Bend It Like Beckham: The book of the iconic 2000s film now on Netflix!

by Narinder Dhami

Celebrate the 20th anniversary of the global smash hit film! If you're 18, love football and can bend a ball like Beckham, the world must be your oyster, right? Wrong. If you're Jess - 18, Indian and a girl - forget it.Jess just wants to play football but her wedding-obsessed parents have other ideas so she hides it from them. But when Jess and her friend Jules join a ladies team and get spotted by a talent scout, it all kicks off ... The Bend it Like Beckham movie was a box-office hit, starring Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.Bend it Like Beckham was also transformed into a musical in London's West End.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, School, Read For School, Sports, Contemporary, British Literature

116 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Anna Akeli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose this book after i watch the film. I study the film " Bend it like Beckham" in school for English in 2010 and i enjoyed watching it. I wanted to watch it again but i couldn't get the film out so i got the book instead.

The story is about an Indian girl whose name is Jesminder. She is nearly 16 years old and she loves playing football. She fancies her idol David Beckham because nobody can cross or bend a ball like him. She also falls in love with her coach- Joe. But because of her religion and the beliefs of her family she isn't allowed to play. Her mother tells her not to show her bare legs in short football trousers like her friend Jules does. Her parents think that football isn't good for the behaviour of a real Indian woman. But for Indian women it is necessary to learn how to cook real aloo gobi and how to make round chapattis. The older Indians think that something like that is more important than having fun with sports.
After all the story is about untypical teenager problems, another religion, football and the hard way to tell the truth.

We both think that the book is well written and easy to understand. The vocabulary is explained on the bottom of every page that is why you don't have to learn anything for understanding the book without problems. I think that the story is interesting and good to read for boys and girls. A nice theme for boys is the football and many girls are interested in the small love-story of Jesminder, Jules and their coach, Joe.
If you want to learn something about the culture and the traditions of Indians the book will please you.
I recommend this book to 12+.

[Wilma Nordlander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Upptäckte att boken var skriven pga filmen så den var exakt likadan. Men extremt bra ändå!!!

[Darina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Never in my life have I disliked reading sth to this extent.
I am sorry.
The cringe was just not for me. The dialog was too forced.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've never seen the Keira Knightley/Parminder Nagra star-making vehicle Bend It Like Beckham, but I remember how much hype and praise it got after its release several years ago. Although I enjoy several forms of entertainment, I'm a reader, first and foremost, so, when I saw the novelization of the movie at a yard sale, of course I picked it up. I finally got around to reading it today, and ended up not being all that surprised when it turned out to be a dud. The story itself wasn't half-bad, and the dialogue was well-done. I've said before I'm not a sports fan, but I willingly did a book report in fifth grade on a Matt Christopher novel about basketball and got an A, so, I could still appreciate the soccer action. However, some significant problems seriously plagued the novel. The MPAA rated the movie Bend It Like Beckham "PG-13 for language and some sexual content," and that's a great summary of the morally problematic content in its novelization. Not only that, but the book was a bit repetitive; in less than one hundred pages, there were three different scenes where Jess was playing soccer, and one or more of her family members walked in. It was cute at first, but it became grating even just the second time, almost like a sitcom catchphrase. If you saw the original Knightley/Nagra movie and enjoyed it, you'll have to read this novel for yourself and see if you like it; for me, though, I was pretty much just glad to turn the final page.

[Zoe_hargreaves · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book because i watched the movie first and really enjoyed that. Something i learned from the book was that it is ok to be a different religion and still join or do things because as a christian I feel as though I am kept from things but this book shows that no matter who you are you can do anything only if u try. I decided to read this book because my teacher gave us the choice of which book we wanted to do for our study book where we had to write an essay on and this book was one of the options and it sounded interesting so i finished reading it. My favourite character in the book is the whole soccer team because they have a great bond together and it was cool to see that together they won the final.

[Sophie Gray]

This is a book dedicated to the discussion on culture. The two main characters in the book are soccer players, who are not supported by those around them other than each other. One of the characters is going against her own culture, as it is not appropriate for a girl to be participating in the game of soccer and should be focused on her future as a wife and a law student. As for the other character, her mother is discriminating against women athletes as she stereotypes them in a way that portrays every woman athlete in the wrong way. Both of the characters go against their families’ wishes and follow their dream to be a soccer player, soon enough proving to their families that it is what is best for them. The message of the story is clear as the reader, showing that cultures do not have to follow strictly one culture, as combining cultures is an appropriate way to live. This would be beneficial for children to understand, as they will be exposed to several different cultures other than their own.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the film and I love the book. It was exactly like the film, I am pretty sure the film was made first since Jess's scar was in it, that was put in the film because the actress had one. The dialogue was exactly the same. I did really enjoy it though. I was saying all the lines in my heads in the actors' voices and accents.

The story-line was good, it could have been deeper on cultural differences and given the story some depth but it was a good quick read that reminded me of my teenage years.

I think it would have been better of there was more of a difference between the book and the film. I am not likely to read it again since I can just watch the film and get the exact same story.

4 out of 5 stars

[Daniel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not a book that I would ever willingly choose. However, tutoring a student who was reading this as part of school, I found myself reading this novel made from the film.

It wasn't altogether as horrible as I was expecting. In some ways, it was quite good. It addresses some important ideas about race, culture and sexism.

Not bad. Just not my thaaang.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remembered watching the film years ago and snatched this one up in the school library for our 15 minutes of reading. Quick and easy read. Perfect for some of my students but unfortunately a bit outdated.

[Butterfly2507 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best book ever, but also not too bad :)

[Jette · Rating 3 out of 5]

WE DIDN'T PLAGIARISE FRAU MADL

[abi · Rating 3 out of 5]

so much of this has aged poorly

[Jelka · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

Not as funny as the movie

[Josefin · Rating 3 out of 5]

älskar när man vill se en film men inte hittar den så man läser boken istället hahaha

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

Saw this at the library and thought, why not? Funny how I've been reading SO many sports books lately - I borrowed this at the same time as the next two Gracie Faltrain books (soccer again), and I've just finished reading the Rose series, where Rose wishes to play cricket and has to sneak around her parents in order to do so!

I've seen the film and enjoyed it, and this was a very quick and fun read. At times a bit too quick - I'd have liked a bit more depth, but oh well. Interestingly enough, it's a book based on the movie. Now sometimes, reading the book is just like watching the movie: it's all THERE. Sometimes, the book falls flat and doesn't contain the spark that the movie had. This one's kind of in the middle. Not a bad adaptation, but I'd rather watch the film!

It was super interesting to read about how Jess' family lived and did everything, and all the differences between Indian culture and the other Londoners. I liked that in some ways, Jess just wanted to be like "everyone else", but in other ways she was deeply rooted in her culture and what she knew. So it wasn't so much her trying to free herself of ALL the ties, and more her trying to fit both together.

[Khan · Rating 2 out of 5]

So very mediocre. That's all I can say about it actually.

It's not good, but neither is it bad. I only read it because it was an assignment in school. Pretty much the average pre-teen novel you can find on pretty much every shelve.

Some aspects were of course quite good. Like the social commentary on being a girl living in a traditional Indian household in England. Her desire clashes with tradition and of course there is the token best friend and token maybe or maybe not boyfriend.

It's a teen movie in book form. Read it or don't. This won't be anything that will make you look different on your life. You might gain a bit of cultural understanding here and there, but not enough to justify reading this on your free-time.

I recommend this for anyone who might want to start reading something simple. In case English isn't your native language this will help you to expand your vocabulary without making you look up every word.

[Dank · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not actually read the book as I watched the movie but I hope the book was the same

I actually enjoyed this movie more than I thought I would, At first I thought it would just be like a documentary or some unrealistic movie but it was actually really good and had its moments

Some things I did not like about the movie was the cringe, I felt lots of parts in the movie were supposed to be either dramatic,romantic or funny and just ended up being cringey to watch

When the movie was being cringey I enjoyed watching the movie as sometimes it was funny and dramatic

I would rate this movie/book 6/10 because this sort of movie genre has never really been my style but I watched it and it was actually quite good

I hope the book wasn't to different to the book or my review would be quite bad :/

[Sumayyah · Rating 5 out of 5]

wowww!!cthis book is amazing in other words absoloutely amazing. is'nt it soo sad when a person wants to become something they want to but their parents say no? i find that sad. well atleast she gets what she wants. joe is alright you can tell he is flerting with jessminder. thia is one of my favourite books. i rate it 5 because its comedy and romance. i like books that contain this genres.it is also fantasy. her parents want her to be good intelligent indian girl. they dont want her to run around the field with he legs showing, they want her to cook nice aloo gobi and the perfect round chapatti. however, pinky gets what she wants. joe gets what he wants. jess gets what she wants. oh and cant remember the other girl who liked joe anyway these book is good!!! you should read it!! :)

[Showaa · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book was great but i think i like the film better
but anywayz
it is about an indian girl who's family expect her to become a good house wife but instead she enjoys playing football and went on to persue her dreams
her parents are slightly racist because they would not let her go out with a white boy.
but she has a firend who is white and bth of them get into a fight at football camp and are not friends any more but at their match they become friends as when jess (the indian girl) crosses the ball her friend makes it a goal which shows that they have a good relashionship

[Shirin Abdel Rahman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny, easy to read and more like a movie script, I could easily imagine her sari, wedding ceremony and even their house, as an eastern girl myself I could really imagine what she been through easily, since it is almost the dilemma that any eastern girl faces when she lives in an western country or even when she want to break some cultural taboos, all she was looking and asking for is to play football in a culture that thinks girls primary concern should be marriage and cooking,simplly she wanted BOTH!

[RiiAANA 3 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very intersting and gives you information about the Hindu culture and what families do within that culture...it is about a girl who aspires to be a professional footballer but her families ideas say otherwise...she is not opressed like strong strong religious families but you can empathise with what alot of girs go through where they have to follow their parents ideals...not a challenging read but worth reading!!!

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really good. I loved the way that it talked about soccer in a way that made the book interesting. I loved the storyline and the book was as good as the movie. I also liked the way that the author has created charactors with unique personalities e.g. Pinky who is quite spoilt and stuck-up. I would recommend this book to anyone aged 13-18 because it is an enjoyable. The author shows that if you don't like a certain sport it doesn't mean that you can't enjoy a book about that sport.

[Monica Keller · Rating 3 out of 5]

1: Gurinder Chadha
2: 120 minutes
3: football, girl, parents, London, game, family, uniform
4: The scene which she fights against her mother about football.
b: I could not understand why she has to quiet football just because she is a girl.
5: I have read this book but I read again because it was so interesting. If I were the girl, I would continue playing football even my parents against it. I want to watch the movie of it.

[Margaret McCulloch-Keeble · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an excellent story. I was reading this to see if it's suitable for our school library. I think it offers such a challenge to perceptions where gender and cultural identities are concerned AND does it with such good humour that it may be worth having as part of our stock, despite the odd swearword that some parents may worry over-they are not gratuitous and indeed make the narrative more believable.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book -> Movie rarely works. Movie -> Book I would go so far to say NEVER works.

This was enjoyable as a very basic girls' pre-teen novel, but even for that age bracket it was disappointing. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone over the age of 11, and certainly not to people who enjoyed the movie.

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

mmmm if you have seen the movie don't waste your time on the book. There is no extra insight or plot movement, and lets face it, this book is just a clever marketing ploy to target the female young adult market based on the success of the film.

I am not saying the story is bad, just, in this case, the movie is better.

[Steven Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel, aimed at teenagers, is based on the Gurinder Chada screenplay of the 2002 film. It is what you’d expect if you’ve seen the film – a fairly close interpretation and containing immortal lines like: “ ‘Lesbian? Her birthday’s in March. I thought she was a Pisces.’ ‘She’s not Lebanese, she’s Punjabi.’ ”
Full review at: http://stevek1889.blogspot.co.uk/2014...

[Katie Mawdesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bend it like Beckham by Narinder Dhami. The story was based in England and it is about a girl who goes behind her family's back to do what she loves and that is to play football. I like this book because it is based on football and how it is full of romance, adventure and excitement.I would recommend it to anyone who likes a story about adventure and excitement and of course football.

[Maya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this. Although it's more like children's fiction, it had the feels. Probably because I was an emotional mess whilst reading this and cried 2 times bc it made me so grateful for my parents, but I recommend this nonetheless. Watch the movie, at least. It's great. (This is one of the few times I'll ever say this, as the book is written based on the movie)

[Godhuli B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes, I read and own this book! (no judging allowed) It's obviously not the greatest work of fiction, but I always have the scenes from Chadha's fantastic film playing in my head. Which makes the experience bearable.