The Marriage Bureau for Rich People

By: Farahad Zama

Narrated by: Tania Rodrigues

Length: 10 hrs

Publisher's summary

Farahad Zama's debut novel transports listeners to faraway India for a story brimming with endearing characters, homespun wisdom, and blossoming love.

After Mr. Ali retires, he launches a matchmaking service that helps an array of clients arrange marriages. But he's unaware of his able assistant's dire need for his marriage bureau.

©2008 Farahad Zama (P)2009 Recorded Books, LLC

This book should be heard, not read.

I listen to Audible’s books when I am doing some other task and can’t actually read the book. Often this experience is less enjoyable than reading the book would be, but it provides entertainment while completing some brain-dead task. This book, on the other hand, is one that is almost certainly better to listen to rather than to read.

About halfway through this book I realized that it would probably be a mediocre read, but the narration by Tania Rodrigues makes this story come alive. She is an amazing voice actor. Her narration voice is with a British accent, yet she does (to my ears) perfectly Indian-accented English when speaking as a character in the novel. There are even some phrases in other languages (Hindi?, Sanscrit?) that she reads with aplomb. I have no idea whether they are pronounced correctly or not, but at least she doesn’t stumble over the words as I would.

The book amounts to a series of vignettes plus a handful of main characters whose stories provide continuity from the beginning to the end. Even the short sub-stories are uplifting and fun.

The book provides an education into the mores and culture of India, focusing mostly on the Muslim and Hindu sub-cultures, but the country apparently contains enough Christians that they get an occasional mention. It was interesting to learn that if a man and woman marry for love their families are scandalized. Every respectable couple would never consider a match that wasn’t arranged by their families.

All in all, this is a very good book that is made into a great one by the excellent performance of Tania Rodrigues.

The worst part of this book are the facts that:
1. It’s a series, and Audible doesn’t have any of the other books.
2. The next book in the series, “The Many Conditions of Love”, is NOT read by Tania Rodrigues.

Entered a new world

I enjoyed learning about India and its customs through the excellent narration of Tania Rodrigues. She does a wonderful job of bringing life to the people who color this tale. As much as I enjoyed the book, the writing was at times, without point, IMO. Some of the details, rather than adding to the flavor of the story, were superfluous. That said, I recommend this book and may check out more, if it is a series.

A pleasant escape

I really enjoyed the book. I picked it off the $4.95 sale list because I was desperate for something different to read. In someways it is like the Alexander McCall Smith No.1 Ladies Detective Agency series --in that it features an exotic local with characters whose mind-set is a lot, lot different from my own East Coast suburban milieu. I was hooked. I just could not put it down. It was really a simple story--nothing deep; nothing complicated; nothing depressing; nothing upsetting--just a pleasant way to escape from the every day.

Like No.1 Ladies Detective Agency, the narrator brought this book to life. If I had been reading to myself, all the characters would have had a Boston accent. But Tania Rodrigues read with an Indian accent which helped to paint the setting of the book.

This book is not going to win any awards. It is not great literature and it isn't pretending to be anything it's not. It is just a very pleasant way to spend the time listening to an enjoyable, heartwarming story about ordinary people living ordinary lives.

Enjoyable!

Where does The Marriage Bureau for Rich People rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The plot is predictable, but the insights and characters in this gentle story made it an enjoyable listen.

What did you like best about this story?

It provided a glimpse into the multiple cultures coexisting in India and had reasonably well drawn characters.

Opened my eyes...

... to another culture's marriage and family traditions but also demonstrated that sacrifice and compromise are what make marriage and families successful. The first half moved slowly but the plot (plots!) picked up and then raced to the end. I especially liked the contrasting parent-child relationships. A fun and eye-opening read!

Beautifully Read

Lovely, sweet story. Beautifully read. You can see the plants in the garden and the brightly colored saris. A very yogi book.

Loved It!

If you could sum up The Marriage Bureau for Rich People in three words, what would they be?

Entertaining, thought-provoking & educational

What did you like best about this story?

I loved that it was a simple story with complex characters. I read "The Namesake", so I was not totally unfamiliar with Indian culture, yet I still learned so much. The character's were very likeable.

Which character – as performed by Tania Rodrigues – was your favorite?

Tania Rodrigues made this book come to life. She is the absolute best reader I have listened to since joining Audible.

If you could rename The Marriage Bureau for Rich People, what would you call it?

I would not rename this book. At first I thought the name was long and actually a bit strange. But after hearing this book, I completely understand. The title has as much to do with Indian culture as the story itself.

Any additional comments?

I have learned that there are 3 companion sequels to this book. I have ordered the paperbacks, but wish that Ms. Rodrigues would be commissioned to record them.

A nice slice of Indian life with a little romance

I enjoyed this book. It was a little slow at first but gets more interesting as characters fill out. I don't know much about everyday Indian life but this story comes across as authentic. The romance is enjoyable but maybe not so believable. Primarily I enjoyed the descriptions of Indian life and relationships.

Perfect for a Road Trip

What made the experience of listening to The Marriage Bureau for Rich People the most enjoyable?

Taina Rodrigues (the reader) was spot on for the voices and personalities in the story.

What other book might you compare The Marriage Bureau for Rich People to and why?

Emma, by Jane Austin. Okay, not the obvious comparison, but Mr. and Mrs. Ali are playing matchmaker with various levels of success in their business and personal lives. There are funny, quirky and heartbreaking scenes, so that we found ourselves rooting for the group of protagonists, even when they made silly choices.

What about Tania Rodrigues’s performance did you like?

While her tempo was slow, she made the characters distinct but not over-the-top. her phrasing for the dialogue was also very good and brought out the individual personalities.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

We listened to it while in the car on a road trip, so we pretty much heard it all at once.

I liked it very much!

What made the experience of listening to The Marriage Bureau for Rich People the most enjoyable?

This is a pleasant story about very pleasant people. What I liked best was the way the different customs were explained so that you knew what was going on along with the descriptions of what was happening. I really enjoyed it and went right away to see if there were more books by this author. If you like darkness overcome, violence and strife, evil villains, you will not find them here. If you like enjoyable good times and different customs, you will enjoy this book.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Marriage Bureau for Rich People?

I cannot decide if I liked the Moslem of the Hindu wedding best.