A hoot and a half! What a lovely peek inside another culture. I love the characters so much!

In order to stave off his boredom (and avoid pestering his wife) after retirement, Mr. Ali decides to start a marriage bureau to help well-to-do families find suitable matches for their sons and daughters. As his list of clients grows, each asking for specific and occasionally peculiar characteristics of their spouse, Mr. Ali decides to hire Aruna as an assistant, a young women with a sorrowful past.

This book started out a bit slow for me. Zama has a somewhat sparse style, which at first felt a bit blunt in its directness, and the dialog sometimes feels a bit old fashioned, but his style grew on me as the story went along and as it resembled more and more a comedy of manners similar in style to Jane Austen.

Another aspect that slowed me down at first was the introduction of so many characters in a short amount of time, from Mr. and Mrs. Ali to their housekeeper to Aruna to the many new and interesting clients that come in the door. However, Zama manages to bring together the fluttering threads and weave them together in a sweet tale that touches upon various religions and the politics of the cast system, while also looking at marriage and love and where the two meet in a country of arranged marriages.

Zama shares the ins and outs of the culture, occasionally comparing Western views to Indian Islamic and Indian Hindi views of family and marriage. He presents intimate looks at two marriages, one Islamic and one Hindi, and incorporates cultural traditions naturally into the storyline. Though I can't be sure of his motives, its as though Zama wants to show how though these traditions are different, they can coexist without conflict, and like Mr. Ali, he doesn't judge anyone for their beliefs.

So, despite the slow beginning, by the final chapters I was enthralled and couldn't put it down. When I finally finished it, I did so with a smile and I am looking forward to see what stories Zama produces in the future.

I found this hysterically funny! Charming book. If you are not familiar with the concept of arranged marriage in India, this also might be quite the eye-opener

I really liked this story. It was a gorgeous and fascinating slice of South Indian life. Particularly focusing on marriage and family relationships. I feel like I got a glimpse into what it would be like to be a woman in India. There were stories of hope and also some sad pictures of the harsh realities many face there, but overall an uplifting experience. The narration couldn't have been better. The musical lilt of Indian-accented English was so beautiful to listen to--it even seeped into my own speech at times. :)

http://duniavylovely.blogspot.com/2016/01/review-buku-marriage-bureau.html

Charming, utterly charming. It will be exotic for Western readers and will fill the gentle romance reader expectations.

Mr. Ali, retired Indian civil servant, sets up a marriage bureau in the veranda of his house in a coastal Indian city. It's a cross between a good Alexander McCall Smith novel and the gentle romance of a Austen type novel.

We follow Mr Ali answering his customers demands of brides and grooms, his own family problems and the sweet romance of his young assistant.

The style is a little dry and matter of fact. This is not poetic prose. It's more the daily life of people living in a modern India still ruled by traditions and castes.

I enjoyed it greatly for what it was a gentle romance set in a country very foreign to me. It made me want to read more about this country and its traditions. What more can you ask entertainment, a little education and a desire to know more.

Perkara pertama yang menyebabkan saya tertarik pada buku adalah warna (kulit)nya. Dan kemudian judulnya.

Ia mengisahkan Mr. Ali yang membuka biro perkahwinan selepas dia bersara. Sudah tentu ia mendapat sambutan hangat kerana perkahwinan yang diaturkan masih kekal dalam budaya masyarakat di India. Klien Mr. Ali terdiri daripada pelbagai agama dan kasta. Dan klien Mr. Ali terkadang menetapkan syarat-syarat yang sangat spesifik contohnya ada yang mencari menantu lelaki yang tinggi untuk anak daranya yang rendah tidak sampai 5 kaki (dengan alasan supaya cucu-cucunya nanti sekurang-kurangnya mempunyai ketinggian sederhana).

Aruna, pembantu Mr. Ali pula cekap membantu Mr. Ali menguruskan bironya. Meski dia mempunyai kebolehan menyuaipadankan pasangan, Aruna sendiri redha dalam mencari jodohnya sendiri. Keluarganya mempunyai masalah kewangan dan tidak mampu menyediakan hantaran perkahwinan walaupun berasal dari kasta Brahmin (kasta yang berada di puncak tertinggi dalam sistem kasta masyarakat India).

Ada beberapa situasi ironi dalam novel ini seperti Mr. Ali yang sibuk mencari jodoh untuk orang lain sedangkan anak terunanya sendiri belum berkahwin kerana sibuk menjadi aktivis masyarakat. Juga kisah seorang jurujual yang paling berjaya dalam syarikatnya, tetapi dia sendiri gagal ‘menjual’ dirinya dalam mencari calon isteri.

Buku ini ditulis dalam bahasa yang mudah dan menarik. Namun ia bukanlah sebuah buku 'unputdownable' malah saya boleh meninggalkan buku tanpa membacanya langsung selama dua hari. Begitupun, ketika membacanya saya mahu terus mengikutinya kerana ingin mengetahui apa yang terjadi seterusnya (rasanya seperti menonton drama bersiri).

Buku ini banyak menerangkan tentang amalan dan budaya masyarakat India, malah Mr. Ali sendiri berpengetahuan luas dalam pelbagai hal yang melibatkan pelbagai agama dan budaya di India. Novel ini adalah salah satu contoh yang menerapkan unsur-unsur harmoni dalam masyarakat majmuk.

Zama turut memuatkan lirik lagu Hindi yang popular berkaitan perkahwinan:

Color your hands with mehndi,
And keep the palanquin ready.
Your love is on his way,
To take you away,
My fair lady.

Terus saya berasa teruja – berkat membaca sarikata apabila menonton filem Hindi saya tahu itu adalah lirik daripada lagu 'Mehndi Laga Ke Rakhna' dari filem 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge'.

Turut diterangkan adalah upacara pernikahan orang Islam di India yang saya dapati berbeza sedikit daripada upacara pernikahan di Malaya. Ia mengingatkan saya pada babak dalam filem 'Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gham' apabila rakan Anjali bernikah dan Anjali dengan gembira berlari-lari memberitahu “Kabul! Kabul” kepada mereka yang menghadiri perkahwinan itu. Mungkin memang begitukah upacara pernikahan masyarakat Islam di India?

Markah: 3.75 bintang.

Finished this one in a day. It was a cute, sweet story. Relatively predictable, but I liked it. It reminded me of The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency - it tells the story of a recently retired man who has nothing better to do, so he sets up a marriage bureau. Then you read about several episodes with clients with a lot about the owner's life thrown in as well. A simple book, an easy read, and just fun.