Saffron Dreams...Review

About the book:
You don't know you're a misfit until you are marked as an outcast.
From the darkest hour of American history emerges a mesmerizing tale of tender love, a life interrupted, and faith recovered. Arissa Illahi, a Muslim artist and writer, discovers in a single moment that no matter how carefully you map your life, it is life itself that chooses your destiny. 


After her husband's death in the collapse of the World Trade Center, the discovery of his manuscript marks Arissa's reconnection to life. Her unborn son and the unfinished novel fuse in her mind into one life-defining project that becomes, at once, the struggle for her emotional survival and the redemption of her race. Saffron Dreams is a novel about our ever evolving identities and the events and places that shape them. It reminds us that in the midst of tragedy, our dreams can become a lasting legacy. 

Fascinating. A fictionalized story, written as a memoir. Arissa is a young Pakistani-American woman who loses her husband in the 9/11 tragedy. Pregnant with a special-needs child, she struggles to find her place in this post 9/11 world. A world without her beloved husband, and a world where many people do not understand the life and faith of Muslims.

Arissa's story is told first-person through flashbacks and present day. Her childhood in Pakistan is covered: an affluent family, a loving father, an emotionally absent mother, and an arranged marriage with the man who would be her true love.

After her husband's death at the World Trade Center, Arissa discovers that her unborn child will have multiple disabilities. Her strength, as she moves forward with her life is remarkable and inspiring. With the support of her in-laws she takes on her challenges. Her son is born and becomes the center of her life. She discovers her husband's unfinished novel and sets out to finish it, and ensure that her husband is not forgotten.

A beautifully descriptive novel: full of color and flavor. A fascinating tale of love and loss, tragedy and triumph, and following your dreams even when they take you on an unexpected journey.

Thanks to Pump Up Your Book Promotion for the opportunity to review this book.

You can find out more about Shaila Abdullah here. You can read other reviews of this book here.  You can purchase your own copy here.

Read 3/08

* * *

3/5 Stars

Comments

  1. Thanks for a great review, Holly.

    Shaila Abdullah
    Saffron Dreams/Beyond the Cayenne Wall
    Website: www.shailaabdullah.com

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  2. Ooooh, this one sounds good. Thanks for sharing.

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  3. This sounds like it would be a very interesting read. Great review!

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