I dreaded picking it up but I did manage to finish it. I thought that I might get to a point where I will actually feel differently but that moment never came. The characters are flat and some storylines seem to be left unfinished. Aisha doesn't seem real as a woman with her desire to have a very old man's affection and Mohammed is portrayed as being more of a man who is driven by his impulses rather than a man of God who happens to be a flawed man in some instances. But that is just my perspective. Well since the last book I attempted to read was so bad I think this one seemed great in comparison. At least it had a flow to the story and was written well enough that I enjoyed the process of reading it. The story is about the life of A'isha, the wife of Muhammad, from about ages 6 to 19. It details her desire for a freer life than her culture offers her, he struggles to grow up, and her struggles with the other women Muhammad marries. My main complaint is how childish A'ishi is even when she is no longer a child. The book is really more like a slow series of revelations in A'isha growing up as she learns big lessons through making mistakes or having her childish ways pointed out to her. She always starts out by disliking people and has to be brought around to to liking them. There's a lot of jealousy and bad feelings in this book. Also, love story? What love story? I always was reading Muhammad as more of a father figure than a husband. Anyway, it was okay and a nice change of page from my the usual historical fiction so I decided to give it three stars when it's more like 2.5 for me. I wish I could read the sequel because it sounds a bit more mature and interesting, but it's not at my library and I won't be purchasing it. Don't look to this book to tell you a lot about Islam, Muhammad, or the ancient Middle East. It's primarily all about women and their inner turmoil as they grow up.
What do You think about La Joya De Medina (2008)?
i found this book on a website about murder in the middle east and thought i would try it out.
—Julie
Very repetitive. I don't think that this is a good look at what life with Mohammed was like.
—Joe
A little difficult to get in to at first but overall a very enjoyable book.
—Mnura
an interesting book, a story not often told but with overdone prose
—daurica
