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| The Reluctant Fundamentalist | 
 enlarge | Author: Mohsin Hamid
Publisher: Hamish Hamilton Ltd
Category: Book
List Price: £14.99
Buy Used: £2.98
You Save: £12.01 (80%)
New (17) from £4.84
Avg. Customer Rating:  57 reviews
Sales Rank: 113402
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 224
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.9
ISBN: 0241143659
EAN: 9780241143650
ASIN: 0241143659
Publication Date: March 1, 2007
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Reluctant tp put it down August 31, 2008
I thoroughly enjoyed this shortish but beautifully written "monologue", which makes intriguing reading to the very last line. A modern day O Henry. The author develops a clear, logical but different perspective in the East vs West genre.
 Brilliantly written and thought provoking book August 27, 2008
I would like to say that this book is brilliant, and my compliments to the author for such a fine piece of literature.
I must admit, I hadnt heard of it before I purchased it at the train station before a long journey; it's not my typical genre, but by the time I left the train, I had read most of it and was hooked.
I dont personaly think its a thriller at all. The element of the book that kept me turning the pages was the beautiful monologue writting style, and the fascination of hearing the inspiring life story of this book's main character.
Its hard to explain just how I was drawn into this book. The story of the life contained within could have belonged to anyone; yet it is because of who it belongs to that makes this story work so well. The study of the many faces of 'fundamentalism'is thought provoking, and works because of the subject examining is in such a position as to be unbiased - or at least far more educated than most.
The end is brilliant and while subtle, uncertain even (as is much of the book), it contains a strength of ideology that flows through the pages and gives the reader the inertia to keep reading and thinking, even after the book is closed.
5 stars
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.
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