Sonia Faleiro was a reporter in search of a story when she met Leela, a beautiful and charismatic bar dancer with a story to tell.
Leela introdu...
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Oct 10, 2011
Kay
rated it: 
From the title you might not conclude that Beautiful Thing by Sonia Faleiro could be very educational… unless you wanted to swiftly contract AIDS & die in the slums of Mumbai.
However, this true story of the life of a bar-dancer illuminated many things for me about life in India as a Muslim woman, about the immovability of old social structures, the nature of old Islam and [of course], public health.
I really feel some insight into the quandaries of life for women under the old More...
However, this true story of the life of a bar-dancer illuminated many things for me about life in India as a Muslim woman, about the immovability of old social structures, the nature of old Islam and [of course], public health.
I really feel some insight into the quandaries of life for women under the old More...
Sep 28, 2011
Sarbpreet
rated it: 
'Beautiful Thing' does not start off very well. The writing seems a little choppy; somewhat disjointed. I find myself thinking that Suketu Mehta probably did a better job covering similar material in 'Maximum City'. Louise Brown's 'The Dancing Girls of Lahore' is another outstanding book on a similar subject. However, after the first few pages, the story of 'Leela' a teenage 'bar girl' in Bombay really picks up. Sonia Faleiro tells her story with compassion, without pulling any punches and witho
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May 05, 2011
Ben
rated it:
Sonia Faleiro crafts a work of beauty
A review by Ben Antao
Beautiful Thing
By Sonia Faleiro
Publisher, Hamish Hamilton
Non-fiction, hardcover, pp 214, Rs 450
The beauty of this work of non-fiction is not the story as such, but the skill of the author who crafted it. The story of the barwali named Leela is not new for it’s been playing out for decades in India’s crowded cities and slums, and even in villages where More...
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Aug 05, 2011
Review from wonderful customer Denise!
The first half of the book tells the story about bar dancers and the second half deals with the effect of the ban imposed on Bombay’s dance bars, by the government.
The conversations with the characters flow naturally in a mix of English, Hindi, and slang that is oddly easy to understand sometimes. Things are told as they are, nothing more or less.
The life of dance bar girls is told through the story of Leela (a bar dancer), her family, her past, her friends More...
The first half of the book tells the story about bar dancers and the second half deals with the effect of the ban imposed on Bombay’s dance bars, by the government.
The conversations with the characters flow naturally in a mix of English, Hindi, and slang that is oddly easy to understand sometimes. Things are told as they are, nothing more or less.
The life of dance bar girls is told through the story of Leela (a bar dancer), her family, her past, her friends More...
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Dec 01, 2011
Samir
rated it:
I have been a fan of investigative journalism. Many such pieces of work delve deep inside the world of human emotions and showcase a side of humans not known to many. I have never been able to understand the world of Dance Bars. Sonia Faleiro narrates a story of Leela through whose eyes Sonia has seen a world unknown to many of us. The world of dance bars is full of sleaze. It’s a world of glamorous women, of fierce love, bestial sex and violence. It is a world full of customers of varied typ
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Aug 31, 2011
Sylvia
rated it:
This is a wonderfully engaging and elegantly written book that tells the story of Leela, a teenage bar dancer in Mumbai’s seedy, barely-concealed underworld of dance bars and prostitution.
I forgot that I was reading a work of non-fiction. The author has so skilfully crafted the story and the characters that you feel you know Leela intimately from the very first page. Later characters like Priya and the cleverly constructed Apsara are also brilliantly drawn.
Although the More...
I forgot that I was reading a work of non-fiction. The author has so skilfully crafted the story and the characters that you feel you know Leela intimately from the very first page. Later characters like Priya and the cleverly constructed Apsara are also brilliantly drawn.
Although the More...
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Dec 22, 2010
Sankarshan
rated it: 
It is a well researched book. The aspect that jarred me was the constant usage of the phonetic. Perhaps it is an ethnographic trick. But for me that stuttered the pace of what could be a wonderfully written book. Till now I'd held up Maximum City as the index of writing a reasonably fast paced and written well book. In this her writing style actually fades into the background without having it leap out at the reader across the pages and impressing with imagery or, skill with words.
Comb More...
Comb More...
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Apr 12, 2011
Rahul
rated it:
An insider look into the seamy and murky world of Bombay's dance bars, Sonia Faleiro narrates a tale that at times seems too fantastical to be even made up. The book follows the life of a bar dancer Leela and her trials and tribulations that mirror the strifes for everyone a part of the industry. Apart from a few minor annoyances, the book is gripping and interesting. Ms. Faleiro is obviously influenced by her friend Gregory David Roberts from whom she seems to have learnt the art of putting "
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Dec 04, 2010
Rohan
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What can I say about this book that hasn't been said before? It's shocking, moving, heartbreaking. It's a new Maximum City. It's the story of a bar dancer and her downward spiral into the circle of hell that is the Bombay underworld. It's the story of the author's friendship with the bar dancer and of how they grow together as individuals. And it's the story of India like it has never been told.
I bought this book, then I bought three more copies for family and friends. It's unforgettable.
I bought this book, then I bought three more copies for family and friends. It's unforgettable.
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Nov 24, 2010
Sujatha
rated it:
Its a complete celebration and victory of the free spirit of women all over , that has been so beautifully brought out with an unrivalled sensitivity . All the souls in this book will remain with you long after you finish reading the book .This is one masterpiece , i would recommend everyone to read and especially my daughter ..
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Sep 16, 2011
Rens
rated it:
fascinating...sometimes brutal, sometimes heart wrenching and sometimes smashing you down to reality...a very real, crass but honest glimpse into the life of a bar girl...Leela is like silk: you cannot stop her slipping away but the sound of her rustle will linger on.
Jan 20, 2011
Venkateshwaran
rated it:
What a great book!!So professionally crafted for the readers to have a glimpse on the other side of Mumbai unknown to most of us!!9/10 (1 mark reduced for its gory and quite disturbing sentences)
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Jan 09, 2012
Rashmi
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'Beautiful Thing' is the story of 'hope' on a one-way street that leads into a dead-end.
Mar 24, 2011
Satyajit
rated it:
A remarkable book with truth.....just one sentence "it brings tremendous respect for the girls working at Dance Bars & increases your respect towards Women"
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