The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Mohsin Hamid

[Tortington]

Truly truly shite. i've read some shite, but this was super shite.

all the more dissapointing becuase i bought my copy spanking new from Waterstones - THEN happened to be in a charity shop when i woman found a copy cheap

as if that isn't enough... she then proceded to tell the lady serving her - that she has a copy already and she was getting this copy for her friend becuase the book is so damn good.

I was very much looking forward to it

i now wish changez jumped off the pissin cliff

Give it to the charity shop. It will make someone happy, even if its not you.

I really liked it - thought it was interesting, well paced and very original. Am interested in what you didn't like about it?

i didn't like anything. it wasn't a difficult read, it was very easy - i had ot done in a few hours at most. well written - but the story itslef was total shite. i suppose this is supposed to make non muslims understand the small shifts that can change a person. but these shifts were non sensical. Erica - well i'm not sure of ericas role in the book at all. Not convinced about the change in radicalist thoughts - the beard...all that business - i just thought the plot was sloppy and seive like, there was nothing to it.

the most interesting thing about the book was the fact that it was written in the first person as a conversation - this monologue was certainly a noval way of reading a book and is at first attention grabbing

but that fucking meal just went on and on - and by the time they were ordering drinks after dessert AND the plot still wasn't anywhere...i wanted to scream

and the ending - well - i mean the final paragraph - that was just something a 15 year old would write.

i keep all the books i read - even the shit ones!

One of the best books I've ever read. Absolutely brilliant and I couldn't recommend it more highly.

Different courses and all that...

I was underwhelmed by it. It seemed quite shallow in its (lack of) analysis.

Perhaps it didn't have analysis as it is a work of fiction? It presents a conversation. We have to do the work, and obviously the context is the politics of the last eleven years.