The Marriage Bureau for Rich People

by Farahad Zama

Book Overview

Bored with retirement, Mr. Ali sets up a desk, puts up a sign, and waits for customers for his new matchmaking business. Some clients are a mystery. Some are a challenge. Mr. Ali's assistant, Aruna, finds it a learning experience. But without a dowry, Aruna has no expectation of a match for herself. Then again, as people go about planning their lives, sometimes fate is making other arrangements.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 042523424X
• ISBN13: 9780425234242
• Release Date: June 2010
• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.4" x 8.1"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

A great book to pass the time

I've read other books from Indian authors and have enjoyed them and so when this book caught my eye, I couldn't wait to read it. I was not disappointed. Another reviewer said it was 'dry' and 'unengaging' and while they're certainly entitled to their opinion, I wonder if they were reading the same book as the rest of us. While there is plenty of historical content, I think it added to the story instead of distracted. Often when reading books based on the Indian culture, the characters and the situations take place almost exclusively within whatever religion they are associated. Hindus rarely mix with Muslims and Christians are rarely, if ever, mentioned. However, in this book they are all brought together and I enjoyed learning about their different beliefs that, at the core, are all basically the same. The different wedding traditions that were described were very interesting and the author provided a lot of great imagery without getting too bogged down. I love to read books where you can generate that picture in your mind and feel as if you are also there and this book does a great job of that. As far as the romance part, it is still fascinating to read about arranged marriages in this day and age but the couple who found each other and were able to make a love match was sweet and made for an enjoyable read. Overall, it was light and humorous while still being a little educational. As a first-time author, I think Mr. Zama did a wonderful job and I would look forward to reading his books in the future.

Amazing, Beautiful, Fantastic Story

This is one of the best books I've read in a long time [and I'm a compulsive reader!]. The book is set in modern day India and is the story of a retired man who decides to operate a "Marriage Bureau" - creating arranged marriages. The story line is interesting and engrossing. ALL of the characters in the book are so well written, so human - you genuinely care about them all before the book ends. It is a wonderful story from start to finish. What makes this book even better though is that it is a lesson on Indian culture without the reader even being aware of it - the reader learns a fantastic amount about life in India with no effort at all - the book is easy and delightful to read and manages to be entertaining and informative all at once! It is absolutely fascinating and beautifully written! The book is addictive - my husband picked it up just to flip through it soon after I got it, and I had to fight him to keep it away from him long enough to finish it myself! He was completely charmed and captivated by this story as much as I - we both finished the book within days. I look forward with great anticipation to more books by this author - this is one of my all time favorite books and I will be reading it again and again!

Modern India, Coming Through Mr Ali's Gate

Mr Ali is retired and is driving his wife crazy, so he affixes a sign to the garden gate: MARRIAGE BUREAU FOR RICH PEOPLE. Working from his front porch he soon pays the penalty for success: people on the phone all the time and so much paperwork. He needs an assistant but the ones he interviews are all unsuitable. But his wife knows of a young lady who lives locally and with a bit of arranging Aruna comes to work for Mr Ali. Lively characters, sprightly prose--this book is a bargain because it tells the stories of modern India: where religion and caste are still important and where no well-brought up young couple would think of having a "love match" rather than a proper arranged marriage. Mr Ali's tenderness and wisdom in dealing with his clients are offset by his pigheaded stupidity in dealing with his own son, Rehman, who is a political activist helping poor farmers organize. There are no bad people in this novel, unless it is the evil policemen who take Aruna and her younger sister off the bus to the temple and fine them because the younger sister is traveling on a student pass. The poor young ladies are yanked off the bus, fined nearly all the money they have and then left stranded miles from anywhere! But it might be the best thing that ever happened to Aruna. All these good people are beset by conflicts: parents vs children and children against their own self interest, husband vs wife and other family arguments, the struggle to survive for the poor and the struggle that Rehman has between his family and his ideals. A light and lively book that makes one think and laugh and hope for the world: a triumph!

Not like Jane Austen, but a delighful romance

Let me get this off my chest: The "like Jane Austen" marketing label attached to _The Marriage Bureau for Rich People_, is merely that: A marketing label. The only similarity is that both Jane Austen and Farahad Zama are among thousands of writers who have written novels about romance that have happy conclusions. A better marketing label might be "chick lit." If you are a Westerner wanting to read a cheerful, light, but moral romance set in a well-explained modern India, this novel is for you. Mr. Ali has grown bored in his retirement from civil service, and sets up a marriage bureau in his little house in a large city. The bureau differs from a traditional matchmaking service in that it advertises in newspapers for potential mates for its clients, then screens them before turning the rest of the matchmaking process over to relatives and lastly, to the parties most concerned. The bureau deals with Hindu, Muslim, and Christian clients--who always want to marry others of the same religion, socioeconomic status, and in the case of the Hindus, caste and subcaste. Mr. Ali observes that his clients come to a marriage bureau because they have problems. They (or their relatives) are too particular, they (or their relatives) are difficult to get along with, they are bad at selling themselves, they have small dowries or incomes, they may even be divorced. Mr. Ali behaves like a kindly, responsible uncle towards them all. He negotiates demands between parties and constantly urges compromise in requirements for mates, in family and interfamily interactions, and in the promises all parties make to each other, so that most clients achieve promising marriages. Several stories about such clients are woven into two main stories. One main story is Mr. and Mrs. Ali's strained relationship with their son Rehman, a passionate political protester who is in trouble with the police and featured in the news. The other is the marriage prospects of Mr. Ali's assistant Aruna, the daughter of a Brahmin family (a high caste) who has recently fallen on such hard times that they cannot afford to marry her off. The wealthy Brahmin family of Ramanujam, a young doctor, comes to the marriage bureau to find the perfect wife for him, but no candidate is perfect enough for his family. In the course of this search Aruna and Ramaujam fall in love; and the plot centers on how Mr. and Mrs. Ali manage to broker an agreement with them and with their families that will enable the marriage to take place. This is complicated not only by economic differences, but by the fact that marrying for romantic love is disgraceful. Along the way, the author explains many Indian customs without ever being boring or overly expository. He also tactfully imparts moral lessons, upholding religion (whether Hindu, Muslim, or Christian, he implies the basic values are the same), family, community, respect for all elders, and tolerance. He upholds tradition as far as it supports these values, while recognizi

A little bit of India brought home

"What does an Indian man with a wealth of common sense do when his retirement becomes too monotonous for him to stand it? Open a marriage bureau, of course!" Thus starts The Marriage Bureau for Rich People, a fantastic book that tells the story of Mr. Ali and his small, yet extremely popular, marriage bureau. What starts out as a part time endeavor, flourishes quickly. The book showcases a brilliant cast of characters including Mr. Ali, the careful and kind business manager; Mrs. Ali, his strong and maternal wife; Aruna the full-time assistant to the bureau who's working through her own family-and non-existent marriage-problems; and a slew of people looking for the perfect match. The customers, albeit important, are just the background to the true story. The young Aruna cannot get married due to her family's financial problems. She works to support them and without her salary, they cannot get by. And without money, they can't pay for the elaborate wedding or necessary dowry the husband's family will expect. While that is happening, Mr. and Mrs. Ali deal with their son, Rehman, a freedom fighter who's trying to stop a giant conglomerate from building on farmers' lands. As he fights for the rights of others, he forgets the feelings of his parents. And in India, you never disrespect your elders. An underlining theme of the book is what makes a marriage work. To this day, the caste system is still going strong in India. One doesn't marry outside of their caste, and one very rarely marries for love. Instead, through family members, an appropriate match is made. But what's better? A marriage that appeases the family, or one that appeases the husband and wife? What I found most endearing about the book was the role of Mrs. Ali. It's common to think that the man runs the household, that he leads. But, it's the wife's job to decide if she wants to follow or not. And although Mrs. Ali doesn't go against her husband, she's extremely well spoken and does what she sees as best, even if her husband doesn't understand at first. Mrs. Ali ultimately brings two important people together - not through a marriage bureau, but through love. Farahad Zama tells the story beautifully with rich words and vivid elements. You could almost taste the halwa Mrs. Ali cooks, see the green sari Aruna purchases, or feel the ripe mango plucked from the tree. Zama doesn't leave one description out. I can't be alone in thinking this - Zama recently won the Melissa Nathan award for comedy romance. He is the first male writer to receive it. The Marriage Bureau for Rich People is a delightful tale that's an extremely fun read. It made me laugh out loud at parts, and tear up with happiness at others. I loved how it concentrated on important elements of India, but presented them in a lighthearted manner. It's an excellent novel for anyone looking for a quick, enjoyable and interesting literary trip to India. I can't wait to read it again. I'll definitely be checking out the othe