Product Description

"On a winter morning in London's East End, the locals are confronted with the sight of a white horse skidding through the sooty snow, carrying what looks like a Christmas tree on its back. It turns out to be a man covered in tinsel, with a cartoon-size turban on his head. Entrepreneur Deepak is on his way to get married. As he trudges along, he consoles himself with the thought of marrying Chila, a nice Punjabi girl (a choice which has delighted his surprised parents) does not mean he needs to become his father, grow nostril hair or wear pastel coloured leisure wear.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #170374 in Books
• Published on: 2000-05-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 333 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Tania, Sunita and Chila have been close and somewhat unlikely friends since their schooldays. Sunita, a former law student and activist, married her university sweetheart Akash, and is settled, unsatisfied, into a life of overweight, underappreciated motherhood. Tania, top girl fighter at school, is a raven-maned beauty, who has rejected marriage and anything traditionally Asian, for a high-flying TV career and a compliant Indophile boyfriend called Martin. And then there's Chila. Innocent, kind, funny qualification-less Chila, with her glass animal collection, considered backward by her family, has just, to everyone's amazement, snared Deepak--the richest, most eligible bachelor within a 50-mile radius.

Writer, comedienne and actress Meera Syal, author of the prize-winningAnita and Me navigates her characters through the emotional rollercoaster of the coming-of-middle-youth--the time when the real growing up is done--with her trademark wit and sensitivity. From the bitching at the celebration--"Now the sister is howling. I'd howl if I had a moustache like hers ..." to the heavy embroidery and tears of a traditional Indian wedding, via the "artistic" wedding photos and "'about seventeen hours of video," Chila sighed, "all with Hindi love songs on them and those fancy Top of the Pops effects.'", through infidelity, TV documentaries and betrayal, Syal regales the reader with the strengths and limits of female friendship.

By the way, if you're pregnant and have set your heart on natural childbirth, avoid pages 72-3. Or else book that elective caesarean and cocktail of drugs. Now. --Lisa Gee

From the Back Cover
'A magical mosaic of friendship, betrayal and cross-cultural incongruities. By turns spicy, hilarious and sad, it unfolds the ties that bind young women to their East End Punjabi roots even as they head west for trendy careers, café bars and sexual freedom' She

'Extremely funny, wonderfully insightful . . . a big, ambitious book with serious points to be made about the choices women face today . . . Syal mixes her message with hilarious set pieces' Sunday Express

'The story surges along on a rip-tide of wisecracks and wisdom... Excellent' Sunday Telegraph

'A superbly crafted, page-turning comedy which isn't afraid to tackle the big subjects . . . heartfelt, heartwarming and very, very good' Mirror

'An engrossing and provocative book, both funny and sad' Big Issue

About the Author
Meera Syal
Meera Syal is an actress and writer. She has written a number of successful TV and film scripts including Bhaji on the Beach and the multi-award-winning My Sister Wife, in which she also starred. She co-writes and stars in BBC2's hit comedy series Goodness Gracious Me, and was awarded the MBE in 1998. Her first novel, Anita and Me, won a Betty Trask Award and was shortlisted for the Guardian Fiction Prize. Life Isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee, her second novel, was acclaimed by critics ('Funny and sharp' Independent; 'Extremely funny, wonderfully insightful' Sunday Express).

Customer Reviews

Very funny ha ha
I enjoyed this novel. I liked the fact that it's characters were my age (30 something) and seemed to face similar problems to my contemporaries (even though I may not be Asian). I found it hard to always believe that these women could necessarily be friends but the character observation and humour carried the novel through. This book has its very serious tragic side too but this adds to its power and success as a superb read.

Where not really like that, are we??
I found this book illustrated the comical side of life as an asian girl in todays society. It was a good enjoyable read, i thoroughly enjoyed it, being an asian girly myself i really felt i could relate to the novel at times (though i must stress not at ALL times!).

The friendship bond between the three characters i felt was portrayed well. Though i felt there was lack of emotion and loyalty between the three at times. When things where going wrong for one or the other they tended to opt for the easy route and avoided each other rather then helping each other through, as i am sure most friends would. Arguably this is what happens in the end, without giving too much of the plot away, however it was too little too late in my book!

Still worth the read, i would recommend it to all the asian girls out there, and hey if your not asian, still read it, it's a laugh!

Fabulous!!!
I took this book on holiday and could not put it down!- A fabulous read that made me laugh, cry, swoon and swear within the delicately written pages. Meera has out done herself with this outstanding insight into the lives of three very different friends and the bond of time that holds them together. Well worth the read.