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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
No two ways about it: this book is perfect. So much fiercer and more intimate than I'd imagined any novel could be; indeed, it's the book's contradictory quality that propels it to such success in my view. Hamid is not only a master of voice and narrative, but of emotion and structure, of heart and intellect, of truth and culture than any I've read. He understands not only America, but America's place in the world, and by extension his narrator's place in America, his native Lahore, and the seeming divide between them, despite their existence along the exact same plane. Hamid's craftsmanship shows precisely what fiction has great power and efficacy to do; this book feels important, both personally as well as a piece of American (and indeed, world) literature.
Fascinating. This novel is about a young Pakistani man who comes to the United States to attend Princeton. As a result of his hungry determination, he graduates summa cum laude from Princeton and scores a position with one of the top valuation firms in the country. As he is set to return to New York from his first big business project in the Phillipines, 9/11 happens. This novel tells of his experiences in the U.S. post-9/11, and the internal struggles he faces while he watches the U.S. prepare to make attacks near his homeland. A very interesting view of how others view the U.S.
Well written, though, I did find the manned form of narration slightly annoying. It reminds the reader that older civilisations have come and gone, and America is nothing special in that accord.
In fact, while other countries have helped create the civil in civilization, the trend now in the US is to reduce everything to mere efficiency and short-term profit, just as the narrator is trained to do.
By focusing on the India/Pakistan conflict, the novel toys with expectations you might have from the title, yet it maintains it air of menace effectively. Why many will be no doubt turned off by its critique of America, they would be better served to look at is as an opportunity to look at the country through intelligent (if foreign) eyes.
In fact, while other countries have helped create the civil in civilization, the trend now in the US is to reduce everything to mere efficiency and short-term profit, just as the narrator is trained to do.
By focusing on the India/Pakistan conflict, the novel toys with expectations you might have from the title, yet it maintains it air of menace effectively. Why many will be no doubt turned off by its critique of America, they would be better served to look at is as an opportunity to look at the country through intelligent (if foreign) eyes.
Uninteresting, Pretentious, Devoid of plot and altogether far less earth-shattering than the author would like to think.
The issues dealt with in this book- social, racial, political- are not dealt with well and seemed only to present information that anyone should have the common sense to already know and consider-- and it does it in an awful way. The narrative is bland. The perspective lacks luster.
I don't care about the central character. Personally, I think he's a bit of a prat. I don't care about his personal development and what he came to see in himself.
The whole work felt entirely self-promotional. The voice of the character as the voice of the author- so much shared in their basic demographics. Clearly, he thinks highly of himself, and I haven't read anything that would persuade me to care one bit what he has to say in the world.
Not to mention, the only bit of this book which made it even remotely tolerable was a highly inappropriate love interest which was dealt with appallingly in plot.
I plan on leaving this book out in public for someone else to take. I don't have the heart to trash any book, but I don't want this, and I refuse to pawn it off on someone I like.
The issues dealt with in this book- social, racial, political- are not dealt with well and seemed only to present information that anyone should have the common sense to already know and consider-- and it does it in an awful way. The narrative is bland. The perspective lacks luster.
I don't care about the central character. Personally, I think he's a bit of a prat. I don't care about his personal development and what he came to see in himself.
The whole work felt entirely self-promotional. The voice of the character as the voice of the author- so much shared in their basic demographics. Clearly, he thinks highly of himself, and I haven't read anything that would persuade me to care one bit what he has to say in the world.
Not to mention, the only bit of this book which made it even remotely tolerable was a highly inappropriate love interest which was dealt with appallingly in plot.
I plan on leaving this book out in public for someone else to take. I don't have the heart to trash any book, but I don't want this, and I refuse to pawn it off on someone I like.
Not sure; did the whole story really happen or was it a ruse?
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I liked the writing style in this book a lot. It was a book that while reading I thought was extremely direct and simple, but upon finishing it I thought that maybe it was deceptively simple and that the love story that took up most of the story was really symbolic of Americans or a Pakistani's view of Americans.
This was written in a very fascinating manner. I appreciated the unique point of view, it was intriguing from the very first sentence.
Delicately and precisely narrated, The Reluctant Fundamentalist is an important book that offers perspective and illumination on the multifaceted danger of extreme political divide. A book to read when we most need it (which is all the time).
This is a very short read, less than 200 pages. The writing style will definitely move you through the pages quickly. The book ends rather abruptly, but that is on purpose. It lets you think about who Changez and his companion truly are and what was just about to happen. Well done.