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Brick Lane

By Monica Ali

(69)

| Paperback | 9780552771153

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Book Description

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 genContinue

What could not be changed must be borne. And since nothing could be changed, everything had to be borne. This principle ruled her life. It was mantra, fettle, and challenge.

Nazneen's inauspicious entry into the world, an apparent stillbirth on the hard mud floor of a village hut, imbues in her a sense of fatalism that she carries across continents when she is married off to Chanu, a man old enough to be her father. Nazneen moves to London and, for years, keeps house, cares for her husband, and bears children, just as a girl from the village is supposed to do. But gradually she is transformed by her experience, and begins to question whether fate controls her or whether she has a hand in her own destiny.

Motherhood is a catalyst -- Nazneen's daughters chafe against their father's traditions and pride -- and to her own amazement, Nazneen falls in love with a young man in the community. She discovers both the complexity that comes with free choice and the depth of her attachment to her husband, her daughters, and her new world.

While Nazneen journeys along her path of self-realization, her sister, Hasina, rushes headlong at her life, first making a "love marriage," then fleeing her violent husband. Woven through the novel, Hasina's letters from Dhaka recount a world of overwhelming adversity. Shaped, yet not bound, by their landscapes and memories, both sisters struggle to dream -- and live -- beyond the rules prescribed for them.

Vivid, profoundly humane, and beautifully rendered, Brick Lane captures a world at once unimaginable and achingly familiar. And it establishes Monica Ali as a thrilling new voice in fiction. As Kirkus Reviews said, "She is one of those dangerous writers who see everything."

10 Reviews

2 people find this helpful

Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, this book will give you a satisfying and memorable reading experience. You will like and care for the lead character in the story, a beautiful and timid bride striving to get out of a loveless marriage to be with her sweetheart. Heartwrenching.

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― Tracy W said on Apr 12, 2007 | Add your feedback

1 person find this helpful

i admit, it IS politically correct and blairite, sentimental and even sappy at times, but i read it in two days, and loved it.

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― Elsastella said on Mar 4, 2009 | Add your feedback

1 person find this helpful

Gia' letto...

...e gia' visto al cinema.
Ancora una volta il tema della mancata integrazione culturale e religiosa gia' affrontata da altri in modo piu' o meno drammatico.
Momenti di grande scrittura non bastano a supportare una trama senza sorprese.

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― Isadi said on May 12, 2008 | Add your feedback

Brick lane is one of the coolest area in London. At list this is my modest opinion. The opinion of a London Lover if you want to call me this way. So when you read about the main character all along brick lane streets you get really involved and you can dream with her. I personally dreamt of being i ... (continue)

Brick lane is one of the coolest area in London. At list this is my modest opinion. The opinion of a London Lover if you want to call me this way. So when you read about the main character all along brick lane streets you get really involved and you can dream with her. I personally dreamt of being in Brick lane too :)

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― Frankie said on Nov 13, 2009 about the Audio Cassette edition | Add your feedback

I picked this up mostly because it was talked about so much in the UK, and although I enjoyed it, I probably don't rate it as highly as the critics seemed to. It was the story of immigrants to the UK and an arranged marriage. I would read further books by Monica Ali, but am not chomping at the bit t ... (continue)

I picked this up mostly because it was talked about so much in the UK, and although I enjoyed it, I probably don't rate it as highly as the critics seemed to. It was the story of immigrants to the UK and an arranged marriage. I would read further books by Monica Ali, but am not chomping at the bit to read another one.

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― Liz4211 said on Oct 12, 2009 | Add your feedback

C'è Nazneen, che vive a Brick Lane, quartiere multietnico di Londra, ha sposato un uomo alquanto gretto e abbraccia la causa di un gruppo di attivisti; accanto a lei, Razia, amica occidentalizzata, la cerca di portare completamente oltre il confine delle tradizioni di casa e Hasina, la sorella rimas ... (continue)

C'è Nazneen, che vive a Brick Lane, quartiere multietnico di Londra, ha sposato un uomo alquanto gretto e abbraccia la causa di un gruppo di attivisti; accanto a lei, Razia, amica occidentalizzata, la cerca di portare completamente oltre il confine delle tradizioni di casa e Hasina, la sorella rimasta in Bangladesh, che nelle sue fantastiche lettere sgrammaticate le racconta con passione la vita di chi come lei è rimasto. Andate a Brick Lane se capitate a Londra, ne vale la pena.

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― frailibri said on Sep 13, 2009 about the Hardcover edition | Add your feedback