Overview

Both deliciously funny and deeply insightful, THE PERFECT GENTLEMAN is a beguiling multi-layered memoir that has touched the hearts of readers all over the world and has received a truly astonishing list of endorsements from all quarters across the political, religious, ethnic and cultural spectrums. (Some say spectra, but spectrums is also valid.) At the age of one (and-a-half, nearly), Imran Ahmad moved from Pakistan to London, growing up torn between his Islamic identity and his desire to embrace the West. Join Imran on his struggle against corruption and injustice, his eternal quest to be the quintessential English gentleman (The Saint), his yearning for the coolest car (Jaguar XJ-S), his desire for the perfect girlfriend (preferably brunette, but any kind considered).  Can he maintain a James Bond persona without the vodka, cigarettes and women – even whilst his parents are trying to arrange his marriage?  Will he really burn in Hell for all eternity if he follows the wrong religion?  If you pray to God to help you pass an exam, do you still have to study for it?  What are the correct protocols to follow on your wedding night? Imran's unimagined journey makes thoughtful, compelling, and downright delightful reading. With a unique style and unflinching honesty, THE PERFECT GENTLEMAN addresses serious issues in an extraordinarily light way, and will leave readers both thinking deeply and laughing out loud. Originally published in the UK and Australia as Unimagined; picked up by Hachette for US publication as The Perfect Gentleman (in American English, with additional material and an extended ending); now re-translated back into British English as a global edition with even more material, a new Afterword by the author and, most helpfully, some notes to explain matters peculiarly British (especially for American readers).  This edition precedes the upcoming sequel, The Imperfect Gentleman, and the sequel’s sequel, The Gentle Man.

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9781789556759

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Reviews

Selected in 'Best Books of the Year' lists of: Guardian Independent Sydney Morning Herald Belfast Telegraph Best non-fiction read of the year- dovegreyreader Number 1 Bestseller at Byron Bay Writers' Festival Paperback of the week - The Guardian Shortlisted for the YoungMinds Book Award 'Yes, you can laugh while having your consciousness raised; this Pakistani immigrant's memoir of aspiring to be the ideal Englishman proves it.' O, The Oprah Magazine (No 1 in '10 Titles to Pick Up Now') 'Imran Ahmad's light touch and sense of humanity displayed so skilfully in The Perfect Gentleman ensures that his words have a deeper meaning and a wider application ... If you read nothing else this year, discover this book.' New York Journal of Books 'A feminist and a peacemaker ... impatient for the sequel.' Maclean's magazine, Canada 'Hurrah for a memoir that isn't miserable! Hurray for Imran Ahmad's terrific sense of humour ... an entertaining, moving and thoroughly thought-provoking tale of our times.' Daily Mail 'Wonderfully evocative and strangely touching.' The Sunday Times ' ... a compelling quest for belonging ...' The Guardian '... successful in striking that balance, by presenting a thought-provoking debate even as it makes you laugh out loud.' The Hindu 'What a very strange book. There's more to it than meets the eye ... this Trojan horse of a book.' The Book Magazine '... beautifully written, funny and endearing, and in its own quiet way, important.' Sue Townsend - author of 'Adrian Mole' books '... irresistible - a charming, laugh-out-loud-funny memoir of a Muslim Pakistani boy growing up in the western world. Full of surprises, hard to put down.' John Berendt - author of 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil' '... deserves all the praise it's had ... very clearly and vividly written ... funny and perceptive ... very clever to have presented a character so original and unusual, and yet so warmly human and recognisable.' Philip Pullman - author of 'His Dark Materials' trilogy

Selected in `Best Books of the Year' lists of: Guardian Independent Sydney Morning Herald Belfast Telegraph Best non-fiction read of the year- dovegreyreader Number 1 Bestseller at Byron Bay Writers' Festival Paperback of the week - The Guardian Shortlisted for the YoungMinds Book Award `Yes, you can laugh while having your consciousness raised; this Pakistani immigrant's memoir of aspiring to be the ideal Englishman proves it.' O, The Oprah Magazine (No 1 in `10 Titles to Pick Up Now') `Imran Ahmad's light touch and sense of humanity displayed so skilfully in The Perfect Gentleman ensures that his words have a deeper meaning and a wider application ... If you read nothing else this year, discover this book.' New York Journal of Books `A feminist and a peacemaker ... impatient for the sequel.' Maclean's magazine, Canada `Hurrah for a memoir that isn't miserable! Hurray for Imran Ahmad's terrific sense of humour ... an entertaining, moving and thoroughly thought-provoking tale of our times.' Daily Mail `Wonderfully evocative and strangely touching.' The Sunday Times ` ... a compelling quest for belonging ...' The Guardian `... successful in striking that balance, by presenting a thought-provoking debate even as it makes you laugh out loud.' The Hindu `What a very strange book. There's more to it than meets the eye ... this Trojan horse of a book.' The Book Magazine `... beautifully written, funny and endearing, and in its own quiet way, important.' Sue Townsend - author of `Adrian Mole' books `... irresistible - a charming, laugh-out-loud-funny memoir of a Muslim Pakistani boy growing up in the western world. Full of surprises, hard to put down.' John Berendt - author of `Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil' `... deserves all the praise it's had ... very clearly and vividly written ... funny and perceptive ... very clever to have presented a character so original and unusual, and yet so warmly human and recognisable.' Philip Pullman - author of `His Dark Materials' trilogy

Author Information

Imran Ahmad was born in Pakistan, grew up in London, and went to university in Scotland - before bumbling through a corporate career which has taken him all over the world. His career has been mainly in finance and information technology, which he knows little about (but apparently this isn't a problem in management consulting). His website is: www.unimagined.co.uk

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