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shays's review against another edition
3.0
Thematically, the book addresses the liminality of being from many places and nowhere at the same time. Hamid has lived at various times in Lahore, New York, and London, as he is of all of them, and none of them. The tension is heightened by the ongoing disagreements between the West and Islam, and Hamid finds himself cast as an unlikely interpreter between the two. While there are a few essays from the turn of the millennium, most of this work addresses a post-9/11 world. Many of the pieces first appeared in The New York Times, but others were published in Pakistani magazines or Indian newspapers so that we see Hamid speaking explicitly to both sides. The pieces range widely, but it is to this interpretive role that he returns again and again. In the end, you will know a bit about him as a person and as a writer, and how these identities have informed his view of the world. more
athenamangoes's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5
This was a solid collection of essays. I enjoyed them because they provided context and insight to Mohsin Hamid's fiction, which I've liked in the past. They were thoughtful while providing a complex/detailed look into modern Pakistan through a non-American lens.
With that in mind, as this is a collection of essays from his entire career, some essays were a bit repetitive. These essays are divided into three sections, Life, Art, and Politics, and I found that the final third dragged due to topic severity and essay density. While I understand why the essays were divided this way, I think it might have been beneficial to swap Art and Politics, just to break things up.
The reason I'm leaving this at 3 stars instead of rounding up is simply that this collection didn't wow me. I'm still a fan of his work, and will likely pick up whatever he publishes in the future, but I'll likely reread the essays I really liked rather than the entire collection.
This was a solid collection of essays. I enjoyed them because they provided context and insight to Mohsin Hamid's fiction, which I've liked in the past. They were thoughtful while providing a complex/detailed look into modern Pakistan through a non-American lens.
With that in mind, as this is a collection of essays from his entire career, some essays were a bit repetitive. These essays are divided into three sections, Life, Art, and Politics, and I found that the final third dragged due to topic severity and essay density. While I understand why the essays were divided this way, I think it might have been beneficial to swap Art and Politics, just to break things up.
The reason I'm leaving this at 3 stars instead of rounding up is simply that this collection didn't wow me. I'm still a fan of his work, and will likely pick up whatever he publishes in the future, but I'll likely reread the essays I really liked rather than the entire collection.
abeanbg's review
4.0
This was a pleasant and thoughtful little essay collection to breeze through. I think I took it all in over the course of just four sittings. It's interesting to get some insights into his creative process and I liked his geo-political and social essays, even if they did tend to be somewhat repetitive.
thesgtrekkiereads's review against another edition
4.0
Ok definitely need a lighter read after today's two books... lol
2019 reading challenge - A book written by an author from Asia, Africa, or South America
2019 reading challenge - A book written by an author from Asia, Africa, or South America
shaguftap's review against another edition
3.0
This is the first book by Mohsin Hamid that I have enjoyed, and I was surprised how much I liked this collection of essays about London, New York and Islamabad. His meditations on migration, politics and home are interesting. Some of the essays felt a bit simplistic so this wasn't a four star book for me, but it was still a wonderful book.
ariel_bloomer's review against another edition
5.0
Immediate and captivating, unexpected and sensitive. For those who like gentle prose, short form, third culture kid narratives, writing about writing, international affairs and a tight weave between personal and political.
janiswong's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
fast-paced
5.0
I love this book (and Hamid's other works) and re-read it annually since I first picked it up. Every time I read it, I pick up new details and recontextualise the short essays in recent news. Even after over 20 years in which some of the essays have been written, the pieces continue to be relevant today.