Scan barcode
book_concierge's review against another edition
4.0
In her debut collection of short stories, Divakaruni explores the ways in which women raised with traditional values try to balance the realities of a new existence in America.
I love short stories and there are some really great ones in this collection. Most deal with the push/pull a woman experiences when she feels honor bound to long-held traditional beliefs, yet tempted to break free in a new country with very different rules. The women in these stories struggle to find their place, sometimes suffering great loss while breaking free from the restraints of centuries of tradition. They range from college students living with relatives, to young brides, to single professional women, to long-married middle-aged wives and mothers.
The women may be different from one another, and very different from me, but I was able to connect to each and every one of them. We share the struggle between living up to others’ expectations and following our own dreams.
I love short stories and there are some really great ones in this collection. Most deal with the push/pull a woman experiences when she feels honor bound to long-held traditional beliefs, yet tempted to break free in a new country with very different rules. The women in these stories struggle to find their place, sometimes suffering great loss while breaking free from the restraints of centuries of tradition. They range from college students living with relatives, to young brides, to single professional women, to long-married middle-aged wives and mothers.
The women may be different from one another, and very different from me, but I was able to connect to each and every one of them. We share the struggle between living up to others’ expectations and following our own dreams.
apollo222's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
hannanx's review against another edition
4.25
Beautiful and heartbreaking. Made me cry on multiple occasions. Shows the contradiction between you as a woman and you as an Indian. Shows the dichotomy between women raised in India and Indian women raised in he West. Shows the beauty of the US/UK as well as the really ugly side. Real, raw and heart wrenching. I would have rated this higher but I'm not a fan of the short story format.
bookandcorner's review
3.0
One of the towering female writers of India, Divakaruni's texts have always proved their merit in determining the ultimate question of female emancipation from the regulating forces of patriarchy by providing a narrative space for the feminist voices to flourish. This book is a collection of eleven short stories where the female protagonists coming from diverse strata of the society embarks on the journey of self-exploration as they begin to see themselves as an independent, evolving entities.
Arranged Marriage as a custom is prevalent in India which brings two strangers together and unites them in a sacred bond. It comes with a pre-conceived notion of men being superior to women and women are supposed to confine themselves within the realms of domesticity. Chitra B. Divakaruni looks at this tradition from a modern perspective where she talks about the struggles of an arranged marriage and not just limit her exploration to the Indian subcontinent but move overseas. The Bengali-American hybrid aspect in the stories highlights the situations in which women find themselves trapped within futile relationships even when they feel they are liberated from all chains by moving abroad.
For someone who is well acquainted with this tradition, I think I was able to relate to the stories on multiple levels. A Perfect Life was one of my favorites as I felt the deep connection with Meera, the protagonist. This story appealed to me because I was able to strike a chord with Meera and understand her agony. In spite of it appearing to be an emotional ride, the book plummeted down for me soon after the first five stories. During the latter part of the book, I felt a bit disconnected with the characters mixed within an overstretched plotline. Doors was one such story which left me in a fix and failed to convey the intentions with which it was written. But I am sure it's a very subjective interpolation as it's the beauty of the articulation which adds multiple layers to the theme.
Arranged Marriage as a custom is prevalent in India which brings two strangers together and unites them in a sacred bond. It comes with a pre-conceived notion of men being superior to women and women are supposed to confine themselves within the realms of domesticity. Chitra B. Divakaruni looks at this tradition from a modern perspective where she talks about the struggles of an arranged marriage and not just limit her exploration to the Indian subcontinent but move overseas. The Bengali-American hybrid aspect in the stories highlights the situations in which women find themselves trapped within futile relationships even when they feel they are liberated from all chains by moving abroad.
For someone who is well acquainted with this tradition, I think I was able to relate to the stories on multiple levels. A Perfect Life was one of my favorites as I felt the deep connection with Meera, the protagonist. This story appealed to me because I was able to strike a chord with Meera and understand her agony. In spite of it appearing to be an emotional ride, the book plummeted down for me soon after the first five stories. During the latter part of the book, I felt a bit disconnected with the characters mixed within an overstretched plotline. Doors was one such story which left me in a fix and failed to convey the intentions with which it was written. But I am sure it's a very subjective interpolation as it's the beauty of the articulation which adds multiple layers to the theme.
adria_reads's review against another edition
4.0
Another book where I got three stories in before realizing it was a collection of short stories
salicat's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of my favorite short story collections. The prose was like poetry- colorful, vivid- and the pacing and plot were superb. The only problem I could really see is that one might leave this book thinking that Indian men in general really suck. Some good guys in there would have been nice.
bunnie225's review against another edition
3.0
These stories are different from the normal sob stories of Indians living abroad. Nice to read something a little different.
adotp's review against another edition
4.0
Most of these stories were really, really good. Most covered everything from the concept of home, love, country, diaspora, leaving-people-behind, masculinity, 'good wife', sexism, with a very healthy dose of childhood/dreams.
What I didn't like, though, was how the author was adamant on having a 'sad'ish ending. This was very clear in the story 'The Affair' for example. I also didn't like how eventually every story followed a similar trajectory.
Overall, however, it hit all the right buttons. There were enough to get you hooked, but not enough to get you bored.
What I didn't like, though, was how the author was adamant on having a 'sad'ish ending. This was very clear in the story 'The Affair' for example. I also didn't like how eventually every story followed a similar trajectory.
Overall, however, it hit all the right buttons. There were enough to get you hooked, but not enough to get you bored.
lshatilla's review against another edition
Favourite stories: clothes, the word love, the bats