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The Marriage Market
Aaron knows next to nothing of the Indian way - its culture, its rituals, its idealism. When Aaron marries Jeena, he marries her extended family too. And despite his best intentions, love has a way of creeping up on a man just when he least expects it.
496 pages, Paperback
Published October 2, 2006
3 people are currently reading
105 people want to read
About the author
Nisha Minhas
10 books24 followersIn her early thirties, Nisha Minhas lives in Milton Keynes with her partner and two cats. A former employee of the Inland Revenue and a avid reader, Nisha couldn't find any novels that really appealed to her, a young woman born in the UK to Indian parents. So she decided to write a book that she herself would really like to read.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
November 11, 2012
Another fun east-meets-west chick-lit book from Nisha Minhas.
In this one we have Jeena, a young, British woman with fairly "liberal" Indian parents. They're liberal enough to let her wear very short skirts and go out to night clubs as long as she doesn't speak to any men, since they're planning to arrange her marriage.
Unbeknownst to them (at least until page 10 of the book) she does see and sleep with lots of men, including Aaron, who she's having sex with on page 10 when her parents come home and puzzled by the line of clothes strewn through the house and the noises coming from her bedroom walk in and see (including the insult of Aaron wearing her father's turban...)
And thus starts the problems... Her family plans to take her to India, where she's never been, in one month to marry her off to the first man who'll take her. Her parents are deeply offended that she feels India, their homeland, is a "foreign country".
Instead, she gets Aaron, an incorrigible womanizer who tells all his hundreds of girlfriends up front that he's only interested in sex and no commitment, and drops any woman he feels might be getting emotionally attached to him, she gets him to agree to marry her for one year, just long enough to evade her parents' plans. They just have to live in the same house and he's free to tell any women he brings over that she's his lesbian roommate.
But of course, nothing goes as planned and deep down they both realize they are really in love with each other, but of course getting to them admitting it is the whole adventure of the book.
Jeena's thoughts about Indian culture get a little repetitive through the book, and some could be trimmed to streamline the story and keep it moving forward. Personally, I had some trouble with Jeena's name, not being spelled how American's spell Gina, and yet one letter off from my wife's name, it was a stumbling block for my eyes going down the page.
But overall, a very fun read.
In this one we have Jeena, a young, British woman with fairly "liberal" Indian parents. They're liberal enough to let her wear very short skirts and go out to night clubs as long as she doesn't speak to any men, since they're planning to arrange her marriage.
Unbeknownst to them (at least until page 10 of the book) she does see and sleep with lots of men, including Aaron, who she's having sex with on page 10 when her parents come home and puzzled by the line of clothes strewn through the house and the noises coming from her bedroom walk in and see (including the insult of Aaron wearing her father's turban...)
And thus starts the problems... Her family plans to take her to India, where she's never been, in one month to marry her off to the first man who'll take her. Her parents are deeply offended that she feels India, their homeland, is a "foreign country".
Instead, she gets Aaron, an incorrigible womanizer who tells all his hundreds of girlfriends up front that he's only interested in sex and no commitment, and drops any woman he feels might be getting emotionally attached to him, she gets him to agree to marry her for one year, just long enough to evade her parents' plans. They just have to live in the same house and he's free to tell any women he brings over that she's his lesbian roommate.
But of course, nothing goes as planned and deep down they both realize they are really in love with each other, but of course getting to them admitting it is the whole adventure of the book.
Jeena's thoughts about Indian culture get a little repetitive through the book, and some could be trimmed to streamline the story and keep it moving forward. Personally, I had some trouble with Jeena's name, not being spelled how American's spell Gina, and yet one letter off from my wife's name, it was a stumbling block for my eyes going down the page.
But overall, a very fun read.
June 27, 2010
Can you understand the way a man and a woman think - at the same time? How they hate each other, fight, argue and finally fall in love despite coming from two completely different worlds? A smooth, funny and thrilling read. Nisha has a great sense of humour. You'll find it funnier if you know how England and the Asian community living there is. It's a thick, fat 500 page book. Best time to read will be while travelling. Cheers.
April 29, 2012
It was ok... I found this book to be really funny at certain points, but the drawback is that Nisha Minhas has overly stereotyped 'Indians'.
June 26, 2013
The book was a drag! I had to push myself to read it to the end! Highly stereotyped Indians on this one!
August 16, 2019
It took me maybe 6 months to finish this book it's kind of worth the time
October 29, 2023
What to say about this book?
Lots of words but a few to select, as have to keep it short and simple.
After a heavy read, I was looking out for a light fiction and landed on this.
Infact someday I had to land on it because of its title.
What an intriguing title to start with!
This book taught me the importance of a catchy title to draw readers.
But the book doesn't stop at the title to suprise you, author's ability to drive the story with a pinch of comedy, a pinch of tragedy, a pinch of lust, surrounding an important message,
It's just remarkable.
Being an Indian did feel a bit offended at the start because of the commentary being done about Indian traditions, but truth is truth, and in a way, you have to accept it.
Being a wife doesn't mean you are inferior to your husband, Being a wife doesn't mean you have to do all the chores of the house while your husband sits at leisure like a king.
Being a wife, for sure, doesn't mean you take off your clothes every time your husband wants you to satisfy him.
A wife has his own say and own identity detached to her husband.
This book depicts this, along with showing what a beautiful pact of marriage actually means.
At some places, the events do feel rushed, but the author's writing ability covers up for it at other places.
An absolutely must-read.
Lots of words but a few to select, as have to keep it short and simple.
After a heavy read, I was looking out for a light fiction and landed on this.
Infact someday I had to land on it because of its title.
What an intriguing title to start with!
This book taught me the importance of a catchy title to draw readers.
But the book doesn't stop at the title to suprise you, author's ability to drive the story with a pinch of comedy, a pinch of tragedy, a pinch of lust, surrounding an important message,
It's just remarkable.
Being an Indian did feel a bit offended at the start because of the commentary being done about Indian traditions, but truth is truth, and in a way, you have to accept it.
Being a wife doesn't mean you are inferior to your husband, Being a wife doesn't mean you have to do all the chores of the house while your husband sits at leisure like a king.
Being a wife, for sure, doesn't mean you take off your clothes every time your husband wants you to satisfy him.
A wife has his own say and own identity detached to her husband.
This book depicts this, along with showing what a beautiful pact of marriage actually means.
At some places, the events do feel rushed, but the author's writing ability covers up for it at other places.
An absolutely must-read.
July 26, 2024
This book is a good read, the premise was interesting and I was hooked from the beginning but it lost me midway into the book.
The characters are good and some even funny, but I disliked Jena as a character the same way I disliked Tessa from “after” both a hypocrites, judgmental towards other women. Jeena has good qualities but I didn’t like her poor actions and reactions. The ending was also dull to me but is was still a fun read. I loved all the side characters. But I hated how Jeena had no reason to be in love with Aaron other than “ he’s great in bed” and I couldn’t find any good bonding moments or even reason for Aaron to than fall in love with Jeena, seriously, I felt as though parts were missing from the book.
The characters are good and some even funny, but I disliked Jena as a character the same way I disliked Tessa from “after” both a hypocrites, judgmental towards other women. Jeena has good qualities but I didn’t like her poor actions and reactions. The ending was also dull to me but is was still a fun read. I loved all the side characters. But I hated how Jeena had no reason to be in love with Aaron other than “ he’s great in bed” and I couldn’t find any good bonding moments or even reason for Aaron to than fall in love with Jeena, seriously, I felt as though parts were missing from the book.
June 13, 2023
This book felt so camp-y! Right from the start, the situation that sets the story off - Jeena’s conservative Sikh parents catching her in the sack with the white boyfriend had me cracking up 😆 and the random descriptions about desi culture was super funny.
It just felt like she was rambling a lot and the stereotyping about Indians felt a bit tooo much - although I do think the Indians living outside the country are the most conservative. An entertaining book, but perhaps could’ve been a bit shorter
It just felt like she was rambling a lot and the stereotyping about Indians felt a bit tooo much - although I do think the Indians living outside the country are the most conservative. An entertaining book, but perhaps could’ve been a bit shorter
June 15, 2021
My first book by the author. Not sure it if was what I expected from the prologue but it seems a bit more skewed to the west than the east. Not sure if I would read this author again. Not my kind of writing.
June 11, 2017
Could not finish.
August 20, 2017
I like reading Indian culture books. This one was a good read, but lacked a little something in depth and credibility. More racy than cultural. I still enjoyed it.
August 26, 2020
I really liked reading this book! Surprised at the low rating and number of reviews. Laughed out in some parts.
January 14, 2022
Wunderbares Buch! Sehr zu empfehlen!!! Ich musste so lachen beim Lesen :) wirklich schöne Geschichte.... zwar ist das Ende vorraussehbar... aber was bis dahin passiert ist wirklich der Hammer!
June 9, 2012
Jeena figures out that the only way to get out of a traditional Indian arranged marriage her parents try to force upon her, is to arrange a marriage herself, specifically a sham marriage with her current boyfriend. This eventually placates her parents, but the greater Indian community doesn't take to the interracial union too well.
In contrast, sham husband Aaron isn't that concerned with Jeena's Asian background, or with the concept of faking a marriage. Jeena's just another attractive woman in a long list of casual relationships, and her Indian "otherness" doesn't figure prominently in the way he views her. Neither is he interested in rescuing her from a stifling conservative tradition. Rather, what makes him sympathetic to her appeal for help in this unorthodox union, is his understanding of her need to put on a false front. As we discover, he's not wholly unfamiliar to this tactic; he's got secret issues of his own that he's been trying to hide for a long time now....
Ironically, it's this which endears him to his "sham" in-laws, as Aaron finds the appropriate buttons to push, to convince Jeena's parents of his sincere feelings for & proper conduct towards their daughter. He's got just the right argument to prevent them from disowning her for choosing a husband outside of her caste/religion.
Another interesting thematic development is the contrast between Aaron's obsessive-compulsive interest in eastern traditions (Japanese martial arts, Chinese feng shui, meditation) versus Jeena's almost total disinterest in her family's Sikh culture and traditions.
Contrary to her family's expectations, as an adult Jeena is not compliant. Nor is she confused or conflicted by her dual identity as a British-born-and-bred woman of Indian descent. She knows what she wants, and it's a completely (modern) female desire.
The scene where she resorts to using her physical charms to get herself out of a tight spot, after the self-defense moves Aaron has taught her prove (predictably) to be ineffectual, is highlight of this funny and somewhat wickedly daring romantic comedy.
In contrast, sham husband Aaron isn't that concerned with Jeena's Asian background, or with the concept of faking a marriage. Jeena's just another attractive woman in a long list of casual relationships, and her Indian "otherness" doesn't figure prominently in the way he views her. Neither is he interested in rescuing her from a stifling conservative tradition. Rather, what makes him sympathetic to her appeal for help in this unorthodox union, is his understanding of her need to put on a false front. As we discover, he's not wholly unfamiliar to this tactic; he's got secret issues of his own that he's been trying to hide for a long time now....
Ironically, it's this which endears him to his "sham" in-laws, as Aaron finds the appropriate buttons to push, to convince Jeena's parents of his sincere feelings for & proper conduct towards their daughter. He's got just the right argument to prevent them from disowning her for choosing a husband outside of her caste/religion.
Another interesting thematic development is the contrast between Aaron's obsessive-compulsive interest in eastern traditions (Japanese martial arts, Chinese feng shui, meditation) versus Jeena's almost total disinterest in her family's Sikh culture and traditions.
Contrary to her family's expectations, as an adult Jeena is not compliant. Nor is she confused or conflicted by her dual identity as a British-born-and-bred woman of Indian descent. She knows what she wants, and it's a completely (modern) female desire.
The scene where she resorts to using her physical charms to get herself out of a tight spot, after the self-defense moves Aaron has taught her prove (predictably) to be ineffectual, is highlight of this funny and somewhat wickedly daring romantic comedy.
September 1, 2009
I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone really. About half way through I wondered why I was reading it, but had been sucked in enough to want to know how it ended. There is lots of swearing in the book, which I know is supposed to help set up the personalities of the characters, but I found it unappealing and over the top. The plot is lacking and at the end I didn't really feel satisfied like I do when I finish a truly good book. I felt like my time would have been better spent reading something else.
August 25, 2011
A marriage of convenience that turns to love is a theme I usually enjoy in books. Not in this case. Here you've got a couple who has a marriage of convenience, yet sleeps with other people days/weeks into the marriage, even while they are sleeping on and off with each other! Plus a whole bunch of other crazy things like stalkers and kidnappings. Basically I was expecting something else, and what was in the book really did not meet my expectations. There was so much going on in the book and there were way too many issues, taking my attention in different directions.
July 2, 2008
Aaron has an inability to stay faithful, and his girlfriend Jeena is facing exile to India.Aaron conquers his deep-sated fears and agrees to marry her,for a year only.A year on, and they will divorce. But it was never going to that easy, like they thought.
"A hilarious read, I was laughing with each page turned, and certainly enjoyed the book truly."
"A hilarious read, I was laughing with each page turned, and certainly enjoyed the book truly."
June 21, 2012
It didn't make me fall asleep while reading as though I had experienced with few books. very good book to read......I would recommend this book to anyone who likes spicied-up love story rather than just normal and usual. I very much liked the heroism of Aaron who rushed to save his kidnapped wife and when he was furious about the man who punched Jeena.....
January 31, 2013
It started off promisingly and I did laugh when the parents came in and caught her having sex with her white lover, but it tailed off after that and I was disappointed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Want to Read
April 24, 2015i just have to read this novel
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews