See buying choices for this item to see if it's one of the millions that are eligible for Amazon Prime.

235 used & new from £0.01
See All Buying Options
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Life isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

Life isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee (Paperback)

by Meera Syal (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (28 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


6 new from £1.00 227 used from £0.01 2 collectible from £0.01
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Paperback (New edition) £7.99 £5.99 87 used & new from £0.01

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Anita and Me

Anita and Me

by Meera Syal
4.5 out of 5 stars (23)  £5.99
Brick Lane

Brick Lane

by Monica Ali
3.2 out of 5 stars (115)  £4.88
(Un)arranged Marriage

(Un)arranged Marriage

by Bali Rai
4.2 out of 5 stars (20)  £4.49
White Teeth

White Teeth

by Zadie Smith
3.3 out of 5 stars (203)  £4.35
Half of a Yellow Sun

Half of a Yellow Sun

by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
4.3 out of 5 stars (149)  £4.31
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Black Swan; New edition edition (4 May 2000)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1862300526
  • ISBN-13: 978-1862300521
  • Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.8 x 2.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 194,580 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #5 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > S > Syal, Meera

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

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 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

Product Description
A novel about friendship, marriage and betrayal set in a British Asian community background. It is written by the author of ANITA AND ME.

See all Product Description

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
Check a corresponding box or enter your own tags in the field below
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Life isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee
76% buy the item featured on this page:
Life isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee 4.1 out of 5 stars (28)
Life Isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee
12% buy
Life Isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee 3.3 out of 5 stars (3)
£5.49
Anita and Me
10% buy
Anita and Me 4.5 out of 5 stars (23)
£5.99
Q and A (filmed as Slumdog Millionaire)
2% buy
Q and A (filmed as Slumdog Millionaire) 4.5 out of 5 stars (59)
£4.79
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

28 Reviews
5 star:
 (13)
4 star:
 (7)
3 star:
 (5)
2 star:
 (3)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.1 out of 5 stars (28 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Very funny ha ha, 14 Nov 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Life isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee (Paperback)
I enjoyed this novel. I liked the fact that it's characters were my age (30 something) and seemed to face similar problems to my contemporaries (even though I may not be Asian). I found it hard to always believe that these women could necessarily be friends but the character observation and humour carried the novel through. This book has its very serious tragic side too but this adds to its power and success as a superb read.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Where not really like that, are we??, 25 Sep 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Life isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee (Paperback)
I found this book illustrated the comical side of life as an asian girl in todays society. It was a good enjoyable read, i thoroughly enjoyed it, being an asian girly myself i really felt i could relate to the novel at times (though i must stress not at ALL times!).

The friendship bond between the three characters i felt was portrayed well. Though i felt there was lack of emotion and loyalty between the three at times. When things where going wrong for one or the other they tended to opt for the easy route and avoided each other rather then helping each other through, as i am sure most friends would. Arguably this is what happens in the end, without giving too much of the plot away, however it was too little too late in my book!

Still worth the read, i would recommend it to all the asian girls out there, and hey if your not asian, still read it, it's a laugh!

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous!!!, 6 April 2006
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.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Do not be put off by the front cover and read with open mind
I've had this book for years now and reluctant to read it because of the gaudy cover. Am I glad I ran out of books to read at home and reached out for this one! Read more
Published 9 months ago by Joe

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting thoughts in beautiful language
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. Read more
Published on 10 Sep 2006 by Frauke de Kort

3.0 out of 5 stars OK I suppose
'In her hilarious and poignant novel' the cover blurb begins well, poignant I can see, hilarious is pushing things a long way. Read more
Published on 4 Aug 2005 by Paul Johnson

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
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. Read more
Published on 27 Feb 2004 by s87cool

5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic
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... Read more

Published on 17 Nov 2003 by Dan

4.0 out of 5 stars Anglo-Asian Literature
Having read this in the summer of this year, I was delighted to engage in some of the insights that Meera has to offer of a 2nd generation Anglo-Asian woman interacting with both... Read more
Published on 11 Oct 2001 by jasonyoung72@yahoo.com

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good read for young asian women all over the world
I picked this book off the shelf in a book store as the title is something my mother says all the time!! Read more
Published on 7 Aug 2001

2.0 out of 5 stars I gave up!
I loved 'Anita And Me' and I was hoping this would be just as good, but it was VERY disappointing. The main problem was the 3 lead female characters. Read more
Published on 5 Aug 2001

3.0 out of 5 stars disappointing
Compared with Anita and Me, this book wasnt really worth the read. I found that i had to drag through this book because I just wasnt interested. Read more
Published on 19 May 2001

3.0 out of 5 stars Slow and Funny
It is about friendship and the integration of young Asian women into the Western Society.
Published on 25 April 2001

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject








i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

The Body Shop

The Body Shop - Vitamin C Skin Boost
Protect and boost your glow with The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost.

›Shop The Body Shop

  

Let Olay Amaze You

Olay Total Effects Day Moisturiser SPF15 50ml
Amazon.co.uk sells all your favourite ranges from Olay, including Regenerist and Total Effects.

›Discover Olay at Amazon.co.uk

  

Train Hard...Play Hard

Nike, Gola, Converse, and more
Gear up with up to 60% off athletic and outdoor shoes.

›Shop now

  

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

  
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates