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Ayesha's Gift
Shipped from UK, please allow 10 to 21 business days for arrival. Fine, As new copy in cream cloth boards, gilt title on spine with a fine dust jacket.
- GenresBiographyNonfiction
336 pages, Hardcover
Published February 1, 2017
20 people are currently reading
224 people want to read
About the author
Martin Sixsmith
29 books104 followersGeorge Martin Sixsmith, British author and journalist.
Sixsmith joined the BBC in 1980 where he worked as a foreign correspondent, most notably reporting from Moscow during the end of the Cold War. He also reported from Poland during the Solidarity uprising and was the BBC's Washington correspondent during the election and first presidency of Bill Clinton. He was based in Russia for five years, the US for four, Brussels for four and Poland for three.
Sixsmith left the BBC in 1997 to work for the newly elected government of Tony Blair. He became Director of Communications (a civil service post), working first with Harriet Harman and Frank Field, then with Alistair Darling. His next position was as a Director of GEC plc, where he oversaw the rebranding of the company as Marconi plc.
In December 2001, he returned to the Civil Service to join the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions as Director of Communications in time to become embroiled in the second act of the scandal over Jo Moore. Moore was special adviser to the transport secretary Stephen Byers and had been the subject of much public condemnation for suggesting that a controversial announcement should be "buried" during the media coverage of the September 11, 2001 attacks.[1]
Sixsmith incurred the displeasure of Downing Street when his email advising Byers and Moore not to bury more bad news was leaked to the press. Number Ten attempted to "resign him", but had later to issue an apology and pay him compensation. Sixsmith was widely expected to write a memoir or autobiography in the wake of his civil service departure, but was gagged by the government[citation needed] Instead, he produced a novel about near-future politics called Spin, published in 2004.
His second novel, I Heard Lenin Laugh, was published in 2005. In 2006 he was commissioned by BBC Radio 4 to present a series of programmes on Russian poetry, literature and art.
In 2007 he wrote The Litvinenko File, an examination of the feud between the Kremlin and Russia's émigré oligarchs.
In 2008 Sixsmith worked on two BBC documentaries exploring the legacy of the KGB in today's Russia and also presented a BBC documentary, The Snowy Streets of St. Petersburg, about artists and writers who fled the former Eastern bloc.
In 2009 he wrote The Lost Child of Philomena Lee, about the forcible separation of a mother and child by the nuns of an Irish convent during the 1950s, and the subsequent attempts of the mother and child to contact one another.[2] The book was adapted into the film Philomena, directed by Stephen Frears, starring Dame Judi Dench and Steve Coogan (as Sixsmith), and written by Coogan and Jeff Pope; it premiered at the Venice Film Festival and was released in the UK on November 1 2013.
In February 2010 Sixsmith wrote Putin's Oil, about Russia's energy wars and their consequences for Moscow and the world.
He worked as an adviser to the BBC political sitcom The Thick of It, and the Oscar-nominated film, In the Loop.
In 2011, he presented Russia: The Wild East, a 50-part history of Russia for BBC Radio 4, the last episode of which was broadcast on 12 August.[3] His book Russia, a 1,000 Year Chronicle of the Wild East was published by Random House.
In 2014 Sixsmith will present a 25 part programme about the history of psychology and psychiatry for the BBC radio.
Sixsmith joined the BBC in 1980 where he worked as a foreign correspondent, most notably reporting from Moscow during the end of the Cold War. He also reported from Poland during the Solidarity uprising and was the BBC's Washington correspondent during the election and first presidency of Bill Clinton. He was based in Russia for five years, the US for four, Brussels for four and Poland for three.
Sixsmith left the BBC in 1997 to work for the newly elected government of Tony Blair. He became Director of Communications (a civil service post), working first with Harriet Harman and Frank Field, then with Alistair Darling. His next position was as a Director of GEC plc, where he oversaw the rebranding of the company as Marconi plc.
In December 2001, he returned to the Civil Service to join the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions as Director of Communications in time to become embroiled in the second act of the scandal over Jo Moore. Moore was special adviser to the transport secretary Stephen Byers and had been the subject of much public condemnation for suggesting that a controversial announcement should be "buried" during the media coverage of the September 11, 2001 attacks.[1]
Sixsmith incurred the displeasure of Downing Street when his email advising Byers and Moore not to bury more bad news was leaked to the press. Number Ten attempted to "resign him", but had later to issue an apology and pay him compensation. Sixsmith was widely expected to write a memoir or autobiography in the wake of his civil service departure, but was gagged by the government[citation needed] Instead, he produced a novel about near-future politics called Spin, published in 2004.
His second novel, I Heard Lenin Laugh, was published in 2005. In 2006 he was commissioned by BBC Radio 4 to present a series of programmes on Russian poetry, literature and art.
In 2007 he wrote The Litvinenko File, an examination of the feud between the Kremlin and Russia's émigré oligarchs.
In 2008 Sixsmith worked on two BBC documentaries exploring the legacy of the KGB in today's Russia and also presented a BBC documentary, The Snowy Streets of St. Petersburg, about artists and writers who fled the former Eastern bloc.
In 2009 he wrote The Lost Child of Philomena Lee, about the forcible separation of a mother and child by the nuns of an Irish convent during the 1950s, and the subsequent attempts of the mother and child to contact one another.[2] The book was adapted into the film Philomena, directed by Stephen Frears, starring Dame Judi Dench and Steve Coogan (as Sixsmith), and written by Coogan and Jeff Pope; it premiered at the Venice Film Festival and was released in the UK on November 1 2013.
In February 2010 Sixsmith wrote Putin's Oil, about Russia's energy wars and their consequences for Moscow and the world.
He worked as an adviser to the BBC political sitcom The Thick of It, and the Oscar-nominated film, In the Loop.
In 2011, he presented Russia: The Wild East, a 50-part history of Russia for BBC Radio 4, the last episode of which was broadcast on 12 August.[3] His book Russia, a 1,000 Year Chronicle of the Wild East was published by Random House.
In 2014 Sixsmith will present a 25 part programme about the history of psychology and psychiatry for the BBC radio.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
February 22, 2017
Firstly I want to take issue with the cover. The book is about a young businesswomen who does not dress traditionally, likes to be the centre of attention, & doesn't obey many Islamic rules - for instance she drinks alcohol - so why does the cover show a traditionally dressed woman looking shyly away from the camera? Maybe I'm being petty because I found the writing rather lame - I thought it might have been better if Ayesha had written it herself. It's a very quick read & has some interesting moments.
July 30, 2020
I'm torn by this book, the main story itself was interesting and well told, however there were a couple of things that I was not a fan of:
1) Ayesha was not portraid in a sympathetic light, and this really distracted from the story - it may or may not be a true/correct portrait of her, I do not know.
2) The inclusion of the authors brother story did nothing to complement the main narrative.
This would have been a far better book if it had just concentrated on Ayesha's story.
I was given a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
1) Ayesha was not portraid in a sympathetic light, and this really distracted from the story - it may or may not be a true/correct portrait of her, I do not know.
2) The inclusion of the authors brother story did nothing to complement the main narrative.
This would have been a far better book if it had just concentrated on Ayesha's story.
I was given a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
August 22, 2018
INCREDIBLE !! I really liked this book , especially part three. It was the most exciting part of the book. mostly , this book is a biography ( well i guess, since i found it under the shelf of 'biographies') and the truth was shocking but beautiful>> i really liked - and enjoyed- reading this book. recommended <<>>
October 23, 2019
liked but not loved. found it dragged toward the end. with the exception of the writer, i found the characters difficult or impossible to like.
May 23, 2021
So frustrating!! It seems like the writer is a school teenager and have heard many stereotypes about Pakistan and he put all those stereotypes in the book.It seems like the writer has not even tried to visit a Pakistan before writing the book. This book is like if you just put the every stereotype in the mind of an English teenager about Pakistan and Muslims together.
May 27, 2020
Urgh this book. I had such high hopes for it and desperately wanted to like it. Ok the main character of "Ayesha" is just absolutely abysmal, she has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. I understand that sounds harsh as it is based on a real person but she just came across as selfish and self-entitled and as for the cover being a picture of a hijabi woman when the character couldn't be further from a Muslim is just ridiculous. I can't particularly say I enjoyed the character of the journalist either. The whole book felt as if there was no real structure or plan to it, it was all over the place. I understand that the author suffered a bereavement halfway through but surely it could have been edited better. I kept going with it as I wanted to find out who the murderer was and as it was getting close to the end I was worried that we would never find out, so it kept a point for actually revealing that information. I also felt that there was really irrelevant information that bogged the middle section down, things to do with Pakistani governments and laws etc. I really feel that this book tried to do an injustice to the country of Pakistan, as if the writer had decided something about the country and had a bee in his bonnet to prove it right. I would not recommend this book to anyone actually, I felt it was a huge waste of my time and energy.
March 15, 2017
Review score: 8.5/10
Ayesha’s Gift is a book that could also be called “Ayesha’s Curse” because it is brimming with sorrow. It’s the fictionalised account of the real-life events that saw Philomena author and former BBC foreign correspondent, Martin Sixsmith assist in investigating the death of a British-Pakistani man. The book is ultimately a rather multi-faceted detective tale where a murder is solved, cultures collide and a kind of quiet respect, empathy and trust is forged between two unlikely main characters.
To read the rest of this review click here: http://magazine.100percentrock.com/re...
Ayesha’s Gift is a book that could also be called “Ayesha’s Curse” because it is brimming with sorrow. It’s the fictionalised account of the real-life events that saw Philomena author and former BBC foreign correspondent, Martin Sixsmith assist in investigating the death of a British-Pakistani man. The book is ultimately a rather multi-faceted detective tale where a murder is solved, cultures collide and a kind of quiet respect, empathy and trust is forged between two unlikely main characters.
To read the rest of this review click here: http://magazine.100percentrock.com/re...
March 24, 2018
I read this for my book group and really wasn’t that impressed with it. I found Ayesha too prickly and mercurial to be sympathetic to her plight as she engages Martin (a journalist modelled closely on the author) to investigate her father’s death in Pakistan. I was more touched by the sub-plot of Martin’s troubled brother
July 28, 2017
The "afterward" of this book earned it another star for me which was written by "Tom".
July 23, 2020
*A Y E S H A_I B R A H I M*
Ayesha's gift is a book that displays the whole picture of corruption, honor killing, violence, and organized crimes in Pakistan, especially in Karachi. Ayesha Ibrahim was a woman in her mid-thirties, who born in Pakistan and lived in London. When she heard the news that her father had committed suicide in Pakistan, she went to her native village in Pakistan to find the truth about her father's death for which she hired the Journalist. MARTIN. It's the true story, but the names of the main characters have been changed, locations altered and events are rewritten.
I love how beautifully Martin Sixsmith separated this book into two parts. The part about His meeting with Ayesha Ibrahim, interviewing and supporting her, and the part of Martin's own life.
Surely It would be remarkable to have it experienced.
It was a 3/5 read for me.
.
Ayesha's gift is a book that displays the whole picture of corruption, honor killing, violence, and organized crimes in Pakistan, especially in Karachi. Ayesha Ibrahim was a woman in her mid-thirties, who born in Pakistan and lived in London. When she heard the news that her father had committed suicide in Pakistan, she went to her native village in Pakistan to find the truth about her father's death for which she hired the Journalist. MARTIN. It's the true story, but the names of the main characters have been changed, locations altered and events are rewritten.
I love how beautifully Martin Sixsmith separated this book into two parts. The part about His meeting with Ayesha Ibrahim, interviewing and supporting her, and the part of Martin's own life.
Surely It would be remarkable to have it experienced.
It was a 3/5 read for me.
.
May 29, 2019
I agree with previous reviewers who criticised the inclusion into the narrative the death of the author's brother which occurred whilst researching Ayesha's loss. Whilst both deaths were unexpected, leaving so many questions unanswered, I found myself skim-reading the segments about Tom in order to get back to the real story. Publishing Tom's own writing after the conclusion of Ayesha's journey was not the right place for the author to fulfill his brother's wish.
Ayesha's story is important and should be read, revealing as it does the underbelly of society in Pakistan and the lack of reliable and honest authority organisations. Definitely one for book club debate, for English Literature study and for everyone interested in social issues.
Ayesha's story is important and should be read, revealing as it does the underbelly of society in Pakistan and the lack of reliable and honest authority organisations. Definitely one for book club debate, for English Literature study and for everyone interested in social issues.
April 25, 2022
I brought it because I wanted to read more books that are based on Pakistan. However, I was disappointed. Plainly. Ayesha lost her father to murder but the tone of her character was vague; one who claimed to feel more but the book failed to portray her raw emotions. Ayesha embraced her "gift" when it favoured her and degraded her Pakistani/ British identity when it wasn't benefiting her. Moreover, the plot was too predictable. I guess that is because I'm Pakistani myself. I have known how brothers are out to eat their brothers.
As it goes for the writer, I felt a strong prejudiced and racist indirect remarks in tones. The superiority complex could be easily seen in Martin's text. That's awful.
It was super easy read. And I considered Tom's story overly more interesting.
As it goes for the writer, I felt a strong prejudiced and racist indirect remarks in tones. The superiority complex could be easily seen in Martin's text. That's awful.
It was super easy read. And I considered Tom's story overly more interesting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 12, 2020
A 3.5 star to be exact.
When Ayesha's father, a Pakistani born British gets murdered on his trip to Pakistan, she hires a journalist to write a book about it, unveiling the dark secrets of corruption and white collar crimes. This book is the product of that investigation and it takes us through it. I found it very well written and strong in the beginning but in the second half the characters went a bit flat which was a bummer because it would've been 4 stars easily.
It deals with grief over deaths, suicidal thoughts, suicide, corruption, honour killing and racism.
I would recommend reading it if it sounds interesting to you.
When Ayesha's father, a Pakistani born British gets murdered on his trip to Pakistan, she hires a journalist to write a book about it, unveiling the dark secrets of corruption and white collar crimes. This book is the product of that investigation and it takes us through it. I found it very well written and strong in the beginning but in the second half the characters went a bit flat which was a bummer because it would've been 4 stars easily.
It deals with grief over deaths, suicidal thoughts, suicide, corruption, honour killing and racism.
I would recommend reading it if it sounds interesting to you.
April 16, 2020
A very detailed investigative story about the murder that unfolds many tragic events including the writer's personal life. I was actually surprised by the writer's understanding of the real vicinities of Karachi except for that "Kahin Nahi". The story-telling style was brilliant. Plot was good. I actually enjoyed reading about the old Karachi but some of the information was totally incorrect as it was one-sided story of the real issues.
Couldn't resist sharing an excerpt from the book here:
We can’t choose what the world throws at us, but we can choose how we respond to it.
Couldn't resist sharing an excerpt from the book here:
We can’t choose what the world throws at us, but we can choose how we respond to it.
August 4, 2018
Okay...bought this book as I love stories written about India, Afghanistan from writers such as Khalid Hossini, Nadia Hashima, Shilpi Somaya Gouda. This book is about Pakistan and the corruption that the Pakistani people deal with on a daily basis. Found it difficult to get involved in story which is about a girl, who was born in England to Pakistani parents looking to find why and who murdered her father in Pakistan.
November 24, 2025
Maybe it’s the way this author wrote ayeshas character , but she wasn’t someone who I felt all that sympathy for no offence. we also didn’t find out what happened with that girl who died in the taxi firm office. Does anyone know??
Also why does the cover feature a veiled woman when ayesha doesn’t submit to religious practise but rather Pakistani cultural practises. She and the author fail to point out the mysoginistic and backward ways are mostly due to her Pakistani culture and not islam.
Also why does the cover feature a veiled woman when ayesha doesn’t submit to religious practise but rather Pakistani cultural practises. She and the author fail to point out the mysoginistic and backward ways are mostly due to her Pakistani culture and not islam.
September 5, 2021
What a roller coaster ride! So full of emotions, confusions, feelings, uncertainty and disorientation! Keeps you glued to the book! Such a strong and powerful narrative. Without giving away any spoilers, I must say that the scene of Ayesha’s final meeting with her father or rather her fathers corpse will give me nightmares for quite some time, I’m sure.
October 21, 2018
Story of traditions that as a westerner I find difficult to understand. Murder story that is eventually solved but huge journey along the way. Traditions, hon our, greed, violence, corruption, intimidation and redemption. A remarkable story well told
February 20, 2020
Events persuasively real. The author gives a justifiable sense of reality to the story. It’s at times slow but so is real life. Enjoyed it very much it exposes an aspect of recent events which were very much in the headlines in recent years. Recommended
October 12, 2020
Well. It was easy to read. But I never felt any connection to, or sympathy for ayesha or her family. I sympathised greatly with the story of martin's brother and was particularly touched by the afterword.
September 3, 2017
Interesting story but the bones show through the writing more than is entirely comfortable.
March 25, 2018
The story was good until the ending. Left reader with many unanswered questions.
June 1, 2018
An informed look inside the realities driving the world of Pakistani politics, corruption and murder. The chilling factual truths that affect the region are laid bare for all to see.
August 28, 2018
Great book. Well written. It’s like watching a favorite series, after finishing a chapter you just want to keep going.
Great work Mr. Martin Sixsmith.
Great work Mr. Martin Sixsmith.
December 29, 2021
Enlightening, dangerous and heartbreaking, all at once.
July 26, 2023
Most enjoyable
January 17, 2017
a fascinating story, so poorly executed...
August 26, 2017
Agree with one of the reviews below that the cover doesn't do justice to the main character. I also found the reference to the place as "kahin nahi" (nowhere) as annoying. Liked the plot of the book though.
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August 29, 2018I absolutely loved this and recommend it to anyone interested in their "backstory" .
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews