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mehak_garg0799's review against another edition
2.75
From keeping new china for special occasions to finding multiple uses for newspapers over just their reading pleasure, the Indian middle class families are explored deeply by the author.
While the beginning was amazing, for me, the book fell flat towards the end, but that could be very well because it is a 14-year-old book (2010 was 14 years ago?!) and that can be seen from the articles
While there were things I agreed with and things I definitely did not, this book was worth a read!
While the beginning was amazing, for me, the book fell flat towards the end, but that could be very well because it is a 14-year-old book (2010 was 14 years ago?!) and that can be seen from the articles
While there were things I agreed with and things I definitely did not, this book was worth a read!
premxs's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
Mother Pious Lady is an enjoyable, and well-observed collection of essays on Middle India that falters due to the inconsistency that most such compilations suffer from. There are several stretches of writing that make for a breezy read, with a decent bit to ponder upon. But there's also several others that simply do not make for interesting reading.
The best essays are those where Desai uses a seemingly innocuous element of Indian middle class lives, such as utensils, the balcony or the omnipresent scooter, to draw a larger picture of these lives. There are several essays, related to socioeconomic issues, that offer surprisingly prescient - considering this was written in 2010 - and thoughtful perspectives.
The ones that don't work as well, are ones where Desai adopts an unnecessarily abstract tone to talk about fairly mundane aspects of middle class life from the 60s and 70s. Nostalgia can have a magical quality to it - but too often, he tries to extract larger meaning where there is none. This is also true for several of the essays on pop culture.
There is also a romanticization of the middle class ethos in parts, which can be bemusing at best, but dangerously reductive at worst. Some class and caste issues are not afforded the nuance they require, instead reverting to a distinctly centrist mindset of "things will work out."
All in all, Mother Pious Lady is definitely worth sinking time into. There's some real standout moments of both recollection and introspection, and none of it gets cloyingly preachy. I suspect, as a 20-something, I'm not quite the target audience for this book (my mom seems to enjoy it more than I do), but this is a breezy read that serves well as a reflection of the Indian Middle's past and present.
Mother Pious Lady is an enjoyable, and well-observed collection of essays on Middle India that falters due to the inconsistency that most such compilations suffer from. There are several stretches of writing that make for a breezy read, with a decent bit to ponder upon. But there's also several others that simply do not make for interesting reading.
The best essays are those where Desai uses a seemingly innocuous element of Indian middle class lives, such as utensils, the balcony or the omnipresent scooter, to draw a larger picture of these lives. There are several essays, related to socioeconomic issues, that offer surprisingly prescient - considering this was written in 2010 - and thoughtful perspectives.
The ones that don't work as well, are ones where Desai adopts an unnecessarily abstract tone to talk about fairly mundane aspects of middle class life from the 60s and 70s. Nostalgia can have a magical quality to it - but too often, he tries to extract larger meaning where there is none. This is also true for several of the essays on pop culture.
There is also a romanticization of the middle class ethos in parts, which can be bemusing at best, but dangerously reductive at worst. Some class and caste issues are not afforded the nuance they require, instead reverting to a distinctly centrist mindset of "things will work out."
All in all, Mother Pious Lady is definitely worth sinking time into. There's some real standout moments of both recollection and introspection, and none of it gets cloyingly preachy. I suspect, as a 20-something, I'm not quite the target audience for this book (my mom seems to enjoy it more than I do), but this is a breezy read that serves well as a reflection of the Indian Middle's past and present.
bhavya25's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
There were most things I could relate with, a few I couldn't.
But all the articles did make me think about India and Indians – then, now and tomorrow.
There were most things I could relate with, a few I couldn't.
But all the articles did make me think about India and Indians – then, now and tomorrow.
navyasinha's review
4.0
Desai's essays are exceptional. He has a way of wringing out interesting insights from even the most mundane (think achar, a Bajaj scooter, dhaniya, the nightie you are wearing), and gives a whole new meaning to the way you look at things with his sharp commentary, gentle observations and a very wonderful sense of humour. Equally notable is his unbound affection for the middle class India. I was caught in multiple bouts of nostalgia and loving remembrances, despite having being born a little too late to have actually experienced what Desai misses.
But while each individual essay is a gem, they do not do as well strung together. The newspaper column word-limit works against Desai, and many essays feel just a little shy of drawing their conclusions or coming together perfectly. There are many ideas and themes repeated throughout, that would have been a wonderful signature style for the author when spread over multiple years and columns, but become repetitive in such close proximity. In fact, the reason I am stopping short of giving this a perfect 5-stars is because I keep thinking about the potential of this book, if the author had reworked them into longer, thematic pieces.
Another issue was that this book, through no fault of its own, was published in the year 2010 and records the idiosyncrasies of India up til 2008. Given the changes (ahem) that have happened since, the author's optimistic future has become our good ol' days and several things Have Not Aged Well.
But compared to the sheer joy and brilliance that is Desai's writing, these are merely afterthoughts. Fully recommend this book - this was a Paisa Vasool through and through.
But while each individual essay is a gem, they do not do as well strung together. The newspaper column word-limit works against Desai, and many essays feel just a little shy of drawing their conclusions or coming together perfectly. There are many ideas and themes repeated throughout, that would have been a wonderful signature style for the author when spread over multiple years and columns, but become repetitive in such close proximity. In fact, the reason I am stopping short of giving this a perfect 5-stars is because I keep thinking about the potential of this book, if the author had reworked them into longer, thematic pieces.
Another issue was that this book, through no fault of its own, was published in the year 2010 and records the idiosyncrasies of India up til 2008. Given the changes (ahem) that have happened since, the author's optimistic future has become our good ol' days and several things Have Not Aged Well.
But compared to the sheer joy and brilliance that is Desai's writing, these are merely afterthoughts. Fully recommend this book - this was a Paisa Vasool through and through.
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