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Brick Lane
by Monica Ali

Brick Lane Cover

Powells.com Staff Pick

"A phenomenally original novel that entwines Pakistani traditional beginnings with a gradual transformation into modern, multicultural life in contemporary London. Ali's narrator, Nazneen, holds all of her experiences close at hand and maintains a connection to both worlds considering fate and observation as her beacons. Expect to hear more from this potent and fresh literary voice." Donna Kane, Powells.com

Review-a-Day   (What is Review-a-Day?)

"British critics have called her the next Zadie Smith, presumably because they're both young, nonwhite females who blasted onto the literary scene with Booker-nominated bestsellers about immigrant culture in London. But Ali displays none of Smith's pyrotechnics or her sprawling scope and scale. Biology aside, a better comparison would be with Anita Brookner, that non-young, blisteringly white matron of British fiction whose quiet incisive novels scrutinize the plight of lonely people.

The genius of Brick Lane lies in Ali's ability to make the peculiar universal while making what's familiar comically odd. Though it's a distinctly interior novel, the larger world resonates all along the edges with discordant strains of political and cultural disruption." Ron Charles, The Christian Science Monitor (read the entire CSM review)

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

After an arranged marriage to Chanu, a man twenty years older, Nazneen is taken to London, leaving her home and heart in the Bangladeshi village where she was born. Her new world is full of mysteries. How can she cross the road without being hit by a car (an operation akin to dodging raindrops in the monsoon)? What is the secret of her bullying neighbor Mrs. Islam? What is a Hell's Angel? And how must she comfort the nave and disillusioned Chanu?

As a good Muslim girl, Nazneen struggles to not question why things happen. She submits, as she must, to Fate and devotes herself to her husband and daughters. Yet to her amazement, she begins an affair with a handsome young radical, and her erotic awakening throws her old certainties into chaos.

Monica Ali's splendid novel is about journeys both external and internal, where the marvellous and the terrifying spiral together.

Review:

"A humanely forgiving story about love....Brick Lane may be Ali's first novel, but it is written with a wisdom and skill that few authors attain in a lifetime." The Sunday Times

Review:

"Like Zadie Smith's White Teeth, Ali's debut novel is set in multicultural London; but unlike Smith's antic, sprawling vision, Ali's is cool, confined, and unsparing. Meticulously following the circumscribed life of Nazneen, a sheltered, devoutly Muslim, married Bangladeshi garment worker, the novel depicts her experience through her own constricted and, to the reader, alien point of view. (Ali practices the self-effacement of the supremely confident writer as she subordinates her style to her protagonist's perspective.)" Benjamin Schwarz, The Atlantic Monthly

Review:

"The joy of this book is its marriage of wonderful writer with a fresh, rich and hidden world...written with love and compassion for every struggling character in its pages." Evening Standard

Review:

"Already one of the most significant British novelists of her generation." The Observer (London)

Review:

"Monica Ali's power as a storyteller, her wisdom and compassionate stance, make this remarkable novel a total-immersion experience. I was quickly taken over by the community, culture and vision she presents so forcefully."Amy Hempel, author of Tumble Home

Review:

"Brick Lane is a brilliant book about things that matter." Ian Jack, Granta
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 2 comments:
CorreLola, March 27, 2008 (view all comments by CorreLola)
Brick Lane tells the parallel stories of two sisters: one in London, the other back home in Bangladesh. The story unfolds over the course of 20 or so years, ending right after the events and aftermath of September 11, 2001. The story alternates between the daily life of Nazneen and letters written by her sister Hasina. Ali's writing is wonderful: funny, sharp and deeply moving; and explores the power of personal choice (particularly for women) and the sometimes suffocating disillusion of immigrant life. A terrific read.
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brook Kelly, December 23, 2007 (view all comments by brook Kelly)
The book is really well written, however that doesn't account for the storyline. I've been reading for sometime that a lot of Bangadeshi people were unhappy with the book because it made them out to be ignora... amongst other things. After reading the book I can see exactly where they are coming from. Honestly, I find the letters between the main character and her sister Hasina to be rather pointless to the development of the story. And a lot of the story could have been shortened by at least a hundred pages. There is a lot of usel3ss information in the book, that could have been thrown towards other character developments and storylines. The gist of the story and what it's really all about, whirls at you rather quickly in the last fifty pages if so much. That's almost three hundred and fifty pages that were rather pointless and could have been snarked into two hundred or less at the most. I'd recommend reading Tino Georgiou's bestselling novel--The Fates--if you haven't yet!
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780743243315
Author:
Ali, Monica
Publisher:
Scribner Book Company
Author:
Ali, Monica
Location:
New York
Subject:
General
Subject:
Historical - General
Subject:
London
Subject:
Young women
Subject:
Bangladesh
Subject:
Women immigrants
Subject:
Bangladeshis
Subject:
General Fiction
Subject:
Bildungsromans
Copyright:
2004
Edition Number:
1st Scribner ed.
Edition Description:
B102
Series Volume:
[PR 1366]
Publication Date:
June 2004
Binding:
Paperback
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Pages:
432
Dimensions:
826x532x96 79
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