An NSSBP(?) for a certain BCUKer whose NSSFC never arrived ....

Wonderful - a lovely range of books in my NSS (which was secret till everyone started giggling and hiding in the pub!) and I'm really looking forward to this one!
Thankyou!

Finally got to reading this one - not too badly behind actually at the moment!

I enjoyed this - a classic "Liz" book which runs through Indian and Pakistani history pre- and post-partition, complicated families, millions of cousins and interconnected fates across the continents. A bit heavy on the history in parts, but a fresh voice and evocative of London as well as Karachi, which is nice.

I am reserving this for someone else's Birthday Treat - only seems fair to pass it on in the same way!!

RELEASE NOTES:

Giving to a dear BookCrosser on a special day...

One of many amoung the huge pile of surprises my lovely bookcrossing friends collected for my bithday. Thank you so much, looks like a great read!!


Amazon.co.uk Review
Following the critical acclaim which greeted In the City by the Sea, Salt and Saffron is Kamila Shamsie's second novel. It's a book which, from its opening lines, attempts to engage the reader in the fabulous world of the "House of Dard-e-Dil": "All right, don't scoff, mock or disbelieve: we live in mortal fear of not-quite-twins". Who "we" are, and what this strange fear might be, is one of the many enigmas of this tale. "Of course, reduce all stories to their basic elements", the narrator continues, "and you'll see all families are possessed of prejudice--that alternative name for 'fear'". The confidence--and wit--of this voice runs right through the book: Salt and Saffron is as much a novel about the ability of a good storyteller to beguile her audience into listening to her as it is a chronicle of the aristocratic and cosmopolitan, Dard-e-Dil family: "Samia, it appeared, had become one of those who drink Pepsi in Pakistan and lassi in London". Sharply observed and grounded in its different landscapes, from London to Karachi, Shamsie's novel is also elusive, evoking a vast cast of characters--the family tree included at the beginning of the book may be some help--whose complex relations to one another are gradually unfolded through the love story which runs through the novel: a chance encounter between Aliya, Shamsie's narrator, and the "tanned, possibly multi-racial" Khaleel.

What a wonderful read - I read Kamila Shamsie's other novel City by the Sea sometime ago, and really enjoyed it, but this one was even better in my opinion. The story of a complex and unforgettable family, that takes us from London to Karachi. The gradually revealed stories of Mariam and Masood, the brothers Suleamin, Akbar and Taimur and the legend of the not the not quite so twins - makes this a fascinating page turner. It has taken me a long time to get around to reading this book, but it was certainly worth the wait.

RELEASE NOTES:

Will be released during the Birmingham meet up.

Picked up at today's Birmingham meetup, a candidate for my World Book Day box for work

I loved this book: releasing at work for World Book Day