Customer Reviews

Fashionably Late

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Nadine Dajani's debut novel takes the girl-finding-herself theme and makes it her own with Aline, a Lebanese-Canadian accountant with dreams of fashion and romance and love. At 22, she's young, but she already knows that the life her parents want her to lead?marrying Brian, her boyfriend of three years, who she pretends she's not sleeping with, slogging away at accounting?isn't really working for her. When she fails a vital exam, she freaks out and flees to Cuba with her best friends Jaz and Sophie. There, the very tight friendship amongst the three both cements and unravels. Free from the pressures of home, they can go wild, but Aline isn't sure what to do about her growing attraction to sexy Miguel.

At times, her self-pity and berating seems a bit over the top, especially before she's even done anything with Miguel, but Dajani makes it clear that Aline is in turmoil. She also turns Aline from the label-conscious materialistic fashion queen she appears at first into someone in touch with (and searching for) her roots, and her observations of the beauty and heartbreak of Cuba, and how it reminds her of the Beirut of her youth, are some of the best parts of the book. Aline feels alone even amidst the people she considers her best friends, withholding secrets from them for fear of judgment.

When she returns, she has to face Brian's wrath, a harsh office environment, and a work crisis that calls on her to push herself beyond her comfort level and take some risks. In the process, she starts to figure out what she might want, not free from her family, but not letting them dictate her life.

Dajani is best when contrasting cultures, showing the similarities and differences in class and culture amongst Aline and her Lebanese friends and their Canadian counterparts, as well as the Cubans they meet. She doesn't try to make Aline a poster child for anything, yet over the course of the book, Aline tries to see more closely where her restrictive parents are coming from. There's the stereotypical boss from hell, but Dajani paints even Aline's office with its own unique humor. There's plenty of fun and fashion and beach-side adventure here, not to mention sexual attraction, but there's a lot more as well. Fashion isn't painted as some wealthy insiders' club, but something Aline is drawn to and is willing to take risks for. I was riveted to this wonderful story and am looking forward to Dajani's next book.

It's hard to believe this is Nadine Dajani's first novel and I, for one, will be lined up for her next book. Aline is a lovable (and laughable) main character and any woman who has wondered "how did I get here? and is here where I want to be??" will laugh and cry with Aline as she struggles to find her own way. The prose is entertaining with an edge that makes it believable. I read it all the way through in one sitting and loved every word. Can't wait for the next one!

Fashionably Late is such a fun, inspiring, vivid, and entertaining story. I loved it from beginning to end, and I feel like I *know* the characters. I can't wait to read Nadine Dajani's future novels.

I highly recommend this book whether you're sprawled out on a sunny beach or cozied up in your duvet while it's snowing outside (and dreaming about a sunny beach).

An intelligent "beach read"--Dajani serves up an entertaining read with girls going to night clubs and searching for hot guys on a Cuban vacation, but don't be fooled. Dajani tackles complex topics of culture, race, and class in personal and moving ways.

Leaving the reader feeling like the author was trying to teach them a lesson. Name-dropping was used as adjectives and comparisons in lieu of actual words, which does not help, when the reader has absolutely no clue as to whom these supposed quasi-famous people are, and what the author is referring to. Affaire de Coeur

The humor shines through as heroine Aline Hallaby tries to decide what she wants to do with her life. She's failed her final accounting exam, she's pigeonholed herself into the wrong job, and her boyfriend proposes just when she's questioning how she got from life's all settled to why I am I doing this? Nadine Dajani has done a superb job of showing us what it's like to be an Arab girl who wants more from life than what her family and friends and Aline herself have always expected. Funny and insightful, this book left me with a warm feeling. I look forward to Ms. Dajani's next book.

At first glance this book is typical of the genre aimed at young twenty-somethings wanting to spend most of their first-job salaries on designer clothes (and it is replete with all of the requisite brand name mentions.) What makes it different and worth the read is that it features a first generation Muslim immigrant to Canada as its heroine, and gives a sympathetic portrait of her and her family and friends. The backdrops of Montreal and Cuba are a great change from New York City.

The discussion questions at the end of the book are ridiculous, though. Might as well ask, "do you prefer mojitos or Cuba libres?"

Fashionably Late is an exceptional book! I loved every second of it. It was very entertaining and inspirational.

Fashionably Late is the kind of book you read and then immediately want to discuss with other friends who have read it. The cover is eye catching and what is inside does not disapoint! I had a great time reading about Ali and her adventures, some good and some bad, but most importabtly shared with two fabulous characters, her best friends. Ali is relatable, and the book was a great mixture of fun fashion references, insight about other cultures, and of course, some good laughs. Well done for a first-time author, I'm looking forward to Nadine Dajani's next book already!

Thank goodness Nadine Dajani took a break from accounting to become an author. Her debut novel, Fashionably Late, is a refreshingly sophisticated, multilayered and humourous story that will make you think in between giggles.

Lebanese-Canadian heroine Ali Hallaby seems to be "living large" with a prestigious career in accounting, a loving longtime boyfriend and close-knit friends and family.

That is, until several problems suddenly surface: Ali fails her final accounting exam, disses her honey when he makes a marriage proposal and begins to truly question whose life she's living.

Readers will enjoy Ali's journey of self-discovery as she follows her passions and authenticity rather than others' expectations and ambitions.

As a gift at a recent bachelorette party, Fashionably Late was a huge hit; it got all the girls talking ... and reading!