mad bad & dangerous to know samira ahmed

I purposefully point out a book’s diversity in my reviews, as I truly think it can add such value to a story. Leila’s story unfolds, moving forward through time while Khayyam and Alexandre’s search reaches backwards to pull Leila into the present. I love books with alternating perspectives and Samira is able to create two very distinct voices for the characters. The mystery that spans time was so enjoyable to read.

Although somewhat expected, I really enjoyed seeing how the story played out with an ending that left me completely satisfied and even a little wistful of Khayyam’s feelings for closure. As with all great romances, a conflict must occur. Samira deftly balances Khayyam’s pining for the comfort of the boy at home who pays her no attention with the cute descendent of Alexandre Dumas. You can’t very well have a teen going to Paris without a romantic interest. I loved following how artists, authors, and stories collided together in such a fun way. I was even able to travel to France and Italy for art history trips. Khayyam’s love for art history felt so familiar to me as I spent much of my time in undergraduate learning about art masters from centuries ago. And what better setting than gorgeous Paris with tasty pastries, hidden gardens, and cute boys?

I love it when a setting becomes such an integral part of a story. Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know brings everything I love into one place! Where do I begin? Paris, art history, romance, mystery – Samira Ahmed balances so many elements to create a story that I couldn’t put down. In the present day-and with the company of a descendant of Alexandre Dumas-Khayyam begins to connect allusions to an enigmatic 19th-century Muslim woman whose path may have intersected with Alexandre Dumas, Eugène Delacroix, and Lord Byron.Įchoing across centuries, Leila and Khayyam’s lives intertwine, and as one woman’s long-forgotten life is uncovered, another’s is transformed.” Two hundred years before Khayyam’s summer of discontent, Leila is struggling to survive and keep her true love hidden from the Pasha who has “gifted” her with favored status in his harem. But her maybe-ex-boyfriend is probably ghosting her, she might have just blown her chance at getting into her dream college, and now all she really wants is to be back home in Chicago figuring out her messy life instead of brooding in the City of Light. This holiday with her parents should be a dream trip for the budding art historian. It’s August in Paris and 17-year-old Khayyam Maquet-American, French, Indian, Muslim-is at a crossroads. “Told in alternating narratives that bridge centuries, the latest novel from New York Times bestselling author Samira Ahmed traces the lives of two young women fighting to write their own stories and escape the pressure of cultural expectations in worlds too long defined by men.

Mad bad & dangerous to know samira ahmed