Brick Lane - Softcover
Still in her teenage years, Nazneen finds herself in an arranged marriage with a disappointed man who is twenty years older. Away from the mud and heat of her Bangladeshi village, home is now a cramped flat in a high-rise block in London's East End. Nazneen knows not a word of English, and is forced to depend on her husband. But unlike him she is practical and wise, and befriends a fellow Asian girl Razia, who helps her understand the strange ways of her adopted new British home. Nazneen keeps in touch with her sister Hasina back in the village. But the rebellious Hasina has kicked against cultural tradition and run off in a 'love marriage' with the man of her dreams. When he suddenly turns violent, she is forced into the degrading job of garment girl in a cloth factory. Confined in her flat by tradition and family duty, Nazneen also sews furiously for a living, shut away with her buttons and linings - until the radical Karim steps unexpectedly into her life. On a background of racial conflict and tension, they embark on a love affair that forces Nazneen finally to take control of her fate. Strikingly imagined, gracious and funny, this novel is at once epic and intimate. Exploring the role of Fate in our lives - those who accept it; those who defy it - it traces the extraordinary transformation of an Asian girl, from cautious and shy to bold and dignified woman.
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Review:
Wildly embraced by critics, readers, and contest judges (who put it on the short-list for the 2003 Man Booker Prize), Brick Lane is indeed a rare find: a book that lives up to its hype. Monica Ali's debut novel chronicles the life of Nazneen, a Bangladeshi girl so sickly at birth that the midwife at first declares her stillborn. At 18 her parents arrange a marriage to Chanu, a Bengali immigrant living in England. Although Chanu--who's twice Nazneen's age--turns out to be a foolish blowhard who "had a face like a frog," Nazneen accepts her fate, which seems to be the main life lesson taught by the women in her family. "If God wanted us to ask questions," her mother tells her, "he would have made us men." Over the next decade-and-a-half Nazneen grows into a strong, confident woman who doesn't defy fate so much as bend it to her will. The great delight to be had in Brick Lane lies with Ali's characters, from Chanu the kindly fool to Mrs. Islam the elderly loan shark to Karim the political rabblerouser, all living in a hothouse of Bengali immigrants. Brick Lane combines the wide scope of a social novel about the struggles of Islamic immigrants in pre- and post-9/11 England with the intimate story of Nazneen, one of the more memorable heroines to come along in a long time. If Dickens or Trollope were loosed upon contemporary London, this is exactly the sort of novel they would cook up. --Claire Dederer
About the Author:
was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and grew up in England. She is one of Granta's Best of Young British Novelists of the decade, Newcomer of the Year at the 2004 British Book Awards and has been nominated for most of the major literary prizes in Britain. Brick Lane was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, the George Orwell Prize for political writing and the prestigious Commonwealth Writers' Prize. Internationally there has been similar recognition including, in the United States, the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Los Angeles Times 'First Fiction' Prize where the book was shortlisted. Monica Ali lives in London with her husband and two children, and is working on her next novel.
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- PublisherBLACK SWAN
- Publication date2004
- ISBN 10 0552771155
- ISBN 13 9780552771153
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages496
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. By the author of LOVE MARRIAGE, the literary debut of a modern classic by the huge storytelling talent shortlisted for the Booker Prize***As dramatised on BBC Radio Four***SHORTLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZETHE SUNDAY TIMES and NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERA RICHARD AND JUDY PICK'Written with a wisdom and skill that few authors attain in a lifetime' SUNDAY TIMESStill in her teenage years, Nazneen finds herself in an arranged marriage with a disappointed older man. Away from her Bangladeshi village, home is now a cramped flat in a high-rise block in London's East End. Nazneen knows not a word of English, and is forced to depend on her husband.Confined in her tiny flat, Nazneen sews furiously for a living, shut away with her buttons and linings - until the radical Karim steps unexpectedly into her life. On a background of racial conflict and tension, they embark on a love affair that forces Nazneen finally to take control of her fate.A GRANTA BEST OF BRITISH YOUNG NOVELISTSHORTLISTED FOR THE GUARDIAN FIRST BOOK AWARD'A brilliant evocation of sensuality' DAILY TELEGRAPH'A novel that will last' GUARDIAN'Highly evolved and accomplished' OBSERVERReader's love for BRICK LANE-'Memorable and gripping' *****'The kind of book that changes your perception of the world' *****'This has become a classic and i can see why'*****'Funny, sharp and very touching' ***** THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELERA RICHARD AND JUDY PICKSHORTLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE'Written with a wisdom and skill that few authors attain in a lifetime' Sunday TimesStill in her teenage years, Nazneen finds herself in an arranged marriage with a disappointed older man. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780552771153
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