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sbhatnag's review against another edition
2.0
I HATE leaving books unfinished, but life is too short and this one was bringing me down - way down. The Indian stories were pretty good, and I was hopeful. But, the "upper east side"/American stories were AWFUL. Ms. Jhabvala should have stuck with what she knows best - being desi. So, this one returns to my bookshelf - and I will likely not pick it up again...
bent's review against another edition
3.0
I'm giving this a three, although at times I thought it was more of a two, and now I'm not sure if it shouldn't be a four. These are very dense, complicated stories, dealing with human relationships and human needs, and the sacrifices we are willing to make to get what we need. The book is divided into two parts - East and Upper East. The East stories are all set in India and involve mostly Indians, and the Upper East are set mostly in New York and involve mostly Americans or European immigrants, although there is an English protagonist in a story in the first part, and an Indian major character in the story in the second.
The East stories I found held my interest but I didn't become emotionally invested. The Upper East stories I found fascinating - "The Temptress", "Two Muses" and frustrating - "Summer by the Sea", "Great Expectations". There is a constant exchange in these stories - people giving money or shelter in exchange for companionship, people devoting themselves to others with little more return then that they are needed. Most marriages are broken, most women are raising children with nominal assistance from their exes. There are recurring themes of people marrying above themselves or below themselves, marrying people of a higher or lower class, usually ending disastrously. People making compromises with themselves in order to accommodate companions - aunts, spouses, children, partner's children. No relationships are easy or happen in a vacuum.
It's not an easy book and I often found myself frustrated with the characters, but there is a lot going on and in the end, I felt that I was better off for having read it.
The East stories I found held my interest but I didn't become emotionally invested. The Upper East stories I found fascinating - "The Temptress", "Two Muses" and frustrating - "Summer by the Sea", "Great Expectations". There is a constant exchange in these stories - people giving money or shelter in exchange for companionship, people devoting themselves to others with little more return then that they are needed. Most marriages are broken, most women are raising children with nominal assistance from their exes. There are recurring themes of people marrying above themselves or below themselves, marrying people of a higher or lower class, usually ending disastrously. People making compromises with themselves in order to accommodate companions - aunts, spouses, children, partner's children. No relationships are easy or happen in a vacuum.
It's not an easy book and I often found myself frustrated with the characters, but there is a lot going on and in the end, I felt that I was better off for having read it.
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