Unmarriageable

A Novel

By: Soniah Kamal

Narrated by: Soniah Kamal

“This inventive retelling of Pride and Prejudice charms.”—People

“A fun, page-turning romp and a thought-provoking look at the class-obsessed strata of Pakistani society.”—NPR

Alys Binat has sworn never to marry—until an encounter with one Mr. Darsee at a wedding makes her reconsider.

A scandal and vicious rumor concerning the Binat family have destroyed their fortune and prospects for desirable marriages, but Alys, the second and most practical of the five Binat daughters, has found happiness teaching English literature to schoolgirls. Knowing that many of her students won’t make it to graduation before dropping out to marry and have children, Alys teaches them about Jane Austen and her other literary heroes and hopes to inspire the girls to dream of more.

When an invitation arrives to the biggest wedding their small town has seen in years, Mrs. Binat, certain that their luck is about to change, excitedly sets to work preparing her daughters to fish for rich, eligible bachelors. On the first night of the festivities, Alys’s lovely older sister, Jena, catches the eye of Fahad “Bungles” Bingla, the wildly successful—and single—entrepreneur. But Bungles’s friend Valentine Darsee is clearly unimpressed by the Binat family. Alys accidentally overhears his unflattering assessment of her and quickly dismisses him and his snobbish ways. As the days of lavish wedding parties unfold, the Binats wait breathlessly to see if Jena will land a proposal—and Alys begins to realize that Darsee’s brusque manner may be hiding a very different man from the one she saw at first glance.

Told with wry wit and colorful prose, Unmarriageable is a charming update on Jane Austen’s beloved novel and an exhilarating exploration of love, marriage, class, and sisterhood.

Praise for Unmarriageable

“Delightful . . . Unmarriageable introduces readers to a rich Muslim culture. . . . [Kamal] observes family dramas with a satiric eye and treats readers to sparkling descriptions of a days-long wedding ceremony, with its high-fashion pageantry and higher social stakes.”—Star Tribune

“Thoroughly charming.”—New York Post

“[A] funny, sometimes romantic, often thought-provoking glimpse into Pakistani culture, one which adroitly illustrates the double standards women face when navigating sex, love, and marriage. This is a must-read for devout Austenites.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

A P&P story worth listening to!

This was an incredible book! Not only was the original P&P in discussion, but the Pakistani culture was on full display, and the reader was immersed into this world and the characters. It was a non-stop listen for me, and definitely a new favorite book and listen! The narrator is excellent to boot!

P&P with a "Citizen of the World" perspective

Since I've lived in both the East and the West and since I'm an ardent Janeite, I found so much to love about this book. The author delivers a thoughtfully feminist interpretation of Pride and Prejudice in the context of a culture more Victorian than Victorian England. She also celebrates the bravery and skill it takes to live anywhere and adapt successfully. It's fun to make notice where she deviates away from the original plot to render the story more contemporary and consistent with modern life. It was also fun to note the slight variation in accents in characters with different socio-economic situations. I wanted to listen in one fell swoop!

Loved this adaptation

This was a great read. I picked the book up hoping to be educated, entertained, and maybe challenged, too. I think Kamal delivered. I learned something about a culture I knew nothing about. I was as entertained by Kamal’s adaptation as by the original - maybe moreso. I was challenged by my own prides and prejudices and reminded to view people as a complex beings who do and say things for a variety of reasons, most of which I will never know or understand.

Kamal’s performance made the characters come alive. I was immersed!

Delightful!!!

I found "Unmarriageable" a delight from beginning to end. The premise is immediately engaging: in effect, a modern-day setting of a tale that effectively parallels "Pride and Prejudice", but set in Pakistan, with wonderful and unexpected twists that enable it at once to stay true to its inspiration and to offer insightful, often funny, and sometimes moving commentaries on cultural mores and expectations. Further astonishing to me is that the superb narrator is actually the author herself. Brava!!!

Outstanding version of Pride and Prejudice

I enjoyed everything about this book including the narration. It’s always interesting to imagine this classic story set in another culture besides Britain. No matter where the tale is set ,the characters have the same real life issues ,as we do today across the entire world.
I especially liked the humour in such a well written intelligent adaptation. I feel it celebrated the hopes and dreams of all women..
I will definitely recommend this book and look forward to reading and listening to more from Soniah Kamal.
I truly feel it deserves more than five stars.