Product Description

By the author of The Mistress of Spices

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #205705 in Books
• Published on: 1997-02-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 307 pages

Synopsis
A collection of 11 stories, each one complete in itself, which chronicle the hopes and fears of Indian-born women living in America.

From the Publisher
By the author of The Mistress of Spices

From the Back Cover
The possibility of change, of starting anew, in this stunningly beautiful and poignant collection of short stories, is at once terrifying and filled with promise. For those Indian-born women living new lives in America, independence is a mixed blessing. It means walking the tightrope between old treasured beliefs and surprising newfound desires, and understanding the emotions which that conflict brings. Together these stories create a tapestry of existence as colourful, as delicate and as enduring as the finest silk sari.

Customer Reviews

whine whine whine
Boring. Predictable. Boring.

This may be new material for Americans, but the British audience has investigated the themes in these stories a million times over. Totally dull. The only feeling I have is sorrow for the author who seems completely disillusioned with "Indians living in America" and "Indian marriage".

If you want a beautiful set of short stories, please read "A River Sutra". There was only one story in this collection which wasn't totally painful, but it wasn't worth buying the book for.

Feelings of thousands conveyed ...
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni manages to convey the feelings of thousands of Indian women who have faced similiar situations in this collection of short stories. All the women face the daunting task of leaving behind their family and friends and starting their lives with their husbands in a land they have only seen in the movies. It illustrates the struggles and passions of the women as they try to merge their cultural upbringing into the western world. Each of the stories will leave you wanting more. My favourite of the old grandma who comes to join her son and his wife, and finds they are not the same people they were in India but are totally submerged into the American life-style. All who read this novel will be fascinated by the dept of feeling and emotions Chitra has portrayed in each of the characters of the book. I look forward to reading may more of her novels.

Very beautiful
I have just finished reading this book and highly recommend it. Each story will have you fixed and yes I have stayed up till late to finish reading some of the chapters. On the down side some stories leave you to reach your own conclusion and a couple are quite sad, however it's a must read.