Book Reviews of Brick Lane

This is a superb book. You really feel deeply for the characters. I was glad that it was on the lenghty side as I didn't want it to end.

The story centers around a Bangladeshi woman living in London in an arranged marriage, and her sister back home, who has married for love. An interesting contrast of the two lives, the choices that one makes and the other doesn't. Rich characterizations.

The first half of this book was great but the second half really dragged.

Interesting story about a young Pakistani girl who moves to London after an arranged marriage with a much older man. I found the main character somewhat hard to connect with.

This a fascinating book about a young Bangladeshi woman, Nazneen, who is married to a much older Bangladeshi man, and how she adjusts to life with him in London. At first she is not permitted to do much, even leave the apartment, and at the same time receives letters from her sister in Dhaka who is facing limited options as a Muslim woman, too. Nazneed eventually empowers herself to navigate her neighborhood, learn English and take her own job, at the same time falls in love/lust with a young Muslim radical who wants to organize jihad in their community post 9/11.

I really enjoyed this book and I felt I really had a good sense of an immigrant woman's life, and all that it entails.

A brilliant, spicy story of longing and obligation. Characters are thoroughly original, and at times quite funny!

Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize (Britain's equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize in the USA), this novel is a poignant and right-on reflection of the difficulty of acclimating into a new society and culture. After an arranged marriage to Chanu, a man 20 years older, Nazneen is taken to London, after having left her home and heart in the Bangladeshi village where she was born.

An intense look into the Muslin world of women and how they survive.

Slow going, but worthy reading. I enjoyed the cultural aspect of a Bengali Muslim immigrant in London.

THis is a wonderful story of a woman who settles in London with her husband after an arranged marriage. The change from her home in Bangladesh makes this a fascinating clash of cultures, especially with regard to her daughters. A joy to read!

The immigrant world of Bangladeshis in 1980s and '90s London is beautifully chronicled in Brick Lane. The protaganist, Nazneen, is the lens through which we meet her hapless but proud husband, watch her daughters grow, and meet neighbors who compete with and support each other.

Brick Lane also depicts the life of Nazneen's beautiful sister, Hasina, whose beauty doesn't save her from a series of demeaning experiences in Bengal.

The realistic complexity of the characters is moving and memorable. Nazneen's slow evolution from teenage bride to independent mother of Westernized daughters is complex; Hasina is also strong, although she clearly has fewer options than Nazneen because she remains in the Bengali society that is more limiting than the London which is right outside Nazneen's neighborhood.

Brick Lane deftly illuminates the conflicts and changes that occur when an immigrant sees the possibilities and risks available in a new culture. Ali made me really care about Nazneen and her sister, as well as about her family and neighbors in their insulated world.

I was fascinated with this story of a young muslim woman who married and moved from her home of Bangladesh to England. On one level, as a native American, I was interested to read about how the many immigrant women I see on the streets view our culture. True, this takes place in England, but the culture clashes are similar. On another level, it was also interesting to read about how some problems related to marriage, child raising and running a household on a limited income, are universal. It's a slow moving book, but a worthwhile read.

Was expecting much more from this book considering that it was supposed to be a bestseller. The story moves at a snail's pace and there is nothing new in the story and we have been used to reading stories of assimilation in different culture and women from patriarchal society becoming independent due to exposure to new culture and circumstances. Have read similar themes many a times now and maybe this book might appeal to someone who is not used to reading such a theme.

decent writing - 3 out of 5

Great book. About an arranged marriage of a Bangladeshi woman who moves to London after marriage and how she copes.

Beautifully written.

Was a slow read - took a while to get into but worth the effort.

This is a HARDBACK BOOK

Nazneen is taken to London after an arranged marriage to a man twenty years older. She has never been away from Bangladesh since birth. All things are new to her here. This is a heatfelt read and funny, and sad and an eye opening experience to read these pages. She will begin an affair with a handsome young man and she will have an erotic awakening that will throw her into much chaos. I liked this novel and found it worth my time i spent with it.

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