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rebeccazh's review
Read for school. This novel gives a sense of fragmentation. The spelling, the slang, the multicultural influences... But that plot twist at the end is what shocked me. It made me think about race and identity. What does it really mean to belong to an ethnic group? The narrator/narrative is really funny though, some of the phrases had me cracking up. He's so sardonic/sarcastic. And there's this self-aware irony that I really enjoyed. But the novel was so long. Not a lot happens -- most of the action occurs in the last 50 pages. Could have done by cutting out a lot more. Tbh this novel really reminded me of a very entertaining B-grade/trashy teen novel.
mariavdl's review
4.0
Amazing book, never boring, awesome plot twist. Also wrote about this book for my Bachelor’s thesis and got an A-
Lots to say about it
Lots to say about it
mitikko's review
3.0
Oh my. Testosterone overload, but that's exactly what the author wanted us to witness, innit?
I found this book quite effective on the topic of pretense, because this is not -as I first thought- about the violence and rage of an economically marginalized youth. This is not La Haine. These are middle-class kids emulating a macho attitude that seems to be de rigueur these days, and not just in the UK.
Toughness and desiness are cool, at least on the street, which is why I think the final twist does not detract from the rest of the story but, on the other hand, adds a new layer to it. I even found the language and style pretty fitting, you get used to it after the first couple of pages.
The author was a bit more heavy handed with his exposé of bling-bling economics, but again I found it a very relevant topic to write about. The Bondesque turn the story took is what I didn't really care for. I found it a bit too far-fetched, which is why my rating isn't higher.
I picked this book because I enjoy reading and learning about what I call the "immigrant experience", and Londonstani didn't disappoint.
I found this book quite effective on the topic of pretense, because this is not -as I first thought- about the violence and rage of an economically marginalized youth. This is not La Haine. These are middle-class kids emulating a macho attitude that seems to be de rigueur these days, and not just in the UK.
Toughness and desiness are cool, at least on the street, which is why I think the final twist does not detract from the rest of the story but, on the other hand, adds a new layer to it. I even found the language and style pretty fitting, you get used to it after the first couple of pages.
The author was a bit more heavy handed with his exposé of bling-bling economics, but again I found it a very relevant topic to write about. The Bondesque turn the story took is what I didn't really care for. I found it a bit too far-fetched, which is why my rating isn't higher.
I picked this book because I enjoy reading and learning about what I call the "immigrant experience", and Londonstani didn't disappoint.
minnierahman's review
5.0
Brilliant! Hilarious, provocative and an interesting commentary on integration. The characters are extremely real - feel like everyone will know someone like one of the characters!
If not a Hindi/Punjabi/Urdu speaker you might have to google some of the slang that's thrown in but the author does explain the meaning of some of the words at various points throughout the book.
One of the best twists in any book I've ever read. Totally loved it.
If not a Hindi/Punjabi/Urdu speaker you might have to google some of the slang that's thrown in but the author does explain the meaning of some of the words at various points throughout the book.
One of the best twists in any book I've ever read. Totally loved it.
melanie_reads's review
4.0
**Spoiler alert: talk about a surprise ending! Interesting take on contemporary racial identity in London.
remembered_reads's review
2.0
Interesting for the first half, but not particularly good beyond that. The style of the writing and the everyday bits are fabulous, but the plot (once it gets going) is such a massive disappointment that it’s hard to even decide if it’s a book worth recommending.
rekhainbc's review
3.0
It's an interesting look at thuggish second and third generation South Asian teens in the suburbs of London. The author's going for a Clockwork Orange feel, the boys speak a mix of English, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu, you'll need that glossary at the back of the book.
The author's laughing at them all along, and he sets up a cultural scene in which the boys rebel against the multiculturalism and "tolerance" of their parents by being atavistically fundamentalist and protective of old community dividing lines.
Anyway, I enjoyed it.
The author's laughing at them all along, and he sets up a cultural scene in which the boys rebel against the multiculturalism and "tolerance" of their parents by being atavistically fundamentalist and protective of old community dividing lines.
Anyway, I enjoyed it.
caterinagberti's review
2.0
I kept reading about the terrible horrible, no good, very bad plot twist, but nothing could have prepared me for it.
It's one of those literary moves that could make or break a novel and I'm not completely sure whether it breaks it or it makes it.
It shatters every single thing you have come to believe about the main character, Jas, turning a quite superficial novel about adolescence and stupidity into a very uncomfortable piece about identity, perception and, I suppose, mental illness.
So, why the two stars?
The plot twist's timing and execution.
Although I don't know how Malkani could have done it any differently, I think it's the gem and the fatal flaw of this book. Its purpose is, if possible, too of open for debate.
At the end of Londonstani I'm not shocked by the intrinsic existential void it depicts, I don't feel any urge to gain a better understanding of our consumerist society and I'm left unable to empathize with an unlikable main character that is all there is to the book.
On the back it says: "'breathless - hilarious and convincing' The New York Times".
I say: long-winded, occasionally brilliant, sometimes deeply disappointing, ratty, coward. A con of a book that I'm unwilling to praise but certainly can't ignore.
It's one of those literary moves that could make or break a novel and I'm not completely sure whether it breaks it or it makes it.
It shatters every single thing you have come to believe about the main character, Jas, turning a quite superficial novel about adolescence and stupidity into a very uncomfortable piece about identity, perception and, I suppose, mental illness.
So, why the two stars?
The plot twist's timing and execution.
Although I don't know how Malkani could have done it any differently, I think it's the gem and the fatal flaw of this book. Its purpose is, if possible, too of open for debate.
At the end of Londonstani I'm not shocked by the intrinsic existential void it depicts, I don't feel any urge to gain a better understanding of our consumerist society and I'm left unable to empathize with an unlikable main character that is all there is to the book.
On the back it says: "'breathless - hilarious and convincing' The New York Times".
I say: long-winded, occasionally brilliant, sometimes deeply disappointing, ratty, coward. A con of a book that I'm unwilling to praise but certainly can't ignore.
beccabecsbec's review
3.0
All of the reviews are pretty much spot on: the dialect and characters are difficult but extremely authentic, the last fifth of the book essentially switches genres to become a thriller (I would describe most of it as a contemporary character study or coming-of-age novel), and the major twist at the end is... puzzling. I like the focus on youth culture, but I've read better novels that focus on London's SE Asian immigrant community.
catherinefisher55's review
3.0
I enjoyed this, it was well written, imaginative, and very funny in parts, but the plot twist at the very end annoyed me.
The premise of the plot twist was interesting, but I felt the presentation was poorly executed by the author.
The premise of the plot twist was interesting, but I felt the presentation was poorly executed by the author.