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Social Butterfly #2
Duty Free: A Novel by Moni Mohsin
Jane Austen's Emma, transported to the outrageous social melee of 21st-century Lahore.Our plucky heroine's cousin, Jonkers, has been dumped by his low-class, slutty secretary, and our heroine has been charged with finding him a suitable wife -- a rich, fair, beautiful, old-family type. Quickly. But, between you, me and the four walls, who wants to marry poor, plain, hapless Jonkers?As our heroine social-climbs her way through weddings-sheddings, GTs (get togethers, of course) and ladies' lunches trying to find a suitable girl from the right bagground, she discovers to her dismay that her cousin has his own ideas about his perfect mate. And secretly, she may even agree.Full of wit and wickedness and as clever as its heroine is clueless, Duty Free is a delightful romp through Pakistani high society -- though, even as it makes you cry with laughter, it makes you wince at the gulf between our heroine's glitteringly shallow life and the country that is falling apart, day by day, around her Louboutin-clad feet. Moni Mohsin, already a huge bestseller in India, has been hailed as a modern-day Jane Austen, and compared to Nancy Mitford and Helen Fielding. 'Duty Free' is social satire at its biting best.
Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
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About the author
Moni Mohsin
11 books113 followersMohsin grew up in Lahore, and describes herself as being from a family of "educated, westernised people". When General Zia ul-Haq came to power in a coup in 1977, her family began to feel less comfortable in the new, religious Pakistan, where political repression against nonconformists became routine, but remained in Lahore. Mohsin left Pakistan at 16 to study at a boarding school in England, and later attended Cambridge University, where she studied anthropology and archaeology. Afterward she returned to Pakistan, where she founded the country's first nature magazine. After General Zia's death she moved more decisively into the public sphere, working for the independent "Friday Times", where she rose to the ranks of features editor.
Her books include "The End of Innocence", her debut novel '"Tender Hooks" AKA "Duty Free", and "The Diary of a Social Butterfly". Her writing has also appeared in "The Times", "The Guardian", the "Washington Post", "Prospect", "The Nation", and other publications.
She now divides her time between Lahore and London, where she lives with her husband and two children. Her sister, Jugnu Mohsin, is the publisher of "The Friday Times", an independent Pakistani weekly.[1]
Her books include "The End of Innocence", her debut novel '"Tender Hooks" AKA "Duty Free", and "The Diary of a Social Butterfly". Her writing has also appeared in "The Times", "The Guardian", the "Washington Post", "Prospect", "The Nation", and other publications.
She now divides her time between Lahore and London, where she lives with her husband and two children. Her sister, Jugnu Mohsin, is the publisher of "The Friday Times", an independent Pakistani weekly.[1]
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March 9, 2023
This has nothing at all in common with any Jane Austen book any way you look at it. It was a piece of flimflam trash light fiction to read on the beach if that is your sort of thing. It wasn't mine.
Two stars because on a scale of dreadfulness it was only somewhat boring, pretentious rubbish where because it was set in Pakistan the foreignness of it was probably meant to add to it from a cultural perspective. It did, but not in a good way, too many stereotypical people and situations.
It wasn't one star unreadable nor was it good enough for a three star 'meh, ok'. It was one of those read it and forgot it instantly books.
Two stars because on a scale of dreadfulness it was only somewhat boring, pretentious rubbish where because it was set in Pakistan the foreignness of it was probably meant to add to it from a cultural perspective. It did, but not in a good way, too many stereotypical people and situations.
It wasn't one star unreadable nor was it good enough for a three star 'meh, ok'. It was one of those read it and forgot it instantly books.
September 29, 2015
Back when chicklit began in the 90s, with Bridget Jones, it was humour, and it laughed at the characters as well as with them. Tender Hooks, aka Duty Free, is firmly in that tradition. I wouldn't bother with Anglo-American chicklit, but this is set in Lahore, Pakistan, and it looked like it might give a different angle on culture and genre. There's really quite a lot of material in the novel about politics, and the UK publisher is Random House literary fiction imprint Chatto & Windus: over here, it looks like the book's aimed at readers who approach it the way I did: a beach read with a current-affairs angle.
It's very loosely based on Emma - a little more so on Clueless - but there are enough differences that that's fairly irrelevant. Malika is a wealthy, married airhead snob in her late thirties. She's been tasked with finding a new bride for her recently divorced accountant cousin, Jonkers, by his mother, the equally shallow Aunty Pussy - and the cousin has very different ideas about his type of woman, compared with his social-climbing, soap-watching relatives.
Two of these four stars come from the cultural interest in the book - though with the caveat that I don't have the knowledge to see just where accuracy stops and comic exaggeration begings. Every page has a tickertape of news at the top, from features and human interest - often related to the book's themes - like "Caterers make hay in pre-Muharram wedding rush" (Malika's matchmaking attempts are part of that rush), "woman divorces man for not dining out daily", and "Lahoris use over 1 million flowers daily" - to serious headlines: "security threat causes plunge in foreign investments", "17600 families flee as troops backed by warplanes storm south Waziristan in hunt for Al Qaeda", "terrorists strike 3 law enforcement facilities in Lahore, kill at least 18". And there's a tension between increased westernization and increased conservatism: e.g. "custom of arranged marriages eroded by new media age" v. "college imposes ban on jeans after receiving threats from extremists".
It's mostly bad news about Pakistan, the wars and terrorism, restriction and extreme poverty, that people hear about in the west, unless they go looking for more, or have connections via family or close friends. Tender Hooks shows another side to the country rarely heard of in our mainstream media, one that still coexists closely with the news headlines, and the book is not afraid to use humour. (Recent debates about stereotyping in African literature appear to argue that it's something like this which could balance the picture there - showing there's more to life than conflict and poverty.)
A minor cliche of war reporting and some charity appeals is that many women still care about fashion and beauty and that these items can boost morale (one I remember first hearing explained during the former-Yugoslav conflict in the 90s - also an explanation of the accepted Second World War favourites of lipstick and nylons or fake seams painted on legs). It's tempting to see Moni Mohsin's characters in that light. But they feel very confident in their way of life: Malika feels like she's being rudely interrupted. At the beginning perhaps Malika and her family perhaps don't have a much greater sense of living in a conflict area than I did in the 80s and 90s, when there were sometimes IRA bombs in Britain - there is some background risk and a lot of worrying, but through the book the tension escalates: I feel frightened myself going to the bazaar in case some mad weirdo arrives and shoots me for buying western food like chips or wearing western clothes like pop-socks. (Maybe pop socks underwent some ironic hipster revival when I wasn't looking - but oh how differently both these items would be regarded by her western equivalent!)
There is, though, one incident in which the troubles impinge directly on Malika's world, by more than hearsay and news.
Finishing this review nearly two months after writing the first half, what has stuck with me most is the sense of the characters' social world: where blingy high fashion is very much the thing for some, and Malika's idea of herself as average in her views in contrast with other types of people of her own class she commonly encounters
I found this fascinating, whilst also assuming these are as cartoonish as stereotypes in a glossy magazine quiz.
The 'NGO-types' who often work for, yes, NGOs, in education and the like: the equivalent of Guardian readers working in the voluntary sector (when we hear "NGOs", we think of people who work abroad...) - some of these people are still glam, but it's not their priority, they are less snobbish than the narrator, and they have a lot of conversations about politics that Malika doesn't quite follow. (Malika's takes on politics go something like this: So when people say Americans are behind all this killing-shilling, I say I tau use Estee Louder products for my facial. And Estee Louder, as everyone knows, is American. So why would Americans put axe in own foot by causing all the killing in Pakistan so no-one could leave their houses any more to get Estee Louder facials, haan? ...In any case, who is against facials? Is it Americans? No... Is it Talibans? Yes. Yes. Yes.)
Returnees from the west: some of them are basically the 'NGO types' - people like Malika's husband who dutifully went abroad to get degrees (University of Hull is probably chosen for contrasting ideas of prestige in the UK, and as a British degree among his family.) The "bore NGO-types" are often more secular and progressive, in a reasonable way - but then there are the returnees who are so westernised they can't fit in, like one twentysomething girl who's lesbian and behaves like a sulky teenager from an Anglo sitcom.
'Fundos' - Malika's peers aren't entirely secular, but in their eyes, people certainly can be too religious, like the family of one of her cousin's prospective brides, who wears full veil and has a life that revolves around Islam - and her father slaughters sheep on his front drive with his own hands and the servants are unshaven and I'm sorry but they have no class. (That's reason here to go a bit Hyacinth Bucket - but not to call the RSPCA.)
Another type she implies are best avoided are flashy families involved in shady 'import export' businesses, basically drug dealers, seemingly more often found in upper middle class circles than they might be here. But then it seems as if almost every wealthy character has a bit of corruption somewhere in their family - someone who got rich off backhanders and nepotism: all shades of grey and mostly in the recent past. So can they really talk?
The language is playful and great fun. I could hear the character's accent in my head the whole way through, thanks to spot-on sentence structures and spelling choices: one of the most frequent and characteristic is 'bagground' [background]. Some of her alternative words for things have very satisfying sounds: 'bombs are bursting', for instance. Could I confidently translate haan or tau? Not really, but as they pepper the narrative they become as familiar as English regional interjections. And then occasionally the slang is easy to work out from experience of reading old colonial authors: a DVD-wallah, or a female waxing-waali. There are so many genius malapropisms along with great imagery: I opened the book at random just now and the first thing I saw was Aunty's head was snivelling around like an owl's. (And the character generally complains a lot and is nosey!)
Sometimes the narrator 'unconsciously' turns the tables on a western reader: not even ordinary shrubs like motia or chambeli, but strange erotic ones from western countries. (The malapropism reminds of the erotic-exotification of the east via texts like the Kamasutra and The Perfumed Garden.)
For an ostensibly throwaway book, it's enormously impressive linguistically. Sometimes I'd think the author was laying it on a bit thick with the spelling errors, but there's an apt meaning in almost every one. I can't believe a fashionista would mis-spell Jimmy Choo, yet 'Jimmy Choose' also kind of says something about a brand and its consumers...
This is a book that can be enjoyed as a throwaway beach read type of thing, but - whilst I've no idea how it might read to people who know Pakistan well - there's an awful lot more to it both in content and language if you want to pick up on that: it's simultaneously satisying in both trivial and clever ways. It has that 'personal growth' sort of ending that would satisfy the readers at whom I usually rol my eyes at when they fail to understand the point of some dark novel - yet it doesn't seem cheesy as the character doesn't lose herself. I rarely read 'random' books, but this one was well worth it: I figured there would be a bit more to it than just typical chicklit, but not how much more.
It's very loosely based on Emma - a little more so on Clueless - but there are enough differences that that's fairly irrelevant. Malika is a wealthy, married airhead snob in her late thirties. She's been tasked with finding a new bride for her recently divorced accountant cousin, Jonkers, by his mother, the equally shallow Aunty Pussy - and the cousin has very different ideas about his type of woman, compared with his social-climbing, soap-watching relatives.
Two of these four stars come from the cultural interest in the book - though with the caveat that I don't have the knowledge to see just where accuracy stops and comic exaggeration begings. Every page has a tickertape of news at the top, from features and human interest - often related to the book's themes - like "Caterers make hay in pre-Muharram wedding rush" (Malika's matchmaking attempts are part of that rush), "woman divorces man for not dining out daily", and "Lahoris use over 1 million flowers daily" - to serious headlines: "security threat causes plunge in foreign investments", "17600 families flee as troops backed by warplanes storm south Waziristan in hunt for Al Qaeda", "terrorists strike 3 law enforcement facilities in Lahore, kill at least 18". And there's a tension between increased westernization and increased conservatism: e.g. "custom of arranged marriages eroded by new media age" v. "college imposes ban on jeans after receiving threats from extremists".
It's mostly bad news about Pakistan, the wars and terrorism, restriction and extreme poverty, that people hear about in the west, unless they go looking for more, or have connections via family or close friends. Tender Hooks shows another side to the country rarely heard of in our mainstream media, one that still coexists closely with the news headlines, and the book is not afraid to use humour. (Recent debates about stereotyping in African literature appear to argue that it's something like this which could balance the picture there - showing there's more to life than conflict and poverty.)
A minor cliche of war reporting and some charity appeals is that many women still care about fashion and beauty and that these items can boost morale (one I remember first hearing explained during the former-Yugoslav conflict in the 90s - also an explanation of the accepted Second World War favourites of lipstick and nylons or fake seams painted on legs). It's tempting to see Moni Mohsin's characters in that light. But they feel very confident in their way of life: Malika feels like she's being rudely interrupted. At the beginning perhaps Malika and her family perhaps don't have a much greater sense of living in a conflict area than I did in the 80s and 90s, when there were sometimes IRA bombs in Britain - there is some background risk and a lot of worrying, but through the book the tension escalates: I feel frightened myself going to the bazaar in case some mad weirdo arrives and shoots me for buying western food like chips or wearing western clothes like pop-socks. (Maybe pop socks underwent some ironic hipster revival when I wasn't looking - but oh how differently both these items would be regarded by her western equivalent!)
There is, though, one incident in which the troubles impinge directly on Malika's world, by more than hearsay and news.
Finishing this review nearly two months after writing the first half, what has stuck with me most is the sense of the characters' social world: where blingy high fashion is very much the thing for some, and Malika's idea of herself as average in her views in contrast with other types of people of her own class she commonly encounters
I found this fascinating, whilst also assuming these are as cartoonish as stereotypes in a glossy magazine quiz.
The 'NGO-types' who often work for, yes, NGOs, in education and the like: the equivalent of Guardian readers working in the voluntary sector (when we hear "NGOs", we think of people who work abroad...) - some of these people are still glam, but it's not their priority, they are less snobbish than the narrator, and they have a lot of conversations about politics that Malika doesn't quite follow. (Malika's takes on politics go something like this: So when people say Americans are behind all this killing-shilling, I say I tau use Estee Louder products for my facial. And Estee Louder, as everyone knows, is American. So why would Americans put axe in own foot by causing all the killing in Pakistan so no-one could leave their houses any more to get Estee Louder facials, haan? ...In any case, who is against facials? Is it Americans? No... Is it Talibans? Yes. Yes. Yes.)
Returnees from the west: some of them are basically the 'NGO types' - people like Malika's husband who dutifully went abroad to get degrees (University of Hull is probably chosen for contrasting ideas of prestige in the UK, and as a British degree among his family.) The "bore NGO-types" are often more secular and progressive, in a reasonable way - but then there are the returnees who are so westernised they can't fit in, like one twentysomething girl who's lesbian and behaves like a sulky teenager from an Anglo sitcom.
'Fundos' - Malika's peers aren't entirely secular, but in their eyes, people certainly can be too religious, like the family of one of her cousin's prospective brides, who wears full veil and has a life that revolves around Islam - and her father slaughters sheep on his front drive with his own hands and the servants are unshaven and I'm sorry but they have no class. (That's reason here to go a bit Hyacinth Bucket - but not to call the RSPCA.)
Another type she implies are best avoided are flashy families involved in shady 'import export' businesses, basically drug dealers, seemingly more often found in upper middle class circles than they might be here. But then it seems as if almost every wealthy character has a bit of corruption somewhere in their family - someone who got rich off backhanders and nepotism: all shades of grey and mostly in the recent past. So can they really talk?
The language is playful and great fun. I could hear the character's accent in my head the whole way through, thanks to spot-on sentence structures and spelling choices: one of the most frequent and characteristic is 'bagground' [background]. Some of her alternative words for things have very satisfying sounds: 'bombs are bursting', for instance. Could I confidently translate haan or tau? Not really, but as they pepper the narrative they become as familiar as English regional interjections. And then occasionally the slang is easy to work out from experience of reading old colonial authors: a DVD-wallah, or a female waxing-waali. There are so many genius malapropisms along with great imagery: I opened the book at random just now and the first thing I saw was Aunty's head was snivelling around like an owl's. (And the character generally complains a lot and is nosey!)
Sometimes the narrator 'unconsciously' turns the tables on a western reader: not even ordinary shrubs like motia or chambeli, but strange erotic ones from western countries. (The malapropism reminds of the erotic-exotification of the east via texts like the Kamasutra and The Perfumed Garden.)
For an ostensibly throwaway book, it's enormously impressive linguistically. Sometimes I'd think the author was laying it on a bit thick with the spelling errors, but there's an apt meaning in almost every one. I can't believe a fashionista would mis-spell Jimmy Choo, yet 'Jimmy Choose' also kind of says something about a brand and its consumers...
This is a book that can be enjoyed as a throwaway beach read type of thing, but - whilst I've no idea how it might read to people who know Pakistan well - there's an awful lot more to it both in content and language if you want to pick up on that: it's simultaneously satisying in both trivial and clever ways. It has that 'personal growth' sort of ending that would satisfy the readers at whom I usually rol my eyes at when they fail to understand the point of some dark novel - yet it doesn't seem cheesy as the character doesn't lose herself. I rarely read 'random' books, but this one was well worth it: I figured there would be a bit more to it than just typical chicklit, but not how much more.
February 2, 2018
I wouldn't go so far as saying it is an amazing satire on high-society life in Pak or that it offers a brilliant social commentary. But it endeavors to do one thing and does it amazingly well - that is to make you laugh. A laugh-riot and I loved it. In doing so, the author has twisted and turned phrases and developed her own brand of English. Your liking/not-liking it would depend on whether you take to the language or not.
Actual rating: 4.5 stars.
Actual rating: 4.5 stars.
February 23, 2013
"Duty Free" (originally released as "Tender Hooks") is a follow-up to Moni Mohsin's "The Diary of a Social Butterfly". Honestly, I had not read "The Diary of a Social Butterfly" & I picked up its sequel on a whim!! And after reading the first page, I was bewildered, because the author had written it in a style, that was full of malaprops. Now if you look up for the meaning of "malaprop" in a dictionary, it says - The unintentional misuse of a word by confusion with one that sounds similar. But once you start this book, you will realise that Mohsin has "intentionally" filled the narration with misspellings and used a language that is a cross between English & Urdu. But that, my dear friend, is the most enjoyable part of this novel,undoubtedly. At the beginning, it is a bit difficult to understand, but as you start getting the hang of it, you will clearly fall for it hook, line & sinker...
So meet Butterfly, our unnamed heroine, who is the quintessential privileged class with an absolute preoccupation for designer labels in Lahore, Pakistan. This novel is in the form of diary entries (something which reminds you of Bridget Jones but let me assure you that the similarity ends here) narrating the peppered happenings of her life – from her bore “Oxen” (read: Oxford educated) husband to the overblown kitty parties & wedding season to the fierce competition in her social life. She receives the charge (more like she is emotionally manipulated) from her Aunt Pussy : to quickly find a suitable (read : rich, fair, beautiful, old-family type) match for her hapless cousin Jonkers (who is not exactly marriage material - plain, shy & already divorced) which is ironic since Butterfly’s own marriage is on the rocks. However, taking all this in her stride, Butterfly shinnies her way through the dangerous territories i.e. the Pakistani wedding circuit in search of the right girl from the right “bagground”. What ensues is a series of humorous upshots as she encounters a Smith educated lesbian, fundamentalist parents & drug smuggling families as a potential brides & in-laws. To top it all, our protagonist has to look out for backstabbing frenemies, errant maidservants & beardo weirdos (suicide bombers) who are out to spoil her matrimonial mission.
Read complete review at:
poojareviewer.blogspot.in/2012/09/ten...
So meet Butterfly, our unnamed heroine, who is the quintessential privileged class with an absolute preoccupation for designer labels in Lahore, Pakistan. This novel is in the form of diary entries (something which reminds you of Bridget Jones but let me assure you that the similarity ends here) narrating the peppered happenings of her life – from her bore “Oxen” (read: Oxford educated) husband to the overblown kitty parties & wedding season to the fierce competition in her social life. She receives the charge (more like she is emotionally manipulated) from her Aunt Pussy : to quickly find a suitable (read : rich, fair, beautiful, old-family type) match for her hapless cousin Jonkers (who is not exactly marriage material - plain, shy & already divorced) which is ironic since Butterfly’s own marriage is on the rocks. However, taking all this in her stride, Butterfly shinnies her way through the dangerous territories i.e. the Pakistani wedding circuit in search of the right girl from the right “bagground”. What ensues is a series of humorous upshots as she encounters a Smith educated lesbian, fundamentalist parents & drug smuggling families as a potential brides & in-laws. To top it all, our protagonist has to look out for backstabbing frenemies, errant maidservants & beardo weirdos (suicide bombers) who are out to spoil her matrimonial mission.
Read complete review at:
poojareviewer.blogspot.in/2012/09/ten...
September 19, 2011
Brilliant satire. Set in Lahore, Pakistan this novel is laugh out loud funny, brilliant social commentary and provides a sobering look at life in a place where suicide bombers and fundamental extremists affect every day. The narrator speaks a language all her own, with mangled analogies, malapropisms and misspellings, all to brilliant effect. Highly recommended. I can't wait to read more from this author.
October 12, 2016
I got this book from Read It Forward — a great score! I'm normally pretty wary of Jane Austen knockoffs, but this loose retelling of the Emma story is enough of a departure from the original that I wasn't constantly comparing the two. And it's still similar enough that you get a thrill recognizing parallel plot points and characters.
The story is a cultural satire set in modern-day Lahore, Pakistan. The unnamed narrator is charged by her aunt with finding her cousin Jonkers a wife. The narrator and her family (excluding her "bore" husband and son) are obsessed with wealth and class standing and are determined that the the potential bride come from a good "bagground." As she goes about her search, we follow her from lavish weddings to kitty parties to a brutal encounter with a street thief at the market. Because the book is written as a series of diary entries (I think?), we also get a peek into the narrator's inner life, from her musing on how to deal with your servants to political upheaval and terrorism.
I enjoyed Mohsin's writing. Although some readers may find the narrator's flawed English, with its malapropisms and political incorrectness, distracting, it made me laugh. And exploring a place and culture that I know little about — Lahore, Pakistan — make me feel as if I'd learned something by the end of the book, as well.
One criticism of the book that many readers have voiced is that the narrator is a tad unlikeable. And it's true: For much of the book she's materialistic, pig-headed and seems to only be out for herself. But bits of character shine through (though overbearing, she's clearly devoted to her son), and by the end of the book you can sense at least a small shift in her priorities. There's nothing worse that a character who doesn't grow and change, and that's a mistake Mohsin avoided here.
The story is a cultural satire set in modern-day Lahore, Pakistan. The unnamed narrator is charged by her aunt with finding her cousin Jonkers a wife. The narrator and her family (excluding her "bore" husband and son) are obsessed with wealth and class standing and are determined that the the potential bride come from a good "bagground." As she goes about her search, we follow her from lavish weddings to kitty parties to a brutal encounter with a street thief at the market. Because the book is written as a series of diary entries (I think?), we also get a peek into the narrator's inner life, from her musing on how to deal with your servants to political upheaval and terrorism.
I enjoyed Mohsin's writing. Although some readers may find the narrator's flawed English, with its malapropisms and political incorrectness, distracting, it made me laugh. And exploring a place and culture that I know little about — Lahore, Pakistan — make me feel as if I'd learned something by the end of the book, as well.
One criticism of the book that many readers have voiced is that the narrator is a tad unlikeable. And it's true: For much of the book she's materialistic, pig-headed and seems to only be out for herself. But bits of character shine through (though overbearing, she's clearly devoted to her son), and by the end of the book you can sense at least a small shift in her priorities. There's nothing worse that a character who doesn't grow and change, and that's a mistake Mohsin avoided here.
April 6, 2015
I'm generally a quiet person who sticks to serious, philosophical stuff. And I REALLY don't like chick-lits, except for when I'm ravenous for a book and there's nothing good to read.
But this book. Oh God.
I found myself laughing (embarrassingly loudly, and in public, mind you) throughout the course of this book. Being a grammar Nazi, I was REALLY (pleasantly) surprised when I didn't find the misspellings annoying at all. Probably because I've encountered women like Butterfly in real life as well. Actually, I think I've encountered someone like every single character in this book in real life. Well, except maybe for the DVD wallah. But that was probably what gave the plot its suspense.
Oh, and my favorite part of the book (as a writer)? The fact that the chapter titles were headlines that corresponded to what happened in each chapter. That, in my opinion, was (unprecedented) genius.
I loved how all the subplots converged towards the end and added dimension to Butterfly's opinions of marriage. This besides the obvious praises, you know, the ones with Butterfly's surprisingly sharp and witty perception of the world, presented in her humdrum desi manner. It was a well-rounded, close-to-reality portrayal of the Lahori upper-class society, and I'll definitely read it again.
But this book. Oh God.
I found myself laughing (embarrassingly loudly, and in public, mind you) throughout the course of this book. Being a grammar Nazi, I was REALLY (pleasantly) surprised when I didn't find the misspellings annoying at all. Probably because I've encountered women like Butterfly in real life as well. Actually, I think I've encountered someone like every single character in this book in real life. Well, except maybe for the DVD wallah. But that was probably what gave the plot its suspense.
Oh, and my favorite part of the book (as a writer)? The fact that the chapter titles were headlines that corresponded to what happened in each chapter. That, in my opinion, was (unprecedented) genius.
I loved how all the subplots converged towards the end and added dimension to Butterfly's opinions of marriage. This besides the obvious praises, you know, the ones with Butterfly's surprisingly sharp and witty perception of the world, presented in her humdrum desi manner. It was a well-rounded, close-to-reality portrayal of the Lahori upper-class society, and I'll definitely read it again.
January 17, 2018
Having not read Social Butterfly, Duty Free was tou absolutely hilarious read. As you know na, I tou very much like South Asian fiction that touches the social demographics of the strata we are living in, and so, this one was a treat to read (quick, funny and yet relatable). Bus if course it had nothing to do with literature shiterature or intellectual type things in it (of course I knew it when I'd picked it up), since I needed something light after my previous recent reads. So it has pumped me up for another couple of heavy reads starting from tomorrow only.
So between you, me and the four walls, Duty Free gets full points in wit, hilarity and satire in describing Pakistani elite and the happenings of their part of the world.
So between you, me and the four walls, Duty Free gets full points in wit, hilarity and satire in describing Pakistani elite and the happenings of their part of the world.
August 19, 2011
uty Free-Moni Mohsin
If the idea of a book styled along the line of “Gone With The Wind” or the movie “Clueless “but set in modern day Pakistan intrigues you, then this may be the book for you. We have a social-climbing ‘heroine’, shallow as the day is long but with a “heart of gold”, uninterested in the horrors abounding in her country but quite willing in her own selfish way to help her family. Especially when her family can create the havoc, she thinks her Aunt Pussy can create. Aunt Pussy has begged our heroine (no name was used in the book for our female protagonist and the book is written in diary form) to help her find her son a suitable mate, emphasis on the word “suitable”! Moreover, it must be done with all haste!
Therefore, that is exactly what our heroine sets out to do, in her own lazy, half-hearted, totally clueless way.
I’m sure the author is using malapropisms to make a point that I just didn’t ‘get’; but the usage became quite annoying after about a quarter of the way through the book. In addition, I would have loved to have some kind of translation of the words that Ms Mohsin used repeatedly. I was never quite sure if I was reading what amounted to a grunt or an actual word and I was being left clueless. It was a frustrating read for me.
The social-satire aspect is easy to pinpoint and yet I didn’t take it for being witty or clever, just sad. I know the customs and places for women in a society such as this are so different than what I’ve come to expect, yet I can’t help being sad when a woman who has the potential and the support of her husband and child to become so much more…doesn’t.
This book evoked many feelings from me and I am not so sure that they are the ones that the author wanted me to feel.
If the idea of a book styled along the line of “Gone With The Wind” or the movie “Clueless “but set in modern day Pakistan intrigues you, then this may be the book for you. We have a social-climbing ‘heroine’, shallow as the day is long but with a “heart of gold”, uninterested in the horrors abounding in her country but quite willing in her own selfish way to help her family. Especially when her family can create the havoc, she thinks her Aunt Pussy can create. Aunt Pussy has begged our heroine (no name was used in the book for our female protagonist and the book is written in diary form) to help her find her son a suitable mate, emphasis on the word “suitable”! Moreover, it must be done with all haste!
Therefore, that is exactly what our heroine sets out to do, in her own lazy, half-hearted, totally clueless way.
I’m sure the author is using malapropisms to make a point that I just didn’t ‘get’; but the usage became quite annoying after about a quarter of the way through the book. In addition, I would have loved to have some kind of translation of the words that Ms Mohsin used repeatedly. I was never quite sure if I was reading what amounted to a grunt or an actual word and I was being left clueless. It was a frustrating read for me.
The social-satire aspect is easy to pinpoint and yet I didn’t take it for being witty or clever, just sad. I know the customs and places for women in a society such as this are so different than what I’ve come to expect, yet I can’t help being sad when a woman who has the potential and the support of her husband and child to become so much more…doesn’t.
This book evoked many feelings from me and I am not so sure that they are the ones that the author wanted me to feel.
July 5, 2014
Hilarious!
after a long time, I have read a comic satire and I literally thoroughly enjoyed it.
The narrator is too much funny. Although she depicts the part of our society which does not concern what is happening around them and just cares about their own well being but the way writer has shown her qualities of head and heart and the way it progressed is appreciable.
The best thing about the book is that it does not leave a lingering feeling in a readers mind. The story focuses on "match-making"for Jonkers'(narrators's divorced cousin), her friends financial matters and her own complicated marriage and thanks to God that writer has so skilfully pened down the end of each in a satisfying way.Jonkers gets married to a person he loved, Mullo 's matters get resolved,and she also realizes that her husband is best for her as he always stands for her.
However, the darker side which Moni Mohsin has depicted through her sugar-coated-satire is prevalent. The Pakistani reader recognizes it, agrees to it, embarrasses on it and simultaneously laughs on it. Its a kind of desert that you would like to eat slowly slowly, but unable to restrain yourself to devour it as it is so delicious.
On the whole, it is recommended read, very entertaining, unputdownable and lol type book!
after a long time, I have read a comic satire and I literally thoroughly enjoyed it.
The narrator is too much funny. Although she depicts the part of our society which does not concern what is happening around them and just cares about their own well being but the way writer has shown her qualities of head and heart and the way it progressed is appreciable.
The best thing about the book is that it does not leave a lingering feeling in a readers mind. The story focuses on "match-making"for Jonkers'(narrators's divorced cousin), her friends financial matters and her own complicated marriage and thanks to God that writer has so skilfully pened down the end of each in a satisfying way.Jonkers gets married to a person he loved, Mullo 's matters get resolved,and she also realizes that her husband is best for her as he always stands for her.
However, the darker side which Moni Mohsin has depicted through her sugar-coated-satire is prevalent. The Pakistani reader recognizes it, agrees to it, embarrasses on it and simultaneously laughs on it. Its a kind of desert that you would like to eat slowly slowly, but unable to restrain yourself to devour it as it is so delicious.
On the whole, it is recommended read, very entertaining, unputdownable and lol type book!
November 3, 2011
A review of 'Tender Hooks' by Moni Mohsin: If you can get used to the grammatical and spelling 'mistakes', you'll enjoy this novel about a wealthy Pakistani self-centered socialite who has agreed to be a quick matchmaker for her male cousin since his mother believes that he is unable to make a suitable match on his own. The misuse of the English language used by the nameless narrator is hilarious at times, but also repetitive and irrating at times. The narrator's marriage has troubles of its own mostly due to her social-climbing which requires her to be very socially-active. Her husband seems to be the only family member who is grounded. He is wealthy enough to be able to support his quirky, but lovable wife's glamorous lifestyle. All this is going on amid the Pakistani war with its bombings, terrorists, etc. I found the satire aspects easy to identify and this novel to be fast-paced. It gives the reader a chance to look into a different culture with its customs and concerns which is always educational to me. This novel was provided to me by Read It Forward and was free of charge.
August 10, 2012
Not an exact Jane Austen retelling as the blurb suggests. Apart from both being "clueless" matchmakers, the heroine bears a stronger resemblance to a meaner-version of Lorelei Lee from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes than to Emma. She creates endless funny malapropisms. I made a beehive towards her; the garden was all land-escaped; every single illegible girl was going to be there; etc. Be warned, she starts out unbearably irritating & self-centered, but later reveals more heart.
I listened to the (BBC Book at Bedtime) dramatic reading by Meera Syal: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01lk6wh
I listened to the (BBC Book at Bedtime) dramatic reading by Meera Syal: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01lk6wh
February 11, 2021
"Things come and go. But people, once they go, they don't come back. They just leave a hole."
Back when I read Diary of a Social Butterfly, I fell in love; not with Butterfly herself, per so, more of with Mohsin's writing style. I understand that a style like this isn't for everybody, but I admit that it fit perfectly for me. Throughout the first book, Mohsin used a frivolous protagonist to portray the state of the society. Although it is centered in Pakistan, a lot of it felt true for the Indian society as well (or perhaps, because it feels to me--and I use the word feel liberally--that Butterfly is a Punjabi and so her place is more or less similar to how mine is; I admit the way she describes her culture seems a lot similar to mine so even if she isn't a proper Punjabi, I get how similar the society is, for after all, a lot of Punjabis in India have also hailed from Pakistan).
The major reason why I adored this sequel was because here, for the first time, we saw Butterfly grow. It was unexpected, no doubt. I had expected her to be a frivolous character throughout but no, she grew; and by the end of it, she really became a character that I fell in love with. I think this is one of the reasons why her story appeals so much to me, because under the whole beauty-obsessed persona, Butterfly, for the first time, appears to be a human. She is interesting, she is liberating, she is conscious. She sees things and she hates herself for seeing them. And through it all, she somehow finds herself anew.
At the same time, I won't go so far as to say that it's a brilliant piece. It is remarkable, yes; it is striking, yes; but it isn't exactly brilliant, not as a social commentary anyway. And certainly, the obsession of these ladies with petty things breaks one's heart but you also realize that that's how life is for some of them, full of gossiping kitty-parties and gossiping marriages and pretty much everything you do defines your background. Which is one of the ways this book makes you sad. But it also makes you laugh despite that, and I guess that is where I fell in love. I love myself a book that can make me smile and laugh.
Overall, though, if you end up picking this book, please keep in mind that its language is intentional and not everyone may enjoy this unique blend, but if you do give it a shot, it'll probably be a fun read!
Back when I read Diary of a Social Butterfly, I fell in love; not with Butterfly herself, per so, more of with Mohsin's writing style. I understand that a style like this isn't for everybody, but I admit that it fit perfectly for me. Throughout the first book, Mohsin used a frivolous protagonist to portray the state of the society. Although it is centered in Pakistan, a lot of it felt true for the Indian society as well (or perhaps, because it feels to me--and I use the word feel liberally--that Butterfly is a Punjabi and so her place is more or less similar to how mine is; I admit the way she describes her culture seems a lot similar to mine so even if she isn't a proper Punjabi, I get how similar the society is, for after all, a lot of Punjabis in India have also hailed from Pakistan).
The major reason why I adored this sequel was because here, for the first time, we saw Butterfly grow. It was unexpected, no doubt. I had expected her to be a frivolous character throughout but no, she grew; and by the end of it, she really became a character that I fell in love with. I think this is one of the reasons why her story appeals so much to me, because under the whole beauty-obsessed persona, Butterfly, for the first time, appears to be a human. She is interesting, she is liberating, she is conscious. She sees things and she hates herself for seeing them. And through it all, she somehow finds herself anew.
At the same time, I won't go so far as to say that it's a brilliant piece. It is remarkable, yes; it is striking, yes; but it isn't exactly brilliant, not as a social commentary anyway. And certainly, the obsession of these ladies with petty things breaks one's heart but you also realize that that's how life is for some of them, full of gossiping kitty-parties and gossiping marriages and pretty much everything you do defines your background. Which is one of the ways this book makes you sad. But it also makes you laugh despite that, and I guess that is where I fell in love. I love myself a book that can make me smile and laugh.
Overall, though, if you end up picking this book, please keep in mind that its language is intentional and not everyone may enjoy this unique blend, but if you do give it a shot, it'll probably be a fun read!
June 19, 2017
This is my first Pakistani chick lit and it oddly really reminded me of 'The Wag's Diary'.
This is because the main character, Butterfly, is a stuck up, fashion loving spa hopping lady. She thinks the most important things in life are status and money. However, despite this, she still ends up being somewhat loveable and it's hard not to like her.
She does dismiss things like bombs and the Taliban, mainly upset not because of the lives that have been lost, but because she can no longer go to hotels, etc., well that's until she gets herself caught in a scary situation.
The plot in the book is basically to find her cousin Jonkers a suitable bride from a good background. She has been enlisted by her Aunt Pussy (I couldn't help but grin every time I read her name *immature*) to do this. Auntie Pussy is a pretty formidable character. I wouldn't want to come against her.
I should also mention the way the book is written. It's purposely written in bad English and misspelled. It's easy to get on with but personally I'm not a fan of when books mess with spelling/grammar in books. Not sure why as I'm pretty crap at both of them! It just annoys me!
Ultimately this book is about Butterfly realizing what really matters in life and most fans of chick lit will be pretty happy with it. And although it's not hilarious, it did raise a smile from time to time.
This is because the main character, Butterfly, is a stuck up, fashion loving spa hopping lady. She thinks the most important things in life are status and money. However, despite this, she still ends up being somewhat loveable and it's hard not to like her.
She does dismiss things like bombs and the Taliban, mainly upset not because of the lives that have been lost, but because she can no longer go to hotels, etc., well that's until she gets herself caught in a scary situation.
The plot in the book is basically to find her cousin Jonkers a suitable bride from a good background. She has been enlisted by her Aunt Pussy (I couldn't help but grin every time I read her name *immature*) to do this. Auntie Pussy is a pretty formidable character. I wouldn't want to come against her.
I should also mention the way the book is written. It's purposely written in bad English and misspelled. It's easy to get on with but personally I'm not a fan of when books mess with spelling/grammar in books. Not sure why as I'm pretty crap at both of them! It just annoys me!
Ultimately this book is about Butterfly realizing what really matters in life and most fans of chick lit will be pretty happy with it. And although it's not hilarious, it did raise a smile from time to time.
October 19, 2011
This is my review I posted at Read It Forward:
I received my copy of Duty Free by Moni Mohsin from Read It Forward. I wish I could say I loved it, but I did not. It is a nice, fluffy read and an interesting look at Pakistani culture. The main character is likeable and yet unlikeable, but then – aren’t we all at times? She has family loyalty – she tries to help her aunt find a suitable match for her cousin, but Auntie doesn’t make it easy. And our heroine (are we ever given her name?) has to face her own prejudices as well. What I did not like about the book was the overreliance on malapropisms and “misspellings”. At first, since it was an ARC, I thought it was just unedited, but eventually realized it was supposed to be that way. For me, it really detracted from the flow of the book. I could hear the character’s voice clearly enough without all of that. Just between you and me and the four walls, the book would have been much more enjoyable with a little less of it. I am grateful for the opportunity to read it, though. I work in a library and will pass it along to one of my coworkers.
I received my copy of Duty Free by Moni Mohsin from Read It Forward. I wish I could say I loved it, but I did not. It is a nice, fluffy read and an interesting look at Pakistani culture. The main character is likeable and yet unlikeable, but then – aren’t we all at times? She has family loyalty – she tries to help her aunt find a suitable match for her cousin, but Auntie doesn’t make it easy. And our heroine (are we ever given her name?) has to face her own prejudices as well. What I did not like about the book was the overreliance on malapropisms and “misspellings”. At first, since it was an ARC, I thought it was just unedited, but eventually realized it was supposed to be that way. For me, it really detracted from the flow of the book. I could hear the character’s voice clearly enough without all of that. Just between you and me and the four walls, the book would have been much more enjoyable with a little less of it. I am grateful for the opportunity to read it, though. I work in a library and will pass it along to one of my coworkers.
October 19, 2011
Received this in the mail just last week; it's a pretty quick read.
Set in Pakistan from the viewpoint of a spoiled, wealthy, ignorant married woman, who is more concerned with labels and appearances than substance and world events.
The story is told as if written by our heroine, complete with misspellings and misheard phrases. This was quite distracting and slightly annoying for the first half of the book. However, by the end I had learned how to interpret and accept this style.
The book's heroine is on the hunt for a bride for her once-married cousin. It's a culture of arranged marriages and dowries, colliding with a new world of the working woman and love.
It's interesting to watch our heroine's transformation throughout the book, and also to guess at the actual characters of her friends and relatives as they are described through her lens.
This was not my favorite book, but it was worth a read!
Set in Pakistan from the viewpoint of a spoiled, wealthy, ignorant married woman, who is more concerned with labels and appearances than substance and world events.
The story is told as if written by our heroine, complete with misspellings and misheard phrases. This was quite distracting and slightly annoying for the first half of the book. However, by the end I had learned how to interpret and accept this style.
The book's heroine is on the hunt for a bride for her once-married cousin. It's a culture of arranged marriages and dowries, colliding with a new world of the working woman and love.
It's interesting to watch our heroine's transformation throughout the book, and also to guess at the actual characters of her friends and relatives as they are described through her lens.
This was not my favorite book, but it was worth a read!
August 29, 2011
Two years back, I got hooked onto books about the Middle East. Most books I read such as Khaled Hosseini's, Mohsin Hameed's and Daniyal Mueenuddin's dealt with intense issues. Soon I began to wonder if heavy and depressing stories was all that the South Asian Writers had to offer. That perception changed when I read a review of Moni Mohsin's much talked about book, Tender hooks.
Clutching a copy of the book when I walked out of the book store, I knew I was in for something funny, bone-tickling and most importantly, lighthearted. After classic reads such as The Beautiful and the Damned and The picture of Dorian Gray, I was in need of some major comic relief. And that I got!
To read the complete review,please go to:
http://asolitarypassion.blogspot.com/...
April 26, 2012
I'm giving 3 stars since this is the only Pakistani novel I've read & it deserves recognition for being courageous it its voice. I enjoy novels from other countries so I tried it out. There is a definite voice of the group in this book. I don't see the Jane Austen connection except maybe the women rule the book. It is very "high society" & clique based. I felt like I was reading a reality show's transcript & not a educational show but a housewives of...show. By the way, all the housewives I know are nothing like the show women. I should have got a ballywood flick, then there would have been dancing with the catty remarks. Re commend to those who like reality shows.
May 13, 2017
I tau just loved reading the book, Duty Free. Between you, me and the four walls, I think she is one of the funniest writers. Janoo, not hers, my Janoo (yes I call him that too) thinks that it was a total time waste. Crack! But he is like that only, bore type! I wish for her to write more and I think she will, I have a sick-sense about these things you know :)
Had a blast reading the book and the hangover is making me read and write things in the "special" voice and words. Looking forward to reading more, my guilty pleasure - just a quick read on a beach don't expect a literary exemplar please.
Had a blast reading the book and the hangover is making me read and write things in the "special" voice and words. Looking forward to reading more, my guilty pleasure - just a quick read on a beach don't expect a literary exemplar please.
October 28, 2014
Brilliant book by Moni Mohsin!! In a very toungue in cheek style she shows the flamboyant and fickle attitude of the idle wives of Pakistan’s rich Punjabi landlords and industrialists.
Social Butterfly with her adorable dumbness is back and this time with some dose of moral sensitivity. Of course like last time there is a fair amount of show off, expensive clothes and jewellery, foreign holidays, gossip and rumours, fretting over servants and electricity, kitty parties and GTs (oooffoo GT means Get Together).
To read more:
http://storywala.blogspot.in/2011/07/...
Social Butterfly with her adorable dumbness is back and this time with some dose of moral sensitivity. Of course like last time there is a fair amount of show off, expensive clothes and jewellery, foreign holidays, gossip and rumours, fretting over servants and electricity, kitty parties and GTs (oooffoo GT means Get Together).
To read more:
http://storywala.blogspot.in/2011/07/...
August 30, 2014
Hilarious!
Even though after reading the first page, I was wary of reading the novel further as there were too many spelling errors and grammatical mistakes, I discovered on the third page that it was deliberate! I loved the protagonist's humorous take on the serious issue in Pakistan. She is endearing and sometime a little bitchy, but that makes her one of us.I immensely enjoyed reading it and always laughed heartily at her histrionics. all in all a great book for times when you are not beaming and happy, to feel good and have a lighter perspective on serious issues.
Even though after reading the first page, I was wary of reading the novel further as there were too many spelling errors and grammatical mistakes, I discovered on the third page that it was deliberate! I loved the protagonist's humorous take on the serious issue in Pakistan. She is endearing and sometime a little bitchy, but that makes her one of us.I immensely enjoyed reading it and always laughed heartily at her histrionics. all in all a great book for times when you are not beaming and happy, to feel good and have a lighter perspective on serious issues.
August 8, 2013
I knew someone who spoke like the narrator. She's no longer around and it wasn't until I read this, hearing her voice telling me the story, that I realized how much I missed her. This was a great end of summer read.
July 8, 2014
It had such a sweet ending and I kind of teared up a bit. Pity that there wasn't as much geopolitical commentary as there was in the previous book, "The Diary of a Social Butterfly", but still sharp commentary on upper class, especially their women.
April 5, 2017
This was an interesting book due to the setting - it's not every day that I find a story set in Lahore. I liked how the chapters had headlines that reflected actual current events, which the chapters themselves showed what the protagonist was experiencing.
December 31, 2015
i liked this book
it is an easy and short read.
some parts were quiet funny and fun to read.
it is an easy and short read.
some parts were quiet funny and fun to read.
April 8, 2019
I recently read an interview with Pakistani author Moni Mohsin regarding the launch of her new book "Tender Hooks" and was intrigued enough to pick it up at Evening Hour. This is her second book after the huge success of "The diary of a social butterfly", based on her popular column in the newspaper.
The premise is simple. The protagonist, assumed to be "Mrs. Butterfly" is from an elite, well-do-to Pakistani family with an enchanted life - a large house, many servants, an adorable son and an Oxford educated (referred to fondly as Oxen) husband who lets her be herself. Butterfly observes the world through her rose-tinted glasses and her nose in the air, considering her place in society. Through her liberal use of grammatical errors (Thanks God), homophones (waste deep in snow), spelling goof-ups (good baggrounds), good old funny takes on known institutions (works in a bank Golden Sacks), slightly off the wall phrases (good radiance) and the like, Butterfly maintains a running comic monologue. I burst out laughing at least once in each chapter.
The chapters are short and begin with a date and what is presumably a newspaper headline. The book is not just about an airhead's view of Pakistani high society but a tongue-in-cheek critique of life in Pakistan today. Butterfly's breezy views on the army versus taliban, honest citizens versus the smugglers are put forth in an understated manner without ruffling any feathers.
In this book, Butterfly has the task of finding a bride for Jonkers, her cousin, by his overbearing mother, Aunt Pussy. Finding the right girl from the appropriate background is not as easy at is seems to be and we meet an endearing cast of characters in hilarious situations as we hurtle towards an unexpected ending. Butterfly operates from her superficial principles in most situations but is actually a feisty and sensible woman when push comes to shove.
I think Moni Mohsin has brought the right balance of humour to a lovable protagonist to highlight current issues in Pakistan with her breezy narration and wonderful wit. Definitely a must-read.
The premise is simple. The protagonist, assumed to be "Mrs. Butterfly" is from an elite, well-do-to Pakistani family with an enchanted life - a large house, many servants, an adorable son and an Oxford educated (referred to fondly as Oxen) husband who lets her be herself. Butterfly observes the world through her rose-tinted glasses and her nose in the air, considering her place in society. Through her liberal use of grammatical errors (Thanks God), homophones (waste deep in snow), spelling goof-ups (good baggrounds), good old funny takes on known institutions (works in a bank Golden Sacks), slightly off the wall phrases (good radiance) and the like, Butterfly maintains a running comic monologue. I burst out laughing at least once in each chapter.
The chapters are short and begin with a date and what is presumably a newspaper headline. The book is not just about an airhead's view of Pakistani high society but a tongue-in-cheek critique of life in Pakistan today. Butterfly's breezy views on the army versus taliban, honest citizens versus the smugglers are put forth in an understated manner without ruffling any feathers.
In this book, Butterfly has the task of finding a bride for Jonkers, her cousin, by his overbearing mother, Aunt Pussy. Finding the right girl from the appropriate background is not as easy at is seems to be and we meet an endearing cast of characters in hilarious situations as we hurtle towards an unexpected ending. Butterfly operates from her superficial principles in most situations but is actually a feisty and sensible woman when push comes to shove.
I think Moni Mohsin has brought the right balance of humour to a lovable protagonist to highlight current issues in Pakistan with her breezy narration and wonderful wit. Definitely a must-read.
January 11, 2023
There was a point in this book midway when I honestly wanted to quit it. If I did I’d probably give it one star. I’m glad that I finished it though because the book does give it’s main character (and others) an arc in the second half - (surprising since the first half is quite vapid).
This book has immense potential. The biggest con is the writers use of colloquial language and misspelling words. My understanding is this character was a weekly column before it got its own book series. As a column perhaps this language wasn’t so overbearing and irritating. But in a full fledged book it’s just gets a bit much. It is also unrealistic- why would an old money Lahori who attended the best schools and universities have such a hard time with basic English spelling? And at some point one has to ask… where is the humour in poking fun at someone’s English being bad. It gets old.
The bits of this book which get out of butterfly’s head and into the actual social settings were quite fun. It’s easy to read at 250 pages can be finished in a day or so. The second half picks up a lot more, and one wonders why more time wasn’t given to developing the actual plot of the book (the match to be found for butterfly’s cousin).
It’s a 2.5-3 for me. Not terrible but definitely not the best of its kind I’ve read. If you’re looking for some smart satire I recommend unmarriagable by soniah kamal instead.
This book has immense potential. The biggest con is the writers use of colloquial language and misspelling words. My understanding is this character was a weekly column before it got its own book series. As a column perhaps this language wasn’t so overbearing and irritating. But in a full fledged book it’s just gets a bit much. It is also unrealistic- why would an old money Lahori who attended the best schools and universities have such a hard time with basic English spelling? And at some point one has to ask… where is the humour in poking fun at someone’s English being bad. It gets old.
The bits of this book which get out of butterfly’s head and into the actual social settings were quite fun. It’s easy to read at 250 pages can be finished in a day or so. The second half picks up a lot more, and one wonders why more time wasn’t given to developing the actual plot of the book (the match to be found for butterfly’s cousin).
It’s a 2.5-3 for me. Not terrible but definitely not the best of its kind I’ve read. If you’re looking for some smart satire I recommend unmarriagable by soniah kamal instead.
August 2, 2024
I admit the blurb on the cover—"Jane Austen meets Helen Fielding"—caught my eye, and at first glance this journal-formatted book in the first person seems to take a page from Bridget's diary (and in fact, the narrator—whose name we never do learn—has a relationship with her husband that is strangely reminiscent of Bridget and Mark). However, this is where the similarities end, both in the situation (finding a wife for poor Jonkers in the manner of an arranged marriage) and the location (modern-day secular Lahore, Pakistan, amongst the wealthiest in the country). Every chapter's prefaced by the day's sometimes startling headlines. At first I thought the pidgin English (for lack of a more delicate phrase) was just bad copy editing, but the longer it went on, the more I realized there were deliberate choices made by the author (narrator uses the phrase 'black souls' when referring to a selfish, rude teenage girl who's just returned from university in the US and goes everywhere with bare feet). By the time I got to the end, to a pivotal moment for said narrator, I had tears in my eyes. Very well done as satire and social commentary.
(* Original UK title is Tender Hooks, which I actually like better.)
(* Original UK title is Tender Hooks, which I actually like better.)
September 7, 2017
I thought the first few pages of this book were odd and it seemed that the author was trying shoe horn in writing in the second person. Thankfully, there is not too much of that in this book and once I got into it I really enjoyed it.
It was really interesting reading a book that was set in Pakistan and it was a completely different story to what I would expect from a story that is set in that country. I thought that the stark contrast between the narrator's high flying life and what is happening in Pakistan politically was a great way to tell the story and I loved the character's development throughout the story as well.
I saw that this is meant to be a modern 'Emma' set in Pakistan. To be honest, I didn't get that at all and from reading this book and it didn't feel anything like the story of Emma to me. Although, I did love the mention of 'Bride and Prejudice' which is a film I adore.
I'm not sure how close to reality the book is but it was enjoyable reading about some of the different cultures. I would definitely want to read more from this author.
It was really interesting reading a book that was set in Pakistan and it was a completely different story to what I would expect from a story that is set in that country. I thought that the stark contrast between the narrator's high flying life and what is happening in Pakistan politically was a great way to tell the story and I loved the character's development throughout the story as well.
I saw that this is meant to be a modern 'Emma' set in Pakistan. To be honest, I didn't get that at all and from reading this book and it didn't feel anything like the story of Emma to me. Although, I did love the mention of 'Bride and Prejudice' which is a film I adore.
I'm not sure how close to reality the book is but it was enjoyable reading about some of the different cultures. I would definitely want to read more from this author.
February 27, 2020
I ended up enjoying this a lot more than I thought I would. Our heroine is really funny but a complete idiot at times which made this realistic for me. I know 1 or 10 lahori's like her. When they go so Sana's house for tea and the heroine realizes that "bagg rounds" don't matter and that Sana and her family are wonderful people with good hearts was really well-written. Especially with the tree analogy. It honestly made me tear up because it was so earnest. I loved loved loved the character development in this especially in regards to her and Janoo's marriage. She's so focused on bringing together other people that she doesn't focus on her family as much as she should have and yet her husband and son understand and still support her whilst trying to guide her in the right direction.
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