Esoteric Sips

Film review: Their Eyes Were Watching God (2005)

2012-01-31T18:13:00.000Z

There's two things everybody got to find out for theyselves: they got to find out about love, and they got to find out about living. Now, love is like the sea. It's a moving thing. And it's different on every shore. And living... well, I just come back from burying the dead.

I'm glad I watched Their Eyes Were Watching God with a particularly weak memory of the original text and was able to enjoy the film for itself. I'm not much of a fan of Halle Berry, but she her acting is wonderful and she catches the spirit of both the young, dreamy Janie and also the older, wiser Janie exctremely well, whilst Michael Ealy is heart-wrenchingly dazzling as Tea Cake. The chemistry between the two is captivating in its passion and poignancy. The stunning cinematography and the lush landscapes add the finishing touches to a truly mesmerising film.

Watching this adaptation of Their Eyes Were Watching God inspired me to go back and reread the original by Zora Neale Hurston (review here), for both the pleasure of reading it again and also to compare it to the film. As much I enjoyed it, it isn't a perfect adaptation of the original. Although the storyline and characters are true to the book, there is a notable absence of racialism and colour consciousness in the film. I can understand that perhaps Darnell Martin and Oprah Winfrey wanted to create a black community that wasn't defined by it's polarity to the white community and or its characteristics to depend on its treatment by their former slave-owners, and perhaps they thought that just the concept of a town only for a Black community would be enough of an indication to the context of the film. However, I do think that it it takes away from the complexities of Hurston's story, which is a real shame. But then there's only so much you can fit into less than two hours of film time. Although diluted, the film does portray Hurston's celebration of Black rural life in the south.

The feminist aspects of the story are much more apparent in the film, but I wouldn't say they are entirely in tune with the original, and are, in fact, over-simplified. Taking away the history of slavery and racism simplifies the power politics of the oppression of Black women as being between just men and women, when actually - as Hurston explores in her book - the oppression of Black women is much more complicated as it is instigated not only by their own men, but also by White men and women. Furthermore, the concept of freedom is a much more modern idea in the film: in the original story Janie marries Tea Cake and he liberates her from the traditional, repressive model of marriage, whereas in the film Janie makes a point of not marrying Tea Cake, suggesting that real freedom can only be achieved outside of marriage, making Janie much more rebellious than Hurston's Janie.

The one thing that I didn't like about the film was that, whilst in Hurtson's book God and religion is a natural part of the story and the community, Janie only mentions God in the film when Tea Cake asks "hey Janie, whatcha doin?" "I'm watching God"- this a complete failure of an attempt to pull the title and the story together.

Having said all this, I am still planning to get myself a copy of this film on DVD as it's a gorgeous tribute to Hurston's love story of Janie and Tea Cake. If you do watch it, you owe to yourself to read the book, too. And prepare to be blown away by its words.

Book review: Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

2012-01-30T17:32:00.000Z

Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time. That is the life of men.
Now, women forget all those things they don't want to remember, and remember everything they don't want to forget. the dream is the truth. Then they act and do things accordingly.

I never thought I'd be re-reading Their Eyes Were Watching God this year, but after watching the film adaptation on BBC recently, I had to dust off my old copy and re-introduce myself to this beautiful piece of work.

Janie has big dreams of love and romance, but as a woman sho lived through slavery, her grandmother tells Janie: "De nigger woman is de mule ah de world". So at sixteen, Janie is married off to old Logan Killicks who "look like some ole skull-head in de grave yard". Married life, however, doesn't hold the love and romance that she dreamed, but is just as lonely and confining as her previous life. When Jody Starks comes along with his big plans of building Eatonville, the only town in the United States with a solely black community, Janie leaves behind Logan Killicks and the hard labour of the farm, and starts a new and successful life with Jody who goes on to become the Mayor of Eatonville. But even Joe's high life fails to fulfil her hopes or dreams:

Janie stood where [Jody] left her for unmeasured time and thought. She stood there until something fell off the shelf inside her. Then she went inside there to see what it was. It was her image of Jody tumbled down and shattered. But looking at it she saw that it never was the flesh and blood figure of her dreams. Just some thing she had grabbed up to drape her dreams over. In a way she turned her back upon the image where it lay and looked further. She had no more blossomy openings dusting pollen over her man, neither any glistening young fruit where the petals used to be.

Years later, after the death of Jody, Janie falls in love with Tea Cake, the man of her dreams that liberates her not with money or a high life, but with a packet of flowering seeds. This is the most beautiful part of the story - Zora Neale Hurston's writing flows with lyricism and evocative imagery. How could anyone who reads this book fall in love with Tea Cake?

She couldn’t make [Tea Cake] look just like any other man to her. He looked like the love thoughts of women. He could be a bee to a blossom – a pear tree blossom in the spring. He seemed to be crushing scent out of the world with his footsteps. Crushing aromatic herbs with every step he took. Spices hung about him. He was a glance from God.

Their Eyes Were Watching God is renowned as an African-American feminist classic, but it's a lot more than just that: it's an achingly human story of friendship, love, beauty and the liberation of the human spirit. You must, must read it.

Love ain't somethin' lak uh grindstone dat's de same thing everywhere and do de same thing tuh everything it touch. Love is lak de sea. It's uh movin' thing, but still and all, it takes its shape from de shore it meets, and it's different with every shore.

Book review: The Stone Gods by Jeanette Winterson

2012-01-30T16:00:00.000Z

It's been a long time since I've read dystopian fiction, which is the main reason why I decided to join the Dystopia Reading Challenge. I'd forgotten how challenging it could be!

Before I begin - I'd just like to inform you that the constellations depicted on the front cover of The Stone Gods actually make up the figure of a woman. I only just noticed that! *doh*

Jeanette Winterson sets The Stone Gods in three parts in three different eras. The first is in a dystopian future where humans are planning to abandon their abused and depleted planet Orbus in order to colonise the newly discovered Planet Blue in order to make start and correct the mistakes they made on Orbus. Billie Crusoe is sent to Planet Blue along with a robo-sapiens named Spike in order to fix the problem of dinosaurs on the planet which is currently preventing humans from migrating there. Their plan to redirect an asteroid to collide with planet Blue in order to create a dust-storm to wipe out the dinosaurs fails miserably and instead they trigger an ice-age. The humans will have to wait a little longer to migrate to Planet Blue. Did I mention Billie falls in love with the robot, Spike? There's plenty more when it comes to elements of the ridiculous in this book.

The second part is set in the past, depicting the fictional story of a shipwrecked member of Captain Cook's Easter Island crew. This time the protagonist is a male called Billy who falls in love with someone called Spikkers. Of course, one would assume that this a story about parallel universes, but then in the third part we have Billie and Spike again on planet Orbus, but this time it's set in the near future, post third world war. Spike is still a robot but only consists of a talking head and is Billie's 'trainee'. We are meant to assume that these two are not the same people as in the first part of the story. Confused much?

The story didn't quite add up to me, especially a certain part of it which I don't want to mention as it would spoil it for you. If any of guys figure it out, please do let me know! The overall jist of the book, however, is about past and future worlds - of the repetition of history and how humans forget the past and make the same mistakes over and over again. As always, Winterson writes in poetic prose but I don't feel that this was as well-crafted or as lyrical the other books I've read by her, namely The Powerbook and Sexing the Cherry. It's a real shame actually, as this is quite a dense novel in terms of subject matter (socio-environmental issues, science, history, the human condition) and it could have been much better than it is.

Although not her best book, it's still worth a read, if only for some laughter and a bit of wisdom thrown in.

Top Ten Film Adaptations and Fictional Couples

2012-01-24T00:42:00.000Z

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish.

Since today's Top Ten Tuesday is a freebie, I thought I'd do a topic I missed out on before I decided to join this meme. I just couldn't bring myself to pick one, so I present you lucky people with TWO Top Ten lists!

Top Ten Movie Adaptations

I've seen a lot of adaptations, and loved many more than I can list here. There are also many where I've not managed to read the original text, so here I'm just going to list the ten that I've loved the text and the adaptation. As always, in no particular order:

Pride and Prejudice, BBC (1995)

Does this even need explaining? The best adaptation of a 19th century novel. Like, ever. I've watched it so many times, I'm sure I know it by heart. And given my terrible memory, that's something.

Tess of the D'Urbervilles (1998)

Tess of the D'Urbervilles (2008)

Tess of the D'Urbervilles is another of my favourite classic novels. I can't quite decide between the above two, I love them both for different reasons. Both Justine Waddell and Gemma Arterton play the character of Tess brilliantly in their own way.

Jane Eyre, BBC (2006)

There's been so many adaptations of Jane Eyre but this is by far the one I've loved most and actually wanted to watch again and again.

Small Island, BBC (2009)

I love the book, I love the adaptation. Both make me laugh and cry at once! In-depth review here.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Okay, okay, I'm cheating - I've never read the original texts. Buuuuut everyone knows it's an amazing adaptation. And I am planning to read it very soon. Me and my sister have LOTR marathons with the extended editions, but I'm sure she's watched it more many times than me as she knows all the words and it can get pretty annoying when she can't just say them in her head!

Memoirs of a Geisha (2003)

A beautiful book and a beautiful adaptation.

The Green Mile (1999)

This is a great adaptation of the only Stephen King book I've read (seriously). I would have added The Shawshank Redemption adaptation too, but I've never read it.

Bridget Jones' Diary (2001), Bridget Jones: the Edge of Reason (2004)

What can I say, Bridget is just too bloody funny.

Girl With a Pearl Earring (2004)

Another beautiful book with an equally beautiful adaptation. I've also just realised that three of the mentioned films in this list star Colin Firth!

North and South, BBC (2004)

Another one that I've not read! Ooops! I really do love this adaptation though, it's passionate and poignant despite being rather bleak. Love Richard Armitage in this.

Top Ten Fictional Couples.

Jane and Rochester from Jane Eyre. I love these two people. And yes, I'll admit it - I love Rochester more than Darcy!! They're both quite dark and brooding, but Rochester has the personality that I don't think Darcy has.
Elizabeth and Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. Of course, this goes without saying.
Hortense and Gilbert from Small Island. The funniest anti-couple ever, love these guys! Gilbert is right up there with Rochester and Darcy, in my eyes!
Janie and Tea Cake from Their Eyes Were Watching God. Their love is so simple and real.
Thursday Next and Landon Park-Laine from the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde. Thursday is awesome; these two make such a great couple.
Margaret and Thornton from North and South - they're relationship is quite similar to Elizabeth and Darcy's in its misunderstandings and prejudices.
Lorelai Gilmore and Luke Danes from The Gilmore Girls - I'm cheating here because these two are from a TV drama rather than a book, but they're still fictional mind! I adore these two together. And I love Lorelai. If I could ever have a personality transplant, it would have to be Lorelai's personality I'd want. It's probably the way she can be so sarcastic and still be entirely loveable!
Aragorn and Arwen from The Lord of the Rings - there's something almost celestially serene about these two lovers.
Bridget and Mark Darcy - the funniest, unlikeliest and most satisfyingly imperfect couple.
Sammar and Rae from The Translator by Leila Aboulela - their love is so painfully poignant.

Drama review: The Mystery of Edwin Drood (BBC, 2012)

2012-01-19T17:23:00.000Z

You've got to give it to the BBC, they almost always do an awesome job when it comes to drama adaptations, especially of the classics. The Mystery of Edwin Drood is no exception.

I've never actually read this famously unfinished novel by Charles Dickens, but as far as I'm aware, the scriptwriter Gwyneth Hughes stayed pretty close the original storyline - or at least, how much there was of it. This gothic tale is set in the cathedral town of Cloisterham, following the double-life of John Jasper: by day he works as a choirmaster at the cathedral, finding peace in the sublimity of his music; by night, however, he is a psychologically troubled opium addict haunted by drug-fuelled dreams in which he murders his nephew Edwin Drood in order to steal the object of his fantasies - Edwin's virginal fiancée, Rosa. The first episode leaves us on a cliff-hanger where, on a dark stormy night, Jasper acts out his dream and strangles Edwin to death with a silk scarf in the cathedral. The second-part of the drama finds Jasper waking up and wondering if what he remembers from last night was real: Edwin is missing from his bed and there is no sign of a body in the cathedral. The rest of the drama is quite fast-paced as the people of Cloisterham try to piece together what happened to Drood, where his body is and ultimately who killed him - if he is indeed dead.

This is a brilliantly clever and emotionally-charged psychological thriller: it had me on my toes until the very end. It's wonderfully atmospheric with an excellent script and fantastic acting. I don't think there was any actor in this drama that did not do their character justice. Matthew Rys, of course, stole the show as Jasper - he plays the gothic anti-hero character perfectly: he's dark, brooding and sick in mind - but somehow, he still ends up stealing our empathy.

I don't think the ending was particularly Dickensian - it was a little too satisfying and a little too forgiving of Jasper. Nonetheless, I congratulate BBC for another brilliant period drama and look forward to whatever they're going to hit us with in the coming year.

Another one bites the dust: The Go-Away Bird

2012-01-17T22:57:00.002Z

I gave up on The Go-Away Bird by Warren Fitzgerald after about 74 pages. Before reading I guessed from the colourful design of the cover and the blurb at the back that it must be a YA story, perhaps something along the lines The Life of Pi:

This is a story about me, Clementine, and my friends: a panther called Levi, a pelican called Lola and a turtle called Jimmy. It is about dragons and goblins, my Daddy the King, my Mummy the Queen and Prince Pio my brother. At least that is the way I tell it sometimes when thoughts of the blood, the machetes, the swamp and the fear of Uncle Leonard become too hard to describe.
But that was all before I met Ashley, wonderful Ashley. Not that he would ever call himself wonderful in a million years. When he tells you his story you will see what I mean…

The story starts with a man called Ashley from East London who teaches people to sing, stores people's drugs stashes and slashes his arms when he's feeling stressed. Exactly the colourful story I was expecting.

The Go-Away Bird turns out to be about the turmoil in Rwanda before it's independence, which, after reading Far From Home, I was definitely interested in reading about. I just found the juxtaposition of the self-harming and the Rwandan violence too distressing. I'm sure I could have carried on reading if the writing had been better, but by page 74 Fitzgerald still hadn't done anything spectacular to make me want to read on. And frankly, I have far too many books I want to read right now than to struggle through one that was seriously slowing down my production levels. Maybe I'll give it a another go once I've exhausted my current reading resources.

EDIT: As embarrassing as this is, it's better for me inform you that I have acknowledged my stupidity instead of allowing you all to think "hey, what a dumbass": I've clearly confused myself between the two countries of Rwanda and Rhodesia as they start and end with the same letters (at least, that's my excuse). The Go-Away Bird is set in Rwanda whilst Far From Home is set in Rhodesia (former Zimbabwe) which is a completely different country. So let's just say that Far From Home inspired an interest in African history, and it's a shame I couldn't learn more about Rwandan history through the Go-Away Bird.

Book review: The Good Muslim by Tahmima Anam

2012-01-17T22:20:00.000Z

The Good Muslim is the second novel in a trilogy, and sequel to A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam (review here). It's been twelve years since the war of independence, but the people of Bangladesh don't really have much more freedom or stability than they did before the war: a dictator is in power, war criminals are still roaming free with their crimes unaccounted for, and women who were raped in that brutal war have not seen any justice.

This sequel is largely from the perspective of Maya, whose voice we hear very little of in the first book. In the last decade, Maya has qualified as a doctor and, impelled by working with victims of rape during the war delivering babies and performing abortions, she has been working as a country doctor helping pregnant women in villages. She is not welcomed by the men of the village, and after a particularly bad experience, Maya makes her way back home to Dhaka to face the family she has not seen in over ten years.

Sohail is no longer the brother Maya loved and was inseparable from before the war; Sohail has embraced a conservative form of Islam and has become a charismatic religious leader. Maya, herself a Marxist with no love for her religion, is unable to understand her brother's conversion. The main crux of the story lays on Maya's desperation to make a connection with her brother. Although she also fought for the liberation of her people, Maya did not fight on the battleground and cannot understand the psychological effects the war had on her brother. The guilt of war left Sohail in despair and he found his only hope for redemption through religion. Maya knows that her brother is lost to her, but she must make one last fight to save his little son Zaid, who has been neglected and deprived of a normal life.

This is a much darker story than it's predecessor, and possibly less enjoyable too. Anam's poetical skills are still apparent in A Good Muslim, but I was quite confused over the descriptions of Sohail's religious practices as I never understood exactly what was going on - it was all very cultish and slightly disturbing.

It is, nonetheless, a very poignant portrayal of the psychological effects of war and it's consequences. As in A Golden Age, the family becomes a microcosm for the unstable state of the country, but in this sequel there's a real sense of permanent loss and desolation. There is a happy ending of sorts, but the climax of the book was truly heartbreaking for me and I just couldn't get past it to the victory at the end.

The yummiest mug of hot chocolate

2012-01-17T20:29:00.000Z

A mug of hot chocolate in your favourite literary mug and a good book to snuggle up with (in this case, Their Eyes Were Watching God) - what more could you want on a cold, English evening? Except this has to be the yummiest hot chocolate I've had in long time: coconut flavour hot chocolate. My brother recently introduced me to it from Whittard's and it is divine. I can't think of a better combination of flavours. Looking on their website, they don't seem be stocking this anymore so I assume it was a seasonal flavour. They do, however, have the most awesome collection of other hot chocolate flavours - check them out. The cherry flavour is just calling out to me, as are the lemon meringue and rocky road flavours. The 3 for 2 offer looks rather tempting... For now, I'm going to find me a Bounty bar to dip into my coconut hot chocolate and indulge in, ooh yeahhh..

Book review: A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam

2012-01-15T22:09:00.001Z

'What sense did it make to have a country in two halves, poised on either side of India like a pair of horns?'

When I first picked up A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam, it struck me that I knew next to nothing about the history of Bangladesh. Being a British-born Pakistani, the partitioning of India and Pakistan is a subject that is never far from discussion in the Pakistani community, whether by your own family or on TV or even in literature. Of course I knew that Bangladesh, sitting on the other side of India, was once called East Pakistan, but I realised I had never looked into the partitioning of East and West Pakistan because no one ever seems to talk about it. I was shocked to discover, after reading The Golden Age, that East Pakistan fought a war of independence and that is was such a brutal and shameful affair. Perhaps that is why it is never talked about much.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this is the first novel to be written about the subject in the English language, which I think is quite telling about the subject matter. I have to admit, reading A Golden Age made me extremely uncomfortable; it's not easy to be shown the darker side of 'your own people', especially when they have for so long been the victims of oppression themselves. As the story progressed, I understood that it isn't a story about ethnicity - it's about power and the fight between the oppressed and the oppressor, the poor against the wealthy, freedom against dictatorship.

A Golden Age is the first book in a trilogy telling the history of Bangladesh from the war on independence onwards. Although the story is not completely based on true-life events, Anam was inspired by her grandmother's story who housed freedom fighters in her house during the war. Anam's father and uncle were also freedom fighters in the same war.

Rehana, the protagonist of this novel, is an Urdu-speaking woman born in West Pakistan who married and moved to East Pakistan where she was widowed and left with a son and daughter. The story opens with Rehana standing at her husband's grave informing him that she lost the custody of her children to her brother-in-law and his wife, who take the children back to West Pakistan with them. The sense of loss and division that Rehana feels and the determination to claim justice pervades the story and becomes metaphorical of the state of East Pakistan.

Rehana succeeds in winning her children back, but as they grow up the tensions between the divided country mounts. When her son Sohail and daughter Maya become involved with politics, Rehana becomes caught between wanting to give her children everything they could ever want and wanting to keep them home where it's safe. She realises that she cannot stop them from joining the war efforts and accepts that the only way to keep them close to her is by helping them. Sohail becomes a freedom fighter, whilst Maya perseveres with her political activism through journalism. Rehana finds herself heavily involved with the war when Sohail asks her to hide artillery supplies for the guerrilla movement in her house. When Sohail brings home the Major who is wounded in battle, begging his mother to nurse him back to health, Rehana's life changes in a way she hadn't expected.

A Golden Age is a moving story, and quite an eye-opening one for me. The characterisation in this story is good: although Sohail and Maya fight the war in their own ways, the real hero of the story is definitely Rehana; her unconditional love for her children and her bravery allow her children the success they deserve. Both Sohail and Maya are passionate about fighting for freedom, but emotionally Sohail is the weaker of the two, demonstrated by his unwavering love for not only his mother, but especially by his love for his childhood friend Silvi. Maya is a less likeable character than Sohail - her relationship with Rehana is tense and she seems very much like a repressed teenager. But as the novel progresses and Maya finds her way, the reader learns that Maya is frustrated that she cannot fight for her country in the same way that her brothers does and must find her own way to fight for her country. Although most loose ends are tied up by the close of the novel, we never find out what becomes of the Major.

I enjoyed Anam's writing - it's fluid and at times almost poetical. If I was to judge this novel alone rather than as part of a trilogy, I find it quite unconvincing that, unlike her friends and neighbours, Rehana suffers no real loss during the war. This might, of course, be because their tests are to come in the next instalment of the story. A Golden Age is very much a celebration of victory over oppression. The story does, nevertheless, end on a slightly unsure note, preparing the reader for the aftermath of the war in the next part of the trilogy, A Good Muslim.

This is a novel I'd definitely recommend to anyone who knows little about the history of Bangladesh.

Book review: Love In A Headscarf: Muslim Woman Seeks The One by Shelina Zahra Janmohamed

2012-01-10T00:14:00.001Z

Title: Love In A Headscarf: Muslim Woman Seeks The One
Author: Shelina Zahra Janmohamed
Publisher: Aurum Press Ltd (14 Feb, 2009)
Pages: 288 (Paperback)
ISBN: 9781845134280

Love In A Headscarf: Muslim Woman Seeks The One really is what the title says: a memoir about a practising Muslim woman's journey to finding her One True Love, Muslim-style. Or Asian-Muslim-style, should I say. From the perspective of those who hold preconceived ideas about Muslim women, Shelina Janmohamed is a walking contradiction: she's an Oxford graduate, independent, head-strong, Muslim, wears hijab and - shock, horror! - chooses to have an arranged marriage! The main objective of Shelina's memoir is not only to thwart the misconceptions that are wrongly attributed to the religion of Islam and it's status of women, but also to deconstruct the Asian-Muslim Marriage Market and bring to the surface the problems within the Muslim community that have led to what you might call a 'Global Marriage Crisis'.

For someone from an Asian background, where traditionally women voices are suppressed when it comes to dicussing love and marriage, Shelina has made a huge break-through. She successfully pulls away the cultural aspects of marriage that actually conflict with the teachings of Islam and the rights it gives to women, and yet so so often appear to strangle Muslim women across the world due to widespread ignorance. Her writing expresses passion and a determination to turn all these misconceptions about Islam upside-down.

And yet...I didn't really like this book. And I feel really bad about not liking it, I even tried reading it a second time but I didn't like it any more than the first time I read it. Am I just a fussy reader? On both readings, I found quite a few issues with the book that I just couldn't shake off.

Firstly, why is Love In A Headscarf presented as chick-lit/rom-com? I found the writing far too dense and the subject matter far too serious for an easy/feel-good read. Sure there's a bit of comedy in her style of writing - not really to my taste (What?! My SOH is just very...particular) - but the romance was really lacking. Sure, there's plenty of long deliberations on the nature of love etc, but when Shelina actually finds the One, it proves to be such an anti-climax. If a book claims to be a rom-com, the readers should at least be allowed to indulge in their girly needs for love and romance. There seemed a lack of emotion in Shelina's writing style, which sometimes rendered her rollercoaster journey somewhat melodramtic.

Secondly, I didn't feel too inspired by Shelina's expression of her faith. It seemed a little preachy at times, and I didn't feel I learnt anything new. This may be because the book is aimed more at non-Muslims. I have no right to judge anybody else's faith, as it is not my place to, but I guess I'm just a little more conservative in my Islamic views. Shelina tries to show a balance between a Muslim and a British identity but I'm not quite sure it works. For example, she claims to be influenced by both Islamic and Western ideals of love: on the one hand she describes Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as the ideal husband and on the other hand her Western influence is...Prince Charming. If she had mentioned, say, Mr Darcy, I would have found it much more convincing. It seems as if she's trying too hard to portray herself as both Muslim and British.

I could pick more holes in the book, but actually that would be unfair of me. Ultimately Shelina does achieve what she set out to do - to challenge stereotypes and misconceptions, to challenge the problems faced by British Asian Muslims when looking for marriage partners. There was plenty in Shelina's memoir that I agreed whole-heartedly with: women have the right to voice their opinions when it comes to marriage and should take active roles in the process; as well as being educated and independent, 'womanly' things such as being carers and nurturers need to be recognised and need more status; one of the key contributing factors to the 'Global Marriage Crisis' is that "if you were interested in love, then it had to be a glamorous, sexy kind of love"; that what is needed to fix this crisis is "a collective reassessment of what it mean[s] to be a man and what it mean[s] to be a woman, a new gender reconstruction going back to the very roots of Islam, where men and women were partners and companions rather than disjointed and dysfunctional".

For me Love In A Headscarf wasn't an entirely enjoyable read, I could point out books written by Muslim women that are more inspiring and emotional, but to totally disregard this book would be a mistake. Shelina is making the voice of Muslim women heard: even if she cannot speak for all of us, she is at least paving a path through the thick forest for the rest of us.

EDIT: This was an old post, no idea how it managed to post itself here..?!

Drama review: Great Expectations (BBC, 2011)

2012-01-09T23:49:00.000Z

I'm grateful I've only read Great Expectations once and that my memory was not serving me well when it came to the storyline whilst watching this new adaptation. It meant that I could actually enjoy it and not rip it to pieces for ripping Dickens to pieces. Well, not rip it to too many pieces.

So, since I didn't remember much other than the basic storyline (Pip going to Satis House and falling in love with Estella, going to London to become a gentleman all the while believing Miss Havisham to be his benefactor, then learning it was actually Magwitch, and finally helping Magwitch escape) the drama had me in almost as much suspense as someone not familiar with Great Expectations. From the perspective of entertainment, I really enjoyed this drama - it was emotional, dramatic and atmospheric, the acting was good, and the cinematography was stunning, especially in the opening scenes with Magwitch rising from the marshes. This is what HD TV was made for.

But if I consider this adaptation from a more literary perspective, it's a little disappointing. Firstly, although the young Pip was spot on with his acting, I didn't much like the older Pip, played by Douglas Booth. Forget looking like a blacksmith, his pout and modelesque features didn't even allow him to look like a Victorian. And his voice was weirdly throaty yet nasal at the same time. Perhaps I'm being mean, but I didn't really feel much for his character of Pip. I did want to slap him a good number of times, but I didn't find myself warming to him enough, not even by the end. His acting wasn't too bad, perhaps a little wooden at times but it wasn't quite the Pip I remember - I expected Pip to be more naive and simple.

Miss Havisham, played by Gillian Anderson, is much younger than the woman Dickens portrays. I imagined Miss Havisham to be quite grotesque and terrifying, but Gillian Anderson plays a young woman frozen in time and has not quite managed to grow up; she has this child-like voice and speaks to Pip in almost a seducing way, which I found quite disturbing. Although it wasn't a traditional depiction of Miss Havisham, I do think Anderson's acting was spot on: she created an image of Miss Havisham that a viewer will not likely forget. By the end of the film she really was very grotesque and deranged, and her suicide at the climax of the film was extremely haunting. I don't remember Miss Havisham committing suicide in Dickens' version, but the melodramatic impact of it felt right in this adaptation.

Pip's good looks meant that it was strange that he was so besotted with a plainer-looking Estella than she was meant to be. Her character was very weak in this adaptation: Dickens' Estella is a seducer and a heart-breaker but this adaptation only showed her as cold and depressed, struggling against her adopted mother's wishes. I don't feel she was given enough screen-time and she doesn't say much during the course of the film. The details of her marriage to Drummel are glossed over and it's over before it even starts. Since I didn't remember this part of the story, I was left guessing that he must have been abusive towards her by a random, pale bruise on her back. Estella's life is as much part of the story as Pip's, but this adaptation seems to have focused more on Pip and Miss Havisham.

The other characters that I felt did a great job were those of Magwitch, Joe, Henry and Orlick. They really pulled this film together, making up for the short-comings of the characters of Pip and Estella. I do feel, however, that Dickens' caricatures are lost on this drama. There is no sense of Dickens' humour, a writer who can be can be hilarious even in the most depressing story. For me Dickens' writing - his language and characterisation - are what makes him such a brilliant writer and I just didn't get a feel for that in this adaptation.

Although the BBC haven't managed to adapt Great Expectations perfectly, overall I did enjoy this drama. It looks beautiful, it's emotionally moving and has enough good acting to make it worth watching. If you can't wait to watch the next episode of a drama, you know they've done a good job.

Inspiration of the day: Mary Wollstonecraft

2012-01-02T14:48:00.000Z

While I live, I am persuaded, I must exert my understanding to procure an independence, and render myself useful. To make the task easier, I ought to store my mind with knowledge - The seed of time is passing away. I see the necessity of labouring now - and of that necessity I do not complain; on the contrary, I am thankful that I have more than common incentives to pursue knowledge, and draw my pleasures from the employments that are within my reach.

~ Mary Wollstonecraft - letter to Joseph Johnson, late 1789/early 1790

New Year, 2012

2012-01-02T01:54:00.000Z

It's strange to think we are already celebrating a new year. 2011 has seemed to pass in a flash, yet when I look back on last year's post it feels like I wrote it such a long time ago.

My feelings are mixed about the year just gone.

In terms of positives and achievements, I do feel I've become a stronger person. It's a difficult path to take when you decide to live differently to those around you: but I finally realised that just because no one else understands the choices I've made in life, it does not make them wrong and it does not mean that I have failed. My dreams are my own and I must live them for myself, even if they seem mediocre to others. You should never allow anyone to question the validity of your dreams or your heart.

I've come to a similar understanding about other areas in my life. I've accepted that there are some things that are not in our hands, and it's better to accept this and move on than to put your whole life on hold. Life is precious, time moves quickly - we must live with what we have rather dream about what we wish we could have.

2011 has had its happy moments, but also had its hardships and frustrations.

Although I've become stronger as a person and built up my confidence, I've also realised that perhaps hardening myself up wasn't the best way to achieve strength of character. It's difficult to see where you're going wrong until you trip up. Strength is not about superiority or inferiority, even if that's the way the world portrays it. Strength is not about lack of feeling, of being care-free or self-serving; it has nothing to do with negativity; anger is not the solution to vulnerability.

When you trip up you realise strength of character has more to do with patience in the face of hardship, accepting differences, making excuses for the mistakes of others, and ultimately staying positive. Sacrifice is difficult, but it only means something if it is achieved without resentment or blame.

The ultimate goal of life should be contentment rather than happiness. And contentment must come from accepting your fate and making the best of what you are blessed with. Life is meant to test you, and as they say: what doesn't break you only makes you stronger. After every hardship comes ease. But only if you overcome the hardship with patience, humility and positivity.

And so, you see, 2011 hasn't been the easiest year.

I have been more active on this blog this year, and the number of pageviews have soared from what they were when I started this blog. Thank you all so much for taking the time to read my ramblings, it means so much to me. At the same time, however, I've felt less inspired, less creative over the past year.

I want 2012 to be a more creative, more productive year. I'm finally easing my way back into a creative writing course I enrolled on a long time ago, and have a few plans in mind for this blog - I never intended it to be just for book reviews and hope to introduce my own writing on here. I'll let you know more about that once I've got some material - and after I've retrieved my muse!

Apologies for making the first post of the year so melodramatic(!), but I'm determined to make this a better year, God willing. As I wrote in last year's post, you will always face new challenges, and you will always want to be better than the year before. I hope and pray that this year, as well as developing myself as a person, I can recover my creative spark.

And if not, well, at least there is plenty of great reading to look forward to!

May 2012 be a year of patience, positivity and productivity for us all.

Period dramas galore: some short reviews

2011-12-31T22:36:00.001Z

It's been period dramas galore on TV over the holidays this year - so much so that I've not opened a book to read in at least a week and a half. There's been Austen, Bronte and Dickens, as well as some historical drama. Here's a quick round-up of my thoughts on some of the dramas I managed to catch.

Becoming Jane (2007)

This isn't the first time I've watched Becoming Jane and I'm probably likely to watch it again several times in the future. It's a typical Austenesque period drama: a tangled love story, a bit of social satire, some humour and wit, beautiful cinematography. The casting was good: Anne Hathaway and James McAvoy did a great job. Period-drama lovers will not be disappointed.

You will, however, be mistaken if you expect this film to tell a true story of the life of Jane Austen. Although there was a real Tom LeFroy present at some point in Jane Austen's life, there is little evidence to prove that anything of great significance existed between the two - at least not to the extent that this film suggests. Personally, I don't believe Jane Austen was anything like how she is depicted in the film; I can't imagine her being the romantic sort, having her heart broken and definitely not eloping with her lover. Becoming Jane is more like Pride and Prejudice 2 with Jane Austen taking a lead role in one of her own stories.

The film, then, is more of a wistful fantasy conjured up more for the entertainment of hopeless romantics rather than to satisfy a literary audience. And since I consider myself - occasionally - of the former as well as the latter, it's a sweet film to watch on a lonely night with a big bar of chocolate. As long as I remind myself that this is not the real Jane Austen.

The film does highlight a number of the issues that might have affected Austen, especially on the subject of women without fortune who were required to marry well in order to secure their futures. The marriage and spinsterhood issues discussed in the film actually made me cringe a little as it reminded me, however vaguely, of the marriage-crisis suffered by Muslims in this day and age! In fact, Austen's mother sounds like my own mother sometimes!!

As a side-note, as much as I like him, does anyone else think McAvoy looks like Smeagol at times??

Becoming Jane is still available to watch here on BBC iPlayer until 7pm, 2nd January.

Emma (1996)

I'm afraid to say this adaptation of Emma bored me - I actually decided to call it a night after watching the first forty-five minutes because I didn't think it was worth staying up for (I don't usually watch TV during the day so catch up in the evening on iPlayer or the like). I continued watching it a couple of days later but didn't really enjoy it much. Gwyneth Paltrow doesn't possess Emma's charm from the novel, nor is she as self-assured or as full of personality. Paltrow is far too quiet and her overly-posh accent irritated me. The character of Knightly, however, was much stronger - I did prefer this Knightly to that of the recent BBC adaptation. But I feel there was too much chemistry between the two from early on in the film, resulting in their relationship overshadowing all the others in the story. You just know they are going to end up together, and anything between Frank Churchill and Emma seems totally unconvincing. There wasn't enough screen-time given to the Emma-Frank-Jane Fairfax triangle and this took away much of the tension and drama of the story. I definitely won't be watching this again any time soon.

Emma is still available to watch here on BBC iPlayer until 4.30pm, 2nd January.

The Young Victoria (2009)

This was another sweet film with plenty of romance, drama and beautiful cinematography. Emily Blunt plays the role of the young, strong-willed Queen well, and Rupert Friend is just as as strong in his performance as the quietly intelligent and passionate Albert. I'm not much of an expert on reign of Victoria so I'll just conclude that this is another great one for period-drama lovers.

Great Expectations (BBC, 2011)

I was really looking forward to seeing this over the past few weeks and I wasn't disappointed. I don't think it does Dickens' writing enough justice, but it was definitely a moving adaptation with beautifully filming. A full review should be up in the next few days. If you missed it on TV, it's still available here on iPlayer until 10pm, 5th January.

Jane Eyre (1997)

This was one of those films when you think: why did I even bother? In fact, I only watched it, and continued watching it despite being bored out of my head in the first fifteen minutes, because I wished to review it for you guys! (The things I do...!) Firstly, it didn't quite follow the story line and major elements were missed out, such as Jane's visit to her dying aunt Reed, the relationship between herself and her cousins, her inheritance of her uncle's fortune, and other things were also changed from the original. The good ol' purist in me was not impressed.

The character of Jane, played by Samantha Morton, was inconsistent as at times she appeared strong and vocal at one point but at other times she came across as weak and timid. Rochester, played by Ciaran Hinds, was way to melodramatic - he shouted so much, I wondered he didn't give poor Jane a chronic headache. And even if the film had been six hours long, I couldn't get over the moustache.

The language was also not very Brontesque, too many of the words were changed; Jane sounded far too open about her love for Rochester from too early on in the film, whilst Rochester sounded a little psychotic at times. I realise their relationship is meant to be quite passionate, but Rochester just seemed a bit animalistic, something I'd expect more from Heathcliff than Rochester.

All in all, a disappointing film - if you can be bothered to watch this version of Jane Eyre, it's still available to watch here on ITV Player.

Did you manage to catch any of these films over the holidays? Or have you seen them before?

Books I'm loving right now: Kahlil Gibran, Islamic Geometric Patterns

2011-12-28T22:21:00.000Z

I already own a copy of The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, but it's such a little book, and as soon as I saw this beauty, I knew I had to have it. I'm not going to even attempt to describe the gorgeousness of this book - I'll let the pictures (and the words) do the talking:

The artistry of this book just takes Kahlil Gibran to a whole new level.

Speaking of art, I discovered this book at work during the Arabian Nights themed literacy week last academic year (I work in a primary school):

Here's the product description from Amazon ('cause I'm feeling a tad too lazy today to make up my own words!):

Geometric patterns are perhaps the most recognizable visual expressions of Islamic art and architecture, magnificent in their beauty and awe-inspiring in their execution. Now, with the aid of this book, anyone can learn how to master this ancient art and create intricate patterns or re-create classic examples. An introduction guides the reader through the basics, and is followed by some of the best examples of geometric patterns from around the world, arranged into three levels of complexity, with careful, step-by-step instructions taking the reader through the stages of composition. The book also includes a CD-ROM, allowing you to experiment with Islamic geometric patterns on the computer.

I do have some photos for you though(!):

What I love about this book, and as you can see from the images, is that it gives simple instructions alongside very clear diagrams making it fairly easy for anyone to learn how to create these geometric patterns. What drew me to this book most was when I realised that all these patterns, from the simplest to the most complicated, are designed using only a ruler and a compass. This reminds me of when I was young and my father - who studied technical drawing at college - taught me how to draw flowers inside a circle using only a compass, and I would spend hours perfecting this art, seeing how many petals I could add and how many different ways I could colour them in felt tip pens.

It requires a fair amount of patience and careful observation to recreate the patterns in this book and to get the lines perfect, but the effort is really worth it. It's actually quite addictive once you get started. Here's a couple of photos of my first attempts:

I clearly need more practise, but I'm quite pleased at my first attempt.

What do you think?

Best book of 2011

2011-12-27T20:51:00.000Z

This year has been extremely busy, especially with my brother's wedding, so I've not read as many books as I would have liked. But of those I did read, Lyrics Alley by Leila Aboulela has to be by far the best one I read this year. Not only is it a beautifully profound and poetic novel, I've also not read anything written this well all year: the characterisation, the plot, the historical and political context, the descriptions, the structure - everything was perfect in my eyes. Click here to read my review of it.

Honourable mentions:

Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde - the funniest and most ambitious book I read this year. Click here to read my review of it.

Far From Home by Na'ima B Roberts - this really opened up my eyes to the history of Zimbabwe and why they face the issues they do today. Click here to read my review of it.

Drama review: The Slap (2011)

2011-12-21T00:01:00.001Z

The Slap is an eight-part drama series based on the novel of the same name by Christos Tsiolkas. BBC have recently acquired the Australian adaptation and I've been enjoying it despite the fact that I didn't get on too well with the book. The episodes follow the repercussions of a single event at a summer family BBQ where an adult slaps a child that is not his own. The parents of the child are so affronted they call the police and press charges against him.

You may be forgiven for wondering how the events of a single slap can be prolonged for eight hours worth of TV (and 500 pages of a book): the storyline is cleverly crafted to expose the slap as a climax to the underlying tensions between families and friends. That one slap tests the relationships of marriage, family and friends of every person that attends the BBQ. For each episode, the story develops from the perspective of a different character who is buckling under the strain of the relationships he or she holds with family and friends.

The first episode opens in the perspective of Hector on his 40th birthday BBQ and, although nothing much happens leading up to the scene of the slap, the episode sets the scene for the tensions bubbling under the surface between his circle of family and friends: his marriage with his wife Aisha is strained as she seems to be the one wearing the trousers in the relationship; Aisha's relationship with his Greek family is also strained as she finds them too intruding; Hector is lusting over their teenage babysitter Connie and plans to consummate his desires; his cousin Harry begins a loud and heated debate with Aisha's obnoxious friend Gary; her other friend Anouk, girlfriend to a man more than ten years her junior, is distressed at witnessing the flirtation between Hector and Connie, and to top it all off Gary and Rosie's four year old brat of a child Hugo is causing violent havoc amongst the other children. So it's no surprise really that Harry gives Hugo the slap of his life when his father Gary refuses to restrain the wayward child. Except it's not really a slap, but a full on whack round the face. As predicted, the BBQ ends in complete uproar and chaos with Rosie threatening to call the police before leaving. Personally I think Hugo's parents were the ones who needed a good slap, but as the episodes progress you wish you could slap almost each and every one of the characters.

The subsequent episodes recount the follow up to the court case and and each person's view of the events and how it affects them. Those most affected - other than Rosie and Gary - are Hector and Aisha who's loyalties are called into question as they are torn between their family and friends.

The interesting thing about this drama is that there are no sympathetic characters; the only character I liked or respected was Anouk, who was probably the most honest and sincere, and the character I sympathised with was Connie's friend Richie who has a terrible time understanding his sexuality. Hector grew on me a little bit by the last episode, but I actually disliked every other character in this drama. It's interesting because it shows that the complications of each character and human beings in general, and the extent to which one's downfalls can affect their relationships with others.

There are two Muslim characters in the drama who don't really play a huge part in the actual storyline and only appear in two of the episodes but nevertheless seem to leave quite an impression on the viewer. Discussing this with a friend (who's actually read the novel), she told me she liked the fact that Tsiolkas adds Muslim characters that aren't important to the plot and are portrayed as normal human beings that are an integral part of life in many cities, rather than only existing in Western literature as suicide bombers obsessed with white girls or similar. I couldn't agree more, but perhaps the Muslim characters didn't quite live up to their literary portrayal - I found Bilal and Shamira quite unconvincing. Bilal just seems like the usual miserable, discontented, scary-looking bearded Muslim, whilst his wife seems to talk openly about her love for her faith and yet doesn't seem a tad distressed about choosing to remove her head scarf for the court case.

Despite not liking many of the characters in this drama and finding a few things unconvincing, it was quite engrossing watching the development of the story and the seeing the complexities of each character and how issues of race, class and sexuality affect them. It's definitely one of the dramas where you love to hate the characters, and really just want to give them all their own slap!

Does this mean I'll go back and read the novel? I'm a little inclined, but only until I pick up the 500 pages - at which point it goes back on the shelf.

Did you watch The Slap? What did you think?

If any of you in the UK have missed the series, it's still available to watch on iPlayer here until 9.50pm on Thursday 22nd of December. Enjoy.

Another one bites the dust: Fruit of the Lemon; The Slap

2011-12-16T17:16:00.000Z

I figured this would be an appropriate title for every time I want to post about all those type of books. You know, the ones you just can't bear to finish, or even get going on. Because, let's face it, I do this to books a lot - drop them and move on to other, more readable material.

If you are reading for pleasure, then reading should never seem like hard work. If in the first 20+ pages you find your mind wandering on more than one occasion, or if you find that you are procrastinating terribly over it, there is really no point torturing yourself. Especially if you're like me and only read one book at a time. Just let it go and remind yourself that reading is meant to be gratifying.

At the end of the day, there are more books in this world than you will ever be able to read, so why waste time reading the ones that give you little amusement?

I didn't intend to read Fruit of the Lemon - the plan was to read Andrea Levy's latest work, The Long Song. When my friend Aman told me she was reading FOTL, I became all nostalgic about the book discussions we'd have over numerous cups of hot chocolate at university - I missed reading reading the same things as my friends and so decided to give FOTL a go. My regular readers will know that I'm a huge fan of Small Island, which is a brilliantly written novel. FOTL was quite a disappointment for me: the writing style was not at all engaging and is nothing like Small Island. I have to agree with Aman that it's quite mediocre; the action is almost frivolous, in a way, and there was nothing in it to make me want to read on. About 40 pages in, I decided to put it to rest. I'm still looking forward to reading The Long Song, however.

I've heard "The Slap" being mentioned as one of the best books of 2011. I only wanted to read it because there is an adaptation of it running on the BBC at the moment. Since I find it works better to read a book before watching an adaptation, rather than the other way round, I found myself a copy at my local library. As soon as I saw it, I knew I'd never get through it - it's about 500 pages long. I read two pages and gave up. Seriously. I'm not sure if it was more because of the writing style, which I found had too many mundane details and I knew it would bore me to tears, or because Tsiolkas managed to use the c-word twice on the first page. No one should ever feel the need to use that disgusting word, at least not more than once. I just couldn't continue (especially when I knew there was 498 pages to go...). I finished watching the adaptation on iPlayer last night, and did find it quite interesting, but I doubt I could still go back and read the book. Stay tuned for a review of the adaptation.

Have you read Fruit of the Lemon or The Slap? What did you think of it?

Top ten books I want to give as gifts

2011-12-13T09:15:00.170Z

Books are my favourite choice of gift for my friends and family because, if chosen carefully, they have the ability to touch and live in hearts for years to come, even if the physical book itself gets torn, lost or given away. Here are ten books that I think would make great gifts for loved ones:

Kahlil Gibran's writing is beautifully poetical, spiritual and philosophical and will blow away the mind of the reader. The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran would also make a great gift, but that's still on my TBR shelf so I didn't want to recommend something I hadn't read yet! But everyone knows it's amazing...

Wuthering Heights was the first the classic novel I read and I think it's perfect to give to anyone who wants to delve into some classical literature. Of course, if you can find a gorgeous hardback with gold leafed pages, that would make it even more perfect!

Emily Dickinson is probably my favourite poet of all time, and I've given books of her poems as gifts on more than a couple of occasions. Of course, her obscure poetry might not be to everyone's taste or understanding, so it's definitely one to keep for the more poetical minds.

From My Sisters' Lips is a very inspirational book about Muslim women who accepted Islam and would make a great gift for both Muslims and non-Muslims alike. I reviewed it here.

Muhammad: A biography of the Prophet by Karen Armstrong is a really great book for anyone interested in the early history of Islam. I really like this biography as it's written by a non-Muslim and so is unbiased and yet still so inspiring.

Christina Rossetti is another of my favourite poets; her poems are spiritual and extremely passionate.

The Outsiders has made it again on my Top Ten list! Since you all know how amazing I thought it was as a teen, I think it would make a great gift for any teenager.

I was introduced to Jasper Fforde by my friend Claire during Sixth Form - she gifted me with The Eyre Affair for my birthday and I've been a huge fan of his books ever since. As they say, this is a silly book for clever people, so any literature geek could not feel anything but love for The Eyre Affair and the rest of the Thursday Next series.

Er this isn't really literature, but it's still a book! Cake Days by Hummingbird Bakery is my go-to book when it comes to baking; the cakes always come out perfectly yummy. It's such a pretty book with gorgeous photography - a photo for each recipe, just how I like it - I guarantee you it will find a big place in the heart of anyone with baking tendencies.

Last but not least are the poems of Lord Alfred Tennyson. His poem 'Lady of Shalott' touched my heart when we studied it in primary school and his poetry still inspires me today.

I know I promised I wouldn't join another challenge....

2011-12-10T23:43:00.000Z

...but since I read so much of these books anyway, I thought I may as well give my reading some purpose, eh?

S. Krishna's Books is running the South Asian Reading Challenge for the third year running and luckily there are no different levels for participation this time. Which is great because it means I can read as many or as few as I like. I know it's a challenge and therefore I must challenge myself - but reading South Asian literature is really no challenge for me. For argument's sake, let's just say I'll read at least three books...

Here's a list of South Asian books waiting on my TBR shelf, I might pick any three or more of them:

The Miniaturist Kunal Basu
A Suitable Boy Vikram Seth
An Equal Music Vikram Seth
Two Lives Vikram Seth
In the Name of Honour Mukhtar Mai
Sea of Poppies Amitav Ghosh
The Glass Palace Amitav Ghosh
Burrow Manzu Islam
Ish and Mushq Priya Basil
Corner Shop Roopa Farooki
Moth Smoke Mohsin Hamid
Brixton Beach Roma Tearne
Sarwasti Park Anjali Joseph

Click here to find out more about the challenge.

Helen's Book Blog is hosting a similar challenge but for Middle Eastern literature. I haven't really read much Middle Eastern literature, which I'm quite ashamed about considering I've had quite a few waiting on my TBR list for a few years now. Hopefully this will encourage me to start reading them. From what I see on the guidelines here, there doesn't seem to be any requirements about how many books should be read, so I'm going to try and read a couple.

Here's the list of the Middle Eastern books on my TBR shelf:

Desertion Abdulrazak Gurnah
Arabian Nights
In the Country of Men Hisham Matar
Dreams of Water Nada Awar
Girl in a Tangerine Scarf Mohja Kahf
Map of Love Adhaf Soueif
Sandpiper Adhaf Soueif
The Yacoubian Building Alaa Al Aswany
Chicago Alaa Al Aswany
Black Mambo Boy Nadifa Mohamed
Beirut, I Love You: A Memoir Zena El Khalil

I'm quite excited to read some of these books, I can't believe I've had on my shelf for so long. I will get through them all one day!!

Anyone else joining these challenges?

Top Ten Childhood Faves

2011-12-06T20:54:00.003Z

Between the ages of around 8 to 16, I devoured so many books that I hardly remember what I read or how many I read. So my top ten list today is more about the books that I remember reading than an actual top ten of my favourite books (there's actually twelve, so I'm kind of cheating here). Some of the titles on here just make me cringe, but I think I need to celebrate everything that I read as a child because that is what made me the reader I am today. Even if that includes Sweet Valley High! And actually, looking back at all these books has made me realise that my love for certain genres started earlier in my life than I had previously thought...

12. Lost Girls Adrift by Linda Williams Aber

I still have my copy of this book and I have no idea where it came from. I only have the first in the series and never read any of the later titles, but I reread this a number of times. This obviously built my interest in shipwreck adventures, deserted islands and survival skills and was probably the reason why I enjoyed Life of Pi so much, and also how I managed to get a pretty good way through Robinson Crusoe.

11. The Indian in the Cupboard series by Lynne Reid Banks

What kid could resist an adventure story about miniature toys coming to life? I'm actually surprised I like it so much, considering it's not a particularly 'girly' read, what with the 'cowboys and indians' theme.

10. Sorrelle and Cairo Hughes by Millie Murray

I'd forgotten I had even read these until I found them in my study yesterday. I'd always thought it was at university that I discovered my passion for postcolonial literature, but I was obviously mistaken. Cairo Hughes is the story of a black girl who was adopted by a white couple, and Sorrelle is about a black girl who falls in love with an Asian boy.

9. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

I fell in love with The Secret Garden when our Year 5 teacher read it to our class over the course of two weeks or perhaps more. I loved the escapist feel to this book, the idea of having a secret place all to yourself and away from adults and the real world. I was also secretly in love with Mary's friend Dickon who helps her bring the abandoned garden back to life.

8. Sweet Valley High series by Francine Pascal

I'm trying really hard not to cringe. SVH has only made it this high on my list because I read so damn many of them - so many I have no idea how many. Just thinking about it makes me want to bang my head against a wall. But as I said, I must learn to embrace my past...

7. The Babysitters Club books by Ann M Martin

I made my way through plenty of these too, but it doesn't make me cringe at all - it gives me the feeling of nostalgia, actually! I remember everyone reading these in primary school, even some of the boys!

6. Goosebumps and Point Horror books

I read a lot of horror fiction as a kid which, for someone who hates horror films, is actually quite shocking. I loved the Goosebumps books, they were so weirdly wonderful. I definitely read more Point Horror books though, and somewhere in one of my copies I've ticked off all the Point Horror books I've read. Let's just say that there aren't very many left unticked. For some reason, Beach Party was my favourite, probably because I had a crush on the character of Vince (can't believe I still remember his name!) I also read a few of the Point Crime books and also read the Point Romance ones in secret!!

5. The BFG by Roald Dahl

What kid, or even adult, could resist Roald Dahl? The BFG and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory were definitely my favourites, probably because they were the most escapist and exciting.

4. Anastasia Krupnik series by Lois Lowry

I loved Anastasia, I thought she was so clever and yet so cool at the same time, even with her gigantic glasses (not much to be said about my own at the time). For books that I loved much I can't for the life of me remember any of the story lines in any of the titles. I do, however, remember me and my friend from the mosque, Urmee, arguing about the right pronunciation of Anastasia. And if by any chance this long lost friend of mine is reading this - I WAS RIGHT ALL ALONG!!

3. Thief by Malorie Blackman

Malorie Blackman was one of my favourite authors as a young teen, and Thief, with it's futuristic time-travel theme, was definitely the one I loved most. Like the postcolonial literature, I hadn't realised that this was where my love for dystopian literature started.

2. Fairy Tales

My obsession for fairy takes started when I would stay at my youngest Aunt's house. She had this big book of fairy tales that she would read from before bed-time, and Rapunzel was one our favourites to read - we would shout "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!" together. Not long after that, I bought fairy tales books wherever I went. I still have a copy that has like 101 bed-time fairy tales or something, which I tried to read to my little sister, but she was never interested (!). I also have my copies of the Disney books, but I always preferred the sad versions of the all the fairy tales, like The Little Mermaid who never got her prince. The original stories are darker than the ones I read in my childhood - I love my collectors edition of the Grimm's fairy tales.Twists on those tales are even more exciting - Angela Carter, anyone?

1. The Outsiders by SE Hinton

I was obsessed with this book; I read it so many times, and not only did I make all my friends read it and did a presentation on it at school, but I even (secretly) rewrote several versions of the ending of this story (I couldn't get over the fact that Sodapop never gets his girl!) I gifted a copy of The Outsiders to my sister when she became a teen and she was actually more appreciative than she was of my bed-time stories!!

Looking back, I don't think I did too badly as a kid. It's making me feel quite nostalgic - I wouldn't mind rereading pretty much all of these books - although I'll probably give SVH a miss!!

What do you think of my childhood/teenage reads? What books did you read as a child?

Losing books makes me sad :-(

2011-12-01T00:07:00.000Z

Don't you hate it when you put things in such a 'safe' place that you never find them ever again? Or, at least, you never find them when you need them. A few days ago, however, I finally accepted that the books I've been crazily searching for since last year are actually lost.

My copies of Coloured Lights, Minaret and The Translator by Leila Aboulela are more beloved to me now that I have no idea where they are or how I might have lost them. The last time I remember having them is the day I printed off and submitted my Masters dissertation, closing them after 3 months of intense study. I was exhausted and so out of it, I don't even remember if I definitely bought them home with me.

Over the past year, I'm sure I've turned my house upside down in an attempt to find them, but to no avail. What made me even more upset was when I found that Coloured Lights is now out of print and quite difficult to get hold of unless I want to cough up at least thirty quid for a grubby, used copy. The other two are still in print, so I can still get hold of them.

Last week I found a used copy of Coloured Lights on eBay for around £7 and, reluctantly accepting that I will probably never find my books, I bought it. It arrived this morning. It's somewhat worn, the pages are brown and the cover is ugly. I think it's actually made me more sad having this pathetic copy because it only reminds me of how perfectly neat and crisp I'd kept my own one, how pretty the cover was, how I'd lovingly covered it in sticky-back plastic, the careful notes I'd made in the margins, the colourful post-it labels sticking out of the sides.

Just looking at the image above makes me sad. At least the 'new' copy still has the same words, I guess that's the more important thing. Perhaps one day, the real copy might turn up. My copy of Jeanette Winterson's Sexing the Cherry is also missing, so I'm really hoping one day I might come across a box of books in the loft that I'd forgotten all about. I buy so many books, who knows what else is missing from my shelf?

I realise this post makes me sound like a complete loser, but I'm sure I'm not the only person that gets extremely attached to physical copies of the books I love, especially when they go missing! Have you guys ever felt the same?

Top Ten Books on my TBR List for winter

2011-11-29T23:02:00.000Z

Since I have a tendency to forget which books I've read and which ones I own, I decided joining the Top Ten Tuesdays feature on The Broke and Bookish would be the perfect way to keep track and would also introduce something new to this blog. As always, I'm slow on the bandwagon and have missed enough Top Ten Tuesday posts, but hey - better late than never, ain't no time like the present, etc etc.

So this week's list is about the top ten books that are waiting TBR over the winter. You guys must already have an inclining about just how many books I have waiting on shelf, so my list is not really going to be inspired by winter, but is more about snuggling up on a couch with my fleece blanket and countless cups of hot chocolate and getting through at least one pile of dusty books. 'Cause the multiple jars of instant hot chocolate are taking over the kitchen shelf as well, ya know?

Here's the pile:

10. The Killing Jar by Nicola Monaghan: This is a super depressing book to start with - about a girl with a strange neighbour who teaches her how to kill butterflies; she doesn't know her father, her mother is a junkie, by the age of 10 she's selling drugs in school, by 12 she's hidden stolen drugs and done time in a girls home. Cosy winter read? I think not. But it seems to have great reviews and was only 30p in my local library book sale!!
9. Brixton Beach by Roma Tearne: Alex Fonseka is an artistic child and has a Singhalese mother and Tamil father. Unable to bear the injustices they suffered, they leave the beautiful island of Sri Lanka and head to cold, urban London. Erm...the cover looks really warm and might just warm my hands, even if the content of the book doesn't...??
8. Moth Smoke by Mohsin Hamid: Ah at last, this is set in good ol' Pakistan, I'm feeling warm already. The story is about two men, Daru and Ozi, and paints a picture of contemporary young Pakistani life.
7. Sarwasti Park by Anjali Joseph: more warmth! This is set in Bombay where a young 19 year old who, struggling with his place in the world, becomes entangled in a risky affair and interrupts the quiet life of his uncle and aunt.
6. Falling Man by Don DeLillo - oh man, this list is getting more depressing by the minute. This is DeLillo's take on 9/11 and it's aftermath. I don't think I've ever managed to get through a book by him before. Dust yourself and try again, eh?
5. The Go-Away Bird by Warren Fitzgerald: the cover to this looks colourful and fun and the story involves a panther called Levi, a pelican called Lola and a turtle called Jimmy. I'm certainly going to need some cheering up after all the above drama!
4. The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter: ..and just to mix it up a little bit, I added a bit of Angela Carter for some craziness!
3. First Among Sequels and One of Our Thursdays is Missing by Jasper Fforde: speaking of craziness, everyone needs Fforde in their lives. Yes, I really can't believe I've not managed to read these yet. Actually, the latter only arrived in the post today (yay!) but the former has been sitting on my shelf since the week it was published. Terrible, I know.
2. A Golden Age and The Good Muslim by Tahmima Anam: I actually read A Golden Age a few of years ago, but since I don't remember much of it, I thought it would be a good idea to reread it before I start on the sequel. I do remember it being a great read so I'm looking forward to some sunshine from Bangladesh.
1. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens: what could be more perfect for a winter read than a bit of Dickens? Especially with all the Dickens' bi-century birthday celebrations going on this winter.

That's actually turned out to be 12 books, rather than 10! I know, and you know, there is no way I'll manage 12 books in December...so I guess I'll allow this to run into January/February...considering Spring doesn't seem to start until like March (earliest) in this country.

And I've just realised this is kind of like another challenge I've joined.. :-/

What do guys think of my winter reading list? What are you planning to read over the winter?

Drama review: The Indian Doctor (2010)

2011-11-23T20:07:00.003Z

The BBC drama The Indian Doctor was first aired on TV in 2010 but was repeated on BBC One last month. As the title suggests, the drama is about an Indian doctor, Dr Prem Sharma, played by Sanjeev Bhaskar, who leaves Delhi with his wife for the UK as part of the influx of Indian doctors recruited for the NHS by the health minister, Enoch Powell. But instead of being sent to the bright lights of London as they had hoped, the couple end up at a small coal-mining village in Wales, much to the dismay of Dr. Sharma's glamorous but haughty wife, Kamini (Ayesha Dharker).

One would imagine this to be a drama about immigration and racism, but it's actually quite a charming, humorous story depicting a naive kind of ignorance about race and culture from both sides.The locals are a curious bunch and although they hold prejudices, they are not unwelcoming to the Sharmas.

The main plot of the drama revolves around Richard Sharp (Mark Williams), the English colliery manager, and his interest in a missing diary that belonged to the previous GP. When Sharp befriends him in at attempt to retrieve it from the surgery, Sharma learns that the late GP recorded details linking the terrible conditions of the mine to the unusually high rates of lung disease in the village in this diary. With the help of Megan Evans, whose husband is dying of lung disease, Sharma is determined to bring Sharp to justice and save the miners. But first he must overcome the obstacle of gaining the trust of the locals, which proves to be more difficult than he expected. It's quite a simple plot, but has a few sub-plots to build around the skeleton of the main story, such as the tense relationship between Sharma and Kamini, Kamini's inability to integrate into the village life, Kamini's friendship with a boy from a broken home who has learning difficulties and the romance between Sharma's secretary, Gina, and Megan's step-son, Tom.

This was really enjoyable drama, with lovely cinematography and great acting. My favourite character had to be Kamini - beautiful and glamorous she may be, but Kamini is a complete snob and is just as openly prejudiced against the locals as they are against her, perhaps even more so. But as the story goes on and more of her character is revealed, the audience warms to her as she begins to show compassion and puts her outspokenness to good use. Dr Sharma on the other hand, although a likeable character, is not as three dimensional a character as Kamini and, in comparison, is a little bit boring.

Nevertheless, it was a great drama and I'm glad there will be another series. The ending was left quite open-ended, so I'm looking forward to seeing how each of the story-lines unfold in the second series next year.

As a side-note, I apologise for the lateness in posting this review, I managed to get caught up in other things and (in)conveniently managed to forget to post it. Hope you're all doing well.

The Dystopia Challenge 2012

2011-11-22T17:03:00.000Z

Another challenge? I promise this is the last one. I just couldn't resist. All I seem to read lately is post-colonial literature so I want to go back and pick up on other genres that have interested me in the past. I love dystopian fiction, not quite sure why because I've never really been into Sci-Fi unless it's on the screen. I guess dystopian fiction isn't necessarily Sci-fi but we'll leave that discussion for another time.

So there are 7 challenge levels which start at 5 books, which is the Asocial level, and goes up to 200 books, which is the Totalitarian level. There must be some hardcore dystopia fans out there! I plan to be as unambitious as possible and count myself in for the Asocial level.

Here's a list of dystopian books that have sparked my interest and I'll be choosing from for the reading challenge:

Gulliver's Travels Jonathan Swift
V for Vendetta Alan Moore
Herland Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Oryx and Crake Margaret Atwood *
Year of the Flood Margaret Atwood
We Yevgeny Zamyatin
Walk to the End of the World Suzy McKee Charnas
Woman at the Edge of Time Marge Piercy
Day of the Women Pamela Kettle
The Marriages Between Zones Three, Four and Five Doris Lessing
A Clockwork Orange Anthony Burgess *
Thief Malorie Blackman *
Noughts and Crosses series Malorie Blackman

As you can tell, my favourite sub-genre of dystopian literature is feminist dystopian fiction, which was a result of reading, and loving, Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. The titles with an asterisk indicate the books that I've read in the past and may be re-reading.

What do you think of my list? Are you joining The Dystopia Reading Challenge? What will you be reading?

Back to Classics Reading Challenge 2012

2011-11-22T15:53:00.000Z

OK, so the last time I attempted reading challenges was a flop. I was over-ambitious, over-zealous and, well, maybe a little bit high. This year I've just read books that I've wanted to read, and it's been good. But I've not actually read any books that I already owned: the majority of them have been library books. Which is great for the libraries considering the threat of library closures across Britain, but my own personal library is getting a bit dusty. And I've still carried on buying new books *sheepish grin*.

So, by joining Sarah's Back to the Classics Challenge, I plan to kill two birds with one stone: to not only get back to reading classics after years of neglect (which is the point of the challenge) but also to finally read some of the books that have been sitting on my shelf (uh...that's shelves, floor, space under my bed..) for years.

Now, I don't know if I'll actually complete this challenge, but at least it will get me reading classics again. Here's a list of the books for each category that I'm considering reading - where there is more than one entry only means I haven't quite decided which one(!):

19th Century classic - The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne; Where Angels Fear to Tread E. M. Forster, David Copperfield Charles Dickens (want to read this, but don't own a copy)
20th Century classic - Catch 22 Joseph Heller
Re-read a classic of your choice: Wide Sargasso Sea Jean Rhys (really want to re-read this but can't seem to find my copy)
A classic play - Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare (I know, can't believe I've never read it)
Classic mystery/horror/crime fiction - Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Robert Louis Stevenson, Woman in Black Susan Hill
Classic romance - Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Classic that has been translated from original language to your native language - The Alchemist Paulo Coelho (ok, ok, this is a library book, but technically it is waiting on my shelf to be read...)
Classic award winner Beloved Toni Morrison
Classic set in a country that you will not visit during your lifetime, real or imaginary - Dr Zhivago Boris Pasternak (this isn't on my shelf, but I should really try Russian literature; I have War and Peace but that looks really scary!), Lord of the Rings J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe C. S. Lewis (can't believe I've not read the last two either)

What do you think of my reading list? Are you planning to join the Back to the Classics challenge? What are you planning to read?

Details on the rules of the challenge are here.

Book review: Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri

2011-11-19T16:13:00.001Z

Unaccustomed Earth is a collection of eight short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Namesake. I'm not usually a fan of short stories, but Lahiri's unusual, yet natural writing style had me wanting to read every story in this book. The themes of the collection are the usual: the immigrant experience and the effects it has on family life, culture clashes, the search for identity, mixed-race relationships. Although the stories are different enough from each other, the theme of loss and mourning underpins each story, making the collection not such a happy read, although still a good read. One thing that does bother me about Lahiri's writing is that pretty much every second generation character ends up adopting way more American culture than they do the culture of their heritage. Surely it's not realistic to portray all of the second generation as drinking and smoking behind their parents' backs and ending up marrying an American?

Eid Mubarak!

2011-11-06T23:12:00.001Z

Eid Mubarak to everyone celebrating, I hope you've all had a wonderful day and haven't spent the whole day eating Krispy Kremes and drinking Coke like me :-S Oh, and dhai bhareh, gol guppeh, halva poori...even some festive Santa biscuits!! Plans for major dieting in the following few weeks are in progress! Obviously there has been more to my day than just eating - like badly painted nails and not finding shoes to match my outfit...I mean, spending time with my fabulous family who are a bunch of clowns and never fail to keep everyone entertained! I could not be grateful enough. May Allah bless you all. Love and prayers x x

Book review: Far From Home by Na'ima B Robert

2011-11-05T00:50:00.001Z

The history of Zimbabwe is not one with which I am much familiar. Of course, the tyranny of President Mugabe and the mistreatment of white farmers is never far from the reach of the media. But since the media is not to be trusted when it comes to unbiased information - or at least less biased information - I have been pretty ignorant of the history of this country.

Unlike her previous novels about Muslim teens growing up in a British society, Na'ima B. Robert's latest work tackles the last fifty years of history of what is now known as Zimbabwe. In Far From Home, Na'ima gives the world a new perspective of Zimabawe's history, not only by writing from a native's point of view, but also from the coloniser's view.

The first half of the story is told by Tariro, a 14 year old blooming with youthful beauty in her ancestral home where her father is the chief and her people work the earth to make their living. Tariro is in love and is soon to be married to brave, handsome Nhamo. Everything seems perfect until the white settlers arrive and violently force them out of their homes and off their land. Tariro loses everything and her life is changed forever.

The second part of the story is told twenty-five years later by 14 year old Katie who lives a happy life in rural Zimbabwe on her father's farm. But when the black freedom fighters begin reclaiming their land, Katie and her family are forced to leave their home and escape to London. Although Katie and Tariro live in two different worlds, their lives are linked by a terrible secret and when they finally meet face to face it exposes a painful colonial legacy.

It's hard to place Far From Home: although it's clearly not a YA novel - some of the themes are unsuitable for younger readers - I can't quite label it as 'adult' fiction. I can't place it next to the likes of, say, Chimamanda Adiche, because the plot, the story line and the writing style is far too simple to compare to other postcolonial writing. I'm not saying, however, that this is a bad thing. Na'ima's writing is different, and for a good reason. I actually really enjoyed Far From Home, especially because of it's simplicity. It makes her story accessible to all readers, adult or teenager, whether a reader of more literary fiction or not. Especially in a world that is not familiar with the turbulent history of Zimbabwe.

Na'ima writes the story well: the words flow and she engages the reader's emotions perfectly - I'll shamefully admit I shed a few tears during the course of the book! Na'ima also achieves what I believe is one of the most important skills of writing: there is such a conciseness to her story-telling that I actually read almost every single word and I still finished the book in twenty-four hours. Normally, when I read, I find myself skim-reading lengthy, descriptive passages that to me seem pointless and feel like the author is just showcasing their writing skills.

The indigenous culture and way of life that Na'ima portrays in Far From Home feels very authentic and natural. It's a little romanticised, even utopian, but I guess it needed to be in order to show what the people lost.

The first part of the story was probably the best part, in my opinion. Tariro is a strong, passionate and energetic girl that the reader really warms to. I would say that her character is strongest in the first half of the story; the second half is not as satisfying because it's quite predictable. I wasn't able to empathise with the character of Katie as much, probably because she seems much weaker than Tariro. But perhaps that was the point - it's much more difficult to be able to see from a racist, colonialist perspective. I do rate Na'ima for writing Katie's story, however, as it made me at least empathise with Katie's confusion and her ignorance. It balanced out the story.

But ultimately, as Na'ima suggests at the end, the story belongs to the native people, those whose voices and histories are being suppressed by Western media. But it is also not just about the native people and justice anymore; Far From Home ends with the hope of a fresh start, that Zimbabweans - whether black or white - can understand each other and live in peace together.

As much as I liked Far From Home, I didn't find the ending satisfying as you don't see a confrontation scene that you've been waiting for since early on the novel. I think I would have loved Far From Home more had it been a tad more tragic at end (I'm such a masochist!) but I guess Na'ima needed to end on a more positive note in order to suggest that there is still hope for Zimbabwe.

Overall, Far From Home is definitely a novel I'd recommend, particularly for the many of us who don't know Zimbabwe's history and appreciate history told in a simple, less biased manner.

Have you read Far From Home? What did you think?

Film review: Miss Potter (2006)

2011-11-03T00:41:00.002Z

Miss Potter is based on the story of the world's best-selling children's author, Beatrix Potter. At thirty-two Beatrix is still unmarried and refuses her mother's pleas for her to accept any one of many suitors; for Beatrix, marriage is not something a woman must accept just because society expects her to. Much to her mother's distress, Beatrix is determined to publish her illustrated children's book and thus gain independence from her parents on whom she feels a burden. Her editor, Norman Warne, falls in love with her animal characters and charming stories and vows to make her book a success. Beatrix not only finds herself more successful than she could ever hope for, but she also falls in love with her editor. Despite her parents' disapproval, Beatrix is adamant on marrying Norman. But life never turns out the way one plans, and Beatrix soon finds herself living a whole different life than the one she had hoped for.

I'll admit than I'm not much of an expert on Beatrix Potter, so I couldn't tell you how factually correct this film was. And to be honest I'm not particularly fussed as this was such a sweet, charming film that I can't really fault it. I admit I never bothered watching this when it was first released because I was unsure I could cope with watching Renee Zellweger play anyone other than the ridiculously loveable Bridget Jones. I'm actually kicking myself for not watching this earlier, as Zellweger did not disappoint in portraying the courage and passion of Beatrix Potter. The gorgeous cinematography coupled with the simple romance and it's impending sadness makes for the perfect ingredients for my kind of film - you know how I like a bit of drama and tragedy.

On a side note, I had no idea that Beatrix Potter is credited with preserving much of the land that makes up the Lake District National Park today! As they say, you learn something new every day...

For those of you in the UK who are bit slow on jumping on the bandwaggon like myself and want to watch Miss. Potter, or even anyone who wants to enjoy this film again, it is available on BBC iPlayer until 6pm on Sunday.

Books on my Wish List

2011-10-26T22:49:00.002+01:00

These are few books that are on my wish list at the moment. I don't expect to be reading them any time soon as I have a tonne of books to get through already, but I definitely want to get hold of these at some point. Have you read any of these? What did you think?

BBC Drama: The Indian Doctor

2011-10-25T00:44:00.000+01:00

Whilst we wait patiently for the second series of BBC's drama The Indian Doctor to be broadcast next year, you can catch up on the first series being repeated every day this week at 2.15pm on BBC One, or alternatively on BBC iPlayer. I actually missed this series last year, and am thrilled to get the chance to see it again. Review coming soon!

Film Review: Jane Eyre (2011)

2011-10-09T23:47:00.002+01:00

Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre has seen a plethora of adaptations over the years. The latest release, starring Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender, is actually the 9th film/TV adaptation so far - which doesn't include the two silent movies made in 1910 and 1914. I was really surprised to find that the much loved Pride and Prejudice has only been adapted 6 times (please correct me if I'm wrong). There is something so deeply passionate and real about Jane Eyre's life that inspires directors to recreate this love story over and over again. Jane Eyre is easily one my most favourite novels of all time so I am not complaining!

Cary Fukunaga's Jane Eyre has some glowing reviews. I'm not an expert, but it certainly seems like a beautifully directed film with great acting; the cinematography is gorgeous and the settings and landscapes are extremely lush. I really liked the fact that mostly natural lighting was used, and candles were used in the absence of natural light, which amplified the dark, gothic elements of the novel.

Despite the fact that I have only watched three out of the previous eight adaptations, I actually have a favourite adaptation of Jane Eyre already: the BBC TV series of 2006 with Ruth Wilson and Toby Stephens. So for me, Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland) and Michael Fassbender (X-Men: First Class) had much to live up to. Did they manage? Mmmm not quite. I liked that Wasikowska was quietly strong and passionate, but for me Jane's coinciding innocence and wisdom was not quite apparent, nor was her wit and playfulness. Fassbender was probably too easy on the eyes to be a true Rochester, but he played the Byronic characteristics of Rochester's personality very well - he was fierce, brooding and prone to sudden mood changes. His acting reminded me a little of Richard Armitage's in North and South, but maybe that's just me! As with most Jane Eyre adaptations, I felt the character of Rochester was stronger than Jane's. But I did find that Fassbender was lacking in Rochester's sarcastic wit and his tongue-in-cheek sense of humour.

I don't think, however, that what Wasikowska and Fassbender lacked was due to flawed acting skills as such - I just think that the development of Jane and Rochester's relationship was not given enough screen time. We don't see many of their long conversations in the evenings, nor do we see Rochester opening up to Jane and revealing his past in detail. This not only means that their relationship is diluted, but it also means that much of the context is missing from the film and it leaves gaps in the story - for example, it's not properly explained what Rochester's relationship was with Adele's mother and how he ended up being Adele's guardian, and also what exactly happened between Rochester and Bertha.

As for the rest of it...well, I thought it was satisfactory. I'm one of those annoying purists who expects an adaptation to follow the book exactly. I guess everyone has their own interpretations and I should therefore stop being so anal. I guess I don't mind a few little tweaks as long as I feel it helps the storyline develop or sustains the themes of the original. For example, unlike the novel, Fukunaga's film starts in media res where Jane flees Thornfield Hall and ends up at the house of St. John after wandering the moors in the middle of a storm. Jane's story from her childhood leading up to her departure from Thornfield is shown as a series of flashbacks through a very distrssed Jane, delirious with the fever she caught in the storm. I really didn't mind this, in fact I quite liked the drama it built up at the beginning and throughout the film, making it much more entertaining. The film was certainly dramatic - I'm all for tragic drama - but at the points where the storyline would reach a climax - such as the wedding scene and when Jane is finally reunited with Rochester - it was a complete flop, a total anti-climax. These two scenes especially are so rushed that it leaves one feeling entirely dissatisfied - especially the ending, how abrupt was that?

Much of the symbolism that pervades the novel seems to be completely missing from the novel: young Jane does not see the ghost of her dead uncle in the red room, there are no full moons, no symbolic dreams, there is a no ripped veil and Grace Poole plays no big role. The film also doesn't give enough credit to the fact that Jane Eyre was one of the first feminist novels in English literature. It needed to be made more obvious that the only reason Jane be reunited with Rochester is because she is finally an independent woman of his equal in society.

Of course, I understand that as a film there is only so much you can squeeze into a two-hour period and a novel of Jane Eyre's size is bound to be hugely condensed. But I do think that if there had only been ten or fifteen more minutes it would have 'made' the film for me; perhaps even if Fukunaga had included the deleted scenes that seem to be floating around on YouTube at the moment. Overall, I think it was good entertainment for someone who is not quite as familiar (obsessed) with Jane Eyre - I'll probably end up purchasing the DVD and watching it on lazy days. But as a true literary adaptation of the original work, the 2006 version is still my favourite.

I took my Power in my Hand

2011-10-04T17:56:00.000+01:00

I took my Power in my Hand -
And went against the World -
’Twas not so much as David - had -
But I - was twice as bold -

I aimed my Pebble - but Myself
Was all the one that fell -
Was it Goliath - was too large -
Or was myself - too small?

- Emily Dickinson, Poem 540

Book review: From Somalia, With Love by Na'ima B. Robert

2011-09-27T19:07:00.002+01:00

From Somalia With Love is Na'ima B. Roberts' first novel and is intended for a Young Adult readership. She tells the story of fourteen year of old Safia Dirie, a Somali girl living in East London. The story begins with the arrival of her father, a Somali freedom fighter absent for twelve years and long thought dead.

A happy family reunion is short-lived as Safia realises her life is quickly changing: the close bond with her mother begins to weaken, her favourite brother Ahmed's behaviour and lifestyle goes from bad to worse and Safia feels herself drowning in her father's cultural expectations. Lonely and unwilling to talk about her feelings, Safia begins to close herself off from her family and close friends, and instead is drawn to her sophisticated cousin Firdous and her party-girl lifestyle. Despite being warned about Firdous by her aunt, Safia begins spending more and more time with Firdous and away from home. Things, however, are soon to get out of hand and Safia must decide what is most important in her life and who she really wants to be.

It's been a long time since I've read a Young Adult novel, perhaps not since my own YA days, and I definitely never read anything like this at the time. Early-teens is perhaps the only age where there seems to be unlimited time for reading, and I'm sure I got through hundreds of YA books. You want to know what I read? (Oh dear God, I can't believe I'm about to tell you this). Sweet Valley High and Point Horror books. And Point Romance, but those got hidden under my bed because I was so embarrassed about reading them and didn't want anyone to find them! *hangs head in shame* I wish I could look back and say that I used to read all the children's classics like other people but unfortunately I can't. ( I did read The Secret Garden, that counts as something right?) I think the reason was probably because although reading was encouraged at school, there was no real guidance on what we should read, and being the daughter of first generation migrants, there was a lack of guidance within the family also, in terms of English literature.

But I digress. In my early teens, there was next to nothing written by Muslims for Muslim teens, other than a few Islamic books my father bought me on his visits to London and Birmingham. It wouldn't be untrue to claim that what we read shapes us as humans and our understanding of the world, especially at the tender age of early teens. For this reason, I find it so refreshing and encouraging that the teens of the Muslim community finally have reading material that they can relate to. Reading that will inspire them and give them an alternative view of life to other literature they might be reading at the time.

From Somalia has a simple story line in which Safia explores the usual dilemmas of any teenager - school, boys, clothes, family relationships - and discovers how to balance this with her dedication to her religion. As an adult reader I can see that From Somalia is not perfectly written, it's quite short and not as detailed as I'd hoped, and it will probably never be a classic: but it opens up the possibility for British Muslim YA fiction that I can only applaud and encourage. For a teenager, it can only mean the start of better reading and therefore better thinking. I actually quite enjoyed the light read that From Somalia provided, and wished that similar books had been available in my own time.

Oh I just remembered. I read quite a few Malorie Blackman books, so I wasn't too bad after all ;-P

Book review: A Voice by Umm Zakiyyah

2011-09-27T16:19:00.004+01:00

Umm Zakiyyah's second novel, A Voice, is the second part of the trilogy, and the sequel continues from where the story closes in If Should Speak. Having accepted Islam, Tamika must now face her domineering mother who's upbringing instilled in her a deep set love for Christ and the Church. Tamika finds herself torn between her dedication to Islam and her love for her mother, and ultimately struggling to find her new place in the world.

A Voice is much longer than If I Should Speak and as such is much more detailed; this is most likely due to the fact that in the first book the lead up to Tamika's conversion to Islam is seen as a journey of logic and understanding, whereas A Voice is dedicated to Tamika's journey through her heart and soul. Tamika discovers that the hardest part of becoming a Muslim is not actually accepting Islam, but living Islam. She discovers that her life has completely changed: it has a whole new meaning and it takes a lot more than she realises for herself and those around her to be at peace with the choice she has made.

To be honest the storyline of A Voice is pretty predictable from quite early on in the novel; however, I don't think 'what happens' is what is important in this novel. It's really an inquisitive journey into the soul, not just of Tamika but also the characters of Aminah and her brother Sulayman. Being the protagonist of the novel, Tamika's journey is the most poignant, not only because she is a new Muslim but also because some of the battles she fights are not so different from any other Muslim struggling to find peace in their life.

I actually enjoyed A Voice much more than If I Should Speak only because I felt I could relate to it much more. It's an intelligent and thought-provoking exploration into the essence of the soul, what life means and what it means to be Muslim. I found myself folding the corners of many pages after reading passages that touched me and I felt I would come back to in the future. I'll leave you with a quote near the end of the novel:

Regiment, or freedom from it, wasn't of the body, but of the soul...And freedom wasn't to exercise free will but to discipline it. Living carefree, in actuality, was an impossibility. For no life was free from worry, and no life free from care. But to live carefree, in the peripheral, was to direct life's worries and cares to that which benefited the soul. A life free from responsibility and self-discipline was regiment in its ugliest form. The heart ailed and the soul ached, while the person ignored their pleas. Submission to the calls was to free them from the chains of slavery that would only tighten with time.
(P409-10)

Life of Pi: The Illustrated Edition by Yann Martel and Tomislav Torjanac

2011-08-20T01:09:00.000+01:00

I have always believed that no matter how many copies you might own of the same book, you will always find one that is more beautiful than the previous one. Just look at this!

How lush are these illustrations?! It brings a whole new meaning to the reading experience. And these are only a few of many illustrations in this gorgeous, huggable edition of the 2002 Booker Prize winner. This edition of Life of Pi was actually published in 2007 after a world-wide competition was launched to find an artist to illustrate the international bestseller. There's something about the oils and sumptuous colours used by the Croatian artist, Tomislav Torjanac, that makes this one of the most beautiful books I own.

The best part? I found it in The Works for £2.99, whereas it currently retails at around £20 at both Amazon and Waterstones. Run and get yourself a copy, now!

Whilst doing a bit of quick research, I also found that there is a film adaptation of Life of Pi to be released 21st December 2012. A bit of a wait, but definitely sounds interesting.

I also picked up a few other books whilst in the Works:

A biography of Imran Khan, former captain of the Pakistan cricket team, celebrity and politician (this will probably be read by my dad), a sweet little copy of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam (a selection of poems attributed to the Persian poet translated into English) and Brixton Beach by Roma Tearne. The latter book I'd never heard of before, but looks interesting enough with the backdrop of both the 2005 London bombings and Sri Lanka on the brink of civil war thirty years earlier.

All three books were purchased for 99p or less (on sale)! The Works also sell online with delivery prices starting from £0.49. Buying new books is finally turning into a guilt-free pleasure :)

Book review: If I Should Speak: A Novel by Umm Zakkiyah

2011-08-09T17:51:00.002+01:00

If I Should Speak is the first part of a trilogy written by Umm Zakkiyah which explore the realities of accepting and living Islam. If I Should Speak tells the story of three college students that find themselves unlikely roommates at a small, private American university. Tamika is a Christian confused with her beliefs, whilst Dee and Aminah are Muslim, the former discontented with her religion and the latter strong and steadfast on the path to Islam and determined to keep Dee with her. The introduction of Islam into Tamika's life clears up her confusion, but stands in the way of her dream of becoming a famous singer. Instead, she strikes up a friendship with Dee, who is emerging as a successful model and singer and opens up the doors to fame for Tamika.

I thought I would read something a little more spiritual considering it's Ramadan at the moment. This is actually the second time I'm reading this trilogy - I don't think you can ever take everything from a book in one reading. I've never read spiritual fiction before, at least not like this. The majority of the novel is a dialogue between Islamic and Christian beliefs, as Tamika weighs up the arguments either side. It presents some pretty good arguments, some that I may not have considered before and would be useful for dawah purposes or for Christians looking into Islam. I would also say that Umm Zakkiyah provides good basic knowledge of Islam in this novel, although I would say that it's pretty stringent in it's portrayal of Islam. For some this may be the perfect reminder they need, for others it may be a little intimidating.

For myself, I found it hard to connect with any of the characters as I didn't relate to any of them: Tamika is obviously a disillusioned Christian, Dee has been swept away by the lures of fame, fortune and admirers, whilst Aminah is just so bland and self-righteous! Because I've read the rest of the trilogy, I know that the characters develop much more in the following books, but I do find that the main characters in this novel seem to be at extremes. That's not to say that they don't have any depth to their character, just that I don't particularly relate to any of them.

Although turned off by her self-righteousness, Aminah did impress me at times with her strong character and determination. For example, on page 110, Aminah tells Tamika:

"...I'm not going to turn my back on the truth..."
Tamika could sense the conviction in her words, and she was slightly envious of of Aminah for her strong faith.
"Not for any reason, " Aminah stressed. "I don't care what they do or say. If I know something is essential for my soul, you better believe I'm gonna do it," she promised. "Even if I'm the only one."

This may not be the best part of the trilogy, but it's certainly a good introduction to the next, and I would say most important, part of the exploration of being a Muslim in A Voice .

Book review: Bitter Sweets by Roopa Farooki

2011-08-03T11:49:00.003+01:00

I read Bitter Sweets about two months ago, so it's not particularly fresh in my mind. From what I remember, it's set in 1950s Bangladesh and modern day London and follows the lives of three generations of the same family who all become trapped in a web of lies spun by themselves. Ricky Karim discovers on his wedding night that his wife is not educated but actually a lazy, illiterate, shopkeeper's daughter. Nevertheless, they continue their marriage of convenience which leads to a future of double lives and deception that spans the next two generations.

Roopa Farooki's debut isn't a badly written book, in fact I found it quite witty and readable - at least up until the setting shifts to London. After that the story-line became predictable, the immigrant-experience felt quite diluted and the climax of the novel was really melodramatic, Bollywood-style. What annoyed me most is that over the course of the novel the reader only perceives the characters as being of Bangladeshi/Pakistani/mixed origin and being immigrants/second generation immigrants in London, but then as soon as the subject of homosexuality arises, suddenly the word "Muslim" is introduced. Erm...were they not Muslims when it came alcoholism and infidelity?! I also felt that the response of some of the characters towards the subject of homosexuality and infidelity, namely that it becomes so easily acceptable, was really unconvincing. The ending had such a happily-ever-after feel to it that when I finally closed the book I felt wholly unsatisfied.

Discount books from The Works

2011-08-02T15:22:00.006+01:00

For those of you who haven't heard of it, The Works is a British discount book store that sells arts and crafts supplies, stationary, toys and games etc. as well as books. To be honest I usually visit The Works for the arts and crafts supplies, rather than the books as there doesn't tend to be much literary fiction on the shelves. On the odd occasion, however, you might find some interesting reads in the sales section. Here's what I picked up in the last few weeks.

I remember reading and very much enjoying I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou when I was studying for my A-Levels. It's the first of 6 autobiographical volumes written by Angelou which span her childhood and early experiences of adult life as an African-American woman. I never caught up with the rest of volumes, so when I strolled into The Works one day I didn't need to think twice when I found three of the six volumes on sale for 99p! I'm still missing two volumes, but this should keep me going for a while.

I also picked up Oscar Wilde's Stories For All Ages which makes a nice change to the usual reading. Fairytales are something that, if you've loved them since your childhood, you can never grow out of, and I find myself buying them even as an adult. This one is 'presented' by Stephen Fry with an introduction before each story. I also found that the huge pile of books in the shop were all signed copies by Fry. Poor guy. Imagine signing hundreds of books for them only to end up in a discount store :-S
Also on sale was Between the Assassinations by Aravind Adiga, Booker Prize winner for The White Tiger. To tell you the truth I hadn't even heard of this book until I came across it in The Works, so I'm not sure how good it will be in comparison to The White Tiger. But I suppose you can't go too wrong for £1.99.

Whilst we're on the subject of not expecting much from a couple of pounds, check out the terrible binding of this book. Judging by the back cover, it looks like a US print, and is probably a reject because of the poor binding. It's more annoying than anything else - I like my books crisp and clean! (OCD alert...)

Do you ever pick up books from discount stores?

Update

2011-08-02T13:16:00.001+01:00

So my brother's wedding and all the post-wedding craziness has pretty much come to an end...or paused at least for the month of Ramadan! It was a beautiful wedding, the couple looked gorgeous and everyone seemed to be almost dizzy with happiness. All the post-wedding stuff has kept us a good deal busy - so much so that Ramadan preparations were pretty minimal this year, apart from the mass-samosa making session. In fact, it doesn't quite feel like it's the second day of Ramadan - I have a tooth infection and haven't been able to fast yet so it'll take a day or so more for me to get into the spirit of things.

As for reading, I somehow managed to find time to read a book by Roopa Farooki amidst all the wedding madness and will do a review on that soon. Otherwise, if one can't find time to read books there is always time to buy books :D I'll be doing a separate post on the books I picked up in the last few weeks.

Ramadan will probably be quiet in terms of reading fiction, considering it's a month of extra worship and heightened spirituality. There wont be much on here in terms of reviews, but I'm working on a new blog that I will be posting on during Ramadan - it won't be literature related, more general randomness so stay tunes for that if you're interested.

In the mean time, happy reading and happy fasting :)

Book review: The Patience Stone by Atiq Rahimi

2011-06-07T17:41:00.001+01:00

I tend to shy away from literature about Afghanistan as I find that the content is often synchronous with Western propaganda. As much as I think Khalid Hosseini is a great writer, in a traditional story-teller kind of way, I always find his writing to be just what the West wants to hear. The fact that he has written the introduction to this book made me a little uneasy, but since it's such a short book I thought I'd give it a try.

The story is set in Afghanistan in an unnamed place, at an unnamed time and with unnamed characters; pretty much the whole story takes place in one room. A woman tends to her comatose husband who has been returned to her after being shot in the back of the neck during civil warfare. Frustrated that her husband shows no signs of waking despite her prayers, the woman blames her husband for her problems and begins to question Afghan society. Slowly, she begins to open up to him about their relationship and divulges all the secrets she would not have dared tell him otherwise, and so he becomes her patience stone.

This novella could easily be turned into quite a moving play. I wasn't too sure about the writing style at the beginning as I felt that it was quite choppy and didn't flow very well. But this may be due to the fact that it has been translated from French. Even so, it grew on me and I felt that the distance that is maintained between the woman and reader because of it made the story quite haunting.

I don't really feel that I enjoyed the The Patience Stone, however. Sure it reveals the horrors of war and the plight of Afghan women, but I don't think Rahimi bought anything new to this story: he paints a stereotypical image of Afghanistan that we've seen one too many times. There seems to be no positivity or hope in this novel, especially in regards to religion or men. There is not even a single strong male character in this story, and pretty much all the characters, except perhaps the woman, are two-dimensional. I also didn't quite understand the climax of the novella, whether it was actually real or a figment of the woman's imagination, and ultimately it left me feeling rather confused.

The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde

2011-06-04T18:11:00.000+01:00

I was going to read The Last Dragonslayer and then brag about how much better this was than Harry Potter (which I point-blank refuse to read). I got as far as...the first half of the second page. Yeah. I just don't dig wizards. Even if it's written by Jasper Fforde.

Book review: Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde

2011-06-03T19:05:00.002+01:00

So I finally got round to reading Shades of Grey, as excited as I was to get hold of this, what was it, a year ago? And I managed to keep my colouring pencils well away from the paint-by-number cover. Aren't you impressed?

What can I say, apart from repeating the fact that Jasper Fforde is a genius? I read somewhere that even if George Orwell had tripped over a paint bucket, he couldn't have come up with anything as brilliant as this. As much as I love Nineteen-Eighty-Four in all it's depressingness, I'd much rather read this version!

Shades of Grey is set in Britain, hundreds of years in the future, after the Something That Happened. Eddie Russet lives in a society where democracy has been replaced by colourtocracy and a person's status is determined by his or her perception of colour. Life seems frighteningly different and yet alarmingly familiar. Life is good for Eddie - he is a good citizen, his colour perception is above average for a Red and so he could not only marry into the Oxbloods but perhaps even become a Prefect. Until, of course, he moves to East Carmine and falls in love with foul-mouthed Jane who is not only a Grey but her rebellious ways soon open up his eyes to the truth behind his apparently perfect world.

I should probably be honest with you and admit that as clever and witty as this book was, it wasn't a particularly easy book to read. It took much effort on my part to actually get myself into it, and so it took me quite a while to read. It wasn't a particularly painful effort, but it did require plenty of brainpower - perhaps that was the problem...! Fforde's brave new world is made so fascinatingly bizarre only through the sheer complexity of it all. How does he think of it all?? Once I got going, I couldn't get to the end fast enough and am very much looking forward to the sequel!

Book review: Lyrics Alley by Leila Aboulela

2011-05-31T14:26:00.005+01:00

I don't remember the last time I found myself staying up till late reading a book that I could just not put down, and then waking up early the next morning to indulge some more. I raced through Lyrics Alley and can honestly say I haven't felt this way about reading since my early teens.

Lyrics Alley is a beautifully poignant story following the lives of the great Abuzeid dynasty. With a backdrop of 1950's Sudan on the brink of independence from the British, Leila Aboulela's writing explores the conflicts and struggles of this critical period in Sudan's history, especially that of tradition against modernisation. It is the scope of the historical context that makes Lyrics Alley so different from her other two novels, Minaret and The Translator. Aboulela skillfuly carves many more characters into her writing than she has done in her previous work, and it works beautifully to evoke a very truthful social context, especially in the exploration of the lives of Sudanese women.

Despite the multiple person narratives and stories, Lyrics Alley centres on the love story of Nur, the second son of Mahmoud Bey, and Soraya, daughter of his uncle Idris Bey. Nur is a brilliant, charming young man destined to a bright future studying in London and betrothed to his childhood sweetheart. But a near-fatal accident changes all this, taking away both his dreams of studying in England and the girl he loves. The story of Nur is actually based on a true story of a famous Sudanese poet and songwriter, Hassan Awad Aboulela, who I believe is Leila Aboulela's uncle. Nur is probably my favourite character in Lyrics Alley: his life is so profoundly tragic and his passion so poignant that you cannot help but fall in love with him.

This is definately Aboulela's finest work.

Update and 'haul'

2011-04-26T17:05:00.008+01:00

Gosh, doesn't time fly by? We're already a good three weeks into April and my last post was in January! It's been really busy, what with work, Easter break, my brother's wedding planning, other family stuff and to top it off random hobbies I've picked up (and put down). I've really not had much time for reading. I've only managed to get through three books so far this year, which I guess isn't bad since it works out as roughly one a month.

Since the reviews of these books have not been done yet, I thought I'd show you the books I've been adding to my (overflowing) bookshelf in the past few months. The majority of them have been baking books (my non-fiction addiction), but I picked up a few literary ones from British Bookshops and Sussex Stationers back in February when they went into administration and had a 40% off closing down sale. There wasn't much literary fiction in the sale, but here's what I managed to get hold of:

I'm not much of a photographer, so you must excuse the terrible photos (yes, yes, OK, I really did just snap them on my mobile phone). The Year of The Flood, I believe, is the sequel to Margaret Atwood's post-apocalyptic novel Oryx and Crake. I don't think anyone writes dystopian fiction like Atwood; I love how extraordinarily evocative and poetical her writing is and so had to add this to my collection. The Glass Palace is meant to be Amtiav Ghosh's finest novels, and after reading In An Antique Land for my postcolonialism course at university, I definitely wanted to read more by him. A Sea of Poppies is still sitting on my bookshelf waiting to be read - a long with piles of other books. Ah well, I can take my time can't I? Books don't have best-before dates, after all... I'm not sure why I picked up Chicago, I still haven't read The Yacoubian Building but since it was only a few pounds, I thought I might as well! (Very dangerous mindset to possess!!) And lastly I bought The Saffron Kitchen by Yasmin Crowther which I've read before but didn't have a copy and this was less than £2! It's a beautiful story about a woman called Maryam who leaves London and returns to a remote village in Iran where she grew up; the story tells how she confronts the troubles of her past and the love of a man she was forced to leave behind. I'd definitely recommend it.

I also picked up a couple of books from a charity shop which I'm pretty chuffed with. The first is a hardback copy of Wuthering Heights published by Reader's Digest, published 1990:

I'm sure I have more than one copy of this classic already (I'm such a book hoarder!), but I love collecting beautiful copies of my favourite classics. I don't think it's as beautiful as my gold leafed copy of Jane Eyre though! The photographed copy of Wuthering Heights is in a literally untouched condition, has gorgeous illustrations throughout and also comes with an insert that has a brief history of the novel.

I also found a collectors edition of Olive Schreiner's A Story of an African Farm for £2 which is now out of print and appears to be selling for at least £30 on eBay and whatnot. As well as an introduction by Doris Lessing, it's printed on fabulously good quality paper and has some really beautiful illustrations. It's a piece of art!

I think that concludes the update, haul and and clearly dodgy photography! I'll try to post reviews for my recently read books in the next few days. Happy reading!

Red, Red Rose

2011-01-25T12:58:00.004Z

O, my luve is like a red, red rose,
That's newly sprung in June.
O, my luve is like a melodie,
That's sweetly play'd in tune.

As fair art thou, my bonie lass,
So deep in luve am I,
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a' the seas gang dry.

Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi the sun!
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
While the sands o life shall run.

And fare thee weel, my only luve!
And fare thee weel, a while!
And I will come again, my luve,
Tho it were ten thousand mile!

- Robert Burns, born 25th January, 1759

LOTD: Review of The Long Song by Andrea Levy on The TV Book Club

2011-01-25T12:38:00.004Z

The TV Book Club reviews The Long Song, the Booker Prize-shortlisted novel from Andrea Levy, the author of Small Island.

New Year

2011-01-12T16:12:00.008Z

There is perhaps no other time like the New Year that makes so many human beings stop and think about the progress of their lives. Analysing the previous year we applaud ourselves for achieving our targets, criticise ourselves for not keeping resolutions, chide ourselves for any retrogression. We then turn to the coming year and make new plans, new resolutions, we sculpt a newer sense of Self to be effectuated by the end of the year. Every year, we journey closer to that perfect state of Self we each imagine ourselves able to incarnate.

The truth is that we will never reach this perfect state because that ideal Self we all want to embody is an idea that is constantly changing and evolving. As we get older, our bodies mature, as do our minds, our relationships, our responsibilities and duties, and ultimately our ideologies and faith. Every year, there will always be things to achieve, habits to kick, mistakes we'll make, responsibilities to undertake.

In regards to myself, I don't think 2010 was a particularly productive year for me: I failed to keep even the one official resolution I made. But thinking back on the past year, I really do believe I've made much progress mentally and spiritually. I'm nowhere near where I might be satisfied with my life, but freeing yourself form a pot-hole is pretty empowering...all I need now is some petrol!

OK, so I'm a little late for the New Year's resolution post - who says they need to be made by the 1st of January? I've been feeling a kind of hungry emptiness for a number weeks now and, after quite a frustrating day at work, I realised today that the long extended brain surge I've been suffering from since university has finally subsided. Unfortunately, I now feel as if I've forgotten how to use my brain, especially considering the fact that I ensured I would not allow any strain on this poor, fatigued organ of mine. In fact, I seriously think I have forgotten how to write.

And so I am resolved to make this my New Year's resolution: to allow my brain the intellectual stimulation that I starved it from over the past three years and to remind myself how to write all those clever things I was able to write before. I never thought I would say this, but I actually miss Homi Bhabha and the brain aches that his impossible-to-decipher essays induced. I'm not quite sure exactly how I'm going to refresh my mind after the reboot, but what I have learnt about myself over the past year is that I'm extremely stubborn when it comes to things being enforced upon me, even if the enforcer is myself!

And so here it is folks, my New Year's resolution condensed, unrestricted and free from over-ambitiousness (like last year) - to utilise my recovered brain to it's fullest capacity. It must involve a pen. Oh and this blog, also.

My Cocoon Tightens

2011-01-01T18:37:00.006Z

My Cocoon tightens—Colors tease—
I'm feeling for the Air—
A dim capacity for Wings
Demeans the Dress I wear—

A power of Butterfly must be—
The Aptitude to fly
Meadows of Majesty implies
And easy Sweeps of Sky—

So I must baffle at the Hint
And cipher at the Sign
And make much blunder, if at least
I take the clue divine—

- Emily Dickinson, Poem 1099

Book review: The Reluctant Mullah by Sagheer Afzal

2010-12-19T15:03:00.006Z

It is a truth which should be universally acknowledged that I feel terribly guilt-ridden when I find myself writing a negative review. This is especially true when reviewing a book by one of very few writers trying to secure a positive voice for Muslims and Islam in English literature. One cannot, however, allow their guilty conscience to override their sense of honesty :)

The reluctant mullah of this story by Sagheer Afzal is Musa, a passionate and extremely introspective student of Islam who often finds himself in trouble because of these very qualities. The story begins with Musa being dismissed from the madrassah where he studies after he is discovered cross-dressing in an abaya and hijab in order to see what it's like to be 'on the other side'. When he arrives home, Musa's father forces him into hard labour so that he might "know what it is to work and suffer". Musa's grandfather has other ideas when he arrives from Pakistan: he gives Musa 30 days to find himself a wife, or he must accept the hand of his cousin in Pakistan.

This could have been a very important book: Afzal grapples with a number of issues that affect the Pakistani community: the struggle to mould an Islamic, Pakistani and British identity, the clashing of culture and religion, the difficulties of searching for marriage partners, the lack of education in these communities, duties towards families, drugs and more. What ensues is meant to be a serious story of self-discovery and love balanced with good helping of comedy. However, it really wasn't what it could and should have been.

Firstly, I don't see the need for it to be marketed as light reading; there are such serious and profound discussions in this novel which really contradict with the light hearted nature of this book. Secondly, I didn't find it particularly well-written. This may, of course, just be due to the inability of my snobby self to read light fiction. But I did feel that nearly all the characters were caricatures. I assume that Afzal consciously chose to do this only so he could subvert those same stereotypes of the Pakistani community. I found unconvincing and a cliche in itself. In this respect it reminded me very much of Londonstani by Gautum Malkani. Afzal writes from nearly every character's perspective in The Reluctant Mullah, which is an interesting way of writing, but it leaves the reader with very little to do. Musa himself didn't strike me as very likeable, I found him quite a weak protagonist with conflicting characteristics.

But then *embarrassed laugh* I didn't get very far into this book so I'm not sure exactly how the characters developed. I managed to read a hundred or so pages and realised there was no way I would last another 300. I did, however, do one of those things you're never meant to do and I've not done since I was a teenager: taking a peek of the ending. Since I wasn't planning to read the rest, I thought: what the hell.

Oh my gosh - it's such a Bollywood ending! It was hilarious but I don't think it was meant to be! *guilty face*

The rest I flicked through, quite quickly and wasn't enticed into reading any more. It's a shame really, because I feel there was a lot of potential in both the storyline and the issues that were discussed by Afzal. I honestly don't think that light reading is the way to go for Muslim authors if they want their writing to be taken seriously.

Book review: The Opposite House by Helen Oyeyemi

2010-11-18T12:48:00.007Z

After reading The Icarus Girl I was really looking forward to reading more by Helen Oyeyemi. She is a talented writer: it's the particularly poetic nature of her writing that made The Icarus Girl such a pleasurable read. What makes The Opposite House different from Oyeyemi's first novel is that it is literally drowning in poetic imagery, and therefore proves to be quite a difficult read. Even after reading a few chapters of The Opposite House, I was still none the wiser in regards to plot or characters. There simply wasn't enough to keep me going after this point. It hasn't put me off, however: Oyeyemi's latest book, White is for Witching, is still on my reading list and I'm looking forward to reading it.

Book review: The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

2010-11-02T22:35:00.012Z

Balram Halwai, the son of a rickshaw-puller born in the "Darkness" of India in a village on the River Ganges, tells his "rags-to-riches" story in a series of letters addressed to Wen Jiabao, the Chinese Premiere who will shortly be visiting Bangalore, to enlighten him about the 'real' India. Balram, now an entrepreneur working in Bangalore, dreamed of escaping his life as he crushed coal and wiped tables in a little teashop where he worked with his brother. Balram's "rags-to-riches" story, however, is not an honest one - it swarms with tales of corruption, murder and bribery. He smashes the cliches as he goes and paints a picture of the darker side of this "New India" that the whole world is talking about.

Aravind Adiga's protagonist is everything an anti-hero should be: satirical, quick-witted, with a dark and self-mocking sense of humour...but try as I might, I could not bring myself to like Balram. There's something quite disturbing about Balram: despite the fact that he is often victimised or that he shares his deepest, darkest thoughts with the reader, you never quite feel comfortable with his character.

The White Tiger is a clever piece of work, and very readable once you get past the slow beginning. At the same time, it's not a particularly imaginative or creative story. You learn at the beginning that Balram, now an enterpreneur working in Bangalore, is wanted for murdering his employer Mr Ashok for whom he was a driver. There is no real twist in the storyline - this is pretty much all that happens: we learn about his life leading up to the murder and why he murdered Mr. Ashok. That's it. The narrative voice is not always convincing; for example, it is not made clear how, or when, exactly Balram became so learned. One could say that, apart from Balram himself, the characters are quite 2D, but for such an angry satire Adiga's sharp caricatures are perfect. It's a satire which works very well, but if Adiga's aim is to overturn cliches about India - surely this has become a cliche in itself? And is it just me, or has there been more Indian Booker Prize winners than the world really needs?

The White Tiger is still a good read, although a little too hyped up and not quite a balanced novel.

Update

2010-10-03T20:08:00.003+01:00

After weeks of neglect, I am finally back. Life, it seems, has suddenly got a lot busier. I'm back at work after a year out and am now trying to balance my part-time job with responsibilities at home and new family commitments. Plus there's all the in-between procrastination time. This, of course, means that I have less time to read. I sometimes wonder how I managed to read so much in the past: my degree course required me to read at least 4 books a week, as a teenager even 6 a week wasn't enough. And now? I don't think I've even managed 10 since the beginning of the year! This depresses me intensely :(

I can't believe it's already October. I looked at some of my old posts and almost cringed at how ambitious I was signing up for all the book review challenges in January. I'm so far behind. In the next three months, I need to review 5 books for the Women Unbound challenge, 6 for the South Asian challenge and 8 for the African Diaspora challenge. 19 altogether. Oh dear God.

Cross-over reading, here I come :D

Latest find

2010-08-26T21:31:00.013+01:00

As much as I love buying new books, there is something quite exciting about buying second-hand books: you never quite know what might be waiting for you when you're browsing through a book stall or step into a charity shop. My bookshelf at home holds dozens of old and beautiful out-of-print books: poetry, classics, modern literature, hardbacks bought for a fraction of the original price. I'm sure I'm more fond of these old things than I am of the brand spanking new books I spent hundreds of pounds on whilst at university.

Earlier today I was passing time in a local charity shop when I came across a hardback copy of Amitav Ghosh's Sea of Poppies for only £1.50. Bargain. I'd been wanting to read this for a while, and had loaned it from the library a number of times but never got round to reading it. Anyhow, I bought the book without paying too much attention to it and didn't bother opening it until I got back home...at which point I realised, to my delight, that it had been signed by the author himself! How cool is that??

And how uncool of the person to give away a book signed by Amitav Ghosh?! Surely you'd only attend a book-signing if you admired an author, and even if it didn't live up to your expectations, you wouldn't give it away?

It's one hell of a big book - it must weight at least a kilo. Beautiful cover, too.

Despite the mixed reviews, if it's anything like In An Antique Land, or as well-researched, I'm sure it won't disappoint.

Esoteric Cookies ;)

2010-08-16T00:56:00.010+01:00

What do you do during Ramadhan when there is no reading-time, but plenty of kitchen-time? Bake cookies!! Adapted from Aminah's recipe on Cake Mama, using milk, white and plain chocolate chunks, marshmallow pieces and smarties. So soft and chewy! Try the cookies five mins after taking out from the oven, served with a big dollop of vanilla ice-cream. Yummy.

Drama review: Northanger Abbey, ITV 2007

2010-08-13T19:15:00.007+01:00

This is hardly going to be a credible review of ITV's 2007 adaptation of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, because not only have I never seen an adaptation of it before... I've also never read the novel itself. Hmmm.
Northanger Abbey never gets as much attention as the rest of Austen's other work, perhaps because as a mock Gothic novel it is just so different from the others. Which is probably also why I've never bothered reading it. I always assumed it would be a bit of a drag like Mansfield Park - can't get myself to like that book, even in drama form - just because it was also named after a place, unlike her other novels. That's Hafsah Logic for you.

After watching this, I was pleasantly surprised: it was really quite entertaining. OK, yeah, even I know without having read it that Austen probably turned over multiple times in her grave over this adaptation: the 2Dish characters, the sexual overtones, the sexual references to the Gothic novels, especially The Monk, were clearly not Austenian. I think the problem is that Northanger Abbey never sparks enough interest for anyone to want a good adaptation of it - in fact, I think there's only been one other attempt at adapting it before this?

Personally, I think it makes for good, light entertainment - often period dramas, especially Austenian ones, stretch depressingly on forever (which, by the way, I love when I'm being my usual masochistic self) and sometimes you wish they were just a little bit more fun. Which Northanger Abbey certainly is.

Book review: The Icarus Girl by Helen Oyeyemi

2010-08-12T16:40:00.007+01:00

I finished reading The Icarus Girl about a week ago, but I didn't get the chance to review it as I've been busy with Ramadan preparations. Ramadan started yesterday and to be honest I think it's going to keep me so busy I probably won't have the time to read or review much for the next month.

I've also found that reviewing books has turned into a bit of a chore for me. I love reading books and thought I loved writing about them, but I've really not been enjoying reviewing so far. I think I'm just trying too hard to write a good, balanced review, but it just ends up feeling like I'm writing an essay! In my opinion, someone who has a passion for the written word should not read or write anything unless they gain pleasure from it. So I have resolved to write more informal reviews from now. Well, as informal as I can without babbling! Easier for me to write, easier for you to read :D

So back to the review!

The Icarus Girl is the debut novel the Nigerian-born Helen Oyeyemi who moved to London when she was four. She lived on a council estate in Lewisham and was discouraged by parents to socialise with the local children. Oyeyemi had a difficult childhood: she often felt herself an outsider, was disruptive at school and suffered from bouts of depression that resulted in an overdose on pills at the age of 15. Oyeyemi's own life is clearly a huge influence on her writing - there's a great interview with her on The Sunday Times.

Eight-year-old Jessamy Harrison is the protagonist of The Icarus Girl, a "half-and-half girl" with a Nigerian mother and English father. Jess is an extremely sensitive and highly imaginative child who alienates herself from the world around her, locking herself away in cupboards for hours on end, reading and writing. Jess's fits of screaming terrify not only the children at school but also her mother who struggles to raise her with a balance of British and Nigerian values. When her mother takes Jess to Nigeria to meet her family during the school holidays, Jess befriends TillyTilly, a ragged girl her own age who appears to understand how she feels and seems to know the answers to all the questions Jess has often wondered about. On her return to England, TillyTilly follows her and Jess soon realises that her friend is not quite real. TillyTilly slowly begins to take over Jess's life, blackmailing her, breaking things around the house and "getting" people who make Jess unhappy.

I loved this book, it was extremely readable. I know I always talk about how readable a book is, but I think it's readability (if that's a word) is really important for the success of a book. Reading should NEVER feel like a chore. Oyeyemi writing is clear and extremely haunting. Her portrayal of Jess's character is honest and very touching. I don't think it's a perfectly written book: as the novel develops the storyline becomes quite tangled with the doppelganger theme and Nigerian culture which can become quite confusing for the reader. But I don't think it undermines the novel too much, and perhaps even accentuates Jess's own confusion and lack of control.

Oyeyemi is definitely a writer to look out for. I have her second novel, The Opposite House, waiting on my shelf at the moment, and I've also put her latest novel White is For Witching onto my (never-ending) reading list. Enjoy.

Ramadhan Mubarak!

2010-08-12T16:06:00.008+01:00

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) addressed his companions on the last day of Sha`ban, saying, "Oh people! A great month has come over you; a blessed month; a month in which is a night better than a thousand months; month in which Allah has made it compulsory upon you to fast by day, and voluntary to pray by night. Whoever draws nearer (to Allah) by performing any of the (optional) good deeds in (this month) shall receive the same reward as performing an obligatory deed at any other time, and whoever discharges an obligatory deed in (this month) shall receive the reward of performing seventy obligations at any other time. It is the month of patience, and the reward of patience is Heaven. It is the month of charity, and a month in which a believer's sustenance is increased. Whoever gives food to a fasting person to break his fast, shall have his sins forgiven, and he will be saved from the Fire of Hell, and he shall have the same reward as the fasting person, without his reward being diminished at all." [Narrated by Ibn Khuzaymah]

Ramadan mubarak to all! May Allah bless you and your families this month, may He accept all your fasts and reward you abundantly for every act of worship you perform. Ameen.

Na'ima B. Robert: Telling Our Stories

2010-07-13T13:15:00.041+01:00

So here it is, as promised, a short article by Na'ima B Robert in which she discusses the need for Muslim youth to have their voices heard.

Telling our stories, making our voices heard

What is the point of telling stories, of creating characters, of devising plots and crafting dialogue? Or perhaps I should rephrase the question: what is MY point in telling stories, stories about and for Muslim youth? I tell stories because I love to imagine and I love to dream. I tell stories because I enjoy putting myself in someone else's shoes and walking for a while, savouring their life. I tell stories because I don't see our stories being told.

And this is crucial.

I don't see our stories being told.

I don't see our youth having a range of characters that they can relate to on a religious or cultural level; I don't see them having access to stories that acknowledge and affirm their struggles as young Muslims; I don't see them having access to literature that will uplift and inspire them, as Muslims.

And this is crucial.

For if you do not see yourself reflected in what you read, if your fears, hopes, dreams and motivations do not find a voice in what you read, you will do one of two things. You will either stop reading out of frustration or your own narrative will change to fit the narrative you read, the 'normal' narrative.

And this is crucial.

Stories about Muslim kids struggling with the day to day, about them transcending, overcoming, fighting, keeping on, serve to normalise the Muslim experience. They humanise us. They give life and colour and feeling and movement to the often 2 dimensional portrait of Muslims and Islam. And do they encourage our youth to keep striving, to know that they are not alone in their struggles, that there are others out there that are striving for the same thing as they are: a balance. A balance between self and others, between dependence and independence, between deen and dunya.

If one young person feels strengthened, validated or acknowledged by anything I have written, it will have been worth it.

All good is from Allah and any mistakes are from myself and the Shaitaan.

Na'ima B. Robert
naimabrobert.co.uk

Nai'ma B Robert is 'Muslim, Black, mixed-race, South African, Western, revert and woman all in one'. Descended from Scottish Highlanders on her father's side and the Zulu people on her mother's side, she was born in Leeds and grew up in Zimbabwe. She went on to gain a first-class degree from the University of London. Having worked in marketing, the performing arts, teaching and the travel and tourism industry, she is now an award-winning author and Editor-in-chief of SISTERS, a magazine for Muslim women.

Na'ima is author of the best-selling book From My Sister's Lips and has been published in The Observer, The Times and is a regular contributor to The Times Online Faith section.

Her second book for teens, Boy vs. Girl, is out now. Grab a copy now from Amazon (UK) or download the Kindle e-book (US) here

Book review: The Mistress of Spices by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

2010-07-10T14:14:00.009+01:00

Title: The Mistress of Spices
Author: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Publisher: Black Swan (5 Feb, 1998)
Pages: 317 (Paperback)
ISBN: 9780552996709

Oh God. This book made me cringe from the very first page. I love reading magic realism, no matter how utterly crazy the storyline, but Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's writing is so pretentiously poetic and so unbelievably unconvincing that I couldn't push myself past the first few chapters of The Mistress of Spices.

The story is about Tilo, an Indian immigrant who runs a spice shop in California. Tilo is a mistress of spices, a priestess of the secret magical powers of spices; not only does she supply ingredients for curries and kormas, but she also helps her customers gain whatever they most desire. The story is seeming more ridiculous to me as I write about it. I'm sure it didn't seem as ridiculous when I watched the film adaptation with Aishwariya Rai back in 2005. The film was a disappointment too, but I assumed that was just a result of poor acting and a badly written script. I guess I thought the original written word would be a better bet.

I can see why some people might like it...kind of...but the whole exotic feel to it was just so cringe-worthy. I am aware of the fact that I keep using the word cringe but I honestly can't find a more suitable word to express how I felt. Here's an example:

"When I hold it in my hands, the spice speaks to me. Its voice is like evening, like the beginning of the world.
I am turmeric who rose out of the ocean of milk when the devas and asuras churned for the treasures of the universe. I am turmeric who came after the poison and before the nectar and thus lie in between."

A bit of haldi. Talking. I know.

I should also inform you that I have an OCD about spelling, grammar and punctuation errors and any mistakes apparent in the above extract are those made by the author. And she consistently makes these throughout the, er, two chapters I managed to read. She doesn't even use question marks, for heaven's sake! I can't imagine what the rest of the book might be like. If only it wasn't a library copy, I'm sure I would've attacked it with my teacher-red marker...

Guest post by Na'ima B. Robert!

2010-07-08T14:04:00.006+01:00

I'm very pleased to announce that Na'ima B Robert has agreed to do guest post here on the 13th of July! Not only is she the author of From My Sisters' Lips, Robert is also an author of teen fiction and children's books. In honour of her new book, Boy-vs-girl, Robert will be doing a blog tour between 12th and 26th July. Do pop by on 13th July to see what this inspirational woman has to say!

For information about Nai'ma B. Robert, check out her website and blog.

Book review: Gifted by Nikita Lalwani

2010-06-30T19:50:00.015+01:00

Title: Gifted
Author: Nikita Lalwani
Publisher: Viking (28 Jun 2007)
Pages: 288 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 9780670917075

Rumika Vasi is 10 years, two months, 13 days, two hours, 42 minutes and 6 seconds old and has known since the age of five that she is a "gifted" child. Her father Mahesh is obsessed with pushing Rumi as far as he can academically, determined to make her the youngest person to pass Maths A-Level and be admitted to Oxford University. Mahesh takes control of every aspect of Rumi's life, building a strict regime of study in which discipline and obedience are the key factors.

Rumi's lifestyle leaves her ostracized in the playground, but she finds comfort in her world of numbers and equations. However, as she grows older, she becomes more aware of how different she is from everyone else she knows. As her father's tyranny magnifies, so do Rumi's temptations to rebel and dreams of freeing herself from her prison.

Nikita Lalwani's debut Gifted echoes the real life story of Sufiah Yusof, a mathematics prodigy who made the headlines in 1997 for becoming the youngest person to gain entry to Oxford University at the age of 13. Sufiah and her siblings were home-schooled by her parents, her father bullying them into a cruel academic regime much like Rumi's. Three years later, Sufiah disappeared from Oxford, leading to a nation-wide police hunt. She was soon found in Bournemouth but refused to return home, claiming that she had had enough of 15 years of physical and mental abuse at the hands of her parents.

Although the theme of child prodigies is central to the novel, for Lalwani this theme becomes a useful tool for the exploration of the generation gap between first generation and second generation immigrants. Both Mahesh and his wife Shereen are of Indian origin, but their individual experiences of migrating to Britain are not explored in great depth. Instead, Lalwani deliberates on the experience of rearing a child in an alien society. For Mahesh, like many other South-Asian immigrants, education is the ultimate tool that guarantees success in the West. The aspirations of Shreene, Rumi's mother, are of a different kind: the more rebellious and westernised Rumi grows, the more frustrated Shreene becomes, wanting her daughter to have the same moral conduct and mentality that she grew up with in India. Both parents neglect Rumi's sense of self and her needs as an Indian girl growing up in the West. Rumi's rebellious acts against her parents prove destructive for both her mother and fathers' visions of their daughter's future.

Lalwani has potential to be a very skillful writer; her characterisation of Shreene is the most complex, bringing to life her struggle to keep alive her Indian identity. Mahesh, however, seems somewhat caricature-like and I do find it difficult to empathise with him. Nevertheless, as a debut, I think Lalwani does well in Gifted. By writing in the third person, she explores not only the difficulties of the second generation, but also first generation immigrants, allowing the reader to be confronted by the complexity of this potentially destructive relationship. Overall, it's an enjoyable read.

Rumi's story concludes in an open-ended way, suggesting that her life does not take the tragic turns that Sufiah's life did. Instead, it leaves the reader with a feeling of hope, that unlike Sufiah's story, there is the possibility of dialogue, and perhaps even understanding, between the two generations.

Book review: From My Sister's Lips by Na'ima B. Roberts

2010-06-13T17:23:00.009+01:00

Title: From My Sisters' Lips
Author: Na'ima B. Robert
Publisher: Bantam (02 May 2005)
Pages: 359 (Paperback)
ISBN: 9780593054413

Covered from head to toe, with only her eyes visible, the sight of a Muslim woman on a Western city street rarely fails to provoke a strong reaction. Feelings of shock, horror, repulsion, pity – or even fear – are not uncommon. But have you ever wondered about the woman ‘behind the veil’? Have you ever wondered what her life is really like and how her hopes, dreams and aspirations differ from yours?

Islam is perhaps the most misunderstood religion in the world, and the status of Muslim women by far it's most misrepresented aspect. It would, then, comes as a surprise to many that, not only is Islam the fastest growing religion in the world, but also that the number women converting to Islam far outnumber the opposite sex. Na'ima B. Robert is one of these converts, a mixed-raced woman who grew up in Zimbabwe as typical party-girl but converted to Islam soon after a trip to Egypt whilst she was studying at the University of London. In this inspirational book, Robert tells the stories of a community of women and their conversions to Islam, answering one the most unsettling questions in the West: what on earth would possess a free and educated Western woman to embrace apparently the most oppressive religion on the planet?

It's a controversial subject and Robert's unshakable faith and way of life is undeniably conservative, and so it makes sense that she starts the book with a disclaimer: "This is a personal book and, as such , it focuses on a small slice of the Muslim experience". This book is not about all Muslim women, nor is it about all female Muslim converts. It is about her own life and the lives of the women mentioned in the book, those in the West who choose to wear the veil and therefore live a conservative Islamic way of life.

Having read anthologies about converts in the past, enlightening as they are, Robert's take on the subject seemed entirely new and refreshing. Because her writing style is neither preachy nor caught up in Arabic jargon nor delving in unnecessary detail, Robert makes learning about Islam more accessible to both Muslims and non-Muslims alike. From My Sisters' Lips is divided into two parts: the first part, Finding Islam, recounts how she and her sisters found Islam, the joys and triumphs of being a new Muslim and also the problems and challenges they faced; the second part, Living Islam, illustrates how they embraced the Islamic way of life - from education, sisterhood and covering their bodies to love, marriage and motherhood.

Everything is explained not just from the perspective of a Muslim, but also from an outsider's viewpoint, from the same viewpoint that these women saw it before coming to Islam. In this way, Robert is able to tackle the various misconceptions about women in Islam and logically clarify the truths behind it. Her conclusion is that Islam is so misunderstood across the globe because it's ideals contradict with modern ideas about freedom and individuality. By embracing Islam, Robert and her sisters feel liberated from the materialism and consumerism that dictates the modern world.

Ultimately, From My Sisters' Lips is a celebration not only of the Islamic faith, but of womanhood and sisterhood, a celebration of the strength, passion and determination of these women.

For each ecstatic instant

2010-05-20T17:23:00.003+01:00

For each ecstatic instant
We must an anguish pay
In keen and quivering ratio
To the ecstasy.

For each beloved hour
Sharp pittances of years,
Bitter contested farthings
And coffers heaped with tears.

Book review: Minaret by Leila Aboulela

2010-05-20T14:50:00.011+01:00

Title: Minaret
Author: Leila Aboulela
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing (07 Aug 2006)
Pages: 288 (Paperback)
ISBN: 9780747579427

Leila Aboulela's second novel Minaret tells the story of Najwa, the daughter of a government official in Khartoum, exiled to London after a government coup and the arrest and execution of her father. Following the death of her ailing mother and her twin-brother’s imprisonment for drug possession and murder, Najwa finds herself poor and alone, working as a nanny for a wealthy Arab family in London.

Aboulela writes in a quiet, careful and almost delicate way about culture, faith and womanhood in this novel. Despite being a quiet and uncharismatic character, Minaret unravels Najwa’s journey towards a wholesome Islamic identity and self-empowerment by challenging the authorities of race, gender and class.

Although Aboulela's writing is simple in style, Minaret is a beautifully crafted novel. Najwa narrates her story in two parts, told side by side, splitting her life into two: the Westernised life of affluence she lived in both Khartoum and the first few years she was in London, and the Islamic life she began when she realised the vacuousness of her former life.

Najwa’s past life is overshadowed by her relationship with Anwar, a fellow student at Khartoum University and a radical socialist who also finds himself exiled to London after a second coup; their relationship transmutes into a tumultuous sexual affair which Najwa finds herself drowning in. Desperate for pity and affection, she allows Anwar take advantage not only of her desolation, but also her money and English education which he uses to build his career.

The second part of the novel, in which Najwa has renounced her former life and adopts an Islamic identity, tells another love story, this time a chaste and deferential affair, between Najwa and Tamer, a devout Muslim man twenty years her junior and the younger brother of her employer.

In Minaret, Aboulela challenges the West’s depictions of Islam by portraying Islam at it’s very core: the nurturing atmosphere of a Muslim community that offers shelter, work, education, friendship and female communion; it’s freedom from the confusion and chaos of cultural identity; the encouragement of humility and respect between classes; the equal positioning of men and women; how Islam extends to the personal and domestic, and therefore feminine, sphere.

Aboulela’s biggest success in Minaret is how she is able to challenge both Western feminism and one of the biggest misconceptions and misrepresentations of Islam in the West, and indeed the whole globe: that Islam oppresses women. The subject of female emancipation is central to Minaret: Aboulela celebrates Islamic womanism and polarizes it with Western feminism. She challenges the notion of freedom in the modern world and laments the loss of the belief that women need protection and security, a right which Islam gives women but the modern world has taken away. Aboulela also familiarises the concept of hijab on a personal level rather than a political one. When Najwa takes on the hijab, she finds that it offers her an alternative beauty that has nothing to do with sexual gratification, giving her more control over her body and serves as a shield from the potentially destructive male gaze.

Najwa’s story is a heartbreaking one, yet at the same time it is refreshing and worth celebrating this African woman’s transformation from the pride and confusion of cultural and national identity to the humility and peace that the Islamic faith offers her in postcolonial London.

Book review: Salt and Saffron by Kamila Shamsie

2010-04-22T19:31:00.016+01:00

Title: Salt and Saffron

Author: Kamila Shamsie
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing (08 May 2001)
Pages: 256 (Paperback)
ISBN: 9780747553953

Aliya is the protagonist of Kamila Shamsie's second novel, Salt and Saffron, a young Pakistani woman caught up in her family's feudal past. The Dard-e-dils obsession with stories and secrets of the past, and belief that the family is cursed by not-quite-twins, leads Aliya to also believe that she is another "not-quite" twin, linked to her scandalous aunt Mariam .

This is only the second book I've read by Shamsie and it's taken me somewhat by surprise. Salt and Saffron is a completely different read to her latest novel Burnt Shadows in both style and theme. Whilst Burnt Shadows is an ambitious and engaging politically-driven novel, Salt and Saffron is a much easier read, and indulges in completely different subject matter: historical exoticism of the Mughal era, ancient family feuds, myth, legends and secrets, a hint of magic realism. It's all a bit far fetched, really. Don't get me wrong - I do enjoy pandering to the exotic sometimes, and I have a real soft spot for magic realism - Jeanette Winterson style. But being a Pakistani myself, I suppose I'm not far removed enough from it for the exoticism to move me greatly. Except for the numerous and lengthy descriptions of food. They were evocative enough for any Pakistani's mouth to start watering.

As for the storyline, it wasn't particularly clever, nor was the characterisation particularly inventive. I didn't feel guilty skipping through the lengthy historical details...although it did leave me a tad confused at various points in the novel. But that's nothing new with me! The whole 'not-quite' twins thing seemed like a great idea, but I don't think it worked very well. What was new to me, however, was the discussion of caste in the novel. I was not aware of the caste system in Pakistan until very recently and this novel certainly revealed that it penetrates Pakistani culture more deeply than I had realised.

All in all, Salt and Saffron is a readable novel, with some great ingredients but just not cooked well enough.

Book review: A Case of Exploding Mangoes by Mohammed Hanif

2010-04-22T18:54:00.005+01:00

I couldn't finish this book. Forget finishing it, I couldn't get myself past the second chapter. I haven't blogged in a while as I haven't actually read much in the past couple of months. Busy? Kinda. Lazy? No. It's just this book. I started it, got bored of it, went back to it, got bored of it, tried again and then just gave up. It made reading feel like such a chore.

I've only read good reviews about A Case of Exploding Mangoes: I'm sure it's a great read, but it's just not my cup of tea. Muhammad Hanif is certainly a witty and entertaining writer, I remember smirking at a number of points during the first chapter but I guess Pakistani politics just didn't appeal to me enough to want to read on. Perhaps I'm just being a lazy reader. Or a fussy one.

Maybe I'll give it another go in a few weeks.

'Life looks colourful. Life looks good'

2010-01-28T00:17:00.009Z

I'm not usually one for buying books as soon as they're published, especially not a hardback at full price (ok, ok, it was £11.99 from the bookshop, RRP £16.99...but I've just checked the price on Amazon and it's £8.48 - damn!) I just could not resist when I saw it on the shelf today. With Jasper Fforde, I just know I'm not going to be disappointed. His latest book, Shades of Grey, steps away from his Thursday Next and Nursery Crimes series and instead joins one of my favourite literary genres: distopian fiction. Except this is not your average Brave New World. Ohhh no. In this world, "Democracy has been replaced by a Colourtocracy, where "Visual colour dominates society...You are what you can see". The guy is a comic genius.

Judging by the reviews I've read so far, the book looks like it's Fforde's best one yet and I can't wait to get started on it. Except I've got two books on the go already. Hmmph. The other problem is...how am I going to stop myself from doing the 'paint by numbers' and defacing the cover of this book in the meantime??

Book: The Immigrant by Manju Kapur

2010-01-20T17:55:00.015Z

Title: The Immigrant
Author: Manju Kapur
Publisher: Faber & Faber(3 Dec 2009)
Pages: 352 (Paperback)
ISBN: 9780571244072

I really wanted to like this book. Manju Kapur is a great storyteller; the subtle blend of the domestic and historical always make her books a great read. As the title suggests, in The Immigrant Kapur makes a change from her usual Indian setting and instead experiments with the immigrant experience. It isn't a success.

The main protagonist is Nina, a college teacher in New Delhi who finally finds a husband after the age of thirty, much to the relief of her family, friends and neighbours. She joins her husband Ananda in Canada, who left New Delhi after the death of his parents in a rickshaw accident in order to build a new life and a successful career as a dentist. The novel follows their search for a place in the western world, their sense of self and the inevitable breakdown of their marriage.

It's not that the novel isn't readable: it is. In fact I read in about two days. But ultimately it's just a cliche. The immigrant experience has been done so many times by South Asian writers, and much better in many cases - Kapur just does not bring anything new to it. There's the usual sense of disorientation, experimentation with cultural differences played out through food and clothing and general western lifestyle, sexual exploration, a bit of feminist liberation thrown in. Nothing at all inspiring.

It's already been a while since I read the novel and thinking back I honestly can't remember anything that I found particularly stimulating. Both Nina and Ananda are weak as characters and extremely annoying at that. By the end of the novel I didn't care much about them at all. Not only was the majority of the plot predictable, but I felt like there was no driving force - there was no sense of direction. And it seriously lacked depth in it's exploration of identity and adjustment in a new world.

This definitely wasn't one of Kapur's best novels and it's shame because I really do rate her as a novelist. One of my favourites in fact. If you want to read about the South Asia immigrant experience, there are much better examples out there. As for Kapur - she should probably keep her characters in India. And you should probably read some of Kapur's real genius, like Home or Difficult Daughters.

Book review: Blonde Roots by Bernadine Evaristo

2010-01-17T22:07:00.030Z

Title: Blonde Roots
Author: Bernadine Evaristo
Publisher: Hamish Hamilton (First Ed., 31 Jul 2008)
Pages: 261 (Hardback)
ISBN: 978-0-241-14385-8

All things are subject to interpretation: whichever interpretation prevails at a given time is a function of power, not truth.

This is how Bernadine Evaristo begins her bold and daring novel Blonde Roots. Her quote from Nietzsche make her intentions clear: Evaristo is not just depicting a straightforward reversal of the transatlantic slave trade. In fact, race in itself appears secondary to the point of this novel: the ultimate instrument of power is in fact language. Blonde Roots explores this manipulation of language and it's utilisation by a master to control the slave, and how this exposes the subjectivity of both truth and history.

In this highly imaginative and biting satire, Evaristo not only reverses the transatlantic slave trade, but flips the whole world into a negative mirror image. The Aphrikan blaks are the masters, the whyt Europanes are their slaves; Africa is turned into the cold continent of Europa whilst Europe and the UK become the hot continent of Aphrika and the United Kingdom of Great Ambossa (it's capital Londolo). Now I could write paragraphs and paragraphs of details about this whole mirror imaging, but I'm afraid it'll only serve to confuse you. And myself. In fact, I had to read this book twice before all the clever little reversals clicked in my head (I'm an impatient reader). A map of this imaginative world is provided at the beginning and I found myself flipping back and forth to make sense of what was going on. But perhaps this resulting confusion was a deliberate ploy by Evaristo: the story in the end is not about who is blak and who is whyt or who is taken to where, it is an inquiry into the process of mastering and enslaving.

The novel follows the story of a whyt slave, Doris Scagglethorpe, the daughter of a cabbage farmer who, as a child, is kidnapped, sold at a slave market market and shipped to Aphrika. Evaristo divides the book into three sections: the first part parallels Doris' childhood, her capture and first years of enslavement with her attempted escape from slavery as a middle-aged woman; the "modest and truthful" memoir written by Doris' master, Chief Kaga Konata Katamba I (KKK for short), in the second part of the novel makes a satiric reference to Joseph Conrad's The Heart of Darkness as Katamba describes his journey to the "Grey Continent"; the last part follows Doris' experiences at a sugar cane plantation where she is forced into labouring on the fields and is, for the first time, living alongside fellow whyt slaves.

Evaristo's writing style is extremely readable and witty. The story is at once harrowing and absurd: one moment I was wincing at Evaristo's descriptions of the torture and injustices experienced by the slaves and the next moment I was laughing out loud at Evaristo's comic anachronisms which pull the reader away from the sentimentality to expose the ridiculousness of the Truths that drive this slave trade.

During the course of the novel I found it difficult to keep the image of reversed slavery in my head and for the life of me couldn't imagine the slaves being European, especially during the last part of the novel where, strangely, Evaristo chose to have the slaves on the plantation speak English with a distinctly West Indian accent. However, this blurring of the two races also seems deliberate on Evaristo's part: it doesn't matter who enslaves who, she suggests to the reader. It is ultimately a question of how one disempowers another.

My Other Weakness

2010-01-09T17:35:00.007Z

I promise this will be the last reading challenge I'm going to join...at least for the next few months or until I get half way through the piles of books already waiting for me. But since women's studies is one of my other weaknesses - after postcolonial literature - I decided to join the Women Unbound reading challenge. Besides, most of the books on my current list cross over nicely for this challenge. I've signed up for the Suffragette level: 8 books, including 3 non-fiction.

As a Muslim woman, what I do find when women's studies are discussed, is the huge lack of material written by and about Muslim women. Of course, we've all come across enough sensationalised stories about oppressed (stressed, suppressed, repressed, depressed) Muslim women in around the globe: but how much do we hear about educated and independent women who choose to live an Islamic way of life? Their voices are always drowned out by the sensationalism; it really is time for the West to start listening.

Here are few books written by Muslim women that I've come across and would like to review in the coming weeks for the challenge:

Girl in the Tangerine Scarf - Mohja Kahf
From My Sister's Lips - Na'ima B. Roberts
Love In a Headscarf - Shelina Jan Mohammed
Shattering the Stereotypes: Muslim Women Speak Out - Fawzia Afzal-Khan, Nawal El Saadawi
Welcome to Islam: A Convert's Tale - Lucy Bushill-Matthews

Of course this is just a list of ideas at the moment, I do hope to add to it over the weeks.

Another Reading Challenge!

2010-01-02T00:32:00.010Z

I think I'm getting a little bit ambitious with my Official New Year's Resolution: I've come across another reading challenge that's gotten me even more excited than the African Diaspora one! This one is the South Asian Author Challenge hosted by S. Krishna's Books. I've signed up for 10 books, but will probably end up reading more. I've listed some books I'm thinking of picking up below - luckily many of them crossover from the general reading list I made in the previous post:

The Immigrant - Manju Kapoor
A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
The Minaturist - Kunal Basu
Burnt Shadows - Kamila Shamsie
Mistress of Spices - Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Gifted - Nikita Lalwani
The End of Innocence - Moni Mohsin
One Hundred Shades of White - Preethi Nair
The Colour of Mehndi - Nausheen Pasha-Zaidi
Saffron Dreams - Shaila Abdullah
Sea of Poppies - Amitav Ghosh
Train to Pakistan - Khushwant Singh
A Case of Exploding Mangoes - Mohammed Hanif
Kartography - Kamila Shamsie
Daughter of the East - Benazir Bhutto
An Equal Music - Vikram Seth
Ishq and Mushq - Priya Basil
Burrow - Manzu Islam

I may also reread some others I already have on my bookshelf, such as:

Difficult Daughters - Manju Kapoor
Home - Manju Kapoor
A Married Woman - Manju Kapoor
A Golden Age - Tahmima Anam
Madras on Rainy Days - Samina Ali
In An Antique Land - Amitav Ghosh
Racists - Kunal Basu

Can't wait to get started!

Check out SAWNET and SASIALIT for reading ideas.

New Year's Resolutions

2010-01-01T19:58:00.022Z

And so like every year, I'm sitting down making a list of new year's resolutions that I end up breaking very soon after i.e. the following week. Except this year is going to be different. Yeah, yeah, I know you're all saying "but that's what you said last year". But I insist. This year will be different. Because I'm only keeping one official new year's resolution - losing X amount of weight, eating healthy, learning to cook, STOP making Rocky Road slices every other week, finding a man or a job (either one will do), making time for the 101 hobbies I took up and forgot about over 2009, spending more time writing, being more useful and efficient, growing something other than tulips, green peppers and sunflowers, becoming a more accomplished woman overall, actually wearing all the shoes/makeup/clothes I've collected over the year, and more besides, being the less official resolutions that wont get a special mention on my blog. Ahem.

So the OFFICIAL resolution is much more planned. Since the main purpose of setting up this blog was celebrating literature, and considering I spend way too much time browsing in bookshops, libraries and charity shops, I figured making a list of all the books I should read and review over the year would sort both procrastination and time management problems.

The first reading list is for the African Diaspora Reading Challenge 2010 hosted by BrownGirl Speaks. Since postcolonial literature is my passion and I've spent quite a few years studying it at university, I thought this would be the perfect excuse for me to indulge further. So I signed up for the scholar level! Here are the 12 books I intend to read (subject to availability), listed in no particular order:

Purple Hibiscus - Chimamanda Adiche
Cane - Jean Toomer
On Black Sisters' Street - Chika Unigwe
Never Far From Nowhere - Andrea Levy
The Long Song - Andrea Levy
Bitter Fruit - Achmat Dangor
Beloved - Toni Morrison
Moses Ascending - Sam Selvon
Blonde Roots - Bernadine Evaristo
The Icarus Girl - Helen Oyeyemi
If He Hollers, Let Him Go - Chester Himes
Passing - Nella Larsen

Since this is a year long challenge and I'm a quick reader, I was thinking of rereading and reviewing some other books from the African diaspora that I've read over the past few years. Off the top of my head:

Small Island - Andrea Levy
Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston
Minaret - Leila Aboulela
The Translator - Leila Aboulela
Half of a Yellow Sun - Chimamanda Adiche
The Color Purple - Alive Walker
Lucy - Jamaica Kincaid
Things Fall Apart - Chinua Achebe
Seasons of Migration to the North - Tayib Saleh
A Question of Power - Bessie Head
The Lonely Londoners - Sam Selvon

As for the rest of the year, I intend to read and review at least some of the books I've accumulated and hoarded away in my study because I've not had the chance to read them. These include:

The Yacoubian Building - Alaa Al Aswany
Desertion - Abdulrazak Gurnah
Burrow - Manzu Islam
The Bloody Chamber - Angela Carter
First Among Sequels - Jasper Fforde
The Big Over Easy - Jasper Fforde
The Fourth Bear - Jasper Fforde
Gone with the Wind - Margaret Mitchell
A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
An Equal Music - Vikram Seth
The Crimson Petal and the White - Michael Faber
The Robber Bride - Margaret Atwood
Year of the Flood - Margaret Atwood
Saturday - Ian McEwan
A Blade of Grass - Lewis Desoto
Map of Love - Adhaf Soueif
The Perfect Man - Naeem Murr
Before I Forget - Andre Brink
In the Country of Men - Hisham Matar
In the Name of Honour - Mukhtar Mai
Girl in the Tangerine Scarf - Mohja Kahf

I think that's enough to keep me going for a good few months! The only problem now is deciding which one to read first...

Drama review: "Small Island" (BBC, 2009)

2009-12-23T18:29:00.012Z

As much as I love watching traditional English costume dramas on sunday evenings, it's such a breath of fresh air to see the BBC daring to do something more contemporary and stimulating. It was in Sepetember that I first heard that BBC were going to adapt Andrea Levy's award-winning novel about the racial prejudice and hardships faced by Jamaican immigrants in 1940s post-war Britain. After seeing that it had such a distinguished cast - Naomie Harris (Pirates of the Caribbean), David Oyelowo (The Last King of Scotland), Ruth Wilson (Jane Eyre) - I couldn't blummin' wait for it to be aired (took its time, didn't it?). And when it finally did appear on the small screen...

*Swoooooon*

Forget the sumptuousness and the atmospheric details: the characterisation conjured up by Levy in her novel were just magical in this drama. Well, for me, at least the couple Hortense and Gilbert were. Hortense, a school teacher who leaves Jamaica in order to fulfil a life-long dream of utopian life in England, was exactly the haughty, headstrong and determined woman I pictured in the novel. Her husband Gilbert, an ex-RAF serviceman who returns to England for a better life, was also exactly the man I expected him to be: passionate, charismatic and proud. Despite the drama being somewhat rushed and simplified, the development of the couple's relationship is quite organic and extremely poignant.

The acting was spot on, not just by Harris and Oyelowo, but also Wilson who plays Queenie, Benedict Cumberbatch playing Bernard and Ashley Walters who plays Michael. Wilson is not quite who I expected to play Queenie, but her performance was excellent. The only problem I had with her character was that, in a way, she became the ultimate heroine at the end of the drama. What was the deal with the present-day scene at the end? It gave Queenie more importance than was due and so appeared to take much of the credit owed to first-generation immigrants who endured such hardships, determined to build a better future for the coming generations in Britain. Not only was she more likeable than she should be, but she also did not have that underlying sense of superiority she has in the novel, especially towards Hortense.

I also think it was a shame that the BBC couldn't afford to film in pre-partition India as well Jamaica, following Bernard's service in the RAF in the sub-continent and shedding light on the effects of colonialism elsewhere in the world. Ultimately, Small Island is not just about Jamaicans; the title is ironically referring to Britain - a small island with a huge, crumbling empire. The length of the drama not only meant that the storyline and issues discussed in the novel were fairly simplified, it also meant that scriptwriter felt the need to employ a narrator in order to slash important and potentially profound dialogue, state the obvious with his ridiculously unconvincing philosophy and otherwise be, well, just bloody irritating!

I should probably stop before I get carried away with the 'it's a shame' list. Although it could have been better, I really did enjoy this drama: the beautiful filming, the flawless performances, the honest portrayal of racial prejudice in Britain...and of course, Gilbert and Hortense. After watching this drama, I have officially decided that they are my most favourite literary couple ever...after Jane and Rochester, of course!

I sincerely hope to see the BBC take on more contemporary literature soon, something more British and less English.

Hope is the thing with feathers

2009-12-15T19:08:00.003Z

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune - without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

- Emily Dickinson, Poem 254

Drama review: Sparkhouse (BBC, 2002)

2009-12-12T23:05:00.012Z

I accidentally came across this modern drama inspired by Wuthering Heights the other day. I don't think any other adaptation of the novel has been as passionate or as gripping as this. I will shamefully admit that I cried bucketloads watching this drama starring Sarah Smart, Joe McFadden and Richard Armitage. Smart's heartbreaking performance certainly satiated my masochistic love for tragedy. There is something about her that reminds me of Justine Waddell's acting in Tess of the D'Ubervilles (1998) and perhaps even the character of Tess herself. Because this is more of an inspired drama, I can't really pick any holes or angrily stamp my feet at encountering any deviations. I actually think that a female Heathcliff and male Cathy is actually more believable than vice versa - at least on-screen. The viewer remains sympathetic towards Carol, the character Smart plays, throughout the course of the drama, most likely because she is less vindictive than Heathcliff and is not driven by hate but the need to make a life for her daughter. As with Tess, I could watch this over and over. Definitely five stars!

A Birthday

2009-12-12T20:44:00.002Z

My heart is like a singing bird
Whose nest is in a water'd shoot;
My heart is like an apple-tree
Whose boughs are bent with thick-set fruit;
My heart is like a rainbow shell
That paddles in a halcyon sea;
My heart is gladder than all these,
Because my love is come to me.

Raise me a daïs of silk and down;
Hang it with vair and purple dyes;
Carve it in doves and pomegranates,
And peacocks with a hundred eyes;
Work it in gold and silver grapes,
In leaves and silver fleurs-de-lys;
Because the birthday of my life
Is come, my love is come to me.

- Christina Rossetti

Drama review: "Wuthering Heights" (ITV, 2009)

2009-11-14T22:26:00.030Z

This adaptation of Emily's Brontë's classic novel, Wuthering Heights, directed by Coky Giedroyc, was aired on ITV at the end of August this year - I only watched it the other day after a friend informed me; I'm not quite sure how I managed to miss it earlier in the year.
It's been a long time since I last read Wuthering Heights - in fact I haven't opened the book since I studied it at AS-level at the age of 17. It was the first classic novel I'd ever read and I fell in love with it immediately. Perhaps it's a good thing it's been such a long time since my last encounter as I don't remember all the particulars: according to most of the reviews I have read, the screenwriter of this latest adaptation, Peter Bowker, seems to have deviated a great deal from the novel. I picked up on the obvious deviations, of course, like the absence of Lockwood and the story-within-a-story structure of the classic tale, various scenes that were added such as Heathcliff being bullied by the local boys and more...but I'm not sure that this really matters.
When it comes to adaptations, I'm a purist - any adjustments, innovations or exclusions will irritate me to no end, but in regards to Wuthering Heights - after seeing a number of adaptations - I am of the opinion that it is just not possible to do this great novel any justice! Up until this version, I had not been impressed with any adaptation so far. The last one I saw was the 1999 drama with Orla Brady and Robert Cavanagh, and I was sorely disappointed. I'm not saying that Giedroyc has made the perfect adaptation of Wuthering Heights, far from it and fingers crossed there is a better one to come, but there is definitely something that makes this one stand out from the rest. I don't think adapting this novel is about doing exactly what the books says - but being able to portray the characters of Cathy and Heathcliff and their relationship most authentically and this where I think most adaptations founder.
Overall, I don't think Giedroyc got the characters quite right - they're all pretty watered down, from the first generation (Heathcliff, Cathy, Edgar) to the second generation (Catherine, Linton, Hareton) to even the servants (Nelly, Joseph). Heathcliff definitely doesn't appear as sadistic or demonic as Bronte presents him in the novel - showing him as such is where, I believe, the adaptations become problematic: Heathcliff is hardly a typical anti-hero and so no adaptation can be successful unless the viewer, like the reader, holds an ambivalent attitude towards him after watching it. But I have to say that this Heathcliff, played by Tom Hardy, is the best portrayal I've seen so far. Hardy brings out Heathcliff's bitterness and frustration, and although he's not as malevolent as Brontë's Heathcliff, Hardy's Heathcliff is a truly tormented, jealous and passionate creature. The viewer is torn between sympathising with Heathcliff's love for Cathy and the torture of their separation, and the horrifying effects of its destructive power on the innocents in the story. Hardy is truly haunting as Heathcliff.
Cathy's characterisation, on the other hand, is extremely weak: she seems almost pleasant! Giedroyc's Cathy lacks the haughtiness and egocentricity that Brontë's Cathy possesses, she is not particularly strong-willed, childish or mischievous. And her "I am Heathcliff" is a total washout. The only point at which I think a degree of the real Cathy-ness begins to emerge is when the 'romance' between Heathcliff and Isabella begins.
As for the rest of the characters: Andrew Lincoln does a good job with Edgar Linton - his frustration and love for Cathy is shown more authentically than in other adaptations; Isabella's portrayal heads in the right direction but unfortunately her failed marriage to Heathcliff isn't given enough screen time; the characterisations of the younger generation are seriously diluted - Linton is not quite as weak and sickly as he should be, Catherine not as impetuous or arrogant and Hareton not as rough or quick-tempered.
Although the characterisation isn't as accurate as I would've liked, I think it works well as drama in itself. It isn't clumsy and takes it's time to build the story and the relationships - I don't even mind the extra scenes because it assists the storyline. Since Heathcliff is the key stumbling block for most directors and is what can make or break an adaptation, Giedroyc success with Heathcliff's characterisation really does it for me and makes this adaptation of Wuthering Heights my favourite one one so far.

Drama review: "Emma" (BBC, 2009)

2009-11-10T17:11:00.018Z

I love period dramas, especially literary adaptations: it doesn’t matter how many times a literary masterpiece is adapted into TV/film, I’m always intrigued to see the director’s take on it. Emma is BBC’s latest Jane Austen drama, a four-part mini-series scripted by Sandy Welch, starring Romola Garai as Emma, the naïve but self-assured matchmaker, and Jonny Lee Miller as Mr. Knightly, Emma’s most trusted friend and her biggest critic, who ultimately holds the key to her heart.

I enjoyed watching Garai play Emma – the cheekiness, the stubbornness as well as the sensitivity was all beautifully acted; I do think, however, Welch rounded Emma off at the edges a little too much and Garai’s wide-eyed expressions were somewhat histrionic. I was expecting Knightly to be slightly more attractive and not quite as dull and two-dimensional as he appears in the drama – in fact, it wouldn’t be unfair to say that, to some extent, Knightly is overshadowed by the other characters whose personalities are more overpowering than his own. Perhaps this is due to the fact that Welch doesn’t give Knightly enough time onscreen to develop his character in the course of the drama. Unfortunately, this also downplays the development of the relationship between Emma and Knightly: Welch ends up using the conventional method of body language to show their changing relationship, rather than through language or incident. For example, although the ball scene with Emma and Knightly dancing is breathtakingly passionate (the choreography is beautiful), unfortunately it seems to serve as a device to convey a sudden change in the relationship between the two, rather than something that's been slowly developing. It’s not very Austen.

Actors that did catch my eye were primarily Blake Ritson and Christina Cole, who play the roles of the ridiculous Elton couple really well – they were probably my favourite characters in the drama. I also enjoyed watching Rupert Evans as the charming, and quite dashing, Frank Churchill, but found a lot more chemistry between Emma and Frank than Emma and Knightly, or even Frank and Jane Fairfax (whose romance becomes quite limp at the end of the drama).

Welch structures the drama in a more female bildungsroman kind of way by beginning the drama at Emma’s birth rather than at the wedding of Miss. Taylor, Emma’s governess, as Austen does. It’s interesting how Welch parallels the childhoods of Emma, Frank and Jane, highlighting the social aspects of the novel. Although Welch tries to thread this through Emma, especially through the characters of Jane, Frank, Harriet and sometimes even Mrs. Weston, Emma’s snobbery and unwillingness to accept the blurring of social class borders in the novel is overlooked by Welch.This is especially true at close of the drama, in regards to Harriet and both her desire to marry Knightly and her actual marriage to Robert Martin. Welch's rushed and rather clumsy ending means that Emma's changed relationship with Harriet, and therefore her views on social class, are not fully explored and, for me, this makes the drama inconsistent and inconclusive. What could have been a great a drama on social commentary of marriage becomes just a tangled love story.

Despite believing this drama could have been a lot better than it was – perhaps I’ve been a little over-critical – I did actually enjoy it. The lush landscapes, the beautiful costumes and Austen’s wit and irony (perhaps a little diluted) added to the overall colour and charm of the drama. There were still a few laughs, the emotional scenes were touching and it kept my attention throughout. It doesn’t do too badly as a period “chick flick”, although I don't think I'll be purchasing the DVD anytime soon.

On Imagination

2009-11-03T17:37:00.012Z

Thoughts have a higher dwelling place than the visible world, and its skies are not clouded by sensuality. Imagination finds a road to the realm of the gods, and there man can glimpse that which is to be after the soul's liberation from the world of substance.

- Khalil Gibran, The Treasured Writings

On Ideas

2009-11-03T17:24:00.025Z

Every beauty and greatness in this world is created by a single thought or emotion inside a man. Every thing we see today, made by past generations, was, before its appearance, a thought in the mind of a man or an impulse in the heart of a woman.
...
A single thought built the Pyramids, founded the glory of Islam, and caused the burning of the library at Alexandria.

- Khalil Gibran, The Treasured Writings

Esoteric Sips

2009-10-14T17:53:00.014+01:00

Your thoughts don't have words everyday
They come a single time
Like signal esoteric sips
Of the communion Wine
Which while you taste so native seems
So easy so to be
You cannot comprehend its price
Nor its infrequency

- Emily Dickinson, Poem 1452

Esoteric Sips

Film review: Their Eyes Were Watching God (2005)

Book review: Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

Book review: The Stone Gods by Jeanette Winterson

Top Ten Film Adaptations and Fictional Couples

Drama review: The Mystery of Edwin Drood (BBC, 2012)

Another one bites the dust: The Go-Away Bird

Book review: The Good Muslim by Tahmima Anam

The yummiest mug of hot chocolate

Top Ten Books recommended to non-poetry readers

Book review: A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam

Book review: Love In A Headscarf: Muslim Woman Seeks The One by Shelina Zahra Janmohamed

Drama review: Great Expectations (BBC, 2011)

Inspiration of the day: Mary Wollstonecraft

New Year, 2012

Period dramas galore: some short reviews

Books I'm loving right now: Kahlil Gibran, Islamic Geometric Patterns

Best book of 2011

Drama review: The Slap (2011)

Another one bites the dust: Fruit of the Lemon; The Slap

Top ten books I want to give as gifts

I know I promised I wouldn't join another challenge....

Top Ten Childhood Faves

Losing books makes me sad :-(

Top Ten Books on my TBR List for winter

Drama review: The Indian Doctor (2010)

The Dystopia Challenge 2012

Back to Classics Reading Challenge 2012

Book review: Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri

Eid Mubarak!

Book review: Far From Home by Na'ima B Robert

Film review: Miss Potter (2006)

Books on my Wish List

BBC Drama: The Indian Doctor

Film Review: Jane Eyre (2011)

I took my Power in my Hand

Book review: From Somalia, With Love by Na'ima B. Robert

Book review: A Voice by Umm Zakiyyah

Life of Pi: The Illustrated Edition by Yann Martel and Tomislav Torjanac

Book review: If I Should Speak: A Novel by Umm Zakkiyah

Book review: Bitter Sweets by Roopa Farooki

Discount books from The Works

Update

Book review: The Patience Stone by Atiq Rahimi

The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde

Book review: Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde

Book review: Lyrics Alley by Leila Aboulela

Update and 'haul'

Red, Red Rose

LOTD: Review of The Long Song by Andrea Levy on The TV Book Club

New Year

My Cocoon Tightens

Book review: The Reluctant Mullah by Sagheer Afzal

Book review: The Opposite House by Helen Oyeyemi

Book review: The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

Update

Latest find

Esoteric Cookies ;)

Drama review: Northanger Abbey, ITV 2007

Book review: The Icarus Girl by Helen Oyeyemi

Ramadhan Mubarak!

Na'ima B. Robert: Telling Our Stories

Book review: The Mistress of Spices by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Guest post by Na'ima B. Robert!

Book review: Gifted by Nikita Lalwani

Book review: From My Sister's Lips by Na'ima B. Roberts

For each ecstatic instant

Book review: Minaret by Leila Aboulela

Book review: Salt and Saffron by Kamila Shamsie

Book review: A Case of Exploding Mangoes by Mohammed Hanif

'Life looks colourful. Life looks good'

Book: The Immigrant by Manju Kapur

Book review: Blonde Roots by Bernadine Evaristo

My Other Weakness

Another Reading Challenge!

New Year's Resolutions

Drama review: "Small Island" (BBC, 2009)

Hope is the thing with feathers

Drama review: Sparkhouse (BBC, 2002)

A Birthday