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Cat & Fiddle
Cat & Fiddle centres on two families whose lives become entwined at the country estate of Bourne Abbey. While Dr Choudhury is busy advising Henry Bourne on the restoration of the abbey to its former glory, his wife’s main concern is marrying off their three children, whose chances of good matches are dwindling by the day. Thankfully, the royal family always seems to have a solution to her problems: how to find a wife for a reluctant son; how to manage a difficult father-in-law; and, of course, how not to deal with an inter-faith relationship.
Then there’s the Bourne family. Henry’s wife, Thea, is feeling lost, now that she’s got the lifestyle she’s always longed for. His elder brother, Richard, a successful London barrister, finds himself increasingly drawn to the family home — the inheritance that he’s given up. Meanwhile, Henry just wants to keep the peace, but that’s proving to be tricky …
And, finally, there’s Bourne Abbey itself: the repository of an ancient mystery that links the histories and cultures of the Bournes and the Choudhurys in a way that no one could have anticipated.
Then there’s the Bourne family. Henry’s wife, Thea, is feeling lost, now that she’s got the lifestyle she’s always longed for. His elder brother, Richard, a successful London barrister, finds himself increasingly drawn to the family home — the inheritance that he’s given up. Meanwhile, Henry just wants to keep the peace, but that’s proving to be tricky …
And, finally, there’s Bourne Abbey itself: the repository of an ancient mystery that links the histories and cultures of the Bournes and the Choudhurys in a way that no one could have anticipated.
512 pages, Paperback
First published January 30, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
January 22, 2016
Cat and Fiddle by Lesley Jørgensen is a very interesting book and an accomplished debut. If you are a reader of literary fiction and you’ve been put off by the Austenmania marketing about this title, you may find it worth a second look…
Yes, there are resemblances to Pride and Prejudice. There is a finding-spouses-for-my-offspring plot with matching characterisation, and yes, there is a rural English setting with a nearby estate boasting An Eligible Son. However, Mrs Begum is not looking towards Bourne Abbey, she is seeking spouses for her errant children in the Bangladeshi community and the complication is that all three of them are confounding her expectations (in ways not envisaged by Jane Austen). It’s not just that her son Tariq has become a bossy fundamentalist lecturing them about religious prohibitions, he has other demons that make matchmaking difficult. And her daughter Rohimum and Shunduri are ‘modern’ girls, who haven’t subscribed to the rules of the CV laid down by the Bangladeshi community.
But entertaining as this sprawling plot is, what makes Cat and Fiddle more than just another pseudo-Austen romantic comedy is the exploration of Bangladeshi values and mores. Jørgensen is Australian, but she married into an English Bangladeshi community and she has an insider’s understanding of the problem of reconciling modern life with traditional values.
To read the rest of my review please visit http://anzlitlovers.com/2013/03/02/ca...
Yes, there are resemblances to Pride and Prejudice. There is a finding-spouses-for-my-offspring plot with matching characterisation, and yes, there is a rural English setting with a nearby estate boasting An Eligible Son. However, Mrs Begum is not looking towards Bourne Abbey, she is seeking spouses for her errant children in the Bangladeshi community and the complication is that all three of them are confounding her expectations (in ways not envisaged by Jane Austen). It’s not just that her son Tariq has become a bossy fundamentalist lecturing them about religious prohibitions, he has other demons that make matchmaking difficult. And her daughter Rohimum and Shunduri are ‘modern’ girls, who haven’t subscribed to the rules of the CV laid down by the Bangladeshi community.
But entertaining as this sprawling plot is, what makes Cat and Fiddle more than just another pseudo-Austen romantic comedy is the exploration of Bangladeshi values and mores. Jørgensen is Australian, but she married into an English Bangladeshi community and she has an insider’s understanding of the problem of reconciling modern life with traditional values.
To read the rest of my review please visit http://anzlitlovers.com/2013/03/02/ca...
September 22, 2013
nothing to write home about
September 6, 2025
Whilst this story has echoes of Pride and Prejudice, Small Island, and Brick Lane, with her wonderfully vibrant, colourful characters Lesley Jørgensen has certainly found her own voice in this delightful, thought-provoking, laugh-out-loud gem of a début novel. The Anglo-Bangladeshi community came alive as the conflicts and tensions experienced by first generation immigrants and their offspring were explored. Alongside this, the English middle-class was also very well-captured, as was a recognition of the significance of different cultural and religious norms and expectations when people struggle to understand each other, and to integrate.
I felt so involved with each of these convincing characters that once I had started it I could hardly bear to put this story down and, once I had finished it, I felt I wanted to re-read it so that I could enjoy its delicious observations and wit all over again.
I felt so involved with each of these convincing characters that once I had started it I could hardly bear to put this story down and, once I had finished it, I felt I wanted to re-read it so that I could enjoy its delicious observations and wit all over again.
August 17, 2019
I really loved this, mostly because it was so refreshing to discover more about this British immigrant culture. The Mr and Mrs Bennett of Pride and Prejudice resonated, but in an immigrant Bangladeshi (is that the right word) context. Otherwise it is well plotted, ironically funny, and even quite exciting in spots. If anything disappointed it was only in the rather open-ended finish, but for a first novel one has to say it is very impressive.
I was intrigued how an Australian author with such a Scandinavian family name could write with such resonant clarity about the cross-cultural dynamics of British and Bangladeshi families' interactions. Google provided the clues.
I was intrigued how an Australian author with such a Scandinavian family name could write with such resonant clarity about the cross-cultural dynamics of British and Bangladeshi families' interactions. Google provided the clues.
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July 13, 2020dnf
January 19, 2025
Struggled to get through this book. The chapters went on forever and I feel that there was no proper ending to the book?
November 1, 2013
(Review originally published in The Byron Shire Echo - April 23rd, 2013)
'Cat and Fiddle' won the 2011 CAL Scribe Fiction Prize for an unpublished manuscript, and I’m so grateful for whoever saw the greatness in Jorgenson’s words. Marketed as a modern-day Pride and Prejudice, The novel follows the scandals and fortunes of two connected families. It takes from Jane Austen’s style in the English country setting and meddling-mother who wants nothing more than to marry off her offspring, but it is so much more than that.
The Anglo-Bangladeshi Choudhury family is dissected and offered up in deliciously-crafted characters that I became utterly absorbed in and convinced by. Jorgenson’s characterisation is nothing short of masterful – even for that simple reason, this is a worthwhile read. It’s a combination of an intricate plot, intriguing family webs, multiculturalism and the clash between tradition and modernity, religion and culture.
Mrs Begum triumphs – dare I say it – over Austen’s Mrs. Bennett. Her turn of phrase, Bengali cooking, penchant for gossip and micro-managing the lives of her children are so vivid. Likewise, the patriarchal figure of her professor husband with all his airs and graces and inner conflicts is one of the most brilliant characterisations I can think of. Their children are complex and compelling: artist Rohimun recovering from her ruined reputation, her over-the-top drama-queen sister, and Tariq, a former jihadist art curator grappling with his sexuality. Each character is as unique and tantalising as the next, so rich and vast, there’s worlds within worlds going on here.
And the Bourne family they all bump into counters the exotic with a sense of the English upper-class that tempers the fires of the novel and draws out the drama right to the very end. I adore this book and I could read it all over again just to pick up the threads I missed, to take in the subtle pulling-together of the people and to learn how Jorgenson does it.
This is why we love reading – to dive into another’s body, skin, mind, nuances, emotions, so deeply we forget our own story, our own reality for a while. It circuit-breaks the rattle of our day and allows a break to refresh and come back again. Like sleep, reading regenerates and this book has that miraculous ability to transport you that all good books should have. It’s a charming East-meets-West tale that is funny, poignant, engaging and delicious.
'Cat and Fiddle' won the 2011 CAL Scribe Fiction Prize for an unpublished manuscript, and I’m so grateful for whoever saw the greatness in Jorgenson’s words. Marketed as a modern-day Pride and Prejudice, The novel follows the scandals and fortunes of two connected families. It takes from Jane Austen’s style in the English country setting and meddling-mother who wants nothing more than to marry off her offspring, but it is so much more than that.
The Anglo-Bangladeshi Choudhury family is dissected and offered up in deliciously-crafted characters that I became utterly absorbed in and convinced by. Jorgenson’s characterisation is nothing short of masterful – even for that simple reason, this is a worthwhile read. It’s a combination of an intricate plot, intriguing family webs, multiculturalism and the clash between tradition and modernity, religion and culture.
Mrs Begum triumphs – dare I say it – over Austen’s Mrs. Bennett. Her turn of phrase, Bengali cooking, penchant for gossip and micro-managing the lives of her children are so vivid. Likewise, the patriarchal figure of her professor husband with all his airs and graces and inner conflicts is one of the most brilliant characterisations I can think of. Their children are complex and compelling: artist Rohimun recovering from her ruined reputation, her over-the-top drama-queen sister, and Tariq, a former jihadist art curator grappling with his sexuality. Each character is as unique and tantalising as the next, so rich and vast, there’s worlds within worlds going on here.
And the Bourne family they all bump into counters the exotic with a sense of the English upper-class that tempers the fires of the novel and draws out the drama right to the very end. I adore this book and I could read it all over again just to pick up the threads I missed, to take in the subtle pulling-together of the people and to learn how Jorgenson does it.
This is why we love reading – to dive into another’s body, skin, mind, nuances, emotions, so deeply we forget our own story, our own reality for a while. It circuit-breaks the rattle of our day and allows a break to refresh and come back again. Like sleep, reading regenerates and this book has that miraculous ability to transport you that all good books should have. It’s a charming East-meets-West tale that is funny, poignant, engaging and delicious.
December 15, 2013
An enjoyable read with a dry sense of humour. It reminded me of White Teeth by Zadie Smith in its second-generation immigrants' search for ethnic and religious identity, its focus on two intertwined families and its lively ear for dialogue. It's also a clear homage to Pride and Prejudice, but it doesn't wholeheartedly revise or satirise Jane Austen's story, and lacks that book's mordant mastery of situational irony.
Despite its charms I can only give it three stars because I found the pace and plotting ultimately unsatisfying. Certain plot threads were left dangling (for instance, I really expected more to come of Mrs Begum's white smoking compost heap). And after a leisurely beginning the plot accelerated considerably in the last act. Everything wrapped up quite happily, but also perfunctorily and without a satisfying sense of narrative justice being done.
I was left still wondering whether Tariq would be okay (he's sort of sidelined in the end), whether Shunduri would get her big wedding without adverse gossip, and whether Kareem will straighten up and fly right. Thea's weird nervous breakdown seemed both too extreme and too glibly resolved. We still haven't established Richard's and Henry's future roles at the Abbey. Simon was an excellent villain but was sidelined too easily and without enough narrative justice. And the 'secret' discovery in the house that the cover blurb promises will entangle the destinies of the two families is more a vague motif than an actual plot mechanism.
Rohimun and Richard are the Lizzy and Darcy of the piece, and obviously I wanted them to get together, but they don't have many scenes together apart from their initial meet-cute, and their attraction escalates in an implausibly linear way, without the push-and-pull that makes romcoms so enjoyable. I felt we left them while they are still almost strangers to one another.
The most fully realised characters here are Mrs Begum and Dr Choudhury, who are both complex comic creations. I enjoyed their codependent domestic duelling. Dr Choudhury's vanity and pomposity are an especially astute riff on Pride and Prejudice's ineffective patriarch Mr Bennet. Meanwhile, Mrs Begum's craftiness and infuriation are much more sympathetic than the unrelenting silliness of Mrs Bennet.
Despite its charms I can only give it three stars because I found the pace and plotting ultimately unsatisfying. Certain plot threads were left dangling (for instance, I really expected more to come of Mrs Begum's white smoking compost heap). And after a leisurely beginning the plot accelerated considerably in the last act. Everything wrapped up quite happily, but also perfunctorily and without a satisfying sense of narrative justice being done.
I was left still wondering whether Tariq would be okay (he's sort of sidelined in the end), whether Shunduri would get her big wedding without adverse gossip, and whether Kareem will straighten up and fly right. Thea's weird nervous breakdown seemed both too extreme and too glibly resolved. We still haven't established Richard's and Henry's future roles at the Abbey. Simon was an excellent villain but was sidelined too easily and without enough narrative justice. And the 'secret' discovery in the house that the cover blurb promises will entangle the destinies of the two families is more a vague motif than an actual plot mechanism.
Rohimun and Richard are the Lizzy and Darcy of the piece, and obviously I wanted them to get together, but they don't have many scenes together apart from their initial meet-cute, and their attraction escalates in an implausibly linear way, without the push-and-pull that makes romcoms so enjoyable. I felt we left them while they are still almost strangers to one another.
The most fully realised characters here are Mrs Begum and Dr Choudhury, who are both complex comic creations. I enjoyed their codependent domestic duelling. Dr Choudhury's vanity and pomposity are an especially astute riff on Pride and Prejudice's ineffective patriarch Mr Bennet. Meanwhile, Mrs Begum's craftiness and infuriation are much more sympathetic than the unrelenting silliness of Mrs Bennet.
May 6, 2013
I hated the beginning of this book, I mean seriously hated it. I was publicly slating it on a packed underground train explaining in detail the first three chapters and how they were just crap crap crap.
But push through that. You may have to really try but it got much better and I felt pretty bad for slating the book in the end. It gets much much much better. Such a brilliantly set up french farce of a book, genuinely quite touching and heart warming. The problem was, it was all so brilliantly set up that I felt that the end let it down a bit, that it didn't have as explosive ending as the build up deserved and the juice (500ish pages) wasn't quite worth the squeeze, so I've only given it three stars but it's a very high three stars. Highly enjoyable, especially for a holiday.
*note: i feel i should mention that I am not an Austen fan as have not read any Jane Austen so haven't made any of the comparisons that there apparently are. I'm actually quite grateful because the people comparing to Austen seem pretty upset by the whole thing...*
Goodreads first reads giveaway.
But push through that. You may have to really try but it got much better and I felt pretty bad for slating the book in the end. It gets much much much better. Such a brilliantly set up french farce of a book, genuinely quite touching and heart warming. The problem was, it was all so brilliantly set up that I felt that the end let it down a bit, that it didn't have as explosive ending as the build up deserved and the juice (500ish pages) wasn't quite worth the squeeze, so I've only given it three stars but it's a very high three stars. Highly enjoyable, especially for a holiday.
*note: i feel i should mention that I am not an Austen fan as have not read any Jane Austen so haven't made any of the comparisons that there apparently are. I'm actually quite grateful because the people comparing to Austen seem pretty upset by the whole thing...*
Goodreads first reads giveaway.
May 3, 2013
I didn't like this much at all. I got into it a bit more towards the last third, but was still not thoroughly engaged. There are plenty of Austin references, downtown specific lines from pride and prej, put into the mouths of these characters. At the beginning, there seemed to be A LOT of characters and I had I real idea who anyone was. It was also or funny. This wouldn't other me except that it was advertised as being humorous. I didn't even crack a smile once. Interesting to learn a bit more about another culture I suppose. I frequently felt that superfluous information was added to pad out the length of the book, a if it had to get to a particular word count.
June 17, 2013
Disappointed by this book after reading the reviews. Mrs Begum has three children to marry off, but all of them are living lives that cause problems in the marriage stakes. The family is trying to bridge the gap between traditional Bangladeshi society and a modern English way of life. The novel is meant to be a Bollywood take on Pride and Prejudice, but fails miserably. The language is clunky, especially the fake modern English spoken by Baby, the youngest child. The characters are not drawn well, particularly each of the parents. And the plot is quite ludicrous. Read Pride and Prejudice instead.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 16, 2014
Set in rural Wiltshire, this is the amusing tale of the Choudhurys, a Bangladeshi couple, whose young adult offspring are causing their doting parents all manner of grief. The start of the book didn’t hook me immediately. But the humorous portrayal of pompous patriarch, Dr Choudhury & the antics of his desperate wife who stops at nothing to achieve marital success for her 3 errant & uncooperative children, had me chuckling. A good insight into Bangladeshi culture, especially the cuisine & courtship/marital rituals.
February 19, 2013
With more than a passing nod to Jane Austen, this was a witty and entertaining read set in a typical middle England setting but with a multi-cultural cast of characters. After a bit of a slow start, which had me wondering whether there were any sympathetic characters to root for, it wasn't long before I was caught up in Mrs Begum's modern day matchmaking of her reluctant offspring, each with their own demons and secrets. A lovely Good Reads giveaway that didn't disappoint.
March 10, 2013
A bit Pride and Prejudice meets Bend it Like Beckham.... It provided an interesting look at Asian culture in western environments, and an understanding of the family pressures and loyalties that seem to be diluted in western cultures. Not quite the "hilarious" read it was publicised as, but humorous, and a nice little illustration of what happens when we assume...
August 23, 2013
I really enjoyed this story of a Bangladeshi's mother's efforts to marry off her three adult children. As well as being very funny it explores the conflicting viewpoints and aspirations of different generations and different cultures. The author captures different accents and the behaviours of different social groups in a very wise and funny novel for older readers.
April 2, 2013
I am actually glad that I read this overlong and uncohesive novel because it made me really appreciate authors who can structure a story in a reasonably competent fashion. I'm sorry I took that for granted, you guys!
April 29, 2013
Brilliant. This book had it all......... cultural diversity, humour, sadness and even a little love.
This was Pride and Prejudice meets Bend it like Beckham with a bit of Muslim culture thrown in.
I loved every minute of it.
This was Pride and Prejudice meets Bend it like Beckham with a bit of Muslim culture thrown in.
I loved every minute of it.
April 28, 2013
Started slowly, middle section quite good, then ending degenerated into a contrived low quality romantic fiction 'happily ever after' with just a touch of wondering about what might be for a couple of characters.
June 8, 2013
This is a fantastically satisfying book. I love that it deals with current class and culture issues without taking itself at all seriously, especially managing to lift the gloom surrounding much that is written about the Muslim community in England.
January 16, 2015
A light readable entertaining story but not memorable. Characters are over simplified and it's all very melodramatic.
February 17, 2013
A good read. Insightful peek into the cross cultured world of two families and the trials and tribulations of love, family class and religion. Lots of Jane Austen links.
April 14, 2013
A mildly diverting, relatively interesting easy read. A bit of fluff, but nothing not to like really.
May 7, 2013
Was really into theis book quickly, and wasn't expecting to be. The characters are quirky and made it a fun read.
August 15, 2013
Couldn't get into it. Gave up after 1/3. Disappointed.
April 14, 2016
It was OK, but could have used a finer editing IMHO.
November 23, 2015
Quirky read. Gave me a few laughs.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews