Don't see what all the hype is about...who cares what happens to these characters!

Giving this to a friend who also read the great reviews and wants to read the book....
From the Publisher
Monica Ali's gorgeous first novel is the deeply moving story of one woman, Nazneen, born in a Bangladeshi village and transported to London at age eighteen to enter into an arranged marriage. Already hailed by the London Observer as "one of the most significant British novelists of her generation," Ali has written a stunningly accomplished debut about one outsider's quest to find her voice.

But keep in mind...I also hated "White Teeth" which so many raved about!

I am looking forward to reading this (despite your opinion! )

Thanks for the book!

I'm switching this to available (but for a ring only for now) because I hit a snag and had to stop reading it. I can't say more or it'll be a spoiler. If someone is desperate to read this, PM me and we'll see what can be worked out. I do want to finish it though, eventually.

I know this book got a lot of good press, but I really wasn't that enchanted by it. I think that Monica Ali did a superb job in conveying the drabness of Nazneen's London world, her pompous and pitiful husband, and the narrowness of the society created by the Bangladeshi immigrants in the neighborhood...but I still didn't develop an affection or intimacy with any of the characters.

The tool of using letters from Nazneen's sister as a way of opening a window of fresh air into her stifling (is that spelled right? It looks funny. Where is spellcheck when you need it!!!) life was a good touch, but hardly original. (But this is Ali's first novel, I remind myself, which is one more than I have written, let alone published!)

One review I had read before reading the book likened Ali's main character to one of Jane Austen's women--trapped and smothered by a society that encourages her ignorance. All I can say is though I'm glad I read this, I'll stick to Jane!

This book is going out in the mail to alrescate in exchange for a surprise from her shelf. Now that's something to look forward to!

This came in the mail today & I am looking forward to reading it. I wonder if my opinion of it will jive with the two Bookcrossers who have read it before me.

I hope that bookczuk likes the surprise from my shelf!

I finally got to read this after receiving an onslaught of bookrings.

Well I must say this book left something to be desired. I felt the story-telling was a bit aimless. The letters from Nazeen's sister drove me crazy...I have a hard time believing that the language would so poor. I was under the impression that both girls had some education, so why would Hasina's have such poor grammer? I felt it was too stereotypical. In fact this whole story was stereotypical. So much that several times I felt like I had read this book before.

This is on the way to Ontario!

I got this yesterday afternoon from fellow-bookcrosser, Alrescate! Thank you so much! My Book Club also sends you a BIG thank you! Sorry I couldn't make a journal entry earlier; my Internet provider was down all of yesterday evening. Will make another journal entry once I'm done reading it. Thank you also for thoughtfully including the book tag and book mark!!!

This book is on its way to fellow-bookcrosser, Artsy-Fartsy in Toronto.

I have to say I enjoyed the book very much. Being an immigrant in North America from the Sub-Continent myself, I have had the opportunity to meet people who are very much like the protagonist, Nazneen, in that, they have lived sheltered lives back home, and when they move to the West they are forced to leave their cocoons and transform themselves into quite another person.

To sum it up, Nazneen's story is about a young woman and her two journeys: The physical one, from Bangladesh to England and the more important, metaphysical one, from a dependant and passive woman to an independant woman.

Read it for a book club meeting. Was a bit time consuming, but the ending is good!

This book has just been returned to me. If no one asks for it in the next few days, I will take it to a book crossing meet-up and give it to someone there.

RELEASE NOTES:

Just outside the Iroquois Library by the pay phones.