Mother of the Bride

Secret Diary of a Bengali Woman #0.50

by Halima Khatun

A mum on a mission to matchmake. A daughter with ideas of her own. A suitor that threatens to tear them apart...

When it comes to arranged marriages, you never hear the perspective of the mother of the 'bride'.

So now it's time.

This short story offers a unique insight into the struggles of someone desperately trying to blend traditional expectations with modern reality, whilst hoping to do the best for her children.

Because no one ever asks mum, it's time we heard her side of the story.

** This book was previously called No One Ever Asks Mum. **

32 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 16, 2021

About the author

Halima Khatun is a former journalist (having worked for ITV and the BBC), writer and PR consultant.

Since she was a child, she knew that words would be her thing. With a lifelong passion for writing, Halima wrote her first novel - a coming-of-age children's story - at the age of 12. It was politely turned down by all the major publishing houses. However, proving that writing was indeed her forte, Halima went on to study English and Journalism and was one of just four people in the UK to be granted a BBC scholarship during her postgraduate studies.

She has since written for a number of publications including the HuffPost and Yahoo! Style, and has been featured in the Express, Metro and other national publications. Halima also blogs on lifestyle, food and travel and parenthood on halimabobs.com. This is where she also shares updates on her novels.

Reviews

[Melany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I understand the frustrations and extensive duties/chores/tasks of being a Mom, as I'm a single Mom. I also understand how older people can get cranky and it's a funny, quirky aspect in books/movies. However, I felt the author went a bit overboard with the negativity. It could've been written slightly less aggressively negative and would've been 1000 times better for me. I enjoyed the storyline itself and related to several things. The ending is definitely a cliffhanger and you're left without answers (which makes you read the next one). It was just okay for me, nothing memorable and kind of put me off by the negativity bit.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure what to expect but this was a delightful read – informative, interesting, short, sweet, touching and funny.

[Bob Ojala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story and great writer!

I knew nothing about the Bengali culture until I happened upon Halima’s first novel. If you think that a story about arranged marriages would be boring, you couldn’t be more wrong.

Here I am, an American guy in his 70’s, and I couldn't put the book down. It was not just informative, it was hilarious as well.

Halima is a great writer, and she knows how to describe her family’s culture in a way to keep all readers interested. This short story is just a small sample of what you will get from her novels, and you will be surprised.

[Sterlingcindysu · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick free read for Kindle from Amazon. I read the first book awhile ago and kinda remembered this flashback, in the POV of the mother this time instead of the daughter.

Happy Mother's Day 2023!

[SHARON · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finish the story please

I enjoyed reading this snippet story. It was hilarious. I read all the book in this series which is from the daughter's point of view. However, I would love to read more about what mum thinks and how she managed the aunties in the Bangladesh community.

[Ariel · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a daughter who is now a mother, this short little novella caused a bit of self-reflection.

We never see our parents as people with their own lives, hopes, dreams, disappointments, and battles, do we? At least not until we're adults ourselves.

[Carol Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute prelude, but not really a story. Disappointing!

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent short story from a perspective that often gets overlooked. The ending was rather abrupt, but I guess that shouldn’t be a surprise from a short story.

[Jilly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Halima Khatun is a Bengali woman telling her own truth. It is a short story focusing on arranged marriages. It is sad, but funny. Interesting to learn about the cultural differences over time. The ending is very abrupt and I was left wishing it was longer. That is the main reason for only 2 stars.

[Luisa Gatto · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing special

Nothing special even if it gives a glimpse of the life of a Bangladesh woman in UK and the war of different generation

[Jaimielyn Burke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good little condensed history on mum. Would be good if it was twice as long and we got a bit more of mum’s perspective of her arrival in the UK than the abbreviated version.

[Cristina · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is my rating for now. I believe that I just wasn't in the mood for this book, therefore, I will give it another go sometime soon...

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really interesting short short. From the point of view of a traditional Bengali mother who wants the same for her daughters. It's a generation vs generation story. Mom wants to do it the traditional way and daughter doesn't. I loved reading the inner thoughts of the mother struggling in her daily life and trying to do the best for everyone.

This is a great opener to the series of books, I look forward to reading them.

[Claudette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved getting mum’s perspective. A quick, (perhaps unintentionally) humorous short story.