Customer Reviews

Not All Marriages are Made in Heaven

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"The Wedding Wallah" was a lovely book that builds on the previous two installments in the series. Mr Zama has a talent for writing simply and clearly about India and its people and customs and the pressing social issues of the day. Over the course of the series, I have fallen in love with the Ali family, Aruna and her family and Pari and her adopted son Vasu. In this book, we are introduced to Dilawar, an old friend of Rehman, and a potential bridegroom for Pari. Dilawar is in love with a young man though and afraid to expose himself to condemnation from the society that he lives in. He is a wonderful addition to the storyline and I hope he will be a regular in the series. Along with the tales of Indian matchmaking, Mr. Zama returns to the country to examine the struggle between the poor farmers and big agricultural interests and then introduces us to a group of guerrillas that believe in kidnapping and causing mayhem in order to bring attention to their cause. It is here that I found that the transition from the business of love to the business of guerrilla warfare a bit jarring. The series until now was also quite innocent and left quite a bit to the imagination, however with the addition of the guerrillas, Aruna is placed into two different situations which (if this were a movie) would change the rating from "G" to "PG" or maybe "R". In some ways, "The Wedding Wallah" is like two different books. One of the books moves along slowly and sweetly and the other is just a bit too hectic. I did enjoy the resolution though and felt that the book went back on track once the guerilla story was resolved. In conclusion, it's a great book, just a little convoluted in parts. I'm hoping for another book in the series very soon and *I wish that Mrs. Ali would continue her writing exercises--they are delightful and informative.*