Love Marriage

A Novel

By: Monica Ali

Narrated by: Ayesha Dharker

Length: 15 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

Named a Best Book of 2022 So Far by The New Yorker!

“Cultural clashes, political satire, Oedipal conflicts, elegant prose—they’re all here in this romp of a book.”—Oprah Daily

A Phenomenal Book Club Pick and a New York Times Book Review Group Text Selection, Love Marriage is a glorious moving novel from Booker Prize shortlisted Monica Ali, who has “an inborn generosity that cannot be learned” (The New York Times Book Review).

In present-day London, Yasmin Ghorami is twenty-six, in training to be a doctor (like her Indian-born father), and engaged to the charismatic, upper-class Joe Sangster, whose formidable mother, Harriet, is a famous feminist. The gulf between families is vast. So, too, is the gulf in sexual experience between Yasmin and Joe.

As the wedding day draws near, misunderstandings, infidelities, and long-held secrets upend both Yasmin’s relationship and that of her parents, a “love marriage,” according to the family lore that Yasmin has believed all her life.

A gloriously acute observer of class, sexual mores, and the mysteries of the human heart, Monica Ali has written a “riveting” (BookPage, starred review) social comedy and a moving, revelatory story of two cultures, two families, and two people trying to understand one another that’s “sure to please Ali’s fans and win some new ones” (Publishers Weekly).

©2022 Monica Ali. All rights reserved. (P)2022 Hachette Audio UK. All rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Ayesha Dharker, a Bombay-born British actor, performs this darkly comic audiobook smartly and sensitively. She gives every character their due. Her intonations, whether for Brits or Indian immigrants, are subtle and unique. Her portrayal of the conflicted heroine, Dr. Yasmin Ghorami, is apt, capturing all her angst. Perhaps her most eloquent renditions are of Yasmin's Bengali immigrant parents, whose story provides the novel's title." (AudioFile)

Delightful

A well written story about family, about what's real & not real, coping, acceptance & growing up. There's a love story included too!

Wonderful narrator!

Great characters and narrator made them
Come alive in a very distinctive way. Very entertaining writing. Lots of “sex talk” - in a good way. Enjoyed the book very much!

Great story, poor ending

The story was captivating and well-written for the most part, except for the ending, which dragged too long without explaining much. The multitude of current topics was appealing, but each of them deserved a little more elaboration. Flame, for example, remains a total mystery, unexplored. Finally, small but significant detail: “Sandor” is pronounced “Shandor” in Hungarian, as in Sándor Petőfi - “Shandor Petefi,” the poet and revolutionary.

Almost a 5 star

I loved most of the book, and it had a good ending… but for me it wasn’t great.

Good story ruined by narrator

The narration was awful. The same voice and enunciation was used for all characters making it impossible to even tell male from female. Recommend the book over the audiobook

I loved everything about this book!

I have waited for another book from Monica Ali ever since I read Brick Lane. She is a wonderful story teller and weaves many interesting sub plots into Love Marriage. The story is rich with insights into human nature and shows us that things are never as you see them.
I like to listen to books on Audible because I find that the voices add so much to the characters. The reader for this book was outstanding!

Sketchy

I enjoyed the book thoroughly until there were 9 hours left. At that point, one of the main characters acted totally different from the way they were presented since the start of the book. It made me check out.

Good thoughts & vision, but written for popularism

The plot is realistic, the cultures are properly shown, but I felt deep mistrust the author opening her heart.
Many times it felt to me that certain aspects of the novel were written to reflect the anticipated audience's desires rather than the original vision, that made the plot predictable and me sad of unrealized potential of a very talented author.

Great Read

This was a surprise, a very good book. I recommend this well written book about the fantasy of a perfect love. The author reviled true love and acceptance where you weren’t expecting it. It was a surprise because I was expecting a fluffy book about marriage.

Really wonderful

I enjoyed listening to this book so much I did not want it to end. Although the ending is implied, I would have loved if it had been laid out. A very good one.