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117th out of 154 books
—
227 voters
The Registrar's Manual for Detecting Forced Marriages
Swimming for his life towards traffickers on the Italian shore, Selim enters a world where Kurdish refugees disguise themselves as tomatoes, dates of birth are a matter of opinion, and a residency permit is a ticket to paradise. When he ends up in a small town in Germany, Selim believes he is finally safe, until the law catches up with him and the clock starts ticking. Sel...more
Hardcover, 416 pages
Published
by Simon & Schuster
(first published April 1st 2011)
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I can't say I LOVED this novel. I thought it was authetic, the characters real but I didn't really want to pick it up and keep reading it. A colleague saw me with it and encouraged me, so I did finish it, but I didn't feel satisfied when I finished it.
The Registrar was once an angry, politicised teenageer - I could relate to her. All that emotion, that sense of the terribel injustices of the world, the desire to take action - she was a real character to me. The adult woman, who'd become a Town H...more
The Registrar was once an angry, politicised teenageer - I could relate to her. All that emotion, that sense of the terribel injustices of the world, the desire to take action - she was a real character to me. The adult woman, who'd become a Town H...more
None of the main characters in The Registrar's Manual is where they began life. They are all immigrants and refugees including our first narrator. She is a thirty something German woman working in a registrar’s office in France. Her job is to assess marriage applications to determine if a prospective bride is being coerced into marriage. The application of a Kurdish couple arouses her suspicions. Her investigation leads to charges of ignorance of culture and traditions on her part. The ensuing d...more
This book recounts the stories of the two main characters who, for different reasons, each leave the countries of their respective birth and settle in new ones, and whose paths become intertwined but then separate as the years pass.
One of the characters, Selim,is a Kurdish refugee/political asylum seeker, whilst the second is a former German anarchist, turned Assistant registrar, living in Paris. (Do we ever learn her name?can't honestly recall it.)
When the Assistant Registrar receives an unset...more
One of the characters, Selim,is a Kurdish refugee/political asylum seeker, whilst the second is a former German anarchist, turned Assistant registrar, living in Paris. (Do we ever learn her name?can't honestly recall it.)
When the Assistant Registrar receives an unset...more
Presents interesting facts on several topics: the lives of Kurdish refugees in Europe, long-term implications and hidden problems arising from a fake marriage undertaken to save a refugee from deportation. Despite a few intriguing passages and funny metaphors, the writing itself is mostly too dull, too dry to compensate for a plodding story line. As Selim counts the months and waits and waits, the reader tries to patiently stay with him and the book while juggling the odd transformation of the n...more
About:
* heroism in everyday acts
* resilience and survival
* good intentions that fail, partly due to human shortcomings but also because we never actually know the full story
* decency, being earnest
* making a difference in the world
* communication across impossible boundaries - gender, cultural, generational, political, national, family etc.
* frustration in communicating true experiences
* the impossibility of being unhappy all the time
I loved the way the structure of the narrative reflects the t...more
* heroism in everyday acts
* resilience and survival
* good intentions that fail, partly due to human shortcomings but also because we never actually know the full story
* decency, being earnest
* making a difference in the world
* communication across impossible boundaries - gender, cultural, generational, political, national, family etc.
* frustration in communicating true experiences
* the impossibility of being unhappy all the time
I loved the way the structure of the narrative reflects the t...more
It is an unusual book about misplaced people in Europe. At the centre of it is the struggle for survival of illegal immigrants. Two worlds are so different but sooner or later they have to find a common language and platform for understanding. The beginning of the story is more dynamic, it grips the reader but later the story losing its grip. Hopefully, at the end it may all come together. I am glad that I finished this book. The story of a young Kurd, who never felt safe in all his life, regard...more
As the main character faced the probability of a possible forced marriage, she was haunted by her own past. Hers was not exactly forced, but she understood what went through a blanc marriage and how it was not just a marriage document to be signed. It was the following paperwork and change of status that followed into the future and changing her as a person.
I bought this book because the title intrigued me. It was a good read and it opened me to a new world that I am not familiar with.
I bought this book because the title intrigued me. It was a good read and it opened me to a new world that I am not familiar with.
What a wonderful book! It is difficult to say anything about it without giving away plot twists but I highly recommend this one. Initially it seems to be the story of Selim, a Kurd from Turkey who seeks asylum in Germany but it is interwoven so cleverly with many other stories including the Registrar of the title but not in ways that are immediately evident. I'm usually fairly adept at figuring out where a story is going but not in this case. The consequences of the actions and inactions are not...more
The title intrigued me as I worked as a registrar in the UK for six years. This was slow going initially, but there was more depth to the characters than I first thought. A tale with layers that gradually revealed themselves. A very thought-provoking topic to write about.
A clever, solid book with some unexpected directions. Characters seemed very realistic with their distinctive voices and experiences (even though new world for me). Thoroughly enjoyed it! Go Marrickville library; you've been good to me:)
An interesting debut novel about politics, marriage, and modern life. Not bad, but not amazing. I think the author has a bright future, though.
Unusual. I started it about 6 months earlier and couldn't really get into it. I finally went back to it out of desperation when I found myself without anything else to read. The story was interesting, but could've been better. I won't say I hated it, but I most likely wouldn't recommend it.
This one will make you question your ideas around marriage, refugees, and what it means to belong.
The book had the most intriguing blurb, even more than the title. A good read, that held up for several chapters and a not too bad ending.
I enjoyed reading this. The author manages to infuse subtle humour into an otherwise sad story about illegal immigration, the likes of which we have perhaps seen too many these days.
Again not the best book i have ever read but o.k as a holiday read.
I applaud the author for the plot and writing, but for some reason it didn't grip me.
Its quite funny, an interesting read....but not exactly riveting!!!
I struggled with whether to give this three or four stars. It's an intriguing story, mostly well told. Not brilliant, but worth the read for lots of reasons. And glimpses back into South East Turkey and the plight of the Kurdish people, and of asylum seekers in foreign countries, and of the mind of a young woman who somewhat naively decides to help then discovers the implications over many years.....
Not a bad book, but probably not one I'll remember for a long time.
I enjoyed the story. It took awhile to figure out that "more" wasn't going to be happening, but the characters were engaging. Overall - a worthwhile investment of time.
Apr 27, 2013
Tammy
marked it as to-read
Apr 26, 2013
Jolie
marked it as to-read
Apr 23, 2013
Niccie King
added it
Apr 20, 2013
Berry
marked it as to-read
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