My Sassy & Hilarious Review For Umie Nadzimah's Si Baju Kurung Kasut Kanvas



Eiyo dearies,

I'm back with another novel review. Last week, I just finished reading a novel titled Si Baju Kurung Kasut Kanvas (SBKKK) by Umie Nadzimah. So today, I'm going to share a review of the novel with you guys. Now let's begin with the author's bio...


ABOUT UMIE NADZIMAH

Umie Nadzimah and me during Umie Nadzimah's Creative Writing Course last year

Umie Nadzimah is one of Malaysia's top and award-winning novelists. Most of her novels have won awards and been adapted into dramas/movies. Before she became an author, Umie Nadzimah used to work as a nutritionist at the National University of Malaysia (UKM). She is also one of my creative writing mentors.


ABOUT SI BAJU KURUNG KASUT KANVAS



Suria Rihana (the female protagonist) not a stunner and not even a fashionista. Suria is a happy-go-lucky go-getter girl who loves being herself. She doesn't care about what other people think of her especially when it comes to her fashion style. Even tho Suria isn't a fashionista, she has her own unique fashion style. Suria loves dressing up in baju kurung and Converse sneakers. Most people think that Suria's fashion style is obviously hideous and not elegant at all. Girls usually don't mix-and-match baju kurung with Converse sneakers. And not many girls nowadays like to wear baju kurung.

The way Suria dresses also makes most of the Malay-kampungs think that she can't get a good husband. In fact, most of them think that Suria can't get a husband at all. No guy wants to marry a girl who dresses in baju kurung and Converse sneakers. That's what they thought.

Even Suria's mother, Cik Pah also disagrees with the way Suria dresses. Cik Pah wishes Suria to be more like Ratnasari (the antagonist). Ratnasari is Suria's cousin and also her nemesis. Ratnasari is very pretty, fashionable, feminine, but also very bitchy, selfish, and a gold-digger.

One day, Suria meets a hunk named Gary Rahmah. Gary is good-looking, smart, cool, and kind-hearted. Gary is the almost perfect hunk. Surprisingly, Gary falls in love with Suria. This brings a big shock to Ratnasari, Cik Pah, and those who discriminate against Suria. Gary is such a hunk. But Suria is not a stunner at all. What is so special about Suria that makes Gary falls for her? To Gary, Suria is adorable just the way she is. Suria's cool attitude always makes Gary happy and smiling.


MY REVIEW ON SI BAJU KURUNG KASUT KANVAS

My illustration of the characters in SBKKK. From left: Gary Rahman (the male protagonist), Suria Rihana (the female protagonist), and Ratnasari (the antagonist)



SBKKK is a romantic comedy with parody. The author criticized the Malay-kampungs' stereotypical way of thinking that is a girl has to be beautiful, feminine, and dresses-well to get a good husband. The author also criticized Malay-kampungs' negative attitude that is gossiping, discriminating, and bad-talking others.

The moral message in this novel is a girl can't make a guy simply falls in love with her just by using her outer beauty. Inner beauty is still the winner. I also like the way Umie Nadzimah uses her knowledge of nutrition for her writing in this novel. I learned a few things about nutrition from reading SBKKK.

I also like the way Umie Nadzimah portrays her characters in this novel. Suria Rihana is an amazing female protagonist. I think she is the best female protagonist in all Bahasa Malaysia novels I've read. I can relate her to some strong female protagonists in classic literature novels like Anne Shirley, Jane Eyre, and Jo March. Suria is sassy, strong, brave, courageous, smart, intelligent, knows what she wants, and also sticks to her values. To me, Suria is a symbol of an alpha millennial Asian female. 

The male protagonist, Gary Rahmah is also an awesome character. Gary reminds me of Gilbert Blythe in Anne Of Green Gables. He is a cool smart dude who goes for smart girls. I also like Ratnasari's character. Ratnasari is a villain I love to hate. But yet she is also a villain I hate to love. Ratnasari is a hilarious gold-digging villain. I believe Ratnasari can be an iconic character like Kitty Pong from Crazy Rich Asians.

Overall, I rate this novel 10/10. I really enjoyed reading this novel. It's sassy and very hilarious. Reading this novel makes me happy.  I highly recommend my bookworm pals to read this novel. Trust me, you'll enjoy Si Baju Kurung Kasut Kanvas once you read it. Plus, the storyline is very intriguing. 


Ok, that's all for now. Before I end this post, I want to ask my readers three questions. Has anyone read Si Baju Kurung Kasut Kanvas? If yes, what are your opinions on this novel? And did you enjoy reading it?

Thank you for reading my review. Hope to see you guys again soon. Take care.


*Baju Kurung - a Malay traditional costume worn by women and girls

* Malay-kampungs - Malay people who live in the countryside and adopt the country lifestyle


XoXo,

Fadima Mooneira ^_^


#SiBajuKurungKasutKanvas #UmieNadzimah #MalayRomanceNovel #NovelReview #FadimaMooneiraLibrary #Edutainment #FadimaMooneiraBlogspot


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Comments

  1. I really love the sound of this book and you wrote a great review Fadima! Suria sounds like a badass character! Thanks for sharing x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, .........badass. But still the girl next door.

      Delete
  2. I've not cared about fashion since the early 90s, dress the way that makes you happy. Does the book really describe the female protagonist as basically being ugly?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not exactly ugly. Suria is a girl with a different fashion style and taste. She’s not
      like most girls.

      Delete
  3. This sounds adorable, and a great reminder of the fact that fashion isn't everything. There is SO much pressure in our society to embrace the latest trends and buy all the brand names. I love that someone is showing that those things aren't the end all and be all.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah.......fashion and outer beauty isn’t every.

      Delete
  4. This sounds like a great book. I love something with a bit of humour in it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me too. It makes the story sassy and catchy to read.

      Delete
  5. Wow this book sounds amazing! Based on your review, it does feel like it's waiting to be made into a movie or an asian drama. Who would you like to play Suria? IU perhaps? I'm curious to find out which actresses or actors you think are going to play the characters from the book :) <3

    Mari | www.dazedmari.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cool comment and question, Mari. SBKKK has been adapted into a Malay drama last year. But the drama sucks. It's because the filmmaker change a lot of things from the novel.

      I believe it will be extremely cool if SBKKK becomes an Asian drama/movie. I believe Nam Ji Hyun will be the most suitable actress to play Suria Rihana, Alex Landi will be the most suitable to play Gary Rahman, and Fiona Xie will be the most suitable for Ratnasari. Hehehe.

      Delete
  6. High praise for this novel! Sounds like a great read. Thanks for sharing :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I don't know the author but anything that tackles stereotypes in an accessible and humorous way gets my vote!

    ReplyDelete
  8. This book sounds like a great read! And definitely has potential to be made into a movie! I'll have to check it out for sure! Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This novel has been adapted into a drama last year. But the drama sucks. I wish South Korean/Asian-Hollywood filmmakers will turn this novel into their drama/movie. Hehehe. I just hate Malay dramas & movies.

      Delete
  9. belum baca lagi buku ni. but from your review macam best je

    ReplyDelete
  10. Tajuk buku yang sangat menarik. Ada drma yang diadaptasi dr novel ni. Menarik jalan ceritanya sebab dlm drama ada unsur kelakar,sedih

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Really? I heard most critiques said the drama sucks.

      Delete
  11. I haven't read anything from this author before but the book sounds so sweet! The main character sounds delightful and confident which is so nice! Glad to read that you enjoyed it xx

    www.lynnmumbingmejia.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I think it is one of the best Bahasa Malaysia novels I’ve read so far.

      Delete
  12. I have yet to read this book. I will look for it during my next visit to the bookstore. Thanks for sharing your review

    ReplyDelete
  13. nampak menarik jalan ceritanya.. unik bila berfesyen kurung dan berkasut converse hihihi..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kan? Both baju kurung and Converse sneakers are evergreen fashion. But sadly, most Malay-kampungs don’t know how to appreciate it.

      Delete
  14. This sounds like a great book and I loved your illustration too. Thanks for sharing.

    Tash - A Girl with a View

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Welcome. And thank you for your compliments on my illustration ❤️❤️❤️

      Delete
  15. I haven't read the book but it sounds amazing. Great review, thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Beautiful romantic story with deeper meaning. Thanks for sharing..

    ReplyDelete
  17. Cerita ni pernah diadaptasi ke drama bersiri tahun lps. Nabila razali jadi lead utama

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, I know. Kebaya Kasut Kanvas is it. Tapi Jln citer dia diubahkan? In the drama Suria is a fashion employee right? Not a cat groomer.

      Delete
  18. Si Baju Kurung dengan kasut kanvas stail kita la dulu kan. Selamba je pakai camtu. Masa mudaaaaa. Kalau sekarang pakai camtu dah tak comel. Hahaha

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hehehe......kita sampai sekrng masih dress-up macam tu 😁

      Delete
  19. Ada juga pernah kawan Sis kongsi pasal buku ni, bila semua kata feedback best, rasa nak membaca jugalah..

    ReplyDelete
  20. Heyyyy siapa lah yang fikir awek baju kurung dengan sneakers tak boleh dapat suami padahal ramai lelaki turn on dengan fashion ni lepas Sharifah Amani jadikan trend untuk Sepet

    ReplyDelete
  21. I've not read this book before but it sounds amazing, definitely going to add it to my tbr list - brilliant review, thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow!!!!!! I really need to tell Pn. Umie to translate this book into English.

      Delete
  22. Replies
    1. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

      Delete
  23. Wow! Interesting novel and storyline that is so relatable to our daily situation kan!

    ReplyDelete

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