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Brick Lane
Brick Lane
Brick Lane
Audiobook (abridged)11 hours

Brick Lane

Written by Monica Ali

Narrated by Elizabeth Sastre

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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About this audiobook

Set in the gritty Tower Hamlets area of East London, Brick Laneis the story of Nazneen, an Asian immigrant girl and how she deals with issues of love, cultural differences and the human spirit. Nazneen is forced into an arranged marriage with a much older man whose expectations of life are miserably low. When they flee the oppression of their Bangladeshi village for a high-rise block in the East End, she finds herself cloistered and dependent on her husband. It soon becomes apparent that of the two, she is the real survivor and more able to deal with the ways of the world and the vagaries of human behavior. Through her friendship with another Asian girl, she begins to understand the unsettling ways of her new homeland.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateSep 22, 2003
ISBN9781598871258
Brick Lane
Author

Monica Ali

Monica Ali was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and grew up in England. She was named one of the 20 best young British novelists under 40 by Granta. She is the author of four previous novels, including Untold Story and Brick Lane, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and the Guardian Book Prize, nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and was named a winner of the 2003 Discover Award for Fiction and a New York Times Editors’ Choice Book that same year. She lives in London with her husband and two children.

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Reviews for Brick Lane

Rating: 3.4615384615384617 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

91 ratings71 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I didn’t want to read this but it was on my shelf as the next in line so I did and I’m very glad I did. It is a contemporary novel about a bride from Bangladesh brought to London and her story from then until the present day. It followed her growth as a woman and provided an insight into immigrant life. I had never really appreciated fully the difficulties of immigrants and the prejudice they suffer until this book. I thought I did, but I didn’t.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    A well told story of the fate of a Bangladeshi import bride in London who came as a young girl to Engeland in 1985, and whose fate is followed until 2002. The mirror of the letters of her sister - who stayed in bangla desh- is a rather clever device. The story is well told, but the book isn't really memorable; characters are mostly too flat, merely pawns in a story Ali wants to tell, showpieces for information Ali has gathered about how these kind of women are supposed to live (she must have done wonderful research),and problems they encounter. Only husband Chanu I liked very much, he has some depth, but he seems a bit out of place in this novel. He would fit in rather nicely in the early work of VS naipaul (A house for mr Biswas). Ali describes a story, rather than let the figures live it on their own. To end on a positive note: I think Ali as a writer shows promise, and hope to see better books of her; in some ways (especially in the depth of characters) her second book 'Alentejo Blue' which I did read a few months before this was already much better.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I liked this book almost inspite of itself...it tells the story of a woman who was brought to London to be part of an arranged marriage. Her husband, an older man who lived in London for a while, is unable to quite fit into the society that he so admires and so much wants to succeed in. He dreams large and fails to execute, leaving his wife in a position he himself resents - as havng to earn funds for the family. Both characters are very well developed, complexed, and flawed individuals and some scenes (such as when he has a surprise visit to his "friend" the doctor)in the book are painfully vivid and real. Every character in the book, in different ways, deals with the issue wanting to be part of, and yet hating, English culture. In the end, the wife has an affair with a radical Islamaist who lives in their project. The whole affair plot fail to become believable and the book suffers. Finally, as with many young authors, great writing, great characters, mediocre plot.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I know this book got a lot of good press, but I really wasn't that enchanted by it. I think that Monica Ali did a superb job in conveying the drabness of Nazneen's London world, her pompous and pitiful husband, and the narrowness of the society created by the Bangladeshi immigrants in the neighborhood...but I still didn't develop an affection or intimacy with any of the characters.The tool of using letters from Nazneen's sister as a way of opening a window of fresh air into her stifling (is that spelled right? It looks funny. Where is spellcheck when you need it!!!) life was a good touch, but hardly original. (But this is Ali's first novel, I remind myself, which is one more than I have written, let alone published!)One review I had read before reading the book likened Ali's main character to one of Jane Austen's women--trapped and smothered by a society that encourages her ignorance. All I can say is though I'm glad I read this, I'll stick to Jane!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    “The thing about getting older is that you don't need everything to be possible any more, you just need things to be certain.”At the heart of this book lies an adulterous affair. Nazneen, the central character, is a Bangladeshi woman who arrived in London as the wife of a much older man, Chanu. Nazneen does not enter lightly into her sexual adventure but as Karim, a young Muslim radical, comes daily to her house bringing her sewing piecework a growing physical attraction gradually grows between them. Ali manages to capture all the little details as each abandons their moral objections.However, Ali manages to also encompass a growing partnership between Nazneen and Chanu. Theirs is an arranged marriage and she arrived in London as a naive 18 year-old village girl who spoke no English. In contrast Chanu had lived in London for some time as a single man and appears well read. Initially Chanu appears to be little more than a figure of fun, with his deluded ambitions of promotion and his useless certificates for unimpressive qualifications. Yet gradually we come to see him rather differently, as a figure who is, tragically, aware of his own shortcomings and of the way his dreams have been thwarted bit by bit. Ali paints a subtle portrait of how clashes of culture can threaten a marriage like theirs and how they can hurt one another whilst at the same time come to depend on one another. This she does so with a deft comic touch.Outside this very domestic world their lives are also touched by the politics of the time, the riots in Oldham, the 9/11 attacks and growing anti-Muslim sentiment. These events are used to illustrate the growing differences between the love triangle. I particularly enjoyed the depiction of the 'Bengal Tigers', a group of local Muslims led by Karim, at whose meetings girls in head-scarves argue with boys in Nike tracksuits about whether to engage in global jihad or battle local injustices. Nazneen attends some of the 'Bengal Tigers' meetings.Initially she admires Karim and his certainty about his place in life, but gradually as her own self-awareness takes root, she realises that his dreams are likely to turn out as groundless as Chanu's. "She had looked at him and seen only his possibilities. Now she looked again and saw that the disappointments of his life, which would shape him, had yet to happen."Throughout the novel Nazneen receives letters from her sister Hasina back in Bangladesh. Hasina had run away from home marrying for what she believed was a love match only to then be compelled to leave her violent husband and try to survive on her own. The choices that Hasina must face in Bangladesh are so much starker than the sister's in London. Whereas Hasina's choices will determine her very survival Nazneen's seem only to regard her own happiness. This contrast exaggerates the seemingly random nature of life and love.Despite some fairly momentous themes, Ali employs a deceptively light touch throughout avoiding the pitfalls of melodrama. This is particularly true of her portrayal of Chanu. However, strangely the relationship between Nazneen, her daughters and female friends are poorly drawn in comparison. Also the ending, given the complex relationships that had proceeded it, was a little too neat for my liking. However, one must remember that this was the author's first novel and as such is a largely accomplished piece of work.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    first novel that i happened to pick up before it became well known. wonderful story of a bangladeshi woman sent to london in an arranged marriage where she and her husband live in a bangladeshi ghetto. the story takes you through their lives and fully establishes her husband as someone who wants to be successful and respected but fails at everything. she ultimately comes to respect him for his intentions. has 2 daughters she loves.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    An excellent and satisfying book, full of detail and nuance. Where's home? What's passion? Set mostly in London it is the story of a young Muslim woman given in an arranged marriage to a man far away. What do we love? What are dreams made of, what are they for? How do we make our way through a strange land? This one is going to linger a long while in my mind.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A wonderfully engaging story about a young woman's life in India and England, a struggle for her to find herself and live out her life with some dignity. I loved it!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Reading this novel, I felt a bit like a fly on the wall watching Nazneen's life unfold in Bangladesh and in London, all the while learning a bit more about a culture and religion I know little about. I found Nazneen's story compelling, and ultimately touching as she discovers the strength inside her to make her own destiny.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    One of those books I enjoyed for the quality of the writing rather than the plot. Not to say that the story was poor, but it moved along at a fairly pedestrian pace allowing time and space for the reader to enjoy the scenery - some great comedy moments with Mrs Islam and her Benylin for example. The parallel story involving the sister in Pakistan was thought provoking, hard-hitting, and delivered as a series of letters written in broken English. This was heavy going in places, but an effective literary tool, and a good way of moving the London end of the story along, with the birth of the main character's two children alluded to in the letters. All in all an intelligently written, thought provoking novel, deserving of its Booker nomination
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    This one took me a while to read...I found it very slow
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Not as good as the hype. Disappointing but then I have high standards.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A fascinating insight into another side of London life. We follow the story of Nazneen, a young Bangladeshi woman, as she is married to Chanu and moves to England. At first she is jealous of her sister, who ran away for a love marriage (we read letters from her sister throughout the book), but as the sister's life falls apart, so Nazneen's life comes together and she discovers a strength she never knew she had. This is an uplifting book, though not as good as the hype suggests.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    At first I thought that this book was taking place in the early 1900's, but then I realized it was close to present day. How scary that the oppression of women continues. Ms. Ali does a good job of showing us a different side of life, while addressing situations that women of many backgrounds can relate.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    [Brick Lane] by [[Monica Ali]]Nazneen, the heroine of [Brick Lane] was born in Bangladesh, and raised, by her saintly Muslim mother, to endure, to accept whatever fate brings to her. She moves to London after an arranged marriage to an older, and not especially attractive man. Throughout the book she struggles with her belief in fate and her desire to take some kind of control of her life.I enjoyed this book because it gave me a window into the thoughts and dreams of a woman whose life is very different than my own. The book is told mostly from Nazneen’s standpoint, but partly with letters from her sister, Hasina. Hasina is very different than Nazneen, impulsive and full of life, catapulted from one disastrous situation to another.As the stories unfold we learn that some of the lessons that Nazneen absorbed through her childhood were not, in fact, based on reality. We also learn about some of the intricacies of the Bangladeshi community in London before and after 9/11.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A fine story of Nazneen, a yound Muslim woman from Bengladesh. She is brought to England via her husband by an arranged marriage. From 1985 - 2002 we see Nazneen change from an obedient wife into a woman wanting to learn more of the world she inhabits, first by taking on a job as seamstress then taking on a lover. Time will tell if she will return to Bangladesh with her husband and two daughters or stay in England. I thought the novel a bit too long and I fear that Ms. Ali has used all of her stories in this well written debut novel.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A study of a young Indian woman coming to terms with married life in England which is very worthy and touches on some intriguing issues but I couldn't make up my mind about this one. The tragi-comic character of Chanu kept me entertained throughout, and I thought Ali's portrayal of Nazneen's brief relationship with her son was very touching and sincere, but for the most part I found the main characters unfinished and unable to sustain my interest. Whilst the ideas of community and belonging that Ali touches upon are worthy of investigation, I felt like Brick Lane was only half a discussion and that with a little more effort, Ali could have injected much more insight and interest into it all.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I really enjoyed this book. Wonderful story.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    If I were in a different frame of mind, I probably would have finished this. I liked the first half, where it was primarily about Nanzeen, but then... I completely lost interest once it became about politics.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Although this is well-written, I had an incredibly hard time getting interested in it. The truth is, very simply, I was bored through most of the first half of it, and simply reading along because I'd begun the book and had it at hand. About halfway through, it began moving a bit more quickly, but not by much, and I ended up being glad to have it done with. There's a lot to admire in the writing here, but as believable as the book is, there's just not enough (so far as I'm concerned, anyway) to engage readers. I never could get to really like or care about the characters, and the plot moved so slowly that I think the book might have been much stronger if it had been about half its length.In any case, I suppose that's where things come out--I couldn't recommend it, and likely wouldn't plan on reading more by Ali.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Didn't love it, didn't hate it. This book is definitely not anywhere near the top of my list of immigrant south asian novels, but it wasn't terrible to read either. If only I could have identified or sympathized with at least one character ....
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Are we left to our Fates, or can we find our own? Monica Ali explores this tension in her richly imagined novel, one that also imagines a life of safety versus a life of possibility.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    After all the hype I had heard about this novel, it honestly didn't impress me that much. I pride myself on the fact that I read a lot of South Asian fiction, and so I feel pretty familiar with the genre. This one seemed too generic - it had a storyline that I feel like I've essentially read before.Ali's writing was nice, but I found myself constantly wanting more out of her characters. It wasn't a bad read, but it didn't really end up impressing me.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    When Nazneen is married off to Chanu, a much older man, she is forced to leave her life in Bangladesh behind and move to London with her new husband. With very little English and few usable skills, Nazneen learns to cope with her surroundings and build a life for herself.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This feels like a modern classic and I'm not surprised it was made into a film.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2003, this is the story of Nazneen, from her birth in a village in Bangladesh, to her physical settlement in London's East End for an arranged marriage, to her emotional settlement as a (relatively) independent woman, the mother of daughters who are, despite their family environment, inevitably going to grow up more English in their ways than Bangladeshi. It is a fine novel, providing rich, colourful insights into the culture of a first generation in a new country. The main characters, Nazneen and her husband Chanu are believable and sympathetically developed. Ali doesn't take sides in their relationship, the reader understands the needs and aspirations of both of them, and what this means for their marriage. The supporting characters, especially Dr Azad, Mrs Islam and Razia add another layer of richness to the narrative. There is tragedy, sadness, conflict, touches of pathos and humour and ultimately, hope. Highly recommended.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Nazneen is a young woman living with her family in Bangladesh and dreaming of her future. Soon she’s shipped to England where she’s married off to an older man. Her life becomes so small, confined almost entirely to their apartment. Her husband is gross and selfish and treats her like an employee. I understand it’s an arranged marriage, but it’s an awful situation. There’s no physical abuse, just a continual wearing down of her spirit. Her casual acceptance of her situation is heartbreaking and it was hard for me to identify with her. When she finally has an affair you honestly don’t even care about the man she is sleeping with, it’s more about the fact that she’s finally done one tiny thing for herself. Even then it seems to make her more miserable than before. She also has two daughters who grow up in England and have a hard time embracing their parents’ culture. They are children of England, not Bangladesh and that divide makes it difficult for them to understand their mother’s decision to stay in a loveless marriage. Part of the book consists of letters back and forth between Nazneen and her sister. Hasina ran away from home and married for love, but her life was not a happy one. I think the main purpose of that plot was to show Nazneen that things could always be worse, but at least Hasina chose her own life. **SPOILERS**I felt like we are waiting for something to happen for the entire book and then nothing does. It’s this uphill slog that you think will end with an incredible view, but when you reach the top there’s nothing to see. She never goes to see her sister, she never gets caught in the affair, etc. She just decides to stay at home when her husband leaves. That was good in its own way, but there was no real resolution. **SPOILERS OVER**The fact that I couldn’t identify with the main character wasn’t a deal breaker for me in anyway. I love learning about different cultures. I love seeing the struggle that comes from immigrating to a new country and trying to understand their customs. The problem was that Nazneen didn’t seem interested in anything. I felt like I couldn’t root for her when she couldn’t even root for herself. BOTTOM LINE: Geez I struggled with this one. It’s such a slow moving novel. I felt like I was living through those years of stifling boredom with Nazneen, and not in the good way. There is some beautiful writing, but for me it wasn’t enough to balance out the slog through the story.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Though I have been fortunate to have traveled to London a few times the author's depiction of this London is a new one for me. It is self-contained Bangladeshi community in London's east side before and immediately after 9/11. Among the manylayered themes the novel causes the reader to confront political, religious and social ideologies & biases, as well as immigration, assimilation, and love (arranged and self-chosen marriage, family). I find that in most books I read there are fairly simple ideas that become portals for major personal insight and for me, this book, brought to light the differences between being a minority and being an immigrant, as these are obviously not mutually inclusive. The conclusion reminds us that individuals make their own choices in life, and that in and of itself can be a difficult reality.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was the first book I’d read in a while that made me feel motivated to read, and I love Ali’s way with words. It reminds me a little of another book I read a few years ago called Brixton Beach by Roma Tearne, about a young girl whose life is picked up from Sri Lanka and dropped into 80’s London. I really love reading books set in other cultures, it’s a great way to learn more about countries I may never be lucky enough to visit. And it gives me an insight what it is like to be a woman in such cultures, and what the immigrant experience is like.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This Man Booker prize nominee went on just a bit too long for me -- my interest petered out about 70 pages before the end of the book. I did like the way the book ended though so it was worth persevering.