BG 2 Review - met January 27th January via zoom

A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam

A Golden Age is the first book of a trilogy by Bangladesh-born British writer Tahmima  Anam, about the 1971 war with Pakistan (then known as West Pakistan). Also called Bangladesh's independence war, this struggle is depicted through the experience of one family - widowed Rehana Haque and her two grown up children Sohail and Maya. It is a story of war, as well as love (family), duty (nation) and friendship (Rehana's women's group). It describes the atrocities committed by Pakistani military forces in Bangladesh (then known as East Pakistan) in the name of patriotism and religious identity. For many of us in the group, it was the first book we had read about this war, which is not a very well known part of the sub-continent's history. We all liked the character of Rehana, a strong mother, who puts her children before everything else, including her own happiness. But there were many loopholes in the plotting, and overall, the story failed to grip some of us. 

Charukesi Ramadurai 

Rating: 7/10