The Marriage Bureau for Rich People (Marriage Bureau For Rich People)

by Farahad Zama

What does somebody with a wealth of common sense do if retirement palls?
Why, open a marriage bureau, of course. And soon Mr Ali, from beautiful Vizag in South India, sees his new business flourish as the indomitable Mrs Ali and able assistant Aruna look on with careful eyes.
But although many clients go away happy, problems lurk behind the scenes as Aruna nurses a heart-rending secret; while Mr Ali cannot see that he rarely follows the sage advice he so freely dishes out to others. And when love comes calling for Aruna, an impossible dilemma looms...
A colourful coastal town and contemporary marriage bureau prove a perfect backdrop for a splendid array of characters making sense of all sorts of pride and prejudice - and the ways in which true love won't quite let go - in this witty and big-hearted debut novel.

• ISBN10: 0399155589
• ISBN13: 9780399155581
• Publish Date: 30 June 2009 (first published 2 October 2008)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 19 August 2014
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Amy Einhorn Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 293
• Language: English

Reviews

[Heather]

It is a universal problem. A man retires and immediately starts driving his wife crazy. What to do? Open a marriage bureau on the front veranda, of course.



Mr. Ali is was a government clerk.  Now he runs a marriage bureau.  He advertises for matches for his clients in the newspaper.  He keeps files with the special requests of people seeking spouses.  Do you need someone from the same caste?  How tall or short?  Will your wife be expected to live with her mother-in-law? Hindu, Muslim, Christian?

A photo posted by @dvmheather on Jul 13, 2016 at 5:13am PDT

When the business takes off, he needs an assistant. Mrs. Ali finds a local woman, Aruna, to help out. She's perfect. She's unmarried because her family can't afford a wedding and she is working to help the family finances.

This book is very simple on the surface. It is the stories of the people who come to the marriage bureau and the story of the Ali family. The style of writing reminds me of Alexander McCall Smith's No.1 Ladies Detective Agency.

This book is very good at providing a look at the attitudes towards arranged marriages in India in different religious groups. What happens if people want to work out their own marriage? How do the Muslim and Hindu neighbors interact?

If you want a book that immerses you in a slice of life in an Indian coastal town, this is a good read.

This review was originally posted on Based On A True Story

[Eve1972]

What a delightful little gem of a book! It reminded me a lot of the "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" books. Well written and charming, I can't wait to get my hands on number two of the series!