Before starting this book I had read multiple discouraging reviews about a lack of plot in the novel. However, halfway through the book I decided that the purpose of this novel isn't to tell a story with an introduction and conclusion, as much as relate a very palpable experience of what Shamsie refers to as "pendular time." The fictional Pakistani city that Shamsie describes over a decade back is still the same Karachi that is present today, from domestic/familial relationships to strikes, poli...

In a mad scramble to read as much Shamsie as I could before reviewing her latest novel I managed to inhale one of her earliest novels. I have to admit, I didn't love it - the writing felt a little whimsical for the subject - a young boy in Karachi witnesses the death of a neighbor shortly before his uncle is put under house arrest. Still, it has many elements that Shamsie continued to use in her novels - smart, verbally sophisticated characters, a solid sense of place, an understanding of histor...

I’m almost tempted to leave this book unrated, because I’m so confused about how I feel for it. It’s neither a particularly good book, nor a really bad one. I didn’t hate reading it, but nor did I enjoy it all that much. There were some moments of plot stupidity, but they were balanced by sudden, smart writing. Basically, if you asked, I would have no idea whether to recommend this book to you or not.The one coherent thought I had while reading this was that a lot of people might not really like...

The story was a little too all over the place, and the neither the plot nor the characters really drew me into the book. The characters are too witty, always making clever remarks and word jokes, and the whole book just didn't come together for me.

Indeed a very beautiful bookWhen trying a new author, I try not to read his/her best book first, because you can't help and compare it with other books by the author and feel disappointed for not being as good as the first book that you read. I've seen people do that with Room by Emma Donoghue. They read that book first, and then feel disappointed with other books for not being as good and moving as Room. Each book has to be treated separately.Earlier this year, I ended up reading Burnt Shadows

as always, Kamila Shamsie blows me away! She is my favorite author <3

I have read and enjoyed other books by this author. This one is her debut, but is just as good.The story is mainly that of a young boy growing up in Pakistan, within his family, his country and his imagination.It opens with him witnessing the accidental death of another boy. Sudden, apparently random death and violence also happens later. This is a theme which runs through the book. It is a gentle and poetic book, for the most part, despite those sudden violent intrusions. Everything is seen thr...

Enjoyable, with a likeable protagonist, not as plot driven as the books I usually enjoy. The novel is set in Karachi, Pakistan and centres around Hasan, an 11 year old boy growing up in a privileged household. One day he sees a boy flying a kite fall to his death from the roof of a house. His beloved uncle, an opposition politiican, is arrested for treason and Hasan's life is turned upside down. I loved the sensory detail in this book and it made me feel like I could visualise Karachi, despite h...

Despite the fact I started off thinning I was reading a different book but Kamila Shamsie and being very confused... I really loved this. Its not a fast paced story but there are some wonderful pieces that describe a young boys imagination and the places they go. A very touching account of how the world can be interpreted by children, the things they see and hear but do not understand and how they find ways to cope.

In her debut novel, Kamila Shamsie gives the reader a glimpse into politics in Pakistan through the eyes of a child as eleven-year-old Hasan's world is turned upside down when his uncle, a dissenting politician, is arrested and faces a trial for treason.It took me a while to get into the story, perhaps because the older I get, the harder I find to connect with a child protagonist, but the writing style eventually pulled me in.

This was twenty five year old Kamila Shamsie's debut novel.Possibly her worst book,but it still made it to shortlists for literary prizes.I was very surprised to know that this less than mediocre offering was prescribed reading in some schools.The city by the sea is not named,but it's Karachi,of course.It appears again and again in Shamsie's books.It is not the easiest place to live,given its endless violence.Some people love Shamsie's prose,it feels very artificial and off-putting to me. This b...

A simple tale, beautifully written. With sophisticated, poetic prose, Shamsie crafts a community of privileged characters somewhere on the coast of Pakistan. She paints with a fine brush, causing the narrative to gently but vividly unfold. Her characters have a believable depth; the affection between Hasan, the 11-year-old protagonist, and the adults is quite palpable.Hasan’s unspoiled world begins to decay when his beloved uncle is arrested for treason. In forty days, a trial will commence, whi...

Kamila Shamsie, Granta’s “Best Young British Novelist 2013”, has amazing novels to her credit (“Kartography’, “Broken Verses”, “Burnt Shadows” and “Salt and Saffron”); reading her first book, “In the City by the Sea”, was a very different and welcome experience. Viewing the world through 11 year old Hasan’s eyes, Shamsie brings to life many of the wonderful, strange and frightening things that only children can see and feel. Perpetually living in his own sphere of fantasy, Hasan’s life turns top...

In the City by the Sea is a heart-rending tale of the main protagonist Hasan, who at a very young age (11) must learn to deal with many issues in his native country of Pakistan. It is never revealed where the “City by the Sea” is. Hasan’s life changes when he witnesses a neighbour fall to his death while flying a kite and this moment changes his life. The themes of sadness, loss and vulnerability are clear in this tale. It is a tale of political instability in Pakistan and how it affects those l...

I heard a lot about Kamila Shamsie, but read her first time. I enjoyed her first novel. It is very playful, lively and funny. Very creative and imaginative. It gave me great pleasure reading daily for few days after a hard day at work. now going to get her other books.My Blog

Kamila seems very confused. I was trying to find out where the location of the book was, what she was trying to portray, which time period, which country???? The English was bizarre, very old fashioned, difficult to understand. I finished the book since I thought I will find out the ending but it was a sheer waste of time. I will not recommend this book to anyone. Waste of time. Good luck Kamila.

One can seldom call a political novel "lovely," but I think that word is appropriate for The City by the Sea. An eleven-year-old boy, Hasan, lives in Karachi in a highly intelligent family that sometimes dips into wordplay. His uncle, Salman, is under house arrest by Pakistan's military dictator (a fictitious one, but Pakistan has had more than its share of them). The novel is a moving depiction of an imaginative child trying to understand the brutalities of politics. The adults around him are s...

This is my first introduction to Shamsie's work, which is highly acclaimed in England where she resides, and elsewhere. When I give a new author a spin around my brain, I like to start with an early work, which this one is. It's a charming coming-of-age type of book where a young boy wrestles with the death of a friend, political conflicts in his native India, and his talented sometimes quirky family. I enjoy books where the protagonist has learned something valuable along the way and there's no...