Brick Lane: By the bestselling author of LOVE MARRIAGE

Monica Ali

Dec 2008 · Random House

About this ebook

***As dramatised on BBC Radio Four***

SHORTLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE
THE SUNDAY TIMES and NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A RICHARD AND JUDY PICK

'Written with a wisdom and skill that few authors attain in a lifetime' SUNDAY TIMES

Still in her teenage years, Nazneen finds herself in an arranged marriage with a disappointed older man. Away from her Bangladeshi village, home is now a cramped flat in a high-rise block in London's East End. Nazneen knows not a word of English, and is forced to depend on her husband.

Confined in her tiny flat, Nazneen sews furiously for a living, shut away with her buttons and linings - until the radical Karim steps unexpectedly into her life. On a background of racial conflict and tension, they embark on a love affair that forces Nazneen finally to take control of her fate.

A GRANTA BEST OF BRITISH YOUNG NOVELIST
SHORTLISTED FOR THE GUARDIAN FIRST BOOK AWARD

'A brilliant evocation of sensuality' DAILY TELEGRAPH
'A novel that will last' GUARDIAN
'Highly evolved and accomplished' OBSERVER

Reader's love for BRICK LANE:
'Memorable and gripping' *****
'The kind of book that changes your perception of the world' *****
'This has become a classic and i can see why'*****
'Funny, sharp and very touching' *****

Ratings and reviews

I love this book and also the film, brilliant and raw and a true to life account of a woman's life as a newly married young wife and mother in sad circumstances, but her faith and determination shine through in the end

it's was riveting and depressing at the same time .....not my usual read but I found it compelling and had to finish its a book I will remember for a while. ... I'll probably read again after a rest.... as it was sad

This book grew on me. It didn't grab me but it's grip grew stronger throughout. I am glad I read it. Definitely worth sticking with it.

About the author

Monica Ali was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and grew up in England. She is the author of Untold Story, In The Kitchen and Alentejo Blue. Her Sunday Times bestselling first novel Brick Lane was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, the George Orwell Prize for political writing and the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and has been made into an acclaimed film. Her latest novel Love Marriage is published by Virago.