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Kirkus
Reviews , May 1, 1994
Sasson (Princess, 1992) again teams up with
a Saudi Arabian princess, alias ``Sultana,'' to bring us
more tales from behind the veil. Sultana's sequel to
girlhood is motherhood, and her memoir reveals that abuse
against women runs rampant in the kingdom. Despite the
shelter afforded by wealth and privilege, Sultana's
daughters live in a world of unending male brutality.
Elder daughter Maha spies on her best friend's father as
he deflowers petrified 11- and 12-year-old virgins
purchased from their fathers for a few nights of pleasure.
After witnessing these acts, Maha experiments with
lesbianism, suffers a breakdown, and is whisked to an
English mental institution. Her sister seizes upon
religious fanaticism, pledging her wealth to the poor,
discarding her makeup, and vowing to topple the Al-Sauds'
unjust rule. Sultana's days are filled with the mundane
machinations of motherhood and the high- drama intrigues
of her relatives. Her family's trials include trying to
prevent a vaginal circumcision, covering up a nephew's
rape of a comatose Western woman in a local hospital,
abetting two lovers who elope to Nevada, and consoling a
sister who was raped and maimed by her husband, as well as
common divorce and adultery. In Saudi society, women have
no right to travel alone, claim custody of their children,
or choose their husbands. Sultana sees herself as a
feminist crusader, but the suspense-filled first- person
narrative makes her memoir read like a saga of sexual
restrictions and transgressions with medieval punishments
lurking at each turn. The detailed documentation of swift
and cruel Saudi punishment leaves no doubt that if the
king discovered Sultana's true identity, she'd pay dearly
for airing the family's dirty laundry. In spite of the
breathless tone, a fascinating look at the lifestyles of
the rich and Saudi. (Author tour) -- Copyright ©1994,
Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This
text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of
this title.
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Library Journal
In this sequel to the popular Princess:
A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia (LJ
7/92), Sultana continues her shocking and amazing story
into the next generation. Feeling that men are generally
at the root of female grief, she argues that it is the
duty of the discontented like herself to seek change so
that her children's generation will have some relief from
the oppression that stifles Saudi women's lives today. The
book is more than that-it gives insight into the lives of
royalty and the views of those who can be religious while
flaunting the strict Sunni rules against alcohol and
temporary marriage. This book charms the heart and should
be a popular item for general collections. [Previewed in
Prepub Alert, LJ 3/15/94.]-Louise Leonard, Univ. of
Florida Libs., Gainesville
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