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alysereadsbooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed it. The narrator was great and it was a compelling storyline into family dynamics and our perceptions of our parents.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Lesbophobia, Racism, Medical content, Sexual content, and Islamophobia
katgent's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Islamophobia, and Racism
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Addiction, and Kidnapping
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Love Marriage opens with Yasmin getting ready to take her parents to meet the mother of her fiancé Joe. Yasmin’s nervous - her parents are conservative, Muslim and migrants from India. Joe’s mother Harriet is white, upper-middle class and a staunch feminist famous for a provocative nude photo. The meeting goes better than expected but tensions and sometimes surprising relationship cracks develop nonetheless.
At times I really enjoyed this book; it certainly has much to recommend it. I often enjoy a good complicated family story and this book has two that are intertwined. It explored a number of serious topics including parental expectations and generational clashes, feminism, the issues faced by second generation migrants, Islamophobia, cross-cultural understanding, racism, toxic parenting, and the health system particularly geriatric care. Yet there was also humour and many lighter notes. The characters were all flawed but mostly likeable, and virtually all showed considerable growth over the course of the novel. I want to give the author kudos for not shying away from the messy realities of period sex. I also appreciated getting to see therapy sessions from the therapist’s perspective.
Yet I have some reservations. At times my attention wandered and I felt the book could have been shorter. Some issues felt like they played out over and over, while others, including a key reveal towards the end, felt rushed and didn’t get the attention they warranted. There are a lot of characters and some felt a little flat, almost stereotyped caricatures and I wanted depth and nuance. I recognise the contradiction of wanting more while also wanting less. I guess I would have preferred a narrower focus - possibly fewer characters, plot points and issues - but more depth within that.
At times I really enjoyed this book; it certainly has much to recommend it. I often enjoy a good complicated family story and this book has two that are intertwined. It explored a number of serious topics including parental expectations and generational clashes, feminism, the issues faced by second generation migrants, Islamophobia, cross-cultural understanding, racism, toxic parenting, and the health system particularly geriatric care. Yet there was also humour and many lighter notes. The characters were all flawed but mostly likeable, and virtually all showed considerable growth over the course of the novel. I want to give the author kudos for not shying away from the messy realities of period sex. I also appreciated getting to see therapy sessions from the therapist’s perspective.
Yet I have some reservations. At times my attention wandered and I felt the book could have been shorter. Some issues felt like they played out over and over, while others, including a key reveal towards the end, felt rushed and didn’t get the attention they warranted. There are a lot of characters and some felt a little flat, almost stereotyped caricatures and I wanted depth and nuance. I recognise the contradiction of wanting more while also wanting less. I guess I would have preferred a narrower focus - possibly fewer characters, plot points and issues - but more depth within that.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Islamophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, and Rape
sagagi's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Classism
Moderate: Rape
sib_reads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Islamophobia
Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Dementia, Addiction, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Violence, Alcohol, Blood, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Death, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
Minor: Abandonment, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders
jesikasbookshelf's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This is a long book for those who enjoy largely character driven books.
Monica Ali uses her large character list to explore interesting and important situations, attitudes and experiences in the modern world. Trigger warnings for addiction, racism and rape. This is not a light read, but it is a rewarding one if you can stick with unlikeable characters as they work through the worst of themselves and start to become someone a bit better.
The book explores what it means to love someone, what it means to he active in your authenticity, what it is to stand up for who you really want to be. From a doctor's responsibility for their patients though to the responsibility children and parents feel towards each other, from the experience of discrimination through to the ignorance of one's prejudice, this book captures and asks the reader to think about so much.
It is very well done. It is is also very long and relatively slow, I wish I had been in the mood for that kind of read. As it was it took me longer to read this than I would normally and I struggled with it because of that - my advice would be to pick this one up when you are in the right mood for a long book you can live in for some time.
Monica Ali uses her large character list to explore interesting and important situations, attitudes and experiences in the modern world. Trigger warnings for addiction, racism and rape. This is not a light read, but it is a rewarding one if you can stick with unlikeable characters as they work through the worst of themselves and start to become someone a bit better.
The book explores what it means to love someone, what it means to he active in your authenticity, what it is to stand up for who you really want to be. From a doctor's responsibility for their patients though to the responsibility children and parents feel towards each other, from the experience of discrimination through to the ignorance of one's prejudice, this book captures and asks the reader to think about so much.
It is very well done. It is is also very long and relatively slow, I wish I had been in the mood for that kind of read. As it was it took me longer to read this than I would normally and I struggled with it because of that - my advice would be to pick this one up when you are in the right mood for a long book you can live in for some time.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Racism, and Addiction
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