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| The End of Innocence | 
 enlarge | Author: Moni Mohsin
Publisher: Fig Tree
Category: Book
List Price: £16.99
Buy New: £9.09
You Save: £7.90 (46%)
New (11) from £9.09
Avg. Customer Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 477756
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 368
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 8.5 x 5.6 x 1.3
ISBN: 0670916269
EAN: 9780670916269
ASIN: 0670916269
Publication Date: June 1, 2006
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: New Next day dispatch by Royal Mail. International delivery available. 1000's of satisfied customers! Please contact us with any queries. Next day dispatch by Royal Mail. International delivery available. 1000's of satisfied customers! Please contact us with any queries.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Wonderful December 6, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I thought the book was very interesting especially for me coming from the sub continent but on the other side of the fence to speak - it gave you a wonderful insight of life in pakistan at time of war. I enjoyed reading the book and couldn't put it down. Very thoughtful though thru the eyes of an 8 year old - her privileged background - the relationship with the servants, the vividness of the book - you could imagine the canal, the nuns. Moni has done a wonderful job in potraying life in the 70's in pakistan.
 Not the best... July 23, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book is seen through the eyes of a nine year old who is spending her holiday in a sleepy Pakistani village whilst civil war is rife miles and miles away in East Pakistan.
I found myself skim reading much of this book to get to the main meat of the story, this is not something I often do therefore I think I must have found it quite tedious. Perhaps I couldn't fully appreciate the fact that so much of it was seen through the eyes of a young child therefore much of the narrative seemed innocent to the consequences of what was about to occur. Therefore I found myself predicting much of it before the narrative itself got to those conclusions.
It does however give a great snapshot into Pakistani life and culture but I didn't think it focused enough on the war which was constantly mentioned but without going into enough detail. What is most interesting is the story of the servant girl and her demise. This is gripping and haunting but it is a pity the rest of the book brings it down.
End of Innocence June 29, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
The End of Innocence is a captivating coming-of-age tale set in 1970s Pakistan, where worlds collide and things fall apart.
The story unfolds with Rani, a young and beautiful servant, who innocently seeks romance and adventure in a culture bound by honour and tradition. But tension mounts as the complexities of real life overtake Rani and her eager and privileged sidekick Laila, both floundering in unfamiliar territory.
Peopled by characters so sharply drawn that you recoil from Sister Clementine's breath, feel the crispness of Tariq's starched shirt and sink into the pillowy folds of Sardar Begum's belly, this book is delightfully rich and funny.
But at the same time, and with elegant ease, Moni Mohsin shows how the darker side of social conformity, politics and religion challenge even the powerful and liberal, with long term fallout.
A wonderful debut.
Magical writing June 21, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Both beautifully written and suspenseful, this touching first novel had me hooked from page one. Although easily read in one sitting, the story stayed with me for days afterwards, haunting me with its beauty, eloquence, and tragic sadness. Mohsin has a real talent for creating memorable characters that burst to life through the pages, from the severe, demanding grandmother to the honourable father to the bubbly, romantic best friend who, as the granddaughter of a family servant, also provides us with a snapshot of the prevailing class issues of Pakistan at the time of the civil war. But it is through Laila, the main character of the novel, that one truly experiences the drama and excitement. Mohsin expertly draws the reader into the mind of a nine year-old child, which is no small feat--Laila's innocence and naivite are wholly believable, and one feels instantly attached to her and invested in her troubles. When I finished the book, tears in my eyes, I could not stop thinking about Laila in the midst of that privileged life in Pakistan, yearning to feel loved and involved and important, a desire so great that it inadvertently lead her to unleash a disaster. Moni Mohsin truly has a magical touch--I can't wait for her next novel!
A wonderful shapshot of pakistan in recent history June 18, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Pakistan is not somewhere I have thought about much before, but Ms Mohsin's book is very provocative - a coming of age novel novel which enlightens about the 'civil' war which ended the strange existence of an West and East Pakistan, divided by thousands of miles of India (courtesy of the British partition), highlights the anipathy between India and Pakistan and also puts the tension between the traditional pakistan and the modernisers into context. The main character is a young girl, persuasively drawn by the author, who is sucked into a secret and ends up playing a role in a tragic event. The adults and the children are all fleshed out, with each given realistic flesh and feelings. The book is very enjoyable, and as Ms Mohsin is a new author this bodes well for other books from the same source. Some of the scenes are wonderful - such as the first visit to the cinema of the grandmother, and the care which is lavished on her and her party. She has written a well-crafted and interesting book which will be of interest to all types, including book clubs.
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