Beautiful from this Angle

by Maha Khan Phillips

Dishes up the dirt on the bold, the beautiful and the downright ugly from Karachi's hottest page 3 parties. A sensational debut that serves up a cocktail of Chanel and cocaine, fundoos and feudalism, while on the search for love and happiness among Pakistan's swish set.

234 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Nashwa S · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I don’t know how this author missed my radar when I was looking up desi books but I really enjoyed this book. It really makes fun of the tropes present in desi books that other authors like to promote, and the characters had a lot of depth. Pleasantly surprised by this book!

[Abdullah Mo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The blurb and description of publisher about the book makes you believe, the book is going to be bold and impressive. But, you would be disappointed after a first few pages as it would appear a hotchpotch with minimal appeal of sorts. There are parallel plots in the novel: on the misery of Nilofer a poor village girl, a weekly column of a party queen, everyday reality of Karachi and Pakistani politics, drinks and drugs, upper middle class parties in Karachi, and fluctuating love lives.
I was expecting it to be somewhere close to Saba Imtiaz's Karachi You're Killing Me (since I read that first, though this is published earlier) in tradition i.e. Pakistani chick-lit: disillusioned.

[Samra Muslim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not that this is a long book ... the first part is extremely ordinary story about the Karachi 20-something who goes around in the high circles (pretty much a lot of people we know personally) ... it is the last 70 odd pages where the story weaves itself with the real life incidents in the country (like Benazir's death) and then the finale that actually made it a pretty decent and likeable book ... ! If you want to support local Pakistani writers ... this one is a good bet actually~~~

[Midhat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Been there, done that kinda read.

[Vikas Datta · Rating 4 out of 5]

First I thought it was one of those books about vacuous beings but then I was surprised. The narrative picks up pace in the middle and builds to a roaring climax, moving from an extreme chick-litish sort of story to a more nuanced story of actions - and their surprising and unexpected reactions - in Pakistan of the age of the war on terror. Despite some unsettling details which could have been avoided, this is an exciting, valuable and insightful read....

[Sana Tariq · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put this book down. The combination of tongue in cheek humor juxtaposed against the harsh reality of Karachi society; the frantic pace of the city, the struggle to block out the trauma of what's happening all around you while attempting to maintain some semblance of a normal life; these are nuances that are difficult to capture and the author has done a fabulous job. This book felt like home.

[Emma Lam · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating glimpse of life in Karachi. Maha paints a complex picture of Pakistani society - the traditional influences versus a more hedonistic lifestyle. Her book takes all of these different elements and produces a story of full of angst, humour and insight. This is a page-turner, with lots of issues bubbling along below the surface.

[Simon Edge · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this when it first came out and have just re-read it during my first visit to Pakistan. It manages to expose the foibles of the Karachi elite, poke fun at Western attitudes to the Muslim world and look at the realities of violence and feudal inequalities, while also being a brisk, page-turning read which is often also very funny.

[Mridula · Rating 4 out of 5]

a close look at the life of the privileged in Pakistan. Interesting insights into the lives they lead written by one who belongs...although it starts a little slow, it picks up pace and is overall a good read.

[Syeda Maha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating glimpse of Karachi's lifestyle .Maha paints a complex pic of Pakis ..Traditional versus a more hedonistic life style .A story of humor and insight . It stats at a slow pace but then a roaring climax.Over all fabulous job !