DNF at 25%. I felt like it started off strong and then it was kind of disjointed and the writing style didn’t pull me in. Might be a book for another time.

When I finished "Love Marriage" and read the author's bio, I wasn't surprised to see that this novel would be made into a film. While reading the novel, I was imagining the scenes, the characters, the music, the plot. The novel was an enjoyable read, but I suspect the film may be a bit more entertaining because of the editing that will be involved. Our main character, tends to be Yasmin, a young woman physician, who lives with her parents, and is engaged to Joe, a doctor, who also lives with his mother. Yasmin doesn't come across a particularly kind person, something she doesn't realize until the end of the novel, when everyone realizes their shortcomings and their potentials, especially for Joe, who has spent a great amount of time seeing a therapist for his sex addiction (and hopefully, these scenes would be shortened for the film because the psychobabble wasn't always engaging).

This a multicultural novel with diverse characters, no one comes across as too bland, too normal, except for maybe Pepperdine, another doctor who become entangled with Yasmin. There are many secrets that are revealed at the end, none too shocking, yet it's a novel that shows how abuse repeats itself, how secrets are never far from the surface, and how reconciliation is possible.

Loved this book. Highly recommending it in my review for BookPage which is coming May 1. Here's' a very abbreviated version.

Monica Ali’s Love Marriage (Scribner, $27.99, 9781982181475) paints a riveting portrait of a picture-perfect modern engagement unraveling. Yasmin Ghorami is a young doctor following in her ambitious immigrant father’s footsteps. She’s newly engaged to Joe Sangster, a fellow doctor who’s the son of an infamously outspoken feminist and public intellectual with chronic boundary issues. There are differences in race, class, religion and culture to navigate between the middle class, Musilim (though not necessarily practicing) Indian-born Ghoramis and the white, upper middle class Sangsters, and Ali delineates those distinctions with nuance, and specificity.
To its credit, Love Marriage isn’t really about the most obvious and familiar challenges. It’s not so much that Joe and Yasmin’s worlds clash, but rather that even though all looks good on the surface, the engagement and the change it promises reveals deep fault lines in both family units.

Exciting to find Ali back on form after her great arrival and then some less exciting novels. The new one has caricature elements but then settles into something more complex and rich, as layers of family and generation are unpicked and explored. There’s a warmth and charm to the tske-spinning, and a breadth to the cast. Engaging and solid work from a very capable author back on track.

Monica Ali has written my favourite kind of book, full of life and family and characters who jump off the page.
Love Marriage follows the two main families as they navigate life as it happens and takes us along with it. The descriptions are just enough to capture the scenes and the places the book takes us to.
Yasmin’s life as a junior doctor in the National Health Service as well as a daughter and a fiancé is entertaining and sometimes heartbreaking.
This book is relatable and a wonderful family story.

I thoroughly enjoyed Brick Lane years ago and was very excited to see a new book from this author. I thoroughly enjoyed Love Marriage. This book is entertaining and compelling with enough of a plot and very well drawn characters. I read in two sittings. Ali writes in a very daring way; she is not afraid to include controversial current issues and she gives us a very refreshing take on old themes. It’s funny and deep at the same time. I loved Yasmine and lived vicariously through her as she grew in confidence, womanhood throughout her novel, as did all the characters. I especially enjoyed Sandor and the education I received on addiction. Cultural lessons and an insight into the NHS were also appreciated. None of her lovable characters is totally likeable; they all do despicable things, but we are rooting for all of them. The ending might be judged as a bit too tidy, but it felt right to me and was the ending I wanted. I think this could have been a much longer book as there was so much packed into its pages. Thanks for the advance copy.

Entertaining & quirky yet deep & complex. An engaging & surprising multi-layered story.
Thoughtful, elaborate character development. Explores important, difficult topics in a sensitive, yet fitting way.
Incorporates multiple themes, cultures, classes, genders & sexual identities.
With great thanks to NetGalley & Scribner/Simon and Schuster for this ARC!

The book is well-written, and the author brings the characters to life. I appreciated learning about the life of Muslims in the UK and interfaith relationships as well as the medical system there. I often found the storyline depressing, yet by the time I got into the second half of the book, I couldn't put it down. After such a long book, I was unsatisfied with the ambiguous ending. I think book groups would find plenty to discuss with this book.

This was an absorbing, richly-textured novel. I'm a Monica Ali fan and have always looked forward to every new book. I particularly enjoyed the layered multicultural themes, interesting plot points, and well-realized characters. The dialogue sometimes seemed to veer off in directions that didn't feel necessary to the story. But, overall, this is a book that will not disappoint Monica Ali fans.

This is a story of a family, a husband and wife, a Bengali couple, who emigrated from Kolkata to live in London, where they raise their son, and daughter, Yasmin.

As this begins, Yasmin is a trainee doctor engaged to Joe, a coworker, and she is getting ready for a dinner with her future in-laws, with her parents accompanying so that the families can meet and discuss the yet-unscheduled-but-upcoming wedding. Joe’s mother relies on caterers, whereas Yasmin’s mother, Anisah, is determined to bring some home cooking to the affair, much to Yasmin’s dismay.

Joe’s parents live in a more exclusive area in a much larger home than Yasmin’s family, and Joe’s mother, Harriet, is...more progressive. A former model who achieved some notoriety for posing nude back in the 70’s, Harriet is an academic who considers herself a liberal, loves to entertain the educated, more ‘cultured’ and well-read set.

A story that covers a lot of territory, perhaps too much, which left me wondering what other readers would make of it. It flits here and there, a man who seems unable to be faithful to one woman, who seems to prefer finding and trying out women the way one might check out different restaurants. Not necessarily looking for a better meal, per se, just a different one. A young woman who struggles with the career she’s worked so hard for, but is no longer sure what - or who - she wants. A father whose life seems to have fallen apart, a son who is taking a path that feels too impulsive, ridiculous and dangerous to his parents. A wife that has decided that enough is enough. A friendship that forms between the future two mother-in-laws that adds fuel to the fire. Oh, yes, and sex.

There’s a lot going on in this story, varying points of view, which added to the larger, sometimes trying, sometimes fascinating, picture in progress. Fortunately, although it covers multiple storylines, it is at heart Yasmin’s story. How her view of the trajectory her life is taking makes her realize what she truly wants may not be what she thought, especially after secrets are exposed, and lies withheld force her to examine what she really wants.

’Life is not simple.’ A phrase emphasizing a simple truth is often repeated. Life takes twists and turns, and our lives are often upended.

A story of the complex nature of relationships, sex, faith, family, and - perhaps especially - of love - in all its many forms.


Pub Date: 03 May 2022

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Scribner

Another well-written, entertaining and enlightening novel by the author. I loved learning more about the Muslim culture in London as two characters are planning their wedding. One comes from a traditional Muslim family and one does not. This is not a novel to speed through but one to slowly savor!

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy. Profanity, promiscuity, sex. It’s too much for me to recommend for school use, so I cannot finish this.

I’ve read that the novel is being adapted for a TV mini- series, and that is a perfect description, imo, of the book.The three main themes are love, marriage, and relationships ,but so many side issues are addressed-racism, societal and parental expectations,Brexit, the NHS, lesbianism, child rearing and its generational pathologies, Islamophobia, sexual addiction, and finally difficult medical diagnoses.
It is very long, at times boring, and I thought the conclusion and its “ big reveal” a bit predictable.
I would say an okay, not an outstanding, read.

LOVE MARRIAGE is a rich and complex story of how all of our love relationships (husband/wife, mother/child, siblings) are full of both joy and misery. Yasmin thinks she has found her true love, Joe Sangster, another medical student. While Yasmin fully recognizes that many Indian women have arranged marriages, she takes pride that her parents' marriage was a "love marriage" rather than one that was arranged for them. But when Yasmin and Joe begin to plan their own wedding and Joe's mother Harriet, a famous feminist, starts steamrolling the entire event, relationships begin to shift. Joe, who has secrets he does not want to reveal to Yasmin, begins to look at his mother and their relationship with new eyes. Yasmin's mother, Anisah, also breaks from her traditional role as wife and mother and, after a fight with her husband, moves in with Harriet and starts to explore a wholly different side of herself. As these traditional relationships are upended, each character has to face some hard truths about themselves and the people they love. Ali deftly portrays characters and situations that require no leap of faith - they are real! A wonderfully satisfying read.

Monica Ali has moved into one of my favorite author spots! I just loved this book! Engaging characters, sweeping story development and a deepening connecting reading experience. I do wish this book had been edited down a bit to pick up pacing, but once I felt invested in the characters the book really kept me interested. Thank you so much for a chance to read and review this book! I can't wait to share it with others.

I received an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review

This book starts out a bit slow but quickly draws you in. Yasmin grows on you and you find yourself really feeling what she feels through the ups and downs. A timely meditation on tradition, love and family; not too sweet, not too sour.

This is a really great book all about the most important relationships in our lives. I like that the message is so universal and that the characters in the book are so very human and lifelike.

I hate putting a book on the "DNF" list but I've realized life is too short and my "to be read" list too long to waste time on books I don't enjoy.
I knew as soon as I started reading that this would be one of those books with long drawn out writing, using big words, but not really helping the story. Still, I pushed myself to give it a chance. The more I read, the more it proved me right. I felt like nothing was really happening, the characters were bland, and I ended up skimming the rest of the book. I found that everything is pretty much summed up in the last few chapters and the rest of the book just dragged itself there. That said, I think the revelations that are made towards the end are probably some of the best parts of the book and I wish the first 3/4's of the book had been as interesting to read.
Thank you to Netgalley and Scribner Publicity for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A total charmer! I enjoyed this very timely tale. Loved the descriptions of the immigrant family.

Beautifully written with descriptions that brought me into the scenes. Such a cast of “characters”. Ali has created a terrific novel about this memorable family.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

LOVE MARRIAGE
BY MONICA ALI

I have been dying to get to the BRILLIANT and TALENTED Monica Ali's BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN new book called,"LOVE MARRIAGE." I had read and loved her first book ever written called, "BRICK LANE," when it was published and I thought it was shortlisted for the Booker Prize approximately 19 years ago. I still have that hardcover First Edition, First Printing in the English Edition in one of my favorite bookshelves. It did however win many American Awards and I believe that "LOVE MARRIAGE," is just as STUNNING and I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! Monica Ali truly understands the dynamics of humanity and her newest book sparkles and pops with her innate knowledge of it. She plumbs the depths of what it is to love and the many different ways we love. Whether it be husband and wife, an engagement of two people who plan to marry, the way a mother and father love their children, sibling love, how we perceive how our parent's love us and the miraculous love of a baby and its powerful ability to heal and bring families together that have been estranged.

Monica Ali also has a deep understanding of the caste system in India and how hard it is to assimilate and what it feels like to be any body whose skin isn't White. How difficult it is to be born poor but how hard the born under privileged are willing to work to make a better life for themselves and their families. How sometimes in striving to give our children the love that we didn't get we are likely to hurt our children by loving them too much. How we all have the best intentions for our children but end up passing down inter generational pain and dysfunction that we are often blind to ourselves.

This is an epic multifaceted tale that explores the many kinds of love there is that exists and it centers on two different families that live in London. It took me a little bit to become immersed in this story, but once that I did I couldn't put the book down and read most of it in one sitting. I had an immediate love for the warm style of writing and could relate to the engaging storytelling. It is hard for me to express how much I loved this and the engaging way that when beginning this it felt like my kind of book. Monica Ali does an excellent job at her characterization and plot.

When I finished this I was sad that it ended but I felt uplifted and inspired by reading this. I felt that this book came along at just the right time for me and it was one that I was saving to read after finishing a beautiful but heartbreaking book that I read just before this one. I needed something family oriented that would be deep and that would resonate with me and this one not only delivered in rewarding me with an outstanding storytelling, but it left me with an ending that gave me hope for both families involved. Frankly, I went into this blind and hadn't read any reviews and had forgotten the synopsis because I wanted to save it. It surely paid off to not remember what it was about because I have found that the less I know the more I enjoy the surprise thus my reading experience is more enhanced. I knew that if Monica Ali was the Author that it would be terrific and it was! I can't praise this book high enough and it by far exceeded my high expectations. This is Literary Fiction at its best and I am so grateful to have read this. It is very realistic and if you love contemporary fiction based on many universal truths you will love this one as much as I did. I highly, highly recommend this and will be spreading the word about this to all of my family and friends who love outstanding writing and fantastic storytelling that in UNIQUE and UNFORGETTABLE!

Publication Date: May 3, 2022

A Huge debt of gratitude and a Thank you to Net Galley, Monica Ali and Scribner for generously providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#LoveMarriage #MonicaAli #Scribner #NetGalley