Reviews

The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid

offworldcolony's review against another edition

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5.0

Hilarious whilst also slowly unpicking bias and anti-bias. It just builds and builds and the style in which it is written is extremely satisfying.

mcmoon's review against another edition

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4.0

The set up and style of this novella--a Pakistani telling his story to an American he happens upon in a Lahore cafe--is quite clever. Set around the aftermath of 9/11, the book deals with being a Pakistani immigrant in America pursuing the American Dream and then becoming disillusioned by it. For a short novel, the book's depth and breadth are astonishing. There are layers of complexity here that will take me a second read to sift through. Most movingly, the book captures the psychological pain of bearing disappointments in life, from the personal to political. I loved the book's tone and narration (as well as the ironic title). However, I need more time to process the book's finer points.

beetroot17's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

roosuyttendaele's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

rjscarfe83's review against another edition

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challenging emotional fast-paced

3.5

oxnard_montalvo's review against another edition

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fine I suppose?
Not particularly compelling, and yet, yeah? Kinda compelling? Sort of fizzled. I'll probably find it memorable only because it's so short and easy to recall what happens, but in terms of story, it doesn't really go anywhere.
Perhaps it was more 'groundbreaking' when it was first published, because I fail to see how exactly this character is a fundamentalist, nor do I get a sense of his reluctance. The whole book is a bit of a shrug.

5secondsofleah's review against another edition

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4.0

I read this for my IB Lang and Lit class, and although I may not be a fan of the characters or the format, I like the storytelling. It took a while for me to actually become interested in, but it was an easy read.

One thing that really bothered me, GOD, was Changez's relationship with Erica. THAT BOTHERED ME SO MUCH!! She's not that into you, get over it.

alexandra_kat's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense fast-paced

4.25

shelbymarie516's review against another edition

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3.0

2.5 stars

spookyaz's review against another edition

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reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0


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