Reviews

Selvadurai’s beautiful prose addresses the complexities of sexuality, social class, religion, and women’s rights in colonial Sri Lanka. While slower paced, this story struck a balance between informative and engaging.

monica32's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-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

4.0

heyitsjeym's review against another edition

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5.0

I contemplated for so long what rating should I give this book. It was an excellent read for me. Being a South Indian I could relate a lot with our characters. Even though the story unfolds through the perspective of the two main characters, Annalukshmi and Balendran, the author makes a keen effort to unveil every person's emotions in each scene. The struggle of Balendran to live a life, his father set for him against all his morals and desires really agitated me. His helplessness and lack of confidence to confront his father and his final escape from all those constraints give the reader contentment. Also, the life of Annalukshmi gives me such joy to know after all her contemplations, she decided to be faithful to her own spirit and hold fast to her ideals even when she was unaware of what the future holds for her.
One character who captivated me immensely was Seelan aside from our leads. Despite only receiving a detailed introduction to him towards the end of the book, he drew my attention for his intriguing qualities. On the surface, he appears to be a perfect gentleman, diligently fulfilling all his filial responsibilities while striving to establish financial stability for his family, however, he had a dismissive attitude toward his own culture which somehow makes me happy when Annalukshmi turned down his proposal.
Also, I like the fact how the impressions of main characters of otherschanged gradually when they saw their actual intentions.

jpsiphonophorae's review against another edition

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5.0

Sri Lankan literature is the best kind of literature, bar none.

emilyfrizz's review against another edition

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4.0

This book does quite a lot - and it was really interesting to read a story set in a part of the world that I don't know much about. It layers complex situations - a gay man trying to resolve his feelings with his duty and loyalty to his family, an independent woman who must choose between a life with love and a chance for a career - and creates some quite interesting characters as it does. I really enjoyed the inclusion of modern-thinking characters in a time when modern values were just beginning to emerge. Eye-opening and an important read.

akazzy8's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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