Scan barcode
daaani's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
msvallewis's review against another edition
3.0
I expected more - I was a little bored by the writing and Daru was not very complex- I would have been more interested in the girlfriend's story!
jeremy_felt's review against another edition
4.0
A fantastic book.
My only disappointment is that I'm going to have read all of Mohsin Hamid's books soon and won't have anything new! :)
My only disappointment is that I'm going to have read all of Mohsin Hamid's books soon and won't have anything new! :)
jennieleigh's review against another edition
5.0
Similar to his newer book (how to get filthy rich in rising asia), I expected a totally different ending. Maybe I'm constrained to western storytelling models, but so many sad endings are hard to take! Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed this. It was really lovely writing, three dimensional characters, and compelling images of modern Pakistan.
cognitivediceonance's review against another edition
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
songmingi's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This was a really interesting read. Overall I found the conversation occurring in it quite interesting, especially being Pakistani myself. Reading this is Lahore where I encounter the wealth disparity and classicism daily in person definitely added to the reading experience. The writing style was engaging and each character had their own distinct voice. It made the storytelling very compelling and showcases the authors character writing capability. The characters being named after historical figures was so intriguing, I'm unfortunately unfamiliar with mughal history so I think I missed out on some of the nuance and meaning. However this novel did intrigue me to learn more about Pakistan's history so I think I'll definitely revisit it. This book misses out on a five star however because I think in a way you do have to have some knowledge of Pakistan and Pakistan society to extract the full depth of value of this book. It's not that you can't enjoy this book without that knowledge it's just believe it's a really honest look into Pakistani society and if you live within it, this book really packs a punch.
annettefunnycello's review against another edition
3.0
Slow dreamy read; instructive and thought-provoking.
thekohanacritique's review against another edition
4.0
Stories of brother's from another mother: we had that in The Kite Runner and now we have one here, tangled with a similar mess of Mughal families – brothers fighting brothers and regrets spewing with each gushing wound.
My first appreciation for Moth Smoke would be it's narrative structure – attractive, perspective, theatrical in experience. I would also say perhaps it felt like reading a documentary that stretches the metaphors of Shah Jahan's finery of art and gold under his leisurely rule and finishing it off with Aurangzeb's grit and might to keep the empire strong, from shedding more blood between sons but in the end, he's the bad guy in well-known history.
Much like Ozie – the rich, arrogant, sexy and handsome friend to a middle-class, arrogant, lost and depressive, Daru. Well, if things fall apart, you fall apart too because the center cannot hold and if the center gives up, then what is left except chaos and recklessness? Such is the story of Daru, Mumtaz and Ozie – a contemporary historical tale of tragedy, love and drugs in Lahore, blooming in it's nuclear bomb tests; a mother and wife who isn't fit to be any of it but to be a woman, an elite son who never sheds his father's canopy, and a destructive lost man stuck between world's be doesn't fit in, doesn't match and cannot survive in. Whether it's the world or the person or the people he meets are at fault, is a question that will be left at your judgement.
The novel answers many questions relevant to plot and context but also leaves much to the readers' court of judgement. We see the characters from their perspective along with out won and perhaps, that makes judgment complex and leaves the thread hanging.
My first appreciation for Moth Smoke would be it's narrative structure – attractive, perspective, theatrical in experience. I would also say perhaps it felt like reading a documentary that stretches the metaphors of Shah Jahan's finery of art and gold under his leisurely rule and finishing it off with Aurangzeb's grit and might to keep the empire strong, from shedding more blood between sons but in the end, he's the bad guy in well-known history.
Much like Ozie – the rich, arrogant, sexy and handsome friend to a middle-class, arrogant, lost and depressive, Daru. Well, if things fall apart, you fall apart too because the center cannot hold and if the center gives up, then what is left except chaos and recklessness? Such is the story of Daru, Mumtaz and Ozie – a contemporary historical tale of tragedy, love and drugs in Lahore, blooming in it's nuclear bomb tests; a mother and wife who isn't fit to be any of it but to be a woman, an elite son who never sheds his father's canopy, and a destructive lost man stuck between world's be doesn't fit in, doesn't match and cannot survive in. Whether it's the world or the person or the people he meets are at fault, is a question that will be left at your judgement.
The novel answers many questions relevant to plot and context but also leaves much to the readers' court of judgement. We see the characters from their perspective along with out won and perhaps, that makes judgment complex and leaves the thread hanging.
kingabee's review against another edition
5.0
Penguin has released a new edition of Mohsin Hamid’s debut novel Moth Smoke with a slightly misleading cover. At first glance it seems that there is a couple against the sunset reaching out for each other. Excuse me while I cringe. It’s only when you take a closer look that you realise they have rather jaded expressions on their faces and they are not actually reaching for each other; she is passing a joint to him. Now, this corresponds with the book better. It’s a novel about Pakistan in the 90s, about those who, thanks to corruption and connections, found themselves at the top of the food chain, and those who got left behind. It is also about sex, drugs and air-conditioning.
The first chapter shows us a glimpse of a prison cell, and in the following one I found myself in a position of the judge. The second-person narrative makes it clear that I am about to rule guilty or not in the defendant’s case. As many over-worked judges out there, I seem to not have had the time to read the dossier and hoped that the testimonies will be enough for me to pass a verdict. It’s finally with the third chapter that the Dramatis personæ are fully introduced. We meet outrageously rich Ozi and his beautiful new wife Mumtaz and his not rich and definitely wifeless best friend, whom Ozi has just reconnected with after returning to Pakistan from the US. With a dangerous triangle set up like this, trouble is almost certain to follow.
Jorge Luis Borges said once “I found that really good metaphors are always the same […] you compare time to a road, death to sleeping, life to dreaming, and those are the great metaphors in literature because they correspond to something essential.” Mohsin takes from that school of thought when he implements his ‘moth and candle’ metaphor, admittedly not the most original way of implying self-destructive behaviour. Yet, it is done brilliantly. Moths, apparently, get confused with artificial sources of light like light bulbs or candles and while trying to correct their flight trajectory end up spiralling around closer and closer to the light source eventually bringing their own downfall upon themselves.
In short, this is what the book does, it spirals around the centre that we know is there but we haven’t touched yet. Also, it is of course a metaphor for the decline of the characters, and maybe even the country.
Reading Moth Smoke is a little like watching a train wreck, if you excuse this cheap simile (I am from Borges’ school of thought as well). The smoke and smell of something burning permeate the pages and with each chapter it is harder to see who is right and who is wrong. So when the judgment moment comes you are likely to end up with a hung jury. I know I did.
(I published it originall on www.bookmunch.wordpress.com)
The first chapter shows us a glimpse of a prison cell, and in the following one I found myself in a position of the judge. The second-person narrative makes it clear that I am about to rule guilty or not in the defendant’s case. As many over-worked judges out there, I seem to not have had the time to read the dossier and hoped that the testimonies will be enough for me to pass a verdict. It’s finally with the third chapter that the Dramatis personæ are fully introduced. We meet outrageously rich Ozi and his beautiful new wife Mumtaz and his not rich and definitely wifeless best friend, whom Ozi has just reconnected with after returning to Pakistan from the US. With a dangerous triangle set up like this, trouble is almost certain to follow.
Jorge Luis Borges said once “I found that really good metaphors are always the same […] you compare time to a road, death to sleeping, life to dreaming, and those are the great metaphors in literature because they correspond to something essential.” Mohsin takes from that school of thought when he implements his ‘moth and candle’ metaphor, admittedly not the most original way of implying self-destructive behaviour. Yet, it is done brilliantly. Moths, apparently, get confused with artificial sources of light like light bulbs or candles and while trying to correct their flight trajectory end up spiralling around closer and closer to the light source eventually bringing their own downfall upon themselves.
In short, this is what the book does, it spirals around the centre that we know is there but we haven’t touched yet. Also, it is of course a metaphor for the decline of the characters, and maybe even the country.
Reading Moth Smoke is a little like watching a train wreck, if you excuse this cheap simile (I am from Borges’ school of thought as well). The smoke and smell of something burning permeate the pages and with each chapter it is harder to see who is right and who is wrong. So when the judgment moment comes you are likely to end up with a hung jury. I know I did.
(I published it originall on www.bookmunch.wordpress.com)
dangg140's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5