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There are currently 13 member reviews
for A Golden Age
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Jane (Prospect KY)
A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam
I started reading this book early this morning -- I thought I'd start it with my coffee -- maybe read a couple of chapters. It is now 4 p.m. and I just completed the book. I could not put it down!
Not only is this an illuminating treatise on the Bangladesh war, moreover it is a deeply satisfying tale of a mother's love for her children and the depths to which she will circumvent her instincts just to keep them safe. I couldn't help but wonder as I read this -- how many other acts of heroism in war are based on this selflessness of a parent for their child and not really based on what looks to be ardent patriotism?
The author's simple but keenly expressive writing provided the perfect background for this haunting tale of war. Other than the fact that the book ended far too soon for me, I could not find anything to criticize in this beautiful book.
From the review on the back of the book, it looks like this is the first of a trilogy of books from this writer. I am anxiously awaiting the next two.
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Mercedes (Cross River NY)
A Golden Age by Tahimima Anam
A Golden Age is an eye opening account of a time and place in history that I knew nothing about - Bangladesh's war of independence from Pakistan in the 1970's, Ms Anam has vividly captured the flavor and atmosphere of the general public at the time through the eyes of the main character and her family. This book conveys the deep divides that existed culturally and historically at that time as well as the triumph of the human spirit and gives an understanding and appreciation for the country of Bangladesh.
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Lori (La Porte IN)
A Tale of a Mother's Love
It took me a while to get into this book, but once I did I became immersed in it. This beautiful story of a mother and her children really resonated with me. The lengths that Rehana will go to in order to protect her children, and how far she will venture from her comfort zone in order to do so, is a testament to the love that parents have for their children. This love is mirrored in her children's and eventually her love for the newly formed Bangladesh. A beautiful, sad tale of love and war and the lengths to which people will go for what is foremost in their hearts.
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Vicky (Salinas CA)
A Golden Age
While reading A Golden Age I kept making mental comparisons to what I read in the newspapers about the current war in Iraq - religious intolerance, cultural misunderstanding and families damaged by violence. I was very unfamiliar with any history of Bangladesh so I enjoyed learning about this part of the world as well as the story about Rehana, her family and her neighbors at this time in history. After finishing the book I went on line to learn more about Bangladesh and Pakistan.
I would recommend this book for book clubs since there are a number of issues and challenges the different characters face that book club members may not all agree with, creating great topics for discussion.
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Dayna (Brandon FL)
wonderful
I simply could not put this book down. The lyrical and beautiful writing make you feel sympathetic towards the characters. It's about a mother's love during the 1971 Bangladesh war.
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Jack (Somerdale NJ)
A Golden Age
Interesting book worth a read at a time when people should attempt to understand other peoples cultures. About Bangladesh's separation from Pakistan, of a widow's maternal instincts to her children and a brutal war in which they are all involved. Although fiction, it raises many questions of everyday living. It is written in the English of a bygone empire and gives a good chance for the reader to learn what unusual phrasing mean.
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