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emeraldgarnet's review against another edition
2.0
I enjoyed the parts of the book that were set in India more than the parts that were set in the United States. The prose was not as inspiring as I would have hoped.
sidharthvardhan's review against another edition
3.0
“Just when he thinks she will have the energy to run forever, to escape his sight, she pauses. Turning back, breathing hard, her hand on her hip, making sure he is there.”
Jhumpa Lahiri’s Lowland read like one of her short stories enlarged to a novel and thus a story so very completely told. Most impressive of her feats is that she could manage to express emotions, the inside of humans through simple outside gestures; the one I quoted is just an example.
There are a lot of details – which at times does annoy you, but more often than not, these details are brought to proper use, establishing a proper tone. It is through them that author is able to make you see the point of view of all the major characters. You are able to enter the skin of each of them.
The author also uses these tiniest details to show story’s movement in time. You could actually see the kids growing in time, people developing notions and everything.
Lowland is definitely not a political novel. You must not raise your hopes on mention of communism in first few chapters. Lowland is a story of an average middle class family, and its characters do not influence politics than members of such a family would. Politics do influence the family but only as much as it would influence one of its average victims
Similarly, do not, at any point, start building up an image in your mind as to how the story shall go – your imagination is going to be probably be inspired by some movie and you shall be disappointed. There are no surprises, there are no shocks (except for death but that is in keeping with reality).
At no point, Lowland’s characters become heroes and heroines of a movie. They are almost always mere mortals, struck with their lives. The story goes on smooth like a river with few sharp turns, explicable in hindsight –which may make it boring to those who are used to drama.
For some reason, the author refused to use quotes, although that doesn’t affect reading experience; but the problem is that there is so much of silence especially in the middle. I understand that it was a dysfunctional family and everything but there is no way people can go on living wit out talking, without having any internal jokes or sharing laughter –even they don’t share love. The reason for my argument is simple – people need someone to talk, especially Gauri who had no one to talk outside either.
Also I believe with everything happening, Subhash seems to be too-out-of-world a person to not show his frustration more often. Similarly, I find it difficult to absorb that a mother can stay away from her daughter for decades – refusing to even check on her – these are though minor doubts in what is otherwise a great read.
Jhumpa Lahiri’s Lowland read like one of her short stories enlarged to a novel and thus a story so very completely told. Most impressive of her feats is that she could manage to express emotions, the inside of humans through simple outside gestures; the one I quoted is just an example.
There are a lot of details – which at times does annoy you, but more often than not, these details are brought to proper use, establishing a proper tone. It is through them that author is able to make you see the point of view of all the major characters. You are able to enter the skin of each of them.
The author also uses these tiniest details to show story’s movement in time. You could actually see the kids growing in time, people developing notions and everything.
Lowland is definitely not a political novel. You must not raise your hopes on mention of communism in first few chapters. Lowland is a story of an average middle class family, and its characters do not influence politics than members of such a family would. Politics do influence the family but only as much as it would influence one of its average victims
Similarly, do not, at any point, start building up an image in your mind as to how the story shall go – your imagination is going to be probably be inspired by some movie and you shall be disappointed. There are no surprises, there are no shocks (except for death but that is in keeping with reality).
At no point, Lowland’s characters become heroes and heroines of a movie. They are almost always mere mortals, struck with their lives. The story goes on smooth like a river with few sharp turns, explicable in hindsight –which may make it boring to those who are used to drama.
For some reason, the author refused to use quotes, although that doesn’t affect reading experience; but the problem is that there is so much of silence especially in the middle. I understand that it was a dysfunctional family and everything but there is no way people can go on living wit out talking, without having any internal jokes or sharing laughter –even they don’t share love. The reason for my argument is simple – people need someone to talk, especially Gauri who had no one to talk outside either.
Also I believe with everything happening, Subhash seems to be too-out-of-world a person to not show his frustration more often. Similarly, I find it difficult to absorb that a mother can stay away from her daughter for decades – refusing to even check on her – these are though minor doubts in what is otherwise a great read.
michelleleao10's review against another edition
3.0
This was really disappointing to me. I finished it because I felt obligated to rather than because I wanted to. The cadence of the story was a struggle, I would start to invest in a character and it would flip to another viewpoint which really made me lose interest in all of them.
swrrlgrrl's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Police brutality, Abandonment, Grief, and Violence
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
honeyarrnbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
chapita4's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to like this book, it had some great moments but it was just so dry and impersonal.
ally_bur's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
I love anything Jhumpa Lahiri writes! This booked gripped me just like The Namesake. Complex family saga that takes place over decades in India and the United States. I learned about a part of India’s history that I had never heard of previously following Indian independence. The end fell off for me and felt a bit rushed but I still loved it!
valandthegianttbr's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
the beginning of this book was pretty slow, but it really picked up at the 60% mark & i was glad to have seen it through
i always appreciate a multigenerational/immigrant family saga, so the later portions exploring the characters’ lives & how they strained against, conformed to, or incorporated american norms. it was especially interesting to see certain characters challenge gender roles & traditional family structures, something that would’ve been far less possible had they still been in india
the time jumps & various POVs were effective in really creating a rich & reflective character study. the structure also made it really cool to connect past moments to future events, demonstrating a really beautiful & often tragic butterfly effect. while it was cool to uncover their backstories & motivations in this way, i do wish the characters had felt more layered & there was more growth over the years
i also wish this book had spent more time in india. i was previously not aware of the naxilite movement & i appreciated learning more about class rebellion/communism in india, but i wish a little more time was spent on this — especially because it was a main dividing factor between subhash & udayan
overall this book was a slow burn that touched on some complex themes including immigration, familial roles, & secrets. the narrative structure was really impactful in showcasing a family’s development across time & countries. i just wish it went deeper into the characters/political backdrop & had a more steady pace in first half!
i always appreciate a multigenerational/immigrant family saga, so the later portions exploring the characters’ lives & how they strained against, conformed to, or incorporated american norms. it was especially interesting to see certain characters challenge gender roles & traditional family structures, something that would’ve been far less possible had they still been in india
the time jumps & various POVs were effective in really creating a rich & reflective character study. the structure also made it really cool to connect past moments to future events, demonstrating a really beautiful & often tragic butterfly effect. while it was cool to uncover their backstories & motivations in this way, i do wish the characters had felt more layered & there was more growth over the years
i also wish this book had spent more time in india. i was previously not aware of the naxilite movement & i appreciated learning more about class rebellion/communism in india, but i wish a little more time was spent on this — especially because it was a main dividing factor between subhash & udayan
overall this book was a slow burn that touched on some complex themes including immigration, familial roles, & secrets. the narrative structure was really impactful in showcasing a family’s development across time & countries. i just wish it went deeper into the characters/political backdrop & had a more steady pace in first half!
bizy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75