Life Isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee

click here for more details, find new or used items

Meera Syal

Our price £5.49 (£6.99)

New from £0.01

Used from £0.01

Pages: 333 (Paperback)

ISBN: 0552999520

Pub: Black Swan

Pub date: 2000-05-04

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 178689

Editorial 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

Reader Reviews:

Interesting thoughts in beautiful language (1/1 people found this helpful)

A south-asian/african/european friend recommended this book to me, a european living in africa soon to be married to a south asian. I also loved the book. There are various themes thread through the story, which makes it interesting for a multicultural woman in a multicultural society to read as well as for anyone interested in a multicultural, multisexual society. Three 'girls' going through life, each dealing differently with relationships, family background, societal pressures and culture. I recognised many aspects both as a woman and as someone with a european background in a relationship with a Pakistani. In short: a great read!

Fabulous!!! (3/3 people found this helpful)

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.

OK I suppose (2/4 people found this helpful)

'In her hilarious and poignant novel' the cover blurb begins well, poignant I can see, hilarious is pushing things a long way. The book raised a few smiles in places, but if you are looking for humour, look elsewhere. It is I suppose possible that my sense of humour is just not skewed this way and I can see how if you are either from or close to the British Indian community it may amuse from an 'I can relate to that' standpoint.

As a book it reads well enough. The story revolves around the relationships between and of three thirtysomething ex-schoolfriends as they look for love and happiness. Each of them have taken different routes in their lives, some embracing the culture they were raised in, others completely rejecting it and the book deals with how that upbrining effects their approach to relationships. It's interesting enough and the characters are all likeable in their own way.

I have to say there is not much to be overly critical about this book. I enjoyed it enough but would be hard pushed to call it brilliant, though it's difficult to put my finger on why exactly it did not really connect with me. Worth a read if there is nothing else available, but there is a lot better work out there.

Disappointing (2/3 people found this helpful)

As a fan of Meera Syal's work in TV and film I had high expectations for 'Life isn't all Ha Ha Hee Hee'. Unfortunately it failed to meet these expectations by a long way.

The plot itself is interesting and hooked me, even if it is a bit contrived, and some of the characters have real potential. The problem lies in the style of the narrative. Syal ambitiously tries to create four voices; a third person narrator, and a first person for each of the 3 main female characters. She fails to make these voices distinctive enough from each other and from any other author. Sometimes it felt like chick-lit with a few culture clash issues thrown in, at other times it seemed like a second-rate Zadie Smith (particlarly during the unnecessary, rambling anectdotes about OAPs who have no relevance to the plot)!

Syal clearly has alot to say about British Asian culture and most of her observations not only ring true but are very funny and described with wit and intelligence; hence two stars instead of one. However without an engaging voice the novel falls apart and these observations are the only bright spots in an otherwise diappointing read.

fantastic (7/9 people found this helpful)

Im only nineteen and i absolutely loved this book.

The three female characters are wicked, each different in their own personalities which are so realistically portrayed by Syal.

All i can say is if you are not a typical indian, but you are indian (like me) then make sure you grab you're chance to read this book.

The first time you read it you'll love it and then a few months later you'll struggle to remember what the story line was. When this happens pick it up of the shelf and read it again.

Similar Products

Anita and Me

(Un)arranged Marriage

Brick Lane

Chapatti or Chips?

Rani and Sukh