Chris Singh

Hi Chris--

I do read TONY, but I usually read the movie and music reviews... and they are typically short. I'll look over a few book reviews today to make sure I'm not short changing you with what I say.

For now, a few notes on style and structure-

I think I would prefer more varied sentence lengths. A majority of the sentences in the second and third paragraph are quite long and I think it takes away from what you are trying to say about the novel. Especially for TONY, the writing just seems punchier... again I will look over the book review section just in case. ex."From the point of view of Nazneen the reader gains insight into the mind of a young woman coping with her fate, marriage to a much older husband, and being away from everyone and everything she knows. Her transformation is a gradual process beginning with her casual observations through the window in her flat to willing her husband to take her out to see the famous sights in the city, and eventually to her sexual awakening that comes in the form of a young deliveryman, Karim."

At first glance the point of the sentences seems repetitive, but if broken into separate sentences it can change to add meaning in terms of perhaps what her self discovery was... I'm guessing her life as a sexual being ? Also, it left me wondering- what makes her story different and more engaging to read than other immigrant tales?

The final paragraph seemed to entice me more about how the tension in the novel may come from the danger of free will versus the stagnancy but safety of a predetermined life. I feel like that may be a better place to start then the information about the curry houses. In my humblest opinion, the curry houses seemed to lack a connection other than the street name and didn't grab my attention.

I am hungry for Indian food now though, so the power of suggestion is certainly proved.

Great start though, seemed like her discovery left an impression on you.

After reading your book review, I am very interested in reading this book.

I really liked how you gave background information about the reputation of the author. I also thought adding that Brick Lane is an actual street in London was a nice touch.

As a reader, I am interested in knowing the time period which the story takes place. Is it during fairly recent times? Also, the reader is experiencing the story from Nazneen's ( or is it Nazmeen's? You wrote both... YOU MUST PROOFREAD!!!!) point of view, does this mean it is written in first person, or is there a 3rd person limited narrator who guides us?

There is a lot of summary within this review, and you may want to rethink revealing who she has the affair with...unless of course the affair is given away at the beginning of the book. I just thought young deliveryman was enough..I didn't want to know his name..I would have liked to have learned that while reading the book...Thanks Chris!

I really liked your closing sentence:

"Brick Lane paints a poignant picture through descriptions of the heroines cluttered apartment that eventually highlight her pursuit to find her space in the world where she can finally take control."

The "cluttered apartment" really grabbed my attention.

Overall

Hi Chris,

Great job with your review! I really get a sense of what this book is about and the themes it explores. I think you capture the easy going, youthful attitude of TimeOut New York.

A lot of my suggestions for this review come on a sort of nit-picky sentence/paragraph structure level. There are a few sentences throughout the review that could be cut down or broken up, and that would help make the whole review more fluid and effective. For example, in the first paragraph, "Monica Ali’s debut novel, Brick Lane is named after an actual street in the center of the city’s Bangladeshi Muslim community in London’s East End, where one can easily find a spicy meal but you have to BYOB since they tend not to serve alcohol." This sentence could be broken up or re worded-- perhaps, "Monica Ali's debut novel, Brick Lane is named after a street in London's East End; the center of the city's Bangladeshi Muslim community. There you can easily find a spicy meal, but you have to BYOB, since the restaurants tend not to serve alcohol." This is a small adjustment, but things like this would help to make the whole review clearer.

I think I'll bring a copy of your review in to class with a few suggestions on it, if that's OK-- just cause that's easier than writing out each sentence that could use a little tweaking.

One other thought I had is that you could mention earlier, and perhaps explore further the fact that the author uses letters between the narrator and her sister and also the narrator's cluttered apartment as devices through the book to reflect the narrator's choices in life.

Nicely done, Chris!

Hi, Chris. I read this novel and really liked it a lot! Maryellen