfortunately, I think this is quite accurate in female relationships. We often feel jealous of what we think we don't have so we keep our distance from the women that could probably help and empathize with us the most.
The book has a very modern, up-to-the-minute feel. There are lots of references to celebrities, fashion and cultural touchstones that squarely place the book in the modern era. I think the author does a good job of capturing the voice of each character; each chapter switches from one woman to the other and is written in the first person. This lends a kind of intimacy to each woman's interior thoughts, and I think it works better than if the author had chosen to write the book in the third person.
My Final Thoughts
This book is a fun but thoughtful book that has some important messages (clothed in the latest designer duds!) about how women can lose a part of themselves when they let men, family or career define them. The book isn't preachy nor does it follow many of the conventions of "chick lit," which I'm thinking it is the genre that it will be "lumped into." I also think the book will be of particular interest to women whose cultural backgrounds are reflected in the three women.… (altro)
Set primarily in glitzy Miami, this book tells the stories of three different women at a crossroads in life.
* Ranya is a stunningly beautiful but sheltered daughter of wealthy Lebanese parents. She has lived a pampered existence and recently won the "marriage sweepstakes" -- until she finds out her new husband seems to prefer their interior decorator Paolo. Fleeing her sham marriage and protective family in Montreal, she travels first to London where she meets Georges Mallouk -- a handsome, kind millionaire who is quite taken with her. She eventually ends up in Miami, where she seeks out Georges' help in starting a new life.
* Zahra is Georges's intelligent, competent right-hand woman and CFO of his company. Her Palestinian roots run deep -- as do her insecurities about her appearance. She knew Ranya when they were in school years ago. Although Zahra recognizes Ranya instantly upon running into her, Ranya barely remembers her. Zahra is half in love with Georges -- and still wishing that the night they shared years ago will return and Georges will realize Zahra is the right woman for him. But waiting is getting her nowhere -- especially when Georges seems to have fallen for Ranya.
* Rio is the tough-talking, ambitious editor of Sueltate magazine -- an up and coming Latina magazine that is Rio's pride and job. Rio is proud of how she's escaped the poverty of her native Honduras -- even though her parents don't seem to appreciate her success as much as she wished. Her affair with Georges's younger playboy brother Joe is not always the best thing for her -- but Rio can't seem to just say no. After all, she can't let anything jeopardize her position at the magazine. But with the Mallouk brothers questioning whether the magazine truly benefits their company, Rio's hard work may be for naught.
Circumstances bring these three women together in Miami, but what transpires between them is not quite what you might expect. Each woman learns important lessons about themselves and their past and realize that to move forward, you sometimes need to "cut loose."
My Thoughts
What I liked most about this book was seeing the three women go from being their own worst enemies to learning how to trust and believe in themselves. When we meet them, each lets herself be defined by a man, family expectations, and her own need to "fit in" to the world where she chose to live. Yet each is fundamentally unhappy. Over the course of the book, each woman learns that letting others define you leads to an unfufilling life. Only when they learn to "cut loose," do they begin to find true happiness and success.
It was interesting to have three strong female characters from different cultural backgrounds that you don't often see represented in mainstream fiction. Yet the author does a good job of making each woman "universal." They all worry about their appearance, anguish over the "wrong guy," and try to please their parents. One aspect of the book that I thought was "right on" was how each woman struggled with similar issues but their fears and insecurities keep them from opening themselves up to each other. For example, Zahra is intimidated by Ranya's beauty, and Ranya is awed by Zahra's intelligence. Therefore, they never allow themselves to become friends. Unfortunately, I think this is quite accurate in female relationships. We often feel jealous of what we think we don't have so we keep our distance from the women that could probably help and empathize with us the most.
The book has a very modern, up-to-the-minute feel. There are lots of references to celebrities, fashion and cultural touchstones that squarely place the book in the modern era. I think the author does a good job of capturing the voice of each character; each chapter switches from one woman to the other and is written in the first person. This lends a kind of intimacy to each woman's interior thoughts, and I think it works better than if the author had chosen to write the book in the third person.
My Final Thoughts
This book is a fun but thoughtful book that has some important messages (clothed in the latest designer duds!) about how women can lose a part of themselves when they let men, family or career define them. The book isn't preachy nor does it follow many of the conventions of "chick lit," which I'm thinking it is the genre that it will be "lumped into." I also think the book will be of particular interest to women whose cultural backgrounds are reflected in the three women.… (altro)
Statistiche
- Opere
- 2
- Utenti
- 53
- Popolarità
- #303,173
- Voto
- 3.6
- Recensioni
- 9
- ISBN
- 4
This was a really fun, light read. Aline was a very likeable and relatable narrator. She is a Lebanese-Canadian who, in some ways, is still struggling to reconcile her Canadian surroundings with her immigrant family traditions and that motivates a lot of her struggles and her choices. I liked that angle of the story. The parts set in Cuba were my favourites, the book felt like a mini-vacation. Havana is described in such a beautiful way, the author’s own love for the city was very evident. It left me longing for a trip of my own.
As is typical of chick lit type novels, this one does get repetitive at times and some of the female characters do get whiny. You do have to suspend some amount of disbelief. Overall, though, these criticisms weren’t enough to take away from the positives for me, so I’d still recommend it.… (altro)