Brick Lane

I decided to read this book because l had heard so much about it. It was not the sort of book l would normally read. I found it very slow in parts. It gives an insight into the way of life of people from Bangladesh. I am not sure whether l would recommend it to anyone else.

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2 people found this helpful

Very good.

Well read. The story is quiet hard hitting at times, but optimistic. I thoroughly recommended it.

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Unacceptably condescending

Whilst the story is interesting and even well-written, I found it extremely condescending that when the sisters were writing letters to each other, or thinking, which they would have done in their native tongue no doubt, it was in very broken, caricatured English. These two women would have been fluent in their own language, so why depict them in this way. Quite shameful. POV from an irritated Asian reader.

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Great and enthralling

Liked this a lot. It kept me entertained whilst I made dinner and cleaned. I love the performance and the story line however found it a little too long. I fear that some may not listen to the whole thing as I myself was a little overwhelmed by the length.

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a very enjoyable read.

loved this book and so well read. switching between Bangladesh and tower hamlets, the story unfolds with love, heartbreak and much suffering behind the characters experiences.

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Slightly disappointed

I had started this book with great expectation given the accolades it has received, however I was just disappointed how the characters and storylines just fizzled out. There was no foregone conclusion, each of the characters just did their own thing and there was no real meaningful end to the story. There was just a lot story telling and description of the setting but actually not enough depth to the story. Which is shame because it touched on lots of interesting themes of time including, race, religion, drug abuse and indeed the abuse of women. Meera Syal really brought the characters to life and was excellent in her narration, the early letters from Hasina were hilarious to listen to, and the scene of Tariq locked in his room while he fights drug addiction were fabulously articulated by the author and brilliantly performed by Meera.
Overall I gave 3 stars because I just wanted a bit more depth to story to really grip me, but that just didn’t quite happen. The book however was much more captivating than the film, and missed out swath

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Intimate and heartwarming story

An intimate and heartwarming story, offering great insight into a culture I know little about, except what media portray. I'm undecided about the narration though...

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Fascinating insight into Bangladeshi community

Brick Lane tells the present-day story of two Bangladeshi sisters. Nasreen is married to the older civil servant Chanu, who takes her back to London's Tower Hamlet into a life of narrow and monoglot domesticity. Hasina remains in Bangladesh and appears to make all the wrong choices in a society in which women's opportunities are curtailed on all sides. She makes a love marriage and runs away from home. She works in a garment factory, experiences violence and prostitution, finds another respectable job as a nanny with a local affluent businessman, but never gives up her dream of a better life (with a better man). Nasreen, too, sees passion intrude into her dull and safe marriage to a man who struggles with his own limitations. Will she eventually decide to return to Bangladesh with her husband or choose to stay in London with their two teenage daughters?

These parallel story lines are set against the background of Dhaka and Tower Hamlets, in communities whose characters are delineated economically and beautifully. At the core of the book is not so much romance but self-fulfilment, choice, opportunity, particularly for women whether they are living in rural or urban Asian Muslim communities or as first-generation immigrants in the so-called multicultural West. How do their opportunities compare? How do they meet the crises in their lives, and how do they make their big decisions? This is not to say that the male characters' lives are any easier: in their jobs and on the estates they live they daily encounter racial and religious prejudice; young men resort to drugs and don't live up to their parents' expectations. How does Tower Hamlet's Bangladeshi community meet the prejudice levelled at them in the aftermath of 9/11? It's a thought-provoking and engaging book with memorable characters.

Meera Syal's reading is very good indeed: she offers a distinct voice for each character; the narrative voice might have done with a slightly more lively touch.

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16 people found this helpful

Slow start with a pacy ending

Would you listen to Brick Lane again? Why?

I probably wouldn't listen to this repeatedly. It's got a very wistful narrative, meandering between memory and the present action, and I found it easier to listen to rather than read. Meera Syal was fantastic.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favourite character is that of Nazneen; observing her journey and her dawning sense of self is quite beautiful.

What does Meera Syal bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

I loved the humour and the accents Meera Syal brought to her reading. It gave an appropriate extra level to the understanding of the characters and their backgrounds.

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6 people found this helpful

Brick Lane

Enjoyed listen. Excellent narrating and interesting content. Well written to show background & content. Worth a listen.

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2 people found this helpful