A Beautiful Lie by Irfan Master - Revision history

Sue at 08:55, 30 September 2020

2020-09-30T08:55:02Z

Sue at 08:09, 4 September 2020

2020-09-04T08:09:44Z

Jill at 17:50, 28 March 2018

2018-03-28T17:50:50Z

Sue at 10:20, 17 January 2015

2015-01-17T10:20:05Z

Sue at 15:30, 30 December 2010

2010-12-30T15:30:02Z

Sue at 15:29, 30 December 2010

2010-12-30T15:29:29Z

Sue: Created page with '{{infobox |title=A Beautiful Lie |sort=Beautiful Lie |author=Irfan Master |reviewer=Robert James |genre=Teens |summary=Bilal's father is already dying, but Bilal at least wants t…'

2010-12-30T15:28:46Z

Created page with '{{infobox |title=A Beautiful Lie |sort=Beautiful Lie |author=Irfan Master |reviewer=Robert James |genre=Teens |summary=Bilal's father is already dying, but Bilal at least wants t…'

New review

{{infobox
|title=A Beautiful Lie
|sort=Beautiful Lie
|author=Irfan Master
|reviewer=Robert James
|genre=Teens
|summary=Bilal's father is already dying, but Bilal at least wants to spare him a broken heart. So begins a memorable and enchanting tale of a young boy and his friends determined to stop the truth about the Partition of India reaching a terminally ill man.
|rating=4.5
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|paperback=1408805758
|hardback=
|audiobook=
|ebook=
|pages=304
|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
|date=January 2011
|isbn=978-1408805756
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1408805758</amazonuk>
|amazonus=<amazonus>1408805758</amazonus>
}}

Bedridden with cancer, Bilal's bapuji, or father, doesn't realise how far the plan for the Partition of India has progressed. Bilal has kept the news from him as he was worried that it would kill him – but when he accepts that death is imminent, Bilal swears to at least save him the pain of having his heart broken before he passes away. Along with his friends Chota, Manjeet and Saleem,
Bilal swears to stop him from ever finding out. 1947 India, though, is a dangerous place for everyone, and there are people in their town who don't think that Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus should be doing anything together.

This novel manages to be utterly charming and seriously exciting at the same time. The friendship between the four boys, and the love Bilal has for his father, are beautifully portrayed and there are some thrilling sequences as the situation gets ever tenser approaching the day of Partition and arguments between the different religious groups more and more violent. All of the characters – from the main group of children, to Bilal's teacher, the town doctor, Bilal's older brother, and the local printer – are wonderfully well-rounded creations and even though he appears on relatively few pages, Bilal's bapuji is someone who feels truly real because of the way the other characters
talk about him.

It's not an easy read by any means – there are some violent scenes, especially one where Bilal and Doctorji are confronted by men who accuse them of being spies, and another where the boys watch a brutal cockfight. It's extremely thought provoking, raising the question of whether Bilal is right to lie to his bapuji to protect him, or whether the dying man deserves to be told the truth even if it will hurt him. The book also does a brilliant job of evoking 1940's India, an unusual setting for a young adult novel, and really increased my interest in this time period.

As coming of age stories go, this is extremely strong and debut author Irfan Master has definitely catapulted himself straight onto my list of novelists to keep a close eye on.

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to The Bookbag.

Further reading suggestion: While it's aimed at adults, I think mature
teens who enjoyed this book would also fall in love with [[What The Day
Owes The Night by Yasmina Khadra]], another tale of friends growing up
in a country at a time of turmoil. For a tale of India after WWI, as
opposed to WWII, I'd also recommend [[City of Ghosts by Bali Rai]].

{{amazontext|amazon=1408805758}} {{waterstonestext|waterstones=7690717}}

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@@ Line 30: / Line 30: @@
 I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to The Bookbag.
-Further reading suggestion: While it's aimed at adults, I think mature teens who enjoyed this book would also fall in love with [[What the Day Owes the Night by Yasmina Khadra]], another tale of friends growing up in a country at a time of turmoil. For a tale of India after WWI, as opposed to WWII, I'd also recommend [[City of Ghosts by Bali Rai]].  You might appreciate [[Indian Summer by Pratima Mitchell]], although we felt it had a Bollywood ending.
+Further reading suggestion: While it's aimed at adults, I think mature teens who enjoyed this book would also fall in love with [[What the Day Owes the Night by Yasmina Khadra]], another tale of friends growing up in a country at a time of turmoil.  We also liked [[The Grasshopper's Run by Siddhartha Sarma]]. For a tale of India after WWI, as opposed to WWII, I'd also recommend [[City of Ghosts by Bali Rai]].  You might appreciate [[Indian Summer by Pratima Mitchell]], although we felt it had a Bollywood ending.
 {{amazontext|amazon=1408805758}}

@@ Line 30: / Line 30: @@
 I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to The Bookbag.
-Further reading suggestion: While it's aimed at adults, I think mature teens who enjoyed this book would also fall in love with [[What the Day Owes the Night by Yasmina Khadra]], another tale of friends growing up in a country at a time of turmoil. For a tale of India after WWI, as opposed to WWII, I'd also recommend [[City of Ghosts by Bali Rai]].
+Further reading suggestion: While it's aimed at adults, I think mature teens who enjoyed this book would also fall in love with [[What the Day Owes the Night by Yasmina Khadra]], another tale of friends growing up in a country at a time of turmoil. For a tale of India after WWI, as opposed to WWII, I'd also recommend [[City of Ghosts by Bali Rai]].  You might appreciate [[Indian Summer by Pratima Mitchell]], although we felt it had a Bollywood ending.
 {{amazontext|amazon=1408805758}}

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-{{infobox
+{{infobox2
 |title=A Beautiful Lie
 |sort=Beautiful Lie
@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 |date=January 2011
 |isbn=978-1408805756
-|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1408805758</amazonuk>
+|aznuk=1408805758
-|amazonus=<amazonus>1408805758</amazonus>
+|aznus=1408805758
 }}

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 |buy=Yes
 |borrow=Yes
 |pages=304
 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
@@ Line 35: / Line 31: @@
 Further reading suggestion: While it's aimed at adults, I think mature teens who enjoyed this book would also fall in love with [[What the Day Owes the Night by Yasmina Khadra]], another tale of friends growing up in a country at a time of turmoil. For a tale of India after WWI, as opposed to WWII, I'd also recommend [[City of Ghosts by Bali Rai]].
-{{amazontext|amazon=1408805758}} {{waterstonestext|waterstones=7690717}}
+{{amazontext|amazon=1408805758}}
 {{commenthead}}