The House of Djinn

For Mumtaz, daughter of Shabanu, life is difficult with her half-sister Leyla, who always hated Shabanu and dislikes Mumtaz in equal measure. But when various surprises and calamities once again rock Mumtaz's extended family, Mumtaz faces a difficult decision.

This third book in the Shabanu series seems to be almost written in a different style from the earlier two, as if the first two were set in the past, or at least in a more remote part of Pakistan, and in ths book the trappings of modernity intrude more. There's also a clear magical or paranormal element to this book (the titular djinn) that was lacking in the earlier books. It's neither better nor worse, just different.

When I went to enter this book into LibraryThing, I discovered show more that I had, in fact, read it before, seven years ago. I have only the faintest memory of owning the book, and nothing in the plot actually sparked a remembrance. That said, having read the first two books in the series led me to rate this one slightly higher on this reread. So, if you're considering reading this book, I recommend starting with the beginning of the series. show less

Somehow, not as compelling for me as "Shabanu" and "Haveli" were. Still, the concept of tribal leadership and family politics will intrigue readers not familiar with this culture. The ending ensures an interesting sequel about young leadership making changes in a traditional world.

This is the sequel to Newbery Honor nominee "Shabanu". Both stories are about family tribal tradition, love, desire, greed, revenge, & refuge in a small village in Pakistan.

This particular book is about Shabanu's daughter, Mumtaz, who has been living with relatives, believing that her mother is dead. Although loved by the majority of the family, Mumtaz is treated particularly like a servant by her Uncle's wife.

Mumtaz's one refuge is summers spent with her best friend & cousin Jameel (who lives in San Francisco). When Baba, the head of the family passes, he passes on the leadership of the family to Jameel with the announcement that it has been arranged for Jameel & Mumtaz to marry....

I found this to be a very engaging read, one which I show more finished almost immediately, and I might have waited longer to read it but it was due back to the library and I was unable to renew it as there are others waiting. show less

The 3rd book of a trilogy, I would definitely have had a better understanding of the characters had I read, Shabanu, first. This made me go back to read Shabanu, which cleared up a lot of my questions. I needed to read this book for long chunks of time, so I spent a 4 hour subway and bus ride completing the book. I was completely engrossed in it as Suzanne Staples did an excellent job expressing the conflicting emotions that the characters felt. Due to the fact that many of the names and terms were foreign to me, I did need to create a family tree and list of vocabulary in order to better understand the story, although Staples does include a glossary at the back of the book.

Book talk:
Though it took me a few chapters to really enjoy the first book in the series, Shabanu, Daughter of the Wind, by the end of the book I really cared about what was going to happen to 12-year old Shabanu as she was promised in marriage to someone four times her age. And I cared even more about Shabanu while reading the sequel, The Haveli. I am nowhere close to being a writer, but I know what was missing from this book. Though I liked the main characters, the author didn't make me really care about them. In The Haveli, when Shabanu could not be with the person she loved, I felt a sadness that lingered even after finishing the book. But I never got wrapped up in Muti's feelings about her tennis instructor, and I only felt a little show more more involved in Jameel's feelings for Chloe. What a shame, because the world these characters live in is so different from mine that living in it for a short time helped me know more about myself. That said, I'm still glad I read it because I liked hearing more of Shabanu's story, even if it wasn't enough of a story to really satisfy. show less

Muntaz a été élevée au Pakistan, dans la riche résidence familiale de son père. Pendant les vacances, les visites de son cousin Jameel, son complice et confident, viennent éclairer sa solitude. Lui vit à San Francisco où il est tombé amoureux d'une jeune skate-boardeuse... Mais leur grand-père qui meurt a souhaité que Jameel et Muntaz se marient...