Laila, orphaned daughter of a distinguished Muslim family, is brought up by her orthodox aunts who keep purdah. At 15, she moves to the home of a "liberal" uncle in Lucknow. Here, during the 1930s, as the struggle for independence sharpens, Laila is surrounded by relatives and university friends caught up in politics. But Laila is unable to commit herself to any cause: her own fight for independence is a struggle with traditional life as she falls in love with a man not chosen by her family. With its beautiful evocation of India, its political insight and unsentimental understanding of the human heart, this is a classic of Muslim life.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A charming story of India's past...,
By A Customer
This review is from: Sunlight on a Broken Column (Virago Modern Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)
One of the best narratives, I have read, of an Indian woman's struggle for independence.Based in the 1930s, it is the story of Laila, an orphaned daughter of a distinguished Muslim family & her struggle for her independence. The first part of her childhood is spent living with her deeply conservative paternal aunts who keep purdah & traditional grandfather. But with the death of her grandfather, her guardianship is transferred to her paternal uncle who is "liberal" but autocratic. Laila's struggles to come to terms with the two world she has been bought up, is set against the background of India's political struggle for independence. India was a nation at the brink of independence, but in the conflict between its traditional past and independent future, the present seemed hazy. India's struggles echoed Laila's confusion. She lived in her uncle's house, where westernized views were preached, but not followed, leaving her resentful. Yet she was outwardly acquiescent, despite feeling that her obedience was crushing her personality and destroying her individuality. Finally she escaped the chains of tradition, by marrying Ameer, a man her family disapproved. But her struggles were still not over. The book is remarkable in the way Attai Hosain presents the traditional world and the political scenario of the 1930s. The traditions, the clothes, the food, and the stories of the various servants, cousins and friends, evoke the traditional world with a sense of nostalgia. Laila's conflicts are so universal, yet there is a feeling of curiosity at the struggles faced by the women of the 1930's. When I read the book, I was absolutely taken in with the India of the 1930s in her transitional phase with Laila caught in the middle of it. It is definitely worth a reading.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Aristocratic Muslim girl comes of age during the Raj..superb,
By A Customer
This review is from: Sunlight on a Broken Column (Paperback)
This is a semi-autobiographical story set in the last days of British rule in India and centres around the life of a young aristocratic Muslim girl just entering into womanhood. The author portrays the lifestyle of the rich Nawabs of India at that time in a delicious manner, which raised in me a wish that I had been born at that time! However, the story is in no way an idealistic approach rather it is very realistic indeed and the hopes, fears and doubts of this former ruling class are eloquently described as the British rule nears its end and Independence beckons. Who will go to Pakistan and who will remain in India? The changing fortunes of this powerful Nawab family makes absorbing, and for me, wistful and poignant, reading. The beauty is that all these events are related from the viewpoint of the leading character, interspersed with her burgeoning love-life as well and her confrontation with the traditional lifestyle of girls in her position.A female friend of mine recommended this to me and now I heartily recommend it to you all! Very good indeed!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Aristocratic Muslim girl comes of age during the Raj..superb,
This review is from: Sunlight on a Broken Column (Paperback)
This is a semi-autobiographical story set in the last days of British rule in India and centres around the life of a young aristocratic Muslim girl just entering into womanhood. The author portrays the lifestyle of the rich Nawabs of India at that time in a delicious manner, which raised in me a wish that I had been born at that time! However, the story is in no way an idealistic approach rather it is very realistic indeed and the hopes, fears and doubts of this former ruling class are eloquently described as the British rule nears its end and Independence beckons. Who will go to Pakistan and who will remain in India? The changing fortunes of this powerful Nawab family makes absorbing, and for me, wistful and poignant, reading. The beauty is that all these events are related from the viewpoint of the leading character, interspersed with her burgeoning love-life as well and her confrontation with the traditional lifestyle of girls in her position.A female friend of mine recommended this to me and now I heartily recommend it to you all! Very good indeed!
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