Brick Lane

I love this book. Every minute. The reader is fabulous. Listening to her was equivalent to being at the theater. Brick Lane is a tour de force. The writing is powerful and the characters, especially the women, are complex and moving.

This did run a little long in parts, but overall gave an insider's view on a culture that is entirely foreign to me. I enjoyed this very much!

I wanted to like this book about an emigree from Bangladesh adjusting to life as a Muslim woman in a changing (and mixed) English society, but the story dragged and the main character was perhaps too flawed--I didn't particularly like her. Also, perhaps more confusing in the audio version compared to the printed version, the style of the book changes from prose to letters and back again and it is hard to follow. The novel touches on many of the issues new immigrants (of any culture) face: new language and culture, English born children who have more in common with their new country compared to their parents' old one, new definitions and standards of poverty, and racism; however, I was left feeling that none of these issues was really adequately explored. At times, the number of issues addressed seemed to be more important than the plot or character development. Overall, a bit of a disappointment after all of the hype.