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A review by romanaromana
More to the Story by Hena Khan
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
2 stars.
(Here are some content warnings. To add: brief discussion of a heart attack. Nothing in this review).
I was so excited about this book, but sadly, I was underwhelmed.
Jameela Mirza is ready to spend this year honing her journalism skills and impressing in her role as Features Editor of her school paper. But when her father accepts a job in Abu Dhabi, and her younger sister's health deteriorates, Jameela finds that there is much more to her story than her own writing.
More to the Story is pitched as a retelling/modern interpretation of Little Women, which I am fond of and really admire. But sadly, Hena Khan didn't do very much with the beloved story and this didn't feel like a fully-fledged or properly developed idea that could stand on its own.
First of all, the characters weren't given enough depth. Jameela, at least, had the most to her character so her position as a narrator made sense and I was pleased to see things through her eyes. But her other sisters were disappointing by comparison, reduced to one singular hobby if they were lucky.
By extension, Ali's character was far below what it should have been given how much he comes up in the novel. Annoyingly, he also fell victim to the poorly-written-British-boy trope. Khan acknowledges someone from the UK who helped her with her Briticisms, but I can only assume this guy was middle-aged, sans children and not a big middle-grade fan, because Ali didn't talk like a real British teenager at all, and fell into cliches and outdated dialect.
Plot was also disappointing. I appreciate that it was somewhat in line with Louisa May Alcott's original, somewhat ambling narrative, but the truth of the matter is that young modern readers have different standards and expectations, which I think should have been considered. The pace was ultimately too slow, and the peaks and troughs of drama and tension were practically non-existent.
Wrapping up here, but the gist isn't hard to grasp. Shoutout to Khan, however, for a nice premise and solid representation.
(Here are some content warnings. To add: brief discussion of a heart attack. Nothing in this review).
I was so excited about this book, but sadly, I was underwhelmed.
Jameela Mirza is ready to spend this year honing her journalism skills and impressing in her role as Features Editor of her school paper. But when her father accepts a job in Abu Dhabi, and her younger sister's health deteriorates, Jameela finds that there is much more to her story than her own writing.
More to the Story is pitched as a retelling/modern interpretation of Little Women, which I am fond of and really admire. But sadly, Hena Khan didn't do very much with the beloved story and this didn't feel like a fully-fledged or properly developed idea that could stand on its own.
First of all, the characters weren't given enough depth. Jameela, at least, had the most to her character so her position as a narrator made sense and I was pleased to see things through her eyes. But her other sisters were disappointing by comparison, reduced to one singular hobby if they were lucky.
By extension, Ali's character was far below what it should have been given how much he comes up in the novel. Annoyingly, he also fell victim to the poorly-written-British-boy trope. Khan acknowledges someone from the UK who helped her with her Briticisms, but I can only assume this guy was middle-aged, sans children and not a big middle-grade fan, because Ali didn't talk like a real British teenager at all, and fell into cliches and outdated dialect.
Plot was also disappointing. I appreciate that it was somewhat in line with Louisa May Alcott's original, somewhat ambling narrative, but the truth of the matter is that young modern readers have different standards and expectations, which I think should have been considered. The pace was ultimately too slow, and the peaks and troughs of drama and tension were practically non-existent.
Wrapping up here, but the gist isn't hard to grasp. Shoutout to Khan, however, for a nice premise and solid representation.