Member Reviews

This delightful book is a brilliant satirical saga filled with myth, folklore, adventure and history. It is at once the coming-of-age story of Bulbul (the Song Bird) and also of his nation East Pakistan later Bangladesh. This is also a beautiful ode to friendship in its own way. Along the line it highlights so many important soci0-cultural and political issues pertaining to class, caste and religion as also geopolitical ideologies. Bulbul is an orphan raised by his grandparents more so by his formidable grandmother Dadu. Dadu tells him many a grand bedtime stories growing up and this totally transported me to memories of my own childhood days. Bangladesh has been recently liberated from British Rule and has become East Pakistan. The country and its youth have a zealous attraction to dabble in the liberal ideas of both Democracy and Communism, journalism is a thing. The Government of the day is mostly dictatorial, dominated by West Pakistan and corruption is rampant. We also get glimpses into the rich cultural and literary heritage of the country. The English have departed but Englishness prevails in affluent society. I was pleasantly surprised how similar some of the attitudes and culture was to India - of course Bangladesh was India not that long go. Reminiscent of writings like A Suitable Boy, Midnight's Children and The Great Indian Novel, this is one long book written in an unhurried manner and needs to be read and savored as such. I loved it!! Considering the political upheaval currently going on in Bangladesh, this is a timely read. Totally recommend.
Thank you Netgalley, Peepal Tree Press and Manzu Islam for the ARC

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I am a sucker for fiction set in the Indian subcontinent. This book is set during the tumultuous period leading to the country's independence The author has a great writing style and the story takes hold of your interest very quickly. I am glad I came across this one.

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This was a really entertaining story about life for a journalist in war-torn Bangladesh. This book is kind of like a modern adventure story. The writing was good but not overly verbose, so it could appeal to a wide range of readers. I loved the descriptions of the life of a poor boy growing up in Bangladesh and his friendships. Most of the characters were fun to read about. I think that the female characters could have been fleshed out a little more, but I did like that they were often strong and independent. The humor in the descriptions of the way bureaucracy worked in Bangladesh was a lot of fun. I am absolutely looking forward to reading more by this author and I hope to pick up a physical copy when it's out.

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Manzu Islam has a true talent for story telling. This book was well crafted and impactful as a reader. The topics that are touched upon are deep but Islam does it in a way that lets the reader see for themselves how the characters are impacted while also created a well crafted narrative that allowed for the characters to come to life

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