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The Marriage Bureau For Rich People (2009)

by Farahad Zama(Favorite Author)

3.61 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0399155589 (ISBN13: 9780399155581)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Putnam Adult

series

The Marriage Bureau for Rich People

review 1: Mr. Ali retires from working for the city and in a fit of frustration and annoyance, Mrs. Ali insists on him finding something to do already! She's flustered that he's all up in her space all the time suddenly and just wants him out from underfoot. So he gets the idea to start up a matchmaking service on his covered front porch! But it's not just a matchmaking service for dates, these are straight-to-marriage matches, so he's gotta be on it with comparing people's personal info.This is not just a fluffy novel about matchmaking though. It's got other topics that bring a lot of heart and bittersweet realities to the table that I think nearly any reader will be able to relate to, at least on some level. For example:** Mr Ali has a strained relationship with his son, Rehman, b... moreecause Mr Ali desperately wants Rehman to have financial stability in his work, while Rehman feels there is more importance in doing noble work that really means something to the world, even if it means a high level of danger to his life. I was torn with this part of the story, because I could see both of their sides, have been in both ways of thinking myself at different times in my life.** Leela, the Ali's maid, has her own home struggles that, once they bleed into her work, seem to bring even more light to the tension between the Alis and their son. One of Leela's grandsons, barely out of his toddler years, is battling a deadly brain tumor. Surgery is required to save his life but the kind of medical bills that will surely come from performing the surgery (not to mention recovery needs) will pretty much bankrupt the family. But they still brainstorm on how to get him the surgery he needs. The desperation to find an answer is heartbreaking, but who wouldn't go to those lengths for an ailing family member?** There's also the side story of Aruna, Mr. Ali's assistant at the Marriage Bureau. Ali and her sister were born to later-in-life parents -- Aruna's mother had her at 35, 5 years later had Aruna's sister. Now grown young women, Aruna and her sister now find themselves discussing caretaker roles & options for their parents much earlier in life than one normally has to find answers for those questions (something I'm dealing with in my own life right now, so I especially identified with this part of the story). Aruna's father, now a few years retired, just got news that his pension -- the main income for the family and just enough for all of them to get by on -- is getting cut in half, thanks to a government oversight -- a "yeah, hey, sorry but we just realized we've accidentally been overpaying you all these years so we're gonna take some of that back now" notice. Naturally, this devastates the family and Aruna has to leave college to take up a job to make up the loss. Though she somewhat pities Aruna for having to do this, Aruna's mother has such pride in her daughter being able to make her own income. This part of the story reminded me a lot of what so many families are going through here in the States with surprise lay-offs and families scrambling to find their footing again. So there's a good bit here that so many can relate to. If you read this book and are curious how the story might have continued, I discovered just yesterday that Farahad Zama did in fact continue with these characters:Mrs. Ali's Road To HappinessThe Many Conditions of Love (a story focusing on Rehman)The Wedding Wallah (a story of the Alis and Pari, a widowed mother they take into their home)
review 2: This is an entertaining, light read. Good enough for airplanes or bedtime, but it's not quite polished. Like No. 1 Ladies Detective Bureau, the plot and characters give the reader insight into a different culture - in this case India. Those parts are interesting, but the means of explanation are somewhat stilted. And then, at the end, the author tacks on an appendix with what are clearly remnants a previous concept for the novel. Awkward and leaves a weird taste in your mouth. less

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