The reluctant fundamentalist

Critics

• 'The Reluctant Fundamentalist' by Mohsin Hamid

  In my opinion, this is shallow criticism, because the book's greatest failing is not its content, but the way in which the story is narrated. This is a fictional account of a young, intelligent and ambitious Pakistani who is educated at Princeton Uni ... (read full critics)

  readingmatters published on Tue, 28 Sep 2010

• Mistaken identities

  The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid Hamish Hamilton £14.99, pp192 Mohsin Hamid's second novel is the story of a young Muslim man's loves and losses, daubed against the tumultuous backdrop of the political unrest that followed the attacks on ... (read full critics)

  guardian.co.uk published on Sat, 25 Sep 2010

4 Reviews

• 

  It's weird, but maybe not that weird. I've been given this book by a friend just four days ago, the 9th of Sept. 2010, and September-eleven is one of the events that define the background of the story. I read it in a couple of days. Yes, it's a page-turner.
  It's just such a beautifully written book ... (continue)

  It's weird, but maybe not that weird. I've been given this book by a friend just four days ago, the 9th of Sept. 2010, and September-eleven is one of the events that define the background of the story. I read it in a couple of days. Yes, it's a page-turner.
  It's just such a beautifully written book that I must suggest it to everyone, clever and with a magnificent style as well.
  If you are into corporate finance you will also enjoy it...

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  darussol said on Sep 14, 2010 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

• great, as passionate as a thriller, impossible stop reading it

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  Claire Guerrera said on Jun 23, 2009 about the Hardcover edition | Add your feedback

• 

  Expected More

  The title of this book is an eye-grabber. When I saw it on the table at my local bookstore, I knew I was eventually going to read it. When friends of mine raved about this book, and I saw it reduced on Amazon, I finally got it. All-in-all, a pretty so-so story.

  On the plus side, The Reluctant ... (continue)

  The title of this book is an eye-grabber. When I saw it on the table at my local bookstore, I knew I was eventually going to read it. When friends of mine raved about this book, and I saw it reduced on Amazon, I finally got it. All-in-all, a pretty so-so story.

  On the plus side, The Reluctant Fundamentalist is an easy story to digest; there's a subtle, lightweight element of thriller to it which you see from the beginning, and comes to the fore in the last 30 pages; the characters don't play to stereotypes.

  Unfortunately we never really get inside the narrator's head to understand what "fundamentalist" means for the main character. The narrator had every advantage America offers self-starters, yet he inexplicably delights in the 9/11 attacks, and develops hatred towards the country because of the attacks on Afghanistan. The rationale offered for his beliefs are vague and thin. I never see the issue from the narrator's point of view, nor do I recoil at his behavior.

  The Reluctant Fundamentalist looked good on the shelf, but didn't deliver.

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  Andyberschauer said on Mar 11, 2009 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

• 

  I don't want to reveal too much of the plot as the joy of this novel lies in discovering the unknown - of not knowing what to expect until the very end.

  Shortlisted for the 2007 Man Booker Prize, Mohsin Hamid's The Reluctant Fundamentalist has received rave reviews by critics and readers alike ... (continue)

  I don't want to reveal too much of the plot as the joy of this novel lies in discovering the unknown - of not knowing what to expect until the very end.

  Shortlisted for the 2007 Man Booker Prize, Mohsin Hamid's The Reluctant Fundamentalist has received rave reviews by critics and readers alike. The way he told the story of Changez, a high-flying New York investment analyst from Pakistan, is innovative and original. The book will keep you awake and make you utterly satisfied, leaving a few big questions for you to ponder on, such as is there any country which "inflicts death so readily upon the inhabitants of other countries, frightens so many people so far away, as America"?

  Amazing. A must-read.

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  Tracy W said on Jul 20, 2008 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

Book Details

• Rating:
  (86)
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• English Books
• Mass Market Paperback 184 Pages
• Edition: 1
• ISBN-10: 014306424X
• ISBN-13: 9780143064244
• Publisher: Penguin Books, India
• Pub date: Jan 01, 2007
• Also available as: Paperback, Hardcover, Audio CD, Others and eBook
• In other languages: other languages Libri Italiani, Nederlandse Boeken

Groups with this in collection

• PayPoint.net Book Club (10)
• The Collective (146)
• NY Times Notable Book Club (482)

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