Customer Reviews

In the City By the Sea

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Compared to the glut of writers from India writing in English and being lauded at present, it is comparatively rarely that we get a writer from Pakistan and especially a female. Therefore, being a Pakistani, I was very interested in reading this book. I found that the writing in the book was very accomplished, with a nice knack for using interesting words. I found the book to have a slightly slow start but once I got into the book I was eager to find out what happens next. The descriptive passages in the book were probably the best and there was also a slightly acerbic humour underlying the whole story too. The political undertones were apparent. Overall it was a good read with some delightful passages but could have been made more readable if the characters had been developed further. Good. Recommended.:-)

I like Kamila Shamsie as an author, and really enjoyed both Kartography and Salt and Saffron. This book simply does not compare with the other two. You get the feeling she's trying too hard to be witty, but it's pointless without a story that's interesting to read.