Brick Lane (Book Ring)

by Monica Ali | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: Global Overview for this book
Registered by Lady-Mondegreen of Basingstoke, Hampshire United Kingdom on 1/17/2004
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7 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by Lady-Mondegreen from Basingstoke, Hampshire United Kingdom on Saturday, January 17, 2004
My nephew found this book on a bus and then passed it on to me. It obviously wants to travel, so I had to register is as a bookcrossing book!

It's a good read. I really enjoyed it. One of the blurbs on the back summed it up for me "a very special novel - I adored it. It gave me everything I crave in a novel, taking me into a life and culture I know so little about... entertaining, moving and fascinating." Margaret Forster.

I would like to read it again so I am going to release it as a ring and let it travel around for a while to other people's homes.

Journal Entry 2 by Lady-Mondegreen at on Tuesday, January 20, 2004
Released on Tuesday, January 20, 2004 at Postal Release in Controlled release, England United Kingdom.

Posting off today to the first person on the ring, the order is as follows:

perfect-circle
GlasgowGal
torksoul
Hengameh
katayoun
Puppetlady
hleeann
HikingReader
hey-miki
YowlYY
BACK HOME TO Lady-Mondegreen

Journal Entry 3 by perfect-circle from Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear United Kingdom on Wednesday, January 21, 2004
Arrived in the post this morning and I hope to get started on it in the next couple of days. I've heard a lot about this book, so I'm hoping it will be good.

Journal Entry 4 by perfect-circle from Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear United Kingdom on Wednesday, January 28, 2004
I'd heard a lot of good things about this book before I started and I have to say I wasn't disappointed in the slightest. I would definitely agree with the Forster comment. It gave me the chance to look at events through another culture's eyes and gave me some understanding of the culture surrounding the main character.

I hope everyone else on the ring enjoys it as much as I did. Will be posted off to GlasgowGal at the end of the week.

Released on Thursday, January 29, 2004 at Postal Release in Postal release, Postal Release Controlled Releases.

Sent to GlasgowGal

Journal Entry 6 by BC-08041015142 on Monday, February 2, 2004
Received in the mail this morning. It's next on the TBR list ...

:-)

Journal Entry 7 by BC-08041015142 on Wednesday, February 11, 2004
Well - I found it an interesting read - but only in parts. I found the author used a lot of Bangladeshi words (presumably) to describe "everyday" items or occurrances, and not being able to understand the subtleties took a little of the shine off the book for me. It also meant I struggled a little to relate to the characters in the beginning. I also didn't like the way the letters from the sister were written, and in the end just skipped over these parts which was a shame. Towards the end I found myself getting more into the book and more into the characters, and I did like the ending and thought it was fitting.

It was an enjoyable read once I got into it; but I wouldn't personally rush out to buy another Monica Ali book, nor would be desperate to read this again.

I've already got Torksoul's address, so this will be going in the mail on my next trip to the post office - probably early next week.

Journal Entry 8 by BC-08041015142 at By Mail in Mail, Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Monday, February 16, 2004
Release planned for Tuesday, February 17, 2004 at ... by mail :) in Sent to a fellow BookCrosser, Bookring Controlled Releases.

Journal Entry 9 by torksoul from Boston, Massachusetts USA on Sunday, February 29, 2004
I just received this book and I'm reading it already - liking it so far.

Journal Entry 10 by torksoul from Boston, Massachusetts USA on Monday, March 8, 2004
This book gave me the chance to discover a little about the customs of a people I live side-by-side with in London, and yet whose culture is an absolute mystery to me. Ali’s strength in this novel lies certainly in the ability to create vivid characters, which despite being seen from Nazneen’s perspective are never one-dimensional or subjectively described. The reader is never sure what to think of her husband Chanu, whether to hate him for his pretentious intellectualisation and sexism, or respect him for the relative dignity with which he treats his wife and his obvious incapacity for any malfeasance. Nazneen herself develops as a very intriguing character, at first simple in her needs and actions and then intelligent beyond her own expectations. The most enticing element of the book is what is left unsaid. Ali never tries to shock the reader, rather leaves it to us to make our own connections. Some of the mystical memories and references I never did understand, but that didn’t bother me.


Journal Entry 11 by torksoul from Boston, Massachusetts USA on Thursday, March 11, 2004
sent to Hengameh.

Released on Friday, July 02, 2004 at Controlled Release in Controlled release, to another bookcrosser Controlled Releases.

this book was sent off to the next in line so long ago that I now have to pronounce it officially lost...

Journal Entry 13 by Hengameh from Tehran, Tehran Iran on Thursday, October 21, 2004
hurray. i got the book. it's not los!!!!! :-)

Journal Entry 14 by Hengameh from Tehran, Tehran Iran on Sunday, January 2, 2005
well, i'm sorry that it took so long but i had a lot to do at work and a little time to read.
and actually i didn't like it.i don't want to set an image so, everyone should judge by herself.katayoun wants to skip the book.so,i'm going to ask the next person for her address.
thanks a lot for sharing the book.

Released 18 yrs ago (8/14/2005 UTC) at -- By post or by hand/ in person, RABCK , bookring/ray in Tehran, Tehran Iran

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

gone to hikingreader.

Journal Entry 16 by HikingReader from Las Vegas, Nevada USA on Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Yippee! I am so happy that this book arrived safe and sound after its long journey over the ocean. Thanks by Hengameh for the excellent wrapping job! I also thought the stamps were really pretty, but I don't get that much overseas mail, so call me silly!

I will start reading this immediately and hopefully I can finish it before my classes resume this Fall. I will let you all know what I think. Thanks!

Journal Entry 17 by YowlYY on Sunday, February 19, 2006
The book finally arrived in Nottingham safe and sound - two trips over the ocean, how's that?
Thanks so much to HikingReader for taking care of the shipment, and thanks to our ringmaster, Lady-Mondegreen :)

It is now the fifth on my TBR Pile of Rings/Rays, and will be returning home then, unless someone else wants to join in?

Photo courtesy of xenedis; Smileys courtesy of © Camilla Eriksson


Journal Entry 18 by YowlYY on Saturday, April 15, 2006
It took me some time (well beyond the magic number of 100 pages) to get into the story, but then just as I had pushed a switch, I "connected" with the characters and their world. At the beginning I was amost overwhelmed by an impossible sense of depression, caused by the inactivity of Nazneen - I felt sympathetic for her, while I wasn't quite sure whether detest Chanu for his pretentiousness and for just being full of himself, or feel pity, as he was just trying to create a safe shelter for himself (and his family) in a society that did not want to consider him an equal.
The "dark cloud" lifted eventually, and I got rushing through the last 200 pages to see what the end would be like. I found it very fitting, and loved the idea of an independent Nazneen with a new future to look forward to.

Thanks to LadyMondegreen for sharing it with us...I shall be posting it to her soon after the Easter holidays.

Photo courtesy of annabelb

Journal Entry 19 by Lady-Mondegreen from Basingstoke, Hampshire United Kingdom on Thursday, April 20, 2006
How lovely that Brick Lane has arrived back home again. Thank you YowlYY and thank you for the Easter sweeties!

Thanks very much to everyone who has taken part in this ring (so far!)

After originally being found on a bus this book has been on a very long journey. I wish the person who left it on the bus, no doubt unintentionally, could know what an adventure his or her book has had since then! I intend to read it again as soon as I can and then hope to send it on another ring or ray to that it can continue to notch up many more miles!

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