Revolt Paperback – 7 Oct. 2013

I first read the perennial favourite The Holy Woman almost a decade ago, so turned to Revolt with some trepidation. Could the author live up to a decade of built up expectation and match her first novel? Luckily for me (and anyone else reading her work), Revolt delivers.What the author does so well is to create characters that are emotionally rich and believable. This is especially pertinent when you finish the novel, there is a burning desire to know what happened next to the characters.Revolt itself is a multi-layered story about human relationships, set in Pakistan, but with universal themes of love, betrayal, sacrifice. The author keeps the polemics of that country at bay, mentioned when needed, but done in a way I imagine most people think about these issues. But most of all the story is a page turner, and kept me gripped throughout.Revolt also incorporates the ongoing struggle between Pakistan and NRPs (non-resident Pakistanis), and really shows how lives whether in England, America or Pakistan, are sometimes only separated by a whisper.I won't give away any spoilers, just to say the focus on the lives of the three sisters, Gulbahar, Mehreen and Rani, is very refreshing. Why shouldn't women of a certain age take centre stage, and why shouldn't they be allowed to inhabit realms of feeling? The power play is also very subtly done, and none of them is ever meek or ignored, contrary to popular opinion of Muslim women.The flip side is also evident though, and a daughter's choices are less acceptable than a son's, but again done subtly.The real story that moved me though was that of Rani. Stick with this character because you will be rewarded for doing so by the author, who is bold and courageous in how she deals with Rani's story.A definite must for fans of The Holy Woman, A Suitable Boy, Burnt Shadows etc. and in some ways it has a ring of a Pakistani Downton Abbey to it, where both the rich and poor are given their moments to shine, filling the pages with a complex world. Revolt is definitely a novel I'm itching to read again and is highly recommended!

Like another reviewer I was very disappointed by this book. Having seen the author's profile and connection with the British Council, and read the reviews, I was expecting something much more meaty. This novel though, is nothing more than a Pakistani Aga saga with the occasional detour to Mills & Boon & EastEnders territory.It is an easy read if you can get past the dreadful dialogue and the pretty poor quality of the writing. The author clearly loves her adjectives and adverbs - they are over-used to an enormous degree. I wouldn't mind so much if they had contributed to a poetic style of writing, but the prose style is often inelegant, even ugly. I felt there was also too much telling and not enough showing in the course of the narrative which in part I think contributed to the stilted dialogue. I became increasingly irritated by the number of times people "panted" or "bitterly retorted", and if I hear the phrase "portable bed" anytime soon I think I will scream. Mouths fell open on a regular basis too. At times I really struggled with the urge to throw the book at the wall - not a good move with a kindle.The author appears incapable of punctuating dialogue correctly although I would have expected an editor to pick up on this. Far too frequently I found myself re-reading sections because the absence or incorrect use of punctuation meant it wasn't clear who was saying what or whether the words following direct speech were tags or independent sentences. Another irritant was the over-use of the exclamation mark. Both these factors distracted me from the story.The disappointing thing was that although there was the potential to explore, in a meaningful way, areas such as arranged marriages v marriages for love, caste & class relationships, emigration and the sense of displacement, this opportunity was lost in a haze of melodrama. What we have left at the end is simply a family saga, and not a very convincing one either. I was unconvinced by most of the characters and didn't believe aspects of the storyline. For instance, the relationships between servants and their employers just didn't ring true. Nor did the degree of familiarity between the sexes seem to fit with a rural village in Pakistan, where women wear the chador: there is little feel of a society where women are often segregated.I have dithered between awarding this two stars or three but I feel that three stars is a little on the generous side - probably 2.5 stars. I cannot envisage reading any of the author's other books or looking out for new ones.

I found the beginning of “Revolt” quite complex, introducing the setting, many characters and their background on the first couple of pages, which I found hard - at the same time it gives this story a good pace. It took me some time to remember all the characters’ names but I felt like I could picture the setting of the story immediately and I was curious what would come next - I didn’t want to stop reading.English is my second language and I love learning about other countries and finding out about their customs and languages. I found the use of Urdu words in the story a wonderful idea – this makes it feel very authentic to me and at the same time I’m learning some expressions from a different language while reading the book. The glossary at the end of the book is a great help.I really enjoyed reading “Revolt”. It is very entertaining and at the same time highlights intercultural issues and views from different angles, opening eyes (to characters within the story but also to the readers) on how prejudice can be overcome. I can also recommend this novel to anyone who likes reading love stories!Also a must read: Qaisra Shahraz’s other novels, “The Holy Woman” and its sequel “Revolt”, as well as her collections of short stories.