Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15185 in Books
• Published on: 2007-07-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

Review
'Half cookbook, half tale of Eastern promise, this is the story of the Hindi-Bindi Club a tale of mum knows best' Company Best Page-turners for Summer 'The age-old intergenerational struggle between mothers and daughters gets a curried twist in Pradhan's debut, in which the subcontinent meets the modern West' Publishers Weekly 'Pradhan imbues the narrative with such honesty and real emotion that the novel is difficult to put down. Highly recommended' Library Journal 'Pradhan's vibrant tale bears witness to the eternal struggle between mothers and daughters Pradhan lovingly has passed along her history, recipes and culture to hungry, grateful readers' BookReporter.com

Romance Reviews Today
'The Hindi-Bindi Club is a small treasure of a book ...Weighty
stuff, but written in a witty, fun way'

NewBooksMag
'Great for a book group ... bring along some dishes made from the
recipes - literary discussion and food, what could be better?'

Customer Reviews

Indian traditions meet the American dream
The Hindi-Bindi Club is an evocative story of three young first-generation Indian-American women who enjoy the freedom of American life but are also bound by their Indian heritage. This is a novel about identity, assimilation, cultural and family values. The author, Monica Pradhan is skillfully blending ancient Indian traditions of pronouncements from horoscopes, arranged marriages and family rituals with the modern American mythology that you make your own life and your own future.

Busy professionals, Kiran, Preity and Rani go home for the holidays to their mothers, whom they lovingly refer to as the Hindi-Bindi Club. The mothers emigrated to the United States decades before and have formed a close bond. They are the keepers of old Indian traditions, rituals and customs. The daughters are exploring both their Indian and American identity. Now, both mothers and daughters are looking forward to a season of good food, laughter, arguments and gossip but they all leave with so much more: reconciliation between generations and also between Indian traditions and the American dream.

Kiran, Preity and Rani, who are childhood friends, break out of old Indian conventions in order to fulfil their ambitions and create the life they envision for themselves. However, when the crunch comes where else would they go for comfort and advice than back to their mothers? These young women live a hyphenated life, being Indian-American, exploring who they really are. They are successful by American standards but are considered a success by their Indian-born mothers? This question forms the core of the story and the resolutions to problems, which emerge in great numbers between the older and the younger generation of women, leave the protagonists and us, the readers with the fuzzy warm feeling of mutual understanding and respect between mothers and daughters.

I enjoyed immersing myself in the rich cultural context of Indian-American life and the warm spirituality of Indian women this debut novel offers. Fantastic recipes spice up the story, making The Hindi-Bindi Club the prefect book for body, mind and spirit. This is a well-written, intelligent, witty and funny, insightful and memorable novel.

Monica Pradhan is a charismatic young writer I will definitely watch in the future. I can hardly wait to read her sequel The Bangle Bazaar to The Hindi-Bindi Club, which is scheduled for release in the summer of 2009.

Have a taste of Indian
Having lived on three continents (so far!), I really enjoy books about different cultures and lifestyles. "The Hindi Bindi Club" is written in a light, fun and accessible style, allowing the reader a front row view of what life is like for emigrants and their first generation children.

Three families, six main story lines. A great book about values, commitment and family ties.

Utterly forgettable
I can't remember the last time I bought a book and found it to be so boring that I was unable to finish it. This tome sadly enters that category and two-thirds of the way through, I abandoned it, and had to scour the bookcase in our rented holiday villa to find a replacement! I am interested in Indian culture and the challenges faced by Asians trying to adapt to Western culture, whilst maintaining their own traditions and values. However, a novel cannot easily maintain interest on that subject alone. The storyline was weak and limped along at a staggeringly slow pace. On a brighter note, the recipes were superb - I have tried two of them out - hence my one star vote.