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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
emotional
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think I've now read every novel Roopa Farooki has written, aside from those aimed at children. I've always enjoyed her slice of life writing style, normally covering multi-generational Pakistani families, often set in the UK.
This is not my favourite of her novels, but I did find it compelling throughout. This one is based around 4 siblings over a 70 year period, chronically their lives in Lahore, and then their lives abroad. Their abusive mother is the unique factor in this novel, who manages to haunt all of the siblings long after they move away.
The characters were realistic, but some were not likeable. I wanted to give the oldest brother, Sully, a shake in particular, and it feels like we spend the most time with him.
It took me a long time to get through this- almost 2 weeks- but I did enjoy it overall. 3.5 stars for this one and I'd happily read anything else the author puts out, still a big fan of hers!
This is not my favourite of her novels, but I did find it compelling throughout. This one is based around 4 siblings over a 70 year period, chronically their lives in Lahore, and then their lives abroad. Their abusive mother is the unique factor in this novel, who manages to haunt all of the siblings long after they move away.
The characters were realistic, but some were not likeable. I wanted to give the oldest brother, Sully, a shake in particular, and it feels like we spend the most time with him.
It took me a long time to get through this- almost 2 weeks- but I did enjoy it overall. 3.5 stars for this one and I'd happily read anything else the author puts out, still a big fan of hers!
The Good Children is a character driven book with not a whole lot of plot, so although the characters were extremely well developed and lovable, it was more of a reminiscence of what it means to be family than a novel with a story to it. Still an enjoyable and thought provoking read about how our childhood influences who we are and the passage of time. I enjoyed it but wouldn't necessarily recommend it to a friend. Two and a half stars.
3.5 stars. I wanted to award more. This took my several days, much longer than it normally would. While it's well written, it's ultimately not a life-changer or uplifting story, though it does make you think about what family is, what family means.
Four children narrate Farooki's latest book about a family's lives over several decades, from a childhood ruled over by an oppressive and dictatorial 'social butterfly' mother to the lives they lead after they are forced from the nest - the boys to study medicine in separate countries, the girls to marriages. The narration flits from time period to period, mostly moving forward with occasional forays back to pertinent moments in their pasts. And always, their mother is always in the background, never too far from their thoughts.
I did quite enjoy reading this, but I also found, when I stopped, I didn't have my usual motivation to pick up on the tale again. The main narrator and eldest brother Sully I didn't actually like as much as I wanted to - he's learned to be browbeaten and put down by his upbringing. Jakey's tale of forbidden love smacked the most of truth, the girls were less well drawn, especially the angelic Lana. Stronger Mae held promise but nothing really came of it.
It's all about the lives resulting from a strict childhood overshadowed by a callous and manipulative mother, with a father looking powerlessly on. I didn't feel it brought much to the table in terms of deepening understanding of the strict Indian family but I could picture their home and lives in India from Farooki's descriptions.
I felt somewhat empty at the end, wondering at the point of it all, though I do admire her writing, and have enjoyed the other books of hers I've read immensely. Not one I'd reread, and not her best, in my opinion.
Four children narrate Farooki's latest book about a family's lives over several decades, from a childhood ruled over by an oppressive and dictatorial 'social butterfly' mother to the lives they lead after they are forced from the nest - the boys to study medicine in separate countries, the girls to marriages. The narration flits from time period to period, mostly moving forward with occasional forays back to pertinent moments in their pasts. And always, their mother is always in the background, never too far from their thoughts.
I did quite enjoy reading this, but I also found, when I stopped, I didn't have my usual motivation to pick up on the tale again. The main narrator and eldest brother Sully I didn't actually like as much as I wanted to - he's learned to be browbeaten and put down by his upbringing. Jakey's tale of forbidden love smacked the most of truth, the girls were less well drawn, especially the angelic Lana. Stronger Mae held promise but nothing really came of it.
It's all about the lives resulting from a strict childhood overshadowed by a callous and manipulative mother, with a father looking powerlessly on. I didn't feel it brought much to the table in terms of deepening understanding of the strict Indian family but I could picture their home and lives in India from Farooki's descriptions.
I felt somewhat empty at the end, wondering at the point of it all, though I do admire her writing, and have enjoyed the other books of hers I've read immensely. Not one I'd reread, and not her best, in my opinion.
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I honestly tried so much to like this book and it characters, but they were so dysfunctional that it physically hurt me everytime I try to read it. Growing up as a poc, I understand to the conservativity and the mindset of the parents (especially the mother) trying to control every one of their movements possible. I could see the effect it has on the siblings (I read until Jakie and Sully's adult pov only) as they grow older and navigate a different world that doesn't requires them to conform to Lahore's societal expectation. But, as I went further deeper into the book, it made me so uncomfortable that I had to put this book down. Maybe one day, I might pick it up again and be able to complete it.
Blog: https://thelogophile.wixsite.com/blog
Searching in the library for a light read, the cover of this book caught my eye. I can happily say that on this occasion I am glad I judged a book by its cover. I will be buying a copy to read time and time again.
The Good Children follows four siblings and their lives, spanning three continents and seven decades. Set in Pakistan, England, and America, it deals with conflict: from the struggles of bi-cultiralism and sexuality to doing what one should and doing what is right. This is the tale of what ares, what ifs, and what could have beens; touching deeply on the raw issues faced by "good children" even today.
Sully, Jakie, Mae, and Lana. All so different and all so relatable. Roopa Farooki has managed to make the characters so real that I was able to pick out their replicas in my own life.
From the outset I was hooked. Wanting to know where Sully's mind would go next. His indeciveness and submissiveness kept me reading until the end. At times I wanted to shake him, other times I wanted to shout at him to WAKE UP. There were times when I wanted to hug and comfort him.
I laughed and I cried, I was exasperated and relieved. Farooki takes you through a rollercoaster of emotions, from the first word until the last. I could not predict what would happen next, what each character would do next, or what was in store for them. All the characters remained true to themselves and I felt as though I was a part of the group, watching the good children grow and mature into good adults.
Farooki has expertly illuminated and dealt with the issues that were so prevalent in the 1940's East and West, which are still around today. From Jakie's homosexuality to the siblings' struggles with growing up with an abusive and domineering parent. We see the effects it has on them individually and collectively, and how it moulds them as adults; how their experiences affect the way they behave with their own children and in their own lives. Four good children, four very different and separate paths.
I am unsure whether or not this is a bad thing, but the ending left me frustrated. Not by way of an anti-climax, but because Farooki so successfully weaves the story into your heart and mind that after reading the final sentence I felt that I was saying goodbye to my own family. I wanted to go back and spend more time with them, to know where their journey would take them and to be a part of it. I am still mourning.
I would recommend this read to those who enjoy a thought provoking, page-turning read which will stay with you for a long time. The themes will always remain relevant. Love, expectation, culture, identity, honour, obedience, and betrayal.
5 out of 5 from me. One of the best books I have read in a long time.
Searching in the library for a light read, the cover of this book caught my eye. I can happily say that on this occasion I am glad I judged a book by its cover. I will be buying a copy to read time and time again.
The Good Children follows four siblings and their lives, spanning three continents and seven decades. Set in Pakistan, England, and America, it deals with conflict: from the struggles of bi-cultiralism and sexuality to doing what one should and doing what is right. This is the tale of what ares, what ifs, and what could have beens; touching deeply on the raw issues faced by "good children" even today.
Sully, Jakie, Mae, and Lana. All so different and all so relatable. Roopa Farooki has managed to make the characters so real that I was able to pick out their replicas in my own life.
From the outset I was hooked. Wanting to know where Sully's mind would go next. His indeciveness and submissiveness kept me reading until the end. At times I wanted to shake him, other times I wanted to shout at him to WAKE UP. There were times when I wanted to hug and comfort him.
I laughed and I cried, I was exasperated and relieved. Farooki takes you through a rollercoaster of emotions, from the first word until the last. I could not predict what would happen next, what each character would do next, or what was in store for them. All the characters remained true to themselves and I felt as though I was a part of the group, watching the good children grow and mature into good adults.
Farooki has expertly illuminated and dealt with the issues that were so prevalent in the 1940's East and West, which are still around today. From Jakie's homosexuality to the siblings' struggles with growing up with an abusive and domineering parent. We see the effects it has on them individually and collectively, and how it moulds them as adults; how their experiences affect the way they behave with their own children and in their own lives. Four good children, four very different and separate paths.
I am unsure whether or not this is a bad thing, but the ending left me frustrated. Not by way of an anti-climax, but because Farooki so successfully weaves the story into your heart and mind that after reading the final sentence I felt that I was saying goodbye to my own family. I wanted to go back and spend more time with them, to know where their journey would take them and to be a part of it. I am still mourning.
I would recommend this read to those who enjoy a thought provoking, page-turning read which will stay with you for a long time. The themes will always remain relevant. Love, expectation, culture, identity, honour, obedience, and betrayal.
5 out of 5 from me. One of the best books I have read in a long time.
First of all, a big thank you to Book Bridgr and Tinder Press for allowing me to read a copy of this fantastic novel. The author, Roopa Farooki has been long-listed twice for the Orange Prize (now Bailey’s Women’s Prize for Fiction) for her novels, Bitter Sweets and The Flying Man and after reading this beautifully written tale of how a mother’s love affects her children in different ways, I can definitely see why. It tells the story of four siblings – two boys, Sully and Jakie and two girls, Mae and Lana who grow up in 1940’s Lahore, Pakistan during the time of the partition under an authoritarian and controlling mother whose behaviour to her children is a mixture of emotional, mental and physical abuse as she tries to bring them up as “good” children.
Sully and Jakie are sent overseas to America and London respectively to become doctors and are each very successful in their field but the looming shadow of their past and their mother’s influence haunts both and ends up influencing their life decisions. Sully ends up marrying a very “unsuitable” Indian girl and Jakie falls in love with an Irish man in a time when homosexuality was still very much frowned upon. The fact that he is a Pakistani doctor in the NHS in the 1950’s also makes his life very difficult, as racial prejudice was rife and he faces challenges every day both in his career and his love-life which also proves to be a rocky road. Mae and Lana, the girls left behind are expected to make good marriages because of the status of their own family and the disappointment of their mother in her sons who appear to have failed her. Both girls succeed in marrying well initially but have their own problems and indeed tragedies within the marriages. The siblings return home twice – for their fathers then their mothers funeral where it becomes obvious how much power their past has over them and how it has affected their whole lives as a result.
The novel is split up into different sections allowing the reader to “hear” from each character individually and covers the time period 1938-2009. I loved hearing from each character although I don’t feel we got to hear as much from the second daughter, Lana which was a shame. However, what I did hear was wonderful. As the oldest son, Sully probably struggles the most with his mother’s influence which seems to affect his whole personality and as a result, sadly, his marriage. Jakie, as I mentioned before has enough to deal with as regards racial and homophobic prejudice but his relationship with Frank, a challenging yet loveable character is also threatened. I really enjoyed reading about Mae who I felt was the strongest and most independent sibling of them all. I gave a little cheer every time she was able to stand up to her mother or when she decided to forge her own path in life, going against everything her culture (and mother) dictated. One of the many beautiful things about this novel has to be the powerfulness of the characters. In fact, once I finished, I felt like I knew them intimately and felt connected to their struggles. I think the author also tackles a range of difficult subjects, like family values, culture, homosexuality, racism (to name a few), with ease and finesse which left me with a lot to think about long after I had finished. I will definitely be reading more from Roopa Farooki and I hope this book gets the acclaim it deserves.
For my full review please go to http://www.bibliobeth.com
Sully and Jakie are sent overseas to America and London respectively to become doctors and are each very successful in their field but the looming shadow of their past and their mother’s influence haunts both and ends up influencing their life decisions. Sully ends up marrying a very “unsuitable” Indian girl and Jakie falls in love with an Irish man in a time when homosexuality was still very much frowned upon. The fact that he is a Pakistani doctor in the NHS in the 1950’s also makes his life very difficult, as racial prejudice was rife and he faces challenges every day both in his career and his love-life which also proves to be a rocky road. Mae and Lana, the girls left behind are expected to make good marriages because of the status of their own family and the disappointment of their mother in her sons who appear to have failed her. Both girls succeed in marrying well initially but have their own problems and indeed tragedies within the marriages. The siblings return home twice – for their fathers then their mothers funeral where it becomes obvious how much power their past has over them and how it has affected their whole lives as a result.
The novel is split up into different sections allowing the reader to “hear” from each character individually and covers the time period 1938-2009. I loved hearing from each character although I don’t feel we got to hear as much from the second daughter, Lana which was a shame. However, what I did hear was wonderful. As the oldest son, Sully probably struggles the most with his mother’s influence which seems to affect his whole personality and as a result, sadly, his marriage. Jakie, as I mentioned before has enough to deal with as regards racial and homophobic prejudice but his relationship with Frank, a challenging yet loveable character is also threatened. I really enjoyed reading about Mae who I felt was the strongest and most independent sibling of them all. I gave a little cheer every time she was able to stand up to her mother or when she decided to forge her own path in life, going against everything her culture (and mother) dictated. One of the many beautiful things about this novel has to be the powerfulness of the characters. In fact, once I finished, I felt like I knew them intimately and felt connected to their struggles. I think the author also tackles a range of difficult subjects, like family values, culture, homosexuality, racism (to name a few), with ease and finesse which left me with a lot to think about long after I had finished. I will definitely be reading more from Roopa Farooki and I hope this book gets the acclaim it deserves.
For my full review please go to http://www.bibliobeth.com
This book should actually be titled “Ridiculous Mother And Obnoxious Children”.
“Good Children” narrates the story of four Punjabi siblings brought up in Lahore by their disciplinarian and somewhat mentally disturbed/emotionally distant mother, who lives to keep up appearances and their father who lurks somewhere in the shadows as far as parenting is concerned.
The story is divided into three parts, the first ranging from 1938-1961, the second from 1961-1997 and the last from 1961-2009.
The timeline itself is sort of crazy and disruptive to the narrative that jumps between all four siblings.
The two boys Sully (Sulaman Saddeq) and Jakie (Jamal Kamal) and girls Mae (Maryam) and Lana (Leena).
For starters, it’s a bit of an overstretch that a muslim household in 1938 was totally English in all habits and mannerisms plus the names of all children?!
The two boys to further their education are sent to The United States and The United Kingdom respectively where they live as they please, marry whom they will but the readers somehow need to believe that their strict upbringing and distant mother is responsible for their discontented selves.
The daughters get married early and with their consent at young ages due to society and pressure from their mother but are both divorced/separated within a few years (where is societal pressure now?
P.S. I’m not advocating forced or unhappy marriages just stating how it all feels out of place in this story).
.
The representation of religion is done very poorly and in trying very hard to be relevant to multiple themes the story keeps losing the plot every time.
This book felt like a lost opportunity and even though I love reading about relationship dynamics and family sagas this one was a disappointment.
“Good Children” narrates the story of four Punjabi siblings brought up in Lahore by their disciplinarian and somewhat mentally disturbed/emotionally distant mother, who lives to keep up appearances and their father who lurks somewhere in the shadows as far as parenting is concerned.
The story is divided into three parts, the first ranging from 1938-1961, the second from 1961-1997 and the last from 1961-2009.
The timeline itself is sort of crazy and disruptive to the narrative that jumps between all four siblings.
The two boys Sully (Sulaman Saddeq) and Jakie (Jamal Kamal) and girls Mae (Maryam) and Lana (Leena).
For starters, it’s a bit of an overstretch that a muslim household in 1938 was totally English in all habits and mannerisms plus the names of all children?!
The two boys to further their education are sent to The United States and The United Kingdom respectively where they live as they please, marry whom they will but the readers somehow need to believe that their strict upbringing and distant mother is responsible for their discontented selves.
The daughters get married early and with their consent at young ages due to society and pressure from their mother but are both divorced/separated within a few years (where is societal pressure now?
P.S. I’m not advocating forced or unhappy marriages just stating how it all feels out of place in this story).
.
The representation of religion is done very poorly and in trying very hard to be relevant to multiple themes the story keeps losing the plot every time.
This book felt like a lost opportunity and even though I love reading about relationship dynamics and family sagas this one was a disappointment.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes