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The Diary of a Hounslow Girl
In a deeply moving and warm performance, Ambreen Razia delivers her bold and provocative one-woman play that confronts—and dismantles—stereotypes surrounding Muslim women.
Growing up in downscale urban London wearing hoop earrings and a hijab, Shaheeda, the British Muslim teen at the center of The Diary of a Hounslow Girl, balances the expectations of her family and the temptations of city life. Between the joys of traditional Pakistani weddings and fights on the night bus, this comic and raw coming-of-age story highlights her struggle with deep-rooted Pakistani values, and the modern aspirations—and frustrations—of youth.
Growing up in downscale urban London wearing hoop earrings and a hijab, Shaheeda, the British Muslim teen at the center of The Diary of a Hounslow Girl, balances the expectations of her family and the temptations of city life. Between the joys of traditional Pakistani weddings and fights on the night bus, this comic and raw coming-of-age story highlights her struggle with deep-rooted Pakistani values, and the modern aspirations—and frustrations—of youth.
2 pages, Audible Audio
First published January 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 188 reviews
December 17, 2018
Audiobook written and narrated by Ambreen Razia 1h 36 m 57 secs
When I choose an audiobook, I especially enjoy the ones performed by the author. Ambreen Razia's one woman stage performance centers on the English urban experience of one Muslim teenage girl. A young woman, that feels drawn to the modern lifestyle while also wrestling with her mother who doesn't want to see their Pakistani culture being thrown aside. It's the type of story that has been present in other works, but AR does it with such comedic wit that I gave myself over to the listening experience.
The last 15 minutes of the audio is an interview with the author that I felt insightful into the type of angle and points Ambreen Razia intended to make. If you're struggling with chapter 1, I suggest skipping to the interview and things become more clear.
So why a 3? Well, as other reviewers have stated, the audio does suffer from the background noise sometimes blocking out the quieter voice of the narrator. Still it was a good choice for one of my December Audible originals.
When I choose an audiobook, I especially enjoy the ones performed by the author. Ambreen Razia's one woman stage performance centers on the English urban experience of one Muslim teenage girl. A young woman, that feels drawn to the modern lifestyle while also wrestling with her mother who doesn't want to see their Pakistani culture being thrown aside. It's the type of story that has been present in other works, but AR does it with such comedic wit that I gave myself over to the listening experience.
The last 15 minutes of the audio is an interview with the author that I felt insightful into the type of angle and points Ambreen Razia intended to make. If you're struggling with chapter 1, I suggest skipping to the interview and things become more clear.
So why a 3? Well, as other reviewers have stated, the audio does suffer from the background noise sometimes blocking out the quieter voice of the narrator. Still it was a good choice for one of my December Audible originals.
December 27, 2018
As the daughter of immigrants myself, I can relate to Shaheeda, the 16-year-old British Muslim girl at the center of Ambreen Razia’s one-woman play, The Diary of a Hounslow Girl. Like me, she feels trapped between the expectations of her new country and the expectations of her Old World parents.
She might be descended from Pakistanis, while my parents were Cuban, but I fully embraced her statement: “The only thing I have in common with Hounslow is that I was born to leave it one day.” I wanted to leave Miami and never look back. Razia reminds me of that yearning I had so long ago — a yearning so profound that it ached —to break out of the provinces and see the world, to be myself in a way that I could never be at home.
Foul-mouthed and street-savvy, Shaheeda doesn’t measure up to her older, lighter-skinned, university-attending sister Aisha, now betrothed. Shaheeda’s Pakistani-born mother holds tightly to Islam and traditional platitudes. But teenaged Shaheeda wants something different — even if she’s not sure at first what that should be. Shaheeda sports both a hijab and large gold hoops, and she attends religious school as well as the local comprehensive in southwest London; however, she also smokes weed and acts up at school. During this one-woman play, Shaheeda faces a great decision of which way she should turn.
She might be descended from Pakistanis, while my parents were Cuban, but I fully embraced her statement: “The only thing I have in common with Hounslow is that I was born to leave it one day.” I wanted to leave Miami and never look back. Razia reminds me of that yearning I had so long ago — a yearning so profound that it ached —to break out of the provinces and see the world, to be myself in a way that I could never be at home.
Foul-mouthed and street-savvy, Shaheeda doesn’t measure up to her older, lighter-skinned, university-attending sister Aisha, now betrothed. Shaheeda’s Pakistani-born mother holds tightly to Islam and traditional platitudes. But teenaged Shaheeda wants something different — even if she’s not sure at first what that should be. Shaheeda sports both a hijab and large gold hoops, and she attends religious school as well as the local comprehensive in southwest London; however, she also smokes weed and acts up at school. During this one-woman play, Shaheeda faces a great decision of which way she should turn.
December 14, 2018
I would rather read about a Hounslow Girl from someone who lived as one rather than an author who observed these girls from a distance and formed an opinion about what she saw. There just seems to be something stereotypical here instead of a rich story that speaks to some actual experience.
January 10, 2019
The play didn’t start very promising, at least that's what I thought, but I really liked it in the end.
It is about a young British Pakistani girl that is coming of age (16) and trying to balance her life between her native roots and traditions and the modern school lifestyle of Hounslow(West London). Shaheeda has big dreams and is looking for some answers that nobody can give her. It’s interesting to observe the mother-daughter relationship in this scenario.
The play seems authentic, and it is a comedy/drama genre. It is a cultural experience. The story plot is loosed in some parts, which I relished.
The end of the play is solid and poignant.
I listened to the Audible Originals book. Many people complained about the quality of the sounds but I think it was meant to be this way and I don’t find it that bad. My only comment is that it was a bit quiet.
The interview with the author at the end was a perfect touch. Ambreen Razia explained what inspired her to write the play and also revealed that she is a facilitator for young Muslim girls.
Oh, and I forgot to mention that she performs the play, which is excellent.
My exact rating is 3.5 stars. I was thinking to round it to 3 but the interview with the author influenced me so I re-listened the end again and I'm giving it 4 encouraging stars.
It is about a young British Pakistani girl that is coming of age (16) and trying to balance her life between her native roots and traditions and the modern school lifestyle of Hounslow(West London). Shaheeda has big dreams and is looking for some answers that nobody can give her. It’s interesting to observe the mother-daughter relationship in this scenario.
The play seems authentic, and it is a comedy/drama genre. It is a cultural experience. The story plot is loosed in some parts, which I relished.
The end of the play is solid and poignant.
I listened to the Audible Originals book. Many people complained about the quality of the sounds but I think it was meant to be this way and I don’t find it that bad. My only comment is that it was a bit quiet.
The interview with the author at the end was a perfect touch. Ambreen Razia explained what inspired her to write the play and also revealed that she is a facilitator for young Muslim girls.
Oh, and I forgot to mention that she performs the play, which is excellent.
My exact rating is 3.5 stars. I was thinking to round it to 3 but the interview with the author influenced me so I re-listened the end again and I'm giving it 4 encouraging stars.
December 25, 2018
3.5 Stars
I am sad to say that all the complaints about the sound quality on this Audible production are spot on. It sounds like it was recorded without a proper microphone. Audible has done Ms. Razia no favors in this production. I know that some have complained that Razia isn't even from Hounslow (she's from South London not West), but it really seems like a petty point. Diary of a Hounslow Girl and Hounslow Diaries (the BBC show) are supposed to be accounts of young British Muslim women and it seems like Razia is quite qualified to write about the topic, at least to me. Her narration, which sounds inspired by her family, is rich with humor.
Some of this Audible production is quite funny but some is also quite poignant. I just wish there had been better sound quality.
I am sad to say that all the complaints about the sound quality on this Audible production are spot on. It sounds like it was recorded without a proper microphone. Audible has done Ms. Razia no favors in this production. I know that some have complained that Razia isn't even from Hounslow (she's from South London not West), but it really seems like a petty point. Diary of a Hounslow Girl and Hounslow Diaries (the BBC show) are supposed to be accounts of young British Muslim women and it seems like Razia is quite qualified to write about the topic, at least to me. Her narration, which sounds inspired by her family, is rich with humor.
Some of this Audible production is quite funny but some is also quite poignant. I just wish there had been better sound quality.
January 1, 2019
A powerfully insightfull look into the life of a young girl grappling with the traditional world as a Muslim Pakistani girl and the society she has grow up with, which goes against her family and Muslim traditions and teachings.
As a parent I wish more writing and expressions of generational differences were examined by all cultures educating all people that many of the world cultures deal with similar issues.
Recommending this novel to young men & women provides a simple eduction and encouragement that we are all one people.
As a parent I wish more writing and expressions of generational differences were examined by all cultures educating all people that many of the world cultures deal with similar issues.
Recommending this novel to young men & women provides a simple eduction and encouragement that we are all one people.
January 1, 2019
Audible went all out on the production off this short novel/story. Full on sounds, dialect, and cultural exposition for the reader. Total immersion into the life of the main character. Well done. I did not give it 5-stars because there were some places that lost me due to a lack of familiarity with Muslim culture , that culture in the British diaspora and London/Arabic dialects. I had to rewind a few times. But the story is a strong one that resonates.
I do recommend it.
I do recommend it.
March 27, 2019
Bullet Review:
The audiobook version was a bit iffy - I felt the dialogue was a bit muffled, and thus could not listen to it in my car (it would just get drowned out, unless I jacked up the volume). That said, the narrator is fine, once the story hits full gear, it's actually pretty decent - definitely an eye-opener and outside of my usual picks.
Overall, very impressed; also enjoyed the 15min interview at the end of the Audible version. One of the (unfortunately few) times an Audible Original proves to be a winner.
The audiobook version was a bit iffy - I felt the dialogue was a bit muffled, and thus could not listen to it in my car (it would just get drowned out, unless I jacked up the volume). That said, the narrator is fine, once the story hits full gear, it's actually pretty decent - definitely an eye-opener and outside of my usual picks.
Overall, very impressed; also enjoyed the 15min interview at the end of the Audible version. One of the (unfortunately few) times an Audible Original proves to be a winner.
December 30, 2018
An Audible Original, this was just okay. I thought the performance was excellent, but the audio was a bit off. The background noise was so loud that it was sometimes hard to hear the narrator speak. Additionally, the storyline, coming of age or not, was a bit of the not-good-kinda-creepy and there wasn't nearly enough culture to justify the synopsis offered on the Audible app.
If you've got a solid hour and are bored and like free books, give it a go. Otherwise? I'd pass on this one.
If you've got a solid hour and are bored and like free books, give it a go. Otherwise? I'd pass on this one.
October 31, 2021
Considering this initially took the form of a theatrical performance, Ambreen Razia has done an excellent job of adapting this story into an audio performance. As a listener I felt transported by this modern Muslim teenage experience of life in Hounslow, London, where tradition and modern life are difficult to reconcile. That part of the diary is as authentic as you can get, and yet the coming of age theme is relatable. This is life in all its painful complexity, with joys and hurts and new experiences coupled with the firmness and immutable nature of culture, tradition and family ties. An excellent audio drama, highly recommended.
October 31, 2025
I will say that it's a good thing that this short play was free through Audible, because, to me, it just doesn't work. Plot wise, it was predictable and boring. I kept zoning out even though it's only about an hour. I also wasn't really a fan of the narration either, as the author narrated her work and it came across quite frantic and rushed with a sort of breathy voice. It felt very much like the author needed to take a breath every other word.
October 27, 2021
How very angst-y! Wow!! I am so smitten with her story. Was it a play? Was it a rant? Was it a confessional? Was it fiction? Was she acting? Was the persona simply confronting Muslim barriers to make a point about values? About class?? This work engrossed me. Would she flee? Would she have the baby? Would she find baby daddy? Does the baby daddy know she's with child? What would her mom say? The Koran's ideas on mothers gave me lots and lots of feels. 👩🍼
I want to find more more MORE from this author/playwright.
I want to find more more MORE from this author/playwright.
January 16, 2019
I did not enjoy this audible book. The sound was poor and the narrator/author was not good at presenting the material. She spoke fast and was always ranting and in a bad mood, and with the poor background noise it was hard to hear and understand her. It seemed like a waste of my time.
June 13, 2019
Really enjoyed this—so much going on: clash of generational expectations vs. culture; sisters; mothers-and-daughters; first loves; betrayals; friendship collapses... Yeah. Wonderfully performed, too. The doggo got an hour and a half long walk thanks to this performance. ;)
May 18, 2020
It is short but wow what a journey. It's probably best experienced via the audiobook or possibly seeing the play due to high authenticity that author's delivery provides so beautifully. The beats of the story are not exactly unexpected, but then it still has so much raw emotion and feeling in it, and shows quite a specific community with a compelling mix of cultures.
As I live in Hounslow atm myself, and as a foreigner in UK (on forms it's called - race : white-other. Uhm ok.) this really hit close to home for me, as I live and work within this community, and meet some of these characters every day.
In any case it's worth it, even if it did do me in emotionally a bit.
As I live in Hounslow atm myself, and as a foreigner in UK (on forms it's called - race : white-other. Uhm ok.) this really hit close to home for me, as I live and work within this community, and meet some of these characters every day.
In any case it's worth it, even if it did do me in emotionally a bit.
December 27, 2018
vivid, heartfelt, a little off the rails, everything we once were when young.
December 13, 2018
Razia's "The Diary of a Hounslow Girl" is one of the freshest coming of age stories I've encountered in a long time. I loved listening to this play in audiodrama format thanks to Audible. It's magical in the mundane. It's a typical enough story of a young girl with a restless spirit tired of being a modern Muslim girl in West London and confined by traditional family values and pressures. Razia's performance sets this work apart. Elevating it from a typical teen "fuck-up" story, to one of courage and growth. It's not always graceful but, damnit, it left me hopeful.
December 21, 2018
The story was beautifully done and performed, although the beginning part of the audio was muffled. I loved the Q & A section after the performance.
June 2, 2019
I'm glad I picked this up before it came off the Audible Originals List for the month. This is very relatable for those of us children with a foot in two worlds. Of course this is exaggerated because it is short and needs to rouse emotion and understanding in a limited amount of time. There is a reason this play has received so much praise, it is moving and meaningful.
P.S. PLEASE respect the art and care by listening to the interview afterwards.
P.S. PLEASE respect the art and care by listening to the interview afterwards.
December 28, 2018
(Audible)
4 1/2 Stars--dinged 1/2 a star for some of the sound quality. This could have benefitted from better sound engineering/mixing.
A dynamic fresh voice, Ambreen Razia delivers an engaging coming of age story featuring a girl from Hounslow. Her lead is a Pakistani Muslim girl, 16 years old, on the brink of breaking free of her family during the long series of ceremonies for her sister's wedding.
The background sounds sometimes overwhelm the narration and I wondered if this was intentional or just not great sound editing. It might be intentional. It hits definitely at moments of peek emotion, stress, inner revelation--but then there were other areas where the audio sound levels change dramatically after a break in narration . . . so I'm thinking it' the sound engineering.
Overall this was a wow book for me. I will be thinking about her characters for awhile. They came alive for me.
Razia has talent. That is for sure!
RECOMMEND
4 1/2 Stars--dinged 1/2 a star for some of the sound quality. This could have benefitted from better sound engineering/mixing.
A dynamic fresh voice, Ambreen Razia delivers an engaging coming of age story featuring a girl from Hounslow. Her lead is a Pakistani Muslim girl, 16 years old, on the brink of breaking free of her family during the long series of ceremonies for her sister's wedding.
The background sounds sometimes overwhelm the narration and I wondered if this was intentional or just not great sound editing. It might be intentional. It hits definitely at moments of peek emotion, stress, inner revelation--but then there were other areas where the audio sound levels change dramatically after a break in narration . . . so I'm thinking it' the sound engineering.
Overall this was a wow book for me. I will be thinking about her characters for awhile. They came alive for me.
Razia has talent. That is for sure!
RECOMMEND
December 12, 2018
This one is very good. I feel like it deserves better than three stars. It probably does, but I’m a middle-aged fellow from a small town in the prairies of Western Canada. So it’s not easy for me to relate to a teenaged British Muslim girl from the big city who sounds, to me, like she stepped out of the cast of Oliver Twist, stuck between two worlds and a painful generation gap with her immigrant mother.
There are timeless things in this story that I think anyone human should be able to identify with, and I believe I did, but the strength in this play, for me, was the differences. I don’t grow if I don’t stretch.
This is highly recommended.
There are timeless things in this story that I think anyone human should be able to identify with, and I believe I did, but the strength in this play, for me, was the differences. I don’t grow if I don’t stretch.
This is highly recommended.
December 21, 2018
This was a fast-paced one-woman show about a 16 year-old Muslim girl growing up in Hounslow (West London). It was informative and entertaining, but the sound effects got on my nerves a little since I had to keep readjusting the volume and the effects were sometimes louder than her narration.
February 15, 2019
Good story fast read.
December 29, 2018
This audible was written as a play. I enjoyed the performance and found the story interesting. This was a story of a Muslin girl, coming of age in the outskirts of the city of London. Her relationship with her mother was a focus, as well as an older sister, friends and her first love and first traumatic hurt in life.
January 12, 2019
It was as if the narrator had over-induldged on caffine.
December 17, 2021
I had no idea what to expect when I started this but it was hilarious and heartbreaking and all of that awkward teenage stuff.
August 9, 2020
well produced
January 13, 2019
Free through Audible, I enjoyed this play-turned-audiobook. Represented a voice and place with which I’m unfamiliar — that alone made it worth the listen. Am now interested in the BBC show.
February 10, 2020
I didn't love it. Felt like a whiny girl screaming at me the whole time. I think they tried to push a lot of issues claiming they were problems a Muslim teenage girl has when really it seemed like they were problems any teenage girl would have.
January 7, 2019
While I found her anger and immature point of view grating, particularly at first, I don't regret the experience. I expected more dramatic demonstration of "occupying two cultures," seeing as the protagonist is a -Pakistani-British girl who is also Muslim.
Some of the dressings were unique but the issues she fumbled and elbowed her way through seemed more universal than I was expecting, or hoping. i think its understated the degree to which most people "occupy two cultures," one found in the home and the other encountered in school/mass media/political institutions (although some people absolutely have to navigate more extreme contrasts).
Razia's performance in the audio version is impressive. I found this book most beneficial for the fact that it's self-centered heroine irritated me so much.
Some of the dressings were unique but the issues she fumbled and elbowed her way through seemed more universal than I was expecting, or hoping. i think its understated the degree to which most people "occupy two cultures," one found in the home and the other encountered in school/mass media/political institutions (although some people absolutely have to navigate more extreme contrasts).
Razia's performance in the audio version is impressive. I found this book most beneficial for the fact that it's self-centered heroine irritated me so much.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 188 reviews