claire_melanie's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this book. Its plot revolves around the life of a female junior nurse who works in a Catholic hospital in Pakistan. It's a tale that is both acerbically funny and deeply tragic social commentary.
welkinvault's review
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
For the first few chapters I was so unsure what I was reading. The many funny and grotesque scenes (the man battling the bird with his Xrays of his missing limbs in the background as the gun-toting Teddy is trying to woo Alice or the ensuing 3 day chaos caused by a series of events started by Teddy haphazardly firing his gun and hitting the driver of a truck) and as a reader I was constantly trying to find the line betwenen satire and horror, humour and heartbreak. This was a very readable novel, the humour and pathos would be frequently washed away with the slapstick or the macarbe.
kafiro_ka_kafka's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The ending, the epilogue, the writing. Uuufff everything was perfect.
ferencb's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
sambhavys's review
adventurous
dark
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
deepakchecks's review against another edition
3.0
Underwhelming compared to the author's A Case of Exploding mangoes. Occasional wit, satire but mostly a passable read.
nashwa017's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
This one is grim, and made me a little depressed. What is novel does well is hold up a mirror to us a nation, and show us how we treat our minorities.
Full review to come.
This one is grim, and made me a little depressed. What is novel does well is hold up a mirror to us a nation, and show us how we treat our minorities.
Full review to come.
stacialithub's review against another edition
4.0
A gripping, gritty, immediate, darkly funny, & disturbing tale of life in modern-day Karachi. Hanif tackles some big issues (horrific treatment of women, role of men, violence, castes, religion, medical care or lack thereof,...) & presents them in a very real, touching, sometimes funny, sometimes ironic, sometimes horrifying, & eye-opening manner. Sadly, I think Hanif has probably painted a fairly realistic portrait of daily life for many in similar situations to the main characters. Definitely worth reading if just to open your eyes to lives that may be quite different from what you know.
xunaira's review against another edition
4.0
Mohammed Hanif does a superb job of highlighting the prejudices of our society. A gripping book, gets somewhat harrowing at times but powerful nonetheless.