very readable story about a Bangladeshi woman who moves to London for an arranged marriage and how she develops her confidence and independence. Very believable characters (if a little stereotypical at times) and full of observations, humour and sadness. I guess we can expect the film anytime soon?

Released on Monday, November 22, 2004 at about 7:00:00 AM BX time (GMT-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada) at Given personally in Edinburgh, Scotland Controlled Releases.

RELEASE NOTES:

Given to Rainbow 3 at lunch in Utopia, Easter Road.

Hey Random-Poet that was a fun lunch moment we had on Monday many thanks! Here see, I have journaled this catch at last! Mystified, I could have sworn I had done this already but must have forgotten it? As I did the release notes of my book for you. Now both instances dealt with, yippee! Looking forward to reading this may save it for the Edinburgh to Stanstead flight comming up soon.

Itching to release some books at airports, having a feeling this might make some delayed passengers day and potentially bring a book closer to international travel. Of course there is every chance that someone could pick up and bring it back into Edinburgh, that would be a hoot!

Book cover: At the tender age of eighteen, Nazneen’s life is turned upside down. After an arranged marriage to a man twenty years her elder she exchanges her Bangladeshi village for a block of flats in London’s East End. In this new world, where poor people can be fat and even dogs go on diets, she struggles to make sense of her existence – and to do her duty to her husband. A man on inflated ideas (and stomach), he sorely tests her compliance.

But Nazneen submits, as she must, to Fate and devotes her life to raising her family and slapping down her demons of discontent. Until she becomes aware of a young radical, Karim.

Against a background of escalating racial and gang conflict, they embark on an affair that finally forces Nazneen to take control of her life…
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I liked this and enjoyed the fact that it reminded me of a short spell living near Brixton, where the lively ethnic mix made shopping for groceries wonderful. I felt this book opened up a wide and valuable view into a culture and a way of life that is not my own, but yet it also highlights poignant similarities. The yawning difference between children and adults views of the world, a fathers struggle to improve family fortunes, a mothers stunned agony at the loss of a child, families damaged by the ravages of addiction or religious argument, all these topics and more cut across cultural divides.

Running through this engrossing tale of Nazeens reaction’s to all that life brings to her door in London, is the juxtaposing thread, the destiny of her younger sister back home in India, a story that unfolds by letter. What the book attempts I think is an awesome task and though I didn't find it as amazing as many others seem to have done I did find fascinating. The resolution of the ending was unexpected for me and I liked that.

A chum of mine liked the sound of this so I am planning passing this to her soon.