{"product_id":"brick-lane-by-monica-ali-2003","title":"Brick Lane by Monica Ali (2003)","description":"\u003cp\u003eHardcover with DJ in Very Good (VG) condition. DJ is a bit scuffed, otherwise clean and straight. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-cel-widget=\"bookDescription_feature_div\" data-csa-c-id=\"2mmssc-kd2ltt-67r1rg-87dpiy\" data-csa-c-is-in-initial-active-row=\"false\" data-csa-c-asin=\"0385234104\" data-csa-c-slot-id=\"bookDescription_feature_div\" data-csa-c-content-id=\"bookDescription\" data-csa-c-type=\"widget\" data-feature-name=\"bookDescription\" class=\"celwidget\" id=\"bookDescription_feature_div\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"a-expander-collapsed-height a-row a-expander-container a-spacing-base a-expander-partial-collapse-container\" data-a-expander-collapsed-height=\"140\" data-a-expander-name=\"book_description_expander\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"a-expander-content a-expander-partial-collapse-content a-expander-content-expanded\" aria-expanded=\"true\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBarnes \u0026amp; Noble Discover Great New Writers\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eA captivating read from a debut novelist, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBrick Lane\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e brings the immigrant milieu of East London to vibrant life. With great poignancy, Ali illuminates a foreign world; her well-developed characters pull readers along on a deeply psychological, almost spiritual journey. Through the eyes of two Bangladeshi sisters -- the plain Nazneen and the prettier Hasina -- we see the divergent paths of the contemporary descendants of an ancient culture. Hasina elopes to a \"love marriage,\" and young Nazneen, in an arranged marriage, is pledged to a much older man living in London.\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAli's skillful narrative focuses on Nazneen's stifling life with her ineffectual husband, who keeps her imprisoned in a city housing project filled with immigrants in varying degrees of assimilation. But Ali reveals a bittersweet tension between the \"two kinds of love\" Nazneen and her sister experience -- that which begins full and overflowing, only to slowly dissipate, and another which emerges like a surprise, growing unexpectedly over years of faithful commitment. Both of these loves have their own pitfalls: Hasina's passionate romance crumbles into domestic violence, and Nazneen's marriage never quite reaches a state of wedded bliss.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThough comparisons have drawn between Ali and Zadie Smith, a better comparison might be made between this talented newcomer and the work of Amy Tan, who so deftly portrays the immigrant experience with empathy and joy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Ex Libris Used Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43403832951011,"sku":"EXL651-6353","price":4.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0562\/5675\/7951\/products\/536972.jpg?v=1664831070","url":"https:\/\/www.exlibrismichigan.com\/products\/brick-lane-by-monica-ali-2003","provider":"Ex Libris Used Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}