the premise: a group of 20-something girls decide it would be fun to mail their favorite books to each other in an attempt to be well-read...it's like being pen-pals, only passing on a letter that was written by somebody else...
Finally! I can write what I think about Brick Lane, because I finally finished it.
Would you believe that I wasn't really pulled into the story until the last hundred pages or so, but by the time I was, in a lot of ways, I was able to love and appreciate the transformation in Nazneen so much more than I could have if I wouldn't have had 300 pages of characterization. I agree with you Hannah--that the characters are fascinating because they are so complex.
What I really appreciate about the book is that Nazneen is able to uncover and discover a feminism that doesn't compromise her family--it enhances it. Yes--she becomes separated from Chanu, but as he said to her--he could not stay. So he made a choice too. Anyways--she doesn't turn into a psycho-selfish-woman in order to find herself. She actually becomes a better, more likable person who actually believes in things.
That kind of feminism is exciting, and it's something I can appreciate and relate to.
see, i knew you would have something insightful and thoughtful to say, which is why i was bugging you about it.
thinking back over this story i think one of my favorite characters is nazneen's friend razia. she's just so unique and interesting, and really exemplifies monica ali's flair for bringing out people's quirks in a humorous yet revealing way.
"I always wanted a happy ending... Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity." - Gilda Radner
3 comments:
heather i want to hear what you thought of brick lane.
Finally! I can write what I think about Brick Lane, because I finally finished it.
Would you believe that I wasn't really pulled into the story until the last hundred pages or so, but by the time I was, in a lot of ways, I was able to love and appreciate the transformation in Nazneen so much more than I could have if I wouldn't have had 300 pages of characterization. I agree with you Hannah--that the characters are fascinating because they are so complex.
What I really appreciate about the book is that Nazneen is able to uncover and discover a feminism that doesn't compromise her family--it enhances it. Yes--she becomes separated from Chanu, but as he said to her--he could not stay. So he made a choice too. Anyways--she doesn't turn into a psycho-selfish-woman in order to find herself. She actually becomes a better, more likable person who actually believes in things.
That kind of feminism is exciting, and it's something I can appreciate and relate to.
see, i knew you would have something insightful and thoughtful to say, which is why i was bugging you about it.
thinking back over this story i think one of my favorite characters is nazneen's friend razia. she's just so unique and interesting, and really exemplifies monica ali's flair for bringing out people's quirks in a humorous yet revealing way.
yeah.
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