Life Isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee
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Amazon.co.uk 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's 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 qualificationless 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-winning Anita 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 casaerian and cocktail of drugs. Now. --Lisa Gee --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
'A magical mosaic of friendship, betrayal and cross-cultural incongruities. By turns spicy, hilarious and sad, it unfolds the ties that bind young women to their East End Punjabi roots even as they head west for trendy careers, cafe bars and sexual freedom.', She .'Funny and sharp.', Independent .'The story surges along on a rip-tide of wisecracks and wisdom... Excellent.', Sunday Telegraph .'An engrossing and provocative book, both funny and sad.', Big Issue .'Extremely funny, wonderfully insightful . . . a big, ambitious book with serious points to be made about the choices women face today . . . Syal mixes her message with hilarious set pieces.', Sunday Express .'A superbly crafted, page-turning comedy which isn't afraid to tackle the big subjects . . . heartfelt, heartwarming and very, very good.', Mirror
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book was so good I couldn't put it down. Meera syal is fantastic a brilliant comic and author. The book was hilariously funny and depicts reality really well but also makes women feel better about their lives. the authors insight into womens thoughts and feelings is amazing and brilliantly done. I have recommended this book as a must read to all my friends.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is one of the best books I've read on my English literature course to date. It's approach to feminism is both interessting and powerfull. Meera Syall isn't afraid to admit the true problems women face (family life, work etc..) which most women writers nowadays choose to ignore fearing that the problems seem too trivial. Meera Syall shows that what people pass off as trivial matters aren't so trivial in a breath-taking manner. For example Sunita's problems with her marriage lead to her self harming. This book is filled with emotion, a truly fabulous read.
Format:Paperback
This is a brilliant book that I would thoroughly recommend to men and women alike. It's funny, insightful about Punjabi traditions, and reveals what life can be like for many women regardless of their ethnic background. Unlike the 3 female lead characters, the men are 2D, exhibiting some of the worst male traits, but if you can put up with this, it is definitely worth a read.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Meera Syal
Having seen the television show 'Life isn't all ha ha hee hee' which I loved, I wanted to read the book. Meera Syal is a brilliant writer, telling her story with amazing honesty. Read more
Published on 20 Jan 2010 by Geraldine Le Roes
Too slow for me
I love Meera Syal and was really hoping for good things from this book.
It started slow and then we got some story. Read more
It started slow and then we got some story. Read more
Published on 17 Jan 2010 by Rory
The worst title of all time?
I was recently stuck on a long-haul flight with only this to read. Don't ask me how. The point is: good grief. How to describe it? I don't want to. Read more
Published on 4 Aug 2005 by Mr. W. R. Francis
Funny and thought provoking
This was a very well written novel. The pace was good, the story interesting and informative concerning the difficulties of Asian women in British culture. Read more
Published on 1 Oct 2000 by Mrs. K. A. Wheatley
A memorable and powerful story . Meera's best yet.
if you want to know more about the way inwhich ontemporary British Asian women live their lives, then read this book. Read more
Published on 7 July 2000
Novel? I could have made it at home for nothing!
I love Goodness Gracious Me and all that but as an Indian myself, I struggled with this novel as I didn't know whether Syal was being objective or just voicing her own opinions and... Read more
Published on 30 Dec 1999
Buy this Book, buy in now- no really, BUY IT NOW.
An honest, sad and often hilarious novel, Meera Syal should be worshipped from near and far.There is much in this book for everyone to identify with - Asian , White, Male or Female... Read more
Published on 8 Nov 1999
Seductively tantalizing
As a Non-Indian fan of Syall I ordered this book as soon as it was available - Anita & Me was so many things, educational, humerous, sad, hopeful and I mustn't forget colouful... Read more
Published on 5 Nov 1999
A richly textured, provocative and touching book.
Life isn't all Ha Ha Hee Hee is a reference to Meera Syal's acclaimed first book, Anita and Me which was written well before she became known as the miaow pussycats tv celeb of... Read more
Published on 28 Oct 1999
Outstanding: bollywood with depth, biryani with bitterness
I tried to read this as fast as I could (Anita and me was brilliant) but when I finished I felt bereft. Real characters with their quirks and dreams. Read more
Published on 20 Oct 1999 by Bhanu Dhir
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