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| The Reluctant Fundamentalist | 
 enlarge | Author: Mohsin Hamid
Publisher: Harcourt
Category: Book
List Price: £12.29
Buy Used: £0.33
You Save: £11.96 (97%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  60 reviews
Sales Rank: 79452
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 192
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.5 x 1
ISBN: 0151013047
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780151013043
ASIN: 0151013047
Publication Date: April 2, 2007
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Sparked a lengthy discussion.... August 18, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I picked this book to read in my Book Club and I think we had one of the longest discussions on record! I don't want to give too much away, but I think that the beauty of the book is that it has sparked so much discussion, is it Anti-American, what are the roles / intentions of the two characters in the cafe, indeed, interestingly, how much of what Changez "says" is actually just a thought process and not actually voiced?
At first I was surprised that it had been nominated for a Booker, not because it isn't a brilliant book, but because it is so unusual. After some thought and discussion it's clear that it is very much deserving of its nomination.
Overall recommendation: Buy - and find a friend to buy / read it too so that you can have a good natter about what it's actually saying!
 An Outsider's American Dream goes wrong August 18, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The story of an outsider - Changez, a Pakistani, who manages to achieve the American Dream - going to Princeton, getting a top job, and falling in love with a beautiful American girl. Then 9/11 happens and it makes him homesick despite imminent fighting back home, then Erica rejects him, and he loses it ultimately returning to Lahore and his destiny.
Written entirely as a monologue by Changez who has found an American in Lahore to tell his story to, I found this device irritating in the extreme because of all the breaks in his story to attend to his trapped audience's needs, ordering drinks and dinner etc. I just wanted to hear what was happening to Changez and Erica and so one long reminiscence would have done for me. However, breaking up the narrative did create more suspense and you did begin to wonder about his dinner partner ...
There's no doubt that this short novel is a thoughtful response to the world situation and changing attitudes.
Up's and Down's August 14, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The idea, which starts off "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" is indeed brilliant, a man takes a seat at another man's table and starts telling him his story. A story of his Princeton studies, of a love lost to a dead man and of the professional possibilities in the United States, given at first and left unused by himself as an indirect result of the September 11th events. The novel evolves well and is beautifully written. My main objection is, that at that "one" moment when you expect to be finally elevated into the "why's and what's" level of the plot, I had the feeling that the author had a sudden urge to finish his novel. Of course, this is a subjective feeling and maybe wrong. Anyway, I felt that there were too many crucial open points for me after closing this book and with all respect to open endings, this one left me quite unhappy. What I personally also could not really identify, was the fundamentalism of the narrator. A good read, a remarkable talent of a writer, but no masterpiece. I do think that there will be really great novels coming by Mohsin Hamid. This one promises them. That is the reason for my 4 stars.
 Just a bit of a yarn August 8, 2008
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
So many glowing reviews. How come? It's short, no research required for it at all. It's just a bit of a yarn. No plot. It reads ok but doesn't go anywhere. I finished it but I was bored by half way, when I realised it was just going to drift along and never take off.
A rare insight into the making of a fundamentalist August 4, 2008
It is said that reading things that put across a viewpoint that you disagree with and find challenging is a way of expanding the mind. This book certainly falls into that category.
The book describes a discussion that an American visiting Pakistan has with a man who, whilst being educated in America and working in New York, then returns home and becomes a `fundamentalist'. In fact a `discussion' is perhaps a wrong description since really it is a one-way speech by the Pakistani man.
The story tells of the Pakistani's initial attractions to and then gradual disenchantment with America. The author writes very convincingly and whilst not at all agreeing or sympathising with his pleasure at seeing the scenes that took place on 11 September 2001, from his story it is possible to see why he became disillusioned with his life in America.
The book is short and holds the readers attention, it is also good because it explains the point of view of Muslims whose views are difficult to comprehend for a Westerner. As a result of reading this book I still have no sympathy with terrorists but do have a better understanding of how the same events can be interpreted differently according to one's background and cultural upbringing and also how greater mutual understanding might lead to dialogue and that can't be a bad thing.
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