Anita and Me
5 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by millycat from Northampton, Northamptonshire United Kingdom on Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Registering for the reduce Mt TBR challenge 2009.
Taken from soffitta1's asian theme bookbox
This was a decent read, which surprised me as I didn't think much of her other book! there was some good humour and an interesting look at integration and culture at the same time. I liked the descriptions of Meena's family!
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
This book is travelling as a rabck. Enjoy!
This book is travelling as a rabck. Enjoy!
Received with many thanks today! It will go to Mt. TBR first though.
Journal Entry 6 by Into-the-Blue at -- Per Post geschickt/ Persönlich weitergegeben --, Niedersachsen Germany on Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Arrived safely today. Thank you for sending it, Into-the-Blue. I love Meera Syal's humour, her tales of being the only Asian growing up in an English village are fascinating, and I'm pretty sure I've seen the television version of this book and enjoyed it. So I'm really looking forward to reading 'Anita and Me'.
I enjoyed this book, and thought it gave a good view into life as an outsider, who feels they don't quite fit in. It was a perfect book for the Two Worlds Virtual Book Box, as Meena felt at home both in the local children's street culture as well as the Indian community, speaking Brummy slang with the best of them yet unable to speak Punjabi, longing for fish fingers yet enjoying her relatives' cooking too. With a foot in both camps, she felt totally at ease in neither. The first half of this book, when Meena is younger, lasted at bit longer than absolutely necessary, rather reflecting the boredom of village life in the late Sixties. The second half of the book, however has a faster pace and carried me along to its conclusion. I had a very vivid picture of the village, partly because I recently saw a TV programme which was about revitalising a village community where the youngsters had no jobs and felt no hope for the future, and this is the fate of almost everyone in Tollington. There are plenty of interesting characters in the book, but sometimes I felt that I would have liked to know more details, as often they play an important role in only one episode. Terrible things happen in this book, yet the overall feeling is of the humorous side of life, and hope for the future. Meena is not only on the dividing line between two cultures, but in a village and society undergoing change, and herself on the brink of change between childhood and teenage years. However much she tries to break free from the grip of her family and their rules and expectations, Meena repeatedly turns to them when she needs help and reassurance. Her English friends can only dream of such support.
While I was reading this I made notes on a piece of paper, which I have now mislaid. When I find it again, I'll add some more.
While I was reading this I made notes on a piece of paper, which I have now mislaid. When I find it again, I'll add some more.
Journal Entry 9 by bookguide at Strand10 in Castricum, Noord-Holland Netherlands on Saturday, June 30, 2012
Released 11 yrs ago (7/1/2012 UTC) at Strand10 in Castricum, Noord-Holland Netherlands
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
This book has been released as part of the following BookCrossing challenges:
- The Ultimate Challenge - read and release books, with extra points for a monthly theme
- Reduce Mount TBR (To Be Read) - read and release books on the TBR list since before the end of 2011. My reading goal is 75 books.
- Pages Read Challenge - read a self-set target number of pages in 201w. My goal is 26,000.
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die Challenge
- The Ultimate Challenge - read and release books, with extra points for a monthly theme
- Reduce Mount TBR (To Be Read) - read and release books on the TBR list since before the end of 2011. My reading goal is 75 books.
- Pages Read Challenge - read a self-set target number of pages in 201w. My goal is 26,000.
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die Challenge
Got it at the meet-up in Castricum.