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littletaiko's review against another edition
4.0
Loved this book and am happy that it's an entrant in the Tournament of Books. This is written under the guise of being a self help book. Love the fact that it's told in second person and always directed at 'you'. In this case you is an Asian male and we see his life unfold from an early age through death. Each chapter is a self help book directive and the ever elusive pretty woman flits through most of the chapters. It's an honest look at what it takes to survive in an up and coming nation. While the protagonoist isn't really the most sympathetic of characters you can't help but feel for him on his journey. I rarely quote from books but a couple of passages really stood out to me.
"But when you read a book, what you are seeing are black squiggles on pulped wood or, increasingly, dark pixels on a pale screen. To transform these icons into characters and events, you must imagine. And when you imagine, you create. It's in being read that a book becomes a book, and in each million different readings a book becomes one of a million different books..."
"We are all refugees from our childhoods. And so, we turn, among other things, to stories. To write a story, is to be a refugee from the state of refugees. Writers and readers seek a solution to the problem that time passes, that those who have gone are gone and those who will go, which is to say every one of us, will go. For there was a moment when anything was possible. And there will be a moment when nothing is possible. But in between we create."
"But when you read a book, what you are seeing are black squiggles on pulped wood or, increasingly, dark pixels on a pale screen. To transform these icons into characters and events, you must imagine. And when you imagine, you create. It's in being read that a book becomes a book, and in each million different readings a book becomes one of a million different books..."
"We are all refugees from our childhoods. And so, we turn, among other things, to stories. To write a story, is to be a refugee from the state of refugees. Writers and readers seek a solution to the problem that time passes, that those who have gone are gone and those who will go, which is to say every one of us, will go. For there was a moment when anything was possible. And there will be a moment when nothing is possible. But in between we create."
katherinevarga's review against another edition
I enjoyed this more than I was expecting (despite having enjoyed Hamid's other books - the title turned me off, I suppose). I love the use of second person, and the self help guide framing, and how a short book covers so much ground in the life of its nameless "you."
I wanted the "pretty girl" to be a little less sexualized and a little more fleshed out, although it turns out I'm a sucker for old people finding love because the last few chapters got me really emotional.
I wanted the "pretty girl" to be a little less sexualized and a little more fleshed out, although it turns out I'm a sucker for old people finding love because the last few chapters got me really emotional.
bcgoakander's review against another edition
4.0
Read this for John Green's bookclub and it is a very John pick :) I absolutely love stories of a life from beginning to end. The author is cheeky and meta and has a firm grasp around what makes a sentence crystal clear. I read it cover to cover in an afternoon and recommend it be read that way. Very enjoyable, leaves a good feeling in your tummy at the end.
joweston's review against another edition
4.0
Ooo, well that surprised me. It's nudging four stars, possibly 3.5 in reality. Doesn't have quite the impact of The Reluctant Fundamentalist (which I rated 4 but which is probably a 4.5) but I loved the pacy narration, despite the fact that the book spanned decades. It often felt almost real time. And ultimately, it was a quirky and touching love story.
kpjt_books's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent read. Recommended to me by my Mom. Short, but fantastically told story with a very unique narrative style.
meghan111's review against another edition
4.0
Audacious and successful novel written in second person, with the added element of each chapter opening with a framework of a self-help book about how to rise out of crushing poverty in an unnamed Asian city. It had the feeling of being edited down tightly, as if the superfluous had been taken out and this was what was left.
dcherry_pie's review against another edition
3.0
3.5! The language was beautiful at parts. Definitely a different book than ones I’ve read recently
francisbru's review against another edition
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5