-
1 of 1 members found this review helpful.Summing up a life
“The urge to tell one's life story to a complete stranger is not unusual... although this one is on several levels. Changez, a young Pakistani, expounds on his experiences during his years living in the United States in greater and more intimate detail than one would expect (or be interested in as a listener). His monologue addresses an undefined American, maybe visitor maybe something else, to Lahore as they sip tea, eat dinner and watch the sun set, adding a special glow to the grand square... In between conveying the chapters of his story Changez, sensing an increasing unease in his counterpart, attempts to put his listener at ease: offering to switch tea cups or pre-tasting the food to prove no ill-will on the part of the waiter or anybody else.
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-11-01.
Changez - I cannot get away from the `change-ling' association of his name - was an ambitious and evidently successful academic immigrant to the US. Maybe, his success at Princeton and in a top consulting company has been a bit too easy to be believable. He plays the role of the young executive with great style, always fitting in, until the events of 9/11 provoke him into reflections and doubts that will eventually lead him back to Lahore. During his time in New York, he is infatuated by a beautiful blond intelligent woman. He courts her gently and respectfully and takes the role of her confidante. Realistic? I am not sure, but Changez eventually is carried away by his emotions resulting in expected as well as unexpected outcomes.
Mohsin Hamid writes this monologue in a fluid, often beautiful and easygoing style. Much more substance is hinted at than provided, leaving the reader with time and space for reflection on the attitudes of immigrants such as Changez attempting to fit in. Probably the most interesting aspect of the novel is the perspective from the outside looking in on American society and its values. (Friederike Knabe)
” -
A very pleasant surprise--not really five stars, but more than four
“This compact tale of a young Pakistani man forced to leave New York and return to his home country after 9/11 makes for a gripping read. True, there's a slightly contrived element to the narrative (that I'm not going to give away here), but the protagonist is fascinating, the story suspenseful, and the writing impressively self-assured. The novel manages to make a statement of social, cultural, and political weight, and be a breeze to read at the same time. Highly recommended.”
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-10-03. -
Review of The Reluctant Fundamentalist
“ A thought-provoking novel. The main character, Changez is a very human person, polite and well-spoken as he tells his story and someone that could easily be that person who lives next door, or that co-worker that has always been so polite.
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-09-20.
His reaction to 9/11 was, I think, realistic, and the first real indication of who he actually is. Despite the fact that he was given opportunities galore (Free education, extraordinary job opportunities) he still resents the U.S. - and that seems...more A thought-provoking novel. The main character, Changez is a very human person, polite and well-spoken as he tells his story and someone that could easily be that person who lives next door, or that co-worker that has always been so polite.
His reaction to 9/11 was, I think, realistic, and the first real indication of who he actually is. Despite the fact that he was given opportunities galore (Free education, extraordinary job opportunities) he still resents the U.S. - and that seems tied to his resentment of how times in Pakistan grow worse throughout the years.
The love story with Erica was heart-breaking, and the ending was chilling.
Recommended for those who want a glimpse of how the "other side" not directly involved in the terrorist attacks might have felt and reacted.” -
The Qualities of Changez
“I admire Mohsin Hamid for the masterful way he tells the complex life story of Changez through a seamless monologue in The Reluctant Fundamentalist. I say complex, but in many ways Changez life contained the typical life hurdles faced by any young man: the innocent pursuit and longing for a love relationship that is not to be; the confusion as the identity instilled in you through family and culture is challenged by new and sparkly things; and the challenges faced when we realize we relate to the view from the outside as we stand amidst the insiders.
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-09-09.
Changez seemed to me an actor or fraud in almost all aspects of his life. He seemed a person bent on denying who he was. At college he hid his financial status by working jobs in a neighboring city; at work he hid his family circumstances and his upraising to all but his boss (who identified it for Changez); in his relationship with Erica he willing took the persona of her dead lover to have the opportunity to make love to her; and upon returning to his homeland denied the positives of what he had been given in America. He could have been a powerful positive voice against what he saw as negatives in the Pakistan-United States relationship upon his return. Instead he amplified the negatives. A pity, but so it is.
Throughout the book I also kept thinking that this story could equally be written on a domestic level. An anxious and nervous white man eyes his surroundings as he listens to the story of a kind black man in Harlem, or an anxious and nervous black man eyes his surroundings as he listens to the story by a kind Latino man in East Los Angeles, or an anxious and nervous Latino man eyes his surroundings as he listens to the story of a kind Italian man in Little Italy in any town, and so on. Maybe that's the point, on a micro level we're all the same as on a macro level.
One point did seem a stretch to me in the book. Changez has lived his life as a quiet, respectful man who seldom was the outspoken voice in any situation. Yet, the book is centered on a multi-hour monologue by Changez to a complete stranger. This seemed a stretch to me.
Enjoy the book. It's a great read that has multiple layers.
” -
0 of 1 members found this review helpful.
Hamid, THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST
“Dianne Hunter's Review
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-09-02.
This sad, status-obsessed novel reminded me of Browning's "My Last Duchess" in the way the narrator becomes progressively more despicable. The envious sensibility pervading the book is hierarchical, obsessed with power to compensate for feelings of inferiority and shame. The informing idea seems to be that America/American women won't accept Pakistani men unless they pose as Christians while participating in financial ruthlessness.”
