Good story, great performance!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I really enjoyed listening to this book! The story was really good, and the performance was excellent!

What other book might you compare The Newlyweds to and why?

The Namesake, Kabul Beauty School

What does Mozhan Marno bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The accents and mannerisms of each character!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

You run into yourself in the darndest places

I am a middle class white lady with a most ordinary middle class white life behind me, and yet I found myself utterly landed in the experience of this young Bengaladeshi woman uprooted to an American marriage in Rochester New York. Almost nothing that happens in this book has ever happened to me, and yet it all seemed startlingly recognizable. I have not read Nell Freudenberger before but now I will seek out more of her books.
I liked the reading by Mozhan Marno: she kept it straightforward and simple and slipped easily into the gentle lilt of Bengaladeshi accents when called for.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

11 people found this helpful

Thoughtful Writing

The Newlyweds is a truly thoughtful novel. Freudenberger hasn't written some simple "they lived happily every after" love story. Instead, she delves into the cultural differences inherit in a marriage between people with different nationalities. She's also not afraid to deal with some of the more complex/difficult issues that could arise in any marriage. What's interesting about this novel is the fact that she's chosen to do this through the lens of international internet dating.

Ironically, it is that very thoughtfulness which sometimes makes this a difficult novel to get through. In an effort to explain cultural differences and how these issues play out in the main character's mind and life, the author sometimes comes close to losing her audience.

The narration is good. Marno's interpretation of the various voices and their coinciding accents is pretty much perfect. However, since so much of the story is in the narrator's, rather than the characters', voice it can sometimes come across as a bit monotone.

Overall, I think this is a worthwhile listen. It's not exactly a light read, but still something you can listen to on a road-trip or while doing stuff around the house.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Surprisingly captivating!

I got this because it had good reviews in the press in general but wasn't in a hurry to listen to it. Once I started I was hooked. I liked the characters and the whole idea of the different cultures. I think the narrator did an excellent job with the various voices and accents.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

Unexpected ending.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. The book describes the differences between the two cultures very well.
Easy to understand why it works and doesn't work.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

slow burn but cannot stop listening

I read the paperback when it first came out and lost the book. However, I have not been able to forget it. Very glad to see this on Audible and listened nonstop. This is a quiet but exquisite book about the immigrant experience. I especially love the 2nd half of the story.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Warning: may contain extended detours

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I'd only recommend this book to someone interested in immigration, and in the cultural features of North America as compared to the characteristics of family life in Bangladesh and growing up "Deshi". This book is NOT about being newlyweds, nor even being newlyweds from different cultures and backgrounds. It's more of a sociological study of the immigration process and the importance of family. The characters were representatives of their respective cultures, rather than relatable and interactive.The cover poses two birds facing each other, as if to symbolize the character disconnect between George and Amina - I haven't yet divined what species the yellow bird is - mostly because I lost my initial interest and temporarily stopped reading - but it would seem to connote a solid, play-by-the-rules guy (George) pitted against a flamboyant, and intuitive free spirit like Amina.This is what I initially thought the book would be about, but instead it's more about the interplay of Asian/Eastern vs. North American cultures.

Has The Newlyweds turned you off from other books in this genre?

No, it has not, but I would want to consider more carefully books relating to cultural fusion, and I'd want to make sure the stories are character-driven and not simply sociological studies where it's difficult to establish one or two compelling plot lines. I'd prefer that a small selection of characters take central stage, with the cultural ambience as a backdrop, as a context, rather than the other way around. The long diversions and detours in the central plot line leaves very little time/space to develop the characters as relatable and as individuals to whom the reader wants to return after putting the book down.

What does Mozhan Marno bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Her narration is excellent. She brings a Bangladeshi lilt to the conversations, where appropriate, and gradually Americanizes Amina's accent and idiomatic expressions as Amina spends more time in Rochester. She also manages the speech tones and patterns of George, Amina's fiancé/husband, whose flat, unadorned and by implication pragmatic tones are a perfect contrast to the voice of Amina.

Could you see The Newlyweds being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

I think this would sell as a movie; the planet is expanding daily, and cross-cultural stories are popular now. Penelope Cruz or even Kate Winslet would work for Amina, and Matt Damon would be perfect as George, though I'd love to see what irony and poker-faced humor Kevin Spacey would bring to the George character. Frances McDormand (with dark hair) would be ideal as Amina's Bangladeshi mom

Any additional comments?

Just more of the same as above: the cultural digressions (at least I see the immigration stories of Amina's parents as a digression) crowded out the character development and portrayal of the conflicts in the "main" relationship between Amina and George.Added note: I usually write unstructured reviews, but decided to try the guided version for this book.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

Cultural Kick in the Pants

I was often irritated by choices the characters made, by their apparent flaws and expectations. At the same time the story made me think how much our cultural and family background influences those thoughts and responses. Best of all, I liked how the characters, in the end, sacrificed and changed to create a different (better?) life for themselves.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

Rich in character development

If you could sum up The Newlyweds in three words, what would they be?

This book was deeply engaging. The concept of finding your mate through correspondence on the internet was of great interest to me. I was interested to see how the characters developed and how the two cultures would mesh. It pointed out, in interesting ways, how the expectations of Americans differ with people in many parts of the world. Having Amina choose the path she did and watching her struggles made for an interesting listen. The narrator did a very good job of distinguishing the characters.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

You run into yourself in the darndest places

I am a middle class white lady with a most ordinary middle class white life behind me, and yet I found myself utterly landed in the experience of this young Bengaladeshi woman uprooted to an American marriage in Rochester New York. Almost nothing that happens in this book has ever happened to me, and yet it all seemed startlingly recognizable. I have not read Nell Freudenberger before but now I will seek out more of her books.
I liked the reading by Mozhan Marno: she kept it straightforward and simple and slipped easily into the gentle lilt of Bengaladeshi accents when called for.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful