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Brick Lane
Brick Lane: A Novel | Monica Ali
24 posts | 48 read | 38 to read
Nazneen finds herself married off to a man twice her age and moved to London, where she meets a younger man involved in radical politics and begins to wonder if she has a say in her own destiny.
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Hooked_on_books
Brick Lane: A Novel | Monica Ali
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Pickpick

Nazneen is married off to a man much older than herself at 18 and moved from Bangladesh to London. We see her isolation and culture shock as her life moves forward over about 15 years. This is definitely a slow burn, but ultimately I found it to be a compelling portrait.

LeahBergen I found this compelling, too. 2y
BarbaraBB If I am right I remember her cooking a lot. 2y
Hooked_on_books @BarbaraBB It‘s basically all she does! She completely defined within her culture by the walls of the apartment. But the cooking also serves to show us some of that culture. What a monotonous life. 2y
BarbaraBB In that small kitchen. I remember it indeed. A little Bangladesh in the kitchen, so sad and monotonous indeed 2y
59 likes4 comments
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Bookwormjillk
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Pickpick

I enjoyed this book about Bangladeshi immigrants in London. It had some rough spots to be sure, but overall a good internal novel if you like that sort of thing (and I do.)

I alternated between print and audio and thought this worked well in both formats.

#ReadingAsia #WinterCosy #LittenListen #AVeryMerryReadathon #WrapItUpReadathon #WinterGames #MistletoeManiacs

BarbaraBB I enjoyed this one too! 3y
TheSpineView Great job! 3y
Librarybelle Sounds good! 3y
keys_on_fire 🎄❤️📕🤩✨ 3y
39 likes1 stack add4 comments
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llwheeler
Brick Lane: A Novel | Monica Ali
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Well I meant to take a pic of my November #BookSpin and #doublespin but Callie had other ideas

#catsoflitsy #photobomb

@TheAromaofBooks

jenniferw88 😂😂😂 4y
HeyT haha my Callie does the same thing 4y
TheAromaofBooks You're never more attractive to a cat then when you're trying to do something else! 😂 4y
See All 8 Comments
Megabooks Lol! Cute little stinker! 4y
llwheeler @TheAromaofBooks lol so true! 4y
llwheeler @Megabooks haha that she is 🙂 4y
CaffeineAndCandy sᴏ ᴄᴜᴛᴇ ᴄᴀʟʟɪᴇ 4y
28 likes8 comments
review
Debdeb
Brick Lane: A Novel | Monica Ali
Mehso-so

Read this as part of my 2020 reading challenge, a local author, probably wouldn‘t have picked it up otherwise so I‘m happy to have spread my reading wings. I enjoy the read but found myself reading other books at the same time (unusual for me) and not reading so much before bed. Interesting to read about a different culture within my own, loved the ending, was rooting for that kind of outcome the whole way through 😊

review
Centique
Brick Lane: A Novel | Monica Ali
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Pickpick

I loved this book and I‘m surprised it has such a low Litsy score. Perhaps it‘s because this is a very internal novel with a lot of character exploration rather than plot. Ali takes us through Nazneen‘s life from her birth in Bangladesh, her arranged marriage and immigration to England and her life there as a wife, mother and eventually active member of her community. It‘s a book about an immigrant experience but also about relationships ⬇️

Centique ...family and friendships. The story is set in the 90s and touches on the Islam community and the unrest and politics of the time - but through the human impact on individual lives, a multi faceted approach. Ali writes so visually and captures characters with a deft touch, noting the little frailties that make them human. These people are going to live in my brain for a long time! 5y
Centique I think this will stay one of my favourite depictions of a marriage in a novel ever. Something almost satirical and one sided becomes deep and complex with time. It‘s genius. 🙌 5y
LeahBergen I loved this one, too! 👏🏻👏🏻 5y
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CarolynM I'Ve had a copy of this for ages but never get around to it. I'll have to bump it up the priority list 5y
Reggie Is this the one where she starts to have an affair with someone who might belong to an extremist group? Maybe I‘m mixing this up with some other book. Regardless, great review! 5y
Centique @CarolynM it‘s a slow burn but worth it 😊👍 5y
Centique @Reggie yes, that‘s it! To me the affair was only one part of her story but the blurb makes it sound like it‘s the whole story. 5y
ReadingEnvy This is on my TBR explode list for October so I‘ll at least be giving it a try. 5y
Centique @ReadingEnvy I think you would like it. Although with the amount you read you may have read something very similar to it already! Will be interested to see if it grabs you. 5y
72 likes4 stack adds9 comments
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whatrebeccasread
Brick Lane: A Novel | Monica Ali
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Panpan

"Brick Lane" has been on my shelf for years and now I've finished it, I'm underwhelmed and a little disappointed. Despite some good chapters exploring what it's like to move to the UK as an immigrant, it's long and a little tedious at times - 2 stars.

My full review is up on my blog now ?

89 likes1 stack add
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Emilymdxn
Brick Lane: A Novel | Monica Ali
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Just discovered the wonderful, tiny but perfectly formed Brick Lane Books. Managed to stop myself buying Nawal Al Sadaawi‘s autobiography but am kind of already regretting it...

I‘m never as happy as when I find a wonderful, thriving, beautiful independent bookshop. The section nearest the door was called ‘feminism and essays‘.

Amiable Looks lovely! 6y
hermyknee ♥️ 6y
Itchyfeetreader This is lovely - libraria round the corner also has an excellent selection and cool glossy ceiling ! 6y
Kalalalatja 😍😍😍 6y
65 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Insightsintobooks
Brick Lane: A Novel | Monica Ali
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52 likes2 stack adds
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quietlycuriouskate
Brick Lane: A Novel | Monica Ali
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Bailedbailed

Enough is enough: I'm bailing at the halfway mark because I am bored. (When was I last bored by a book? Provoked/confused/annoyed/disappointed, yes, but never bored!) And I wouldn't have got half this far with a print version. I cooked to it, cleaned to it, did some mending to it... all of which is highly appropriate as Nasneen has barely left her flat in all this time. Nor does she have a rich inner life, just sporadic letters from her sister. 😟

quietlycuriouskate The young man has just put in an appearance but he's already showing signs of being as tedious as the rest of it, so I'm calling it a day. 6y
Laura317 I read it as part of a challenge. I thought it was ok, but if you‘re not into it, drop it like it‘s hot and move on to something better. 6y
37 likes2 comments
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Weaponxgirl
Brick Lane: A Novel | Monica Ali
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Pickpick

Thank you to everyone who commented on my last post about this book and helped me to go on even though I was struggling. This book nearly had me bail on it, it was hard for over half the book and I was frustrated BUT I can't give this anything other than a pick because it is so well done! This is the slowest of slow burns and half the time your not fully aware of exactly how much your being told. It's confined and half know but it's our narrators

Weaponxgirl Life too. Her world is small, she's not allowed to learn English and following a traditional life role and just getting through life. This is how the reading feels, I hated it. I slogged and just felt disappointed for a long time with this book 6y
Weaponxgirl Then as our main characters life expands and she learns things, the writing seems to get better. More vibrant, more aware, it lets us see things fully. I slogged through the first 3 quarters but tore through the last 80pages. 6y
Weaponxgirl This was masterfully done by Monica Ali! To actually put you in the emotions of the character with this writing. It's not always an enjoyable read at all and I can see why this has had bad reviews on goodreads but if you can put the work in this book will reward you with a sense of time, place and character. I can't say I love this book but I can say I really respect it and everything the writer achieved 6y
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ladyonequestion Great review and well done for finishing it! 6y
Weaponxgirl @ladyonequestion thank you, it's been a long time since a book has challenged me like this. 6y
youneverarrived Great review! 6y
Weaponxgirl @youneverarrived thank you so much, I had to think for ages a out what to say and still left stuff out. 6y
batsy Very thoughtful and generous review 👏🏽 I feel bad for all that I might have missed when I read it back then. 6y
Weaponxgirl @batsy I know there is so much I missed but there is no way I'm ever going to read this again! 6y
Graywacke Glad you pushed through. Great review. 6y
Weaponxgirl @Graywacke thanks for being one of the people who helped pushed me to finish it. 6y
Nutmegnc @Weaponxgirl 🎉👏👏👏👏🎊 6y
56 likes2 stack adds13 comments
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Weaponxgirl
Brick Lane: A Novel | Monica Ali
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Has anyone else read this? I'm getting towards a bailing kind of feeling. This just feels like a slog and I can't really feel anything towards the characters except frustration right now. I'm 100 pages in and I'm asking does it get better when she finally meets the younger man? Does she show some proper personality?

Nutmegnc I enjoyed it. Plus I've seen the movie. Not a really happy pickmeup but a good story. I've been to the actual Brick Lane as well. Very interesting history. 6y
Weaponxgirl @Nutmegnc I've not seen the movie but I have been to brick lane. I'll keep with it until my library hold expires then and see if I can get into it. 6y
Nutmegnc @Weaponxgirl it is a bit sparse, doesn't really grab you, until it's gone and you're still thinking about the characters... 6y
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Weaponxgirl @Nutmegnc I'm finding it a problem and I can't help comparing it to other writers such as Andrea levy and Zadie smith who both kept me absolutely enthralled with their books. Thank you for your thoughts though and I'll keep on with it 😀 6y
Nutmegnc @Weaponxgirl i totally understand! No judgement here! 6y
batsy I read it a long time ago, I think when it came out and I barely remember anything about the book. I know that it also felt like a bit of a dutiful slog for me 😬 I read it before I watched the movie, which was also quite dull... 6y
Weaponxgirl @batsy that makes me feel a lot better actually. I'm feeling disappointed as it sounded like exactly the sort of book I love reading but I just find myself staring at other books on my tbr longingly instead. I also think it may be a stylistic choice on the part of the author which makes sense within the story but isn't necessarily fun to read. 6y
batsy I know, I remember feeling disappointed too because it does sound like a book I'd enjoy. But it was essentially a mediocre reading experience for me. And honestly if you feel like bailing I would say that you're not really missing out 😆 6y
Graywacke I was bored and it never got better. On the other hand I learned a few things and I still remember a lot from maybe 9 years ago. 6y
Weaponxgirl @Graywacke I'm really feeling that it's a deliberate stylist approach, but as I said before I'm not sure it leads to an enjoyable reading experience 6y
50 likes2 stack adds10 comments
blurb
Weaponxgirl
Brick Lane: A Novel | Monica Ali
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One of my current reads that happens to be a immigrant story for #readingwomenmonth. About a Bangladeshi girl who is married to a much older man and then has to move to England.
@ephemeralwaltz @Andrew65

ephemeralwaltz Sounds great! 6y
Andrew65 Not heard of this one, need to check it out. (edited) 6y
44 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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Laura317
Brick Lane: A Novel | Monica Ali
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Pickpick

This book is difficult to pin down. It takes place In London, and the Bangladesh family is Muslim. It tells of the difficulty being different from the white English. They find it‘s hard to not lose their culture. I feel for immigrants. Their lives are not easy ones.

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Laura317
Brick Lane: A Novel | Monica Ali
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Slogging through this as part of my #PassportReading2018 - I shortened my challenge to 12 books. It‘s good, but and I‘m taking my time. #Bangladesh

SusanInTiburon Take your time! It‘s yours. 7y
40 likes1 comment
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Laura317
Brick Lane: A Novel | Monica Ali
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Here are five of my #PassportReading challenge for next year.
1. Bangladesh- Brick Lane
2. Vanuatu- Hungry Devils
3. Mexico-Like Water for Chocolate
4. Ecuador- Labyrinth Lost
5. Transnistria- My Siberian Education: Growing up in a Criminal Underworld.

I'm still waiting on 3 books to come in and still looking on a few countries. I might drop my travel from 15 to 12. Seems a little more doable for me.
@steverogers

[DELETED] 3803335244 I only did 3 😳 I didn't want to get overwhelmed plus I decided to add 3 of my own countries! 7y
Laura317 @ForeverNerdy Cool! What countries did you end up choosing? 7y
[DELETED] 3803335244 She gave me Italy, Czech Republic, & Angola. I picked Ireland, Scotland (early before U.K.), & New Zealand I might through 1 more country in if I can. 7y
30 likes3 comments
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QuothTheAshes
Brick Lane: A Novel | Monica Ali
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A total solar eclipse is rare and remarkable to all. But to me, sitting in the shade with a book, watching the man I love skip rocks like a child and being totally overwhelmed with bliss is the most rare and remarkable thing of all. This is a beautiful moment. The sun is disappearing, but I feel full of light.

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QuothTheAshes
Brick Lane: A Novel | Monica Ali
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From what I've seen so far, this quote pretty much shapes the main character's personality. Everything in her life, even her birth, is a passive experience. It's frustrating to read.

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julesG
Brick Lane: A Novel | Monica Ali
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It's #TearinUpMyHeart that I walked around Shoreditch and Spitalfields today but only visited one book shop; the one in Brick Lane. And I didn't buy a single book. 🙈🙈🙈🙈

What's wrong with me???

#90sInJuly @Robothugs @Cinfhen

Moray_Reads Impressive willpower! You should reward yourself. With a book 😉 7y
julesG @Amy-Laura I'm looking forward to our meet-up on Tuesday and hope to buy a few books. 7y
julesG @Moray_Reads There wasn't a single book that took my fancy and I honestly didn't notice any other book shops. 7y
See All 7 Comments
Cosyreader @julesG me too! Shame you didn't see anything today but you might end up getting loads on Tuesday 😄 7y
Robothugs 😩😩😩 I admire your strength! 7y
julesG @Robothugs I think restlessness has more to do with it than true strength of will. 😶 7y
Lmstraubie Nice twist 😉 7y
57 likes7 comments
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Ubookquitous
Brick Lane: A Novel | Monica Ali
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2000 years of London history and a more intimate look at a family adding to the newer history of London. #londoncalling #rockinMay

@Cinfhen

Cinfhen Sounds really interesting 7y
25 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
Sparkin
Brick Lane: A Novel | Monica Ali
Panpan

Some sympathetic characters but not much happened and the ending was trite. Some funny writing at the start which sadly fizzled out. Can't see why it got the accolades it received.

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Sparkin
Brick Lane: A Novel | Monica Ali
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Sad story. This character ('cause she's a women) gets raw deal. TBH I'm fed-up with reading about hard-done by female characters. I like books with strong women. I also like books where bad things happen to the men as well as the women. This is another Bookclub book highlighting the poor plight:

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Sparkin
Brick Lane: A Novel | Monica Ali
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Never knew this about harvesting jute.

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Sparkin
Brick Lane: A Novel | Monica Ali
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Such a sad paragraph, esp re: hungry mothers and swell belly children.

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Sparkin
Brick Lane: A Novel | Monica Ali
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So are the machines they use manual? (I e not electric?)