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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Inspiring book by an inspiring author,
By Rose du desert (Kingdom of Bahrain) - See all my reviews
This review is from: One Hundred Shades of White (Paperback)
I was attracted to this book, partly because of the media hype surrounding the extraordinary means to which the author had to go to get her first novel published; and partly because I welcomed the refreshing concept of a story centred around an Indian family in the UK who were from the south of India in general, and Kerala in particular. The glossy book cover enticed me, decorated with vibrant pictures of iced biscuits and cakes.
Overall, the book was enjoyable and descriptive. One could almost hear the sizzling of mustard seeds and green chillies, and inhale the pungent aromas of lime pickle. Ms Nair's style of writing is of a good standard, albeit inconsistent. It was interesting to read about the same events being visualized alternately by Nalini and her daughter, Maya. There are elements of magical realism in the book, although not always convincing, and nowhere near on the scale of such great magical realists as Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I had hoped to find something different from the standard themes followed by many writers of stories concerning Asians in Britain, assuming that references would be made towards the southern mentality, and its well-educated people. (It is, for instance, a known fact that Kerala is India's only state with a literacy rate of 100%) However, Ms Nair chose rustic villagers for her characters, coming from conditions rarely to be found in 21st century Kerala. The characters are well-developed: Nalini displays moxie, as she struggles in a foreign land with an alien culture and language to adapt to a new lifestyle, after her husband has abandoned her and their children. One can understand why she made the controversial decision to cover up his disappearance with a lie, in order to protect her children's honour and sense of self-worth. One can't help thinking that a glossary would have been helpful. I personally was able to understand the Malayalam terms, and would know the difference between dishes such as aviyal and thoran. However, the lack of a vocabulary list alienates the foreign audience towards whom the book is directed. Many readers would be clueless about some of the expressions used, and would be left to guess at the meaning; thus, they would be unable to appreciate fully certain passages. Nevertheless, it is an easy book to read, and should be recommended to others; I am looking forward to reading some of Ms Nair's other novels.
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
From India to England; via Scotland & Spain! Still India,
By A Customer
This review is from: One Hundred Shades of White (Paperback)
I was recommended this book by Amazon and the title in particualr was what attracted me to it.Basically it's a tale about a family emigrating to England, but things go pear-shaped when the father betrays them and settles in America, leaving a young mother and her two children to fend for themselves in a somewhat hospitable yet hostile London. It particularly focuses on Maya's take on these events and how it shapes her life from her education to relationships until she returns to her roots in her own individual way. I found the way the author set the chapters out; from the perspective of Maya (the duaghter) and then Nalini (the mother) quite an intersting read. But be warned there's a lot mentioned about Indian food (mainly herbs and spices) and sometimes I was just second guessing at the meaning of some vocab. Although this imagery is often appealing, I found it a little tedious how every emotion and event seemed to encompass vivid culinary descriptions! Often its comic, for example descriptions of Maya's step gran. Overall it is a good read for immigrants and natives of any land. It gives some familiar and indepth descriptions of the plights and saving graces faced by such communities and also touches on the values of family, friendship, forgiveness, love and suchlike.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
another nair cracker.....,
By
This review is from: One Hundred Shades of White (Paperback)
Having read gypsy masala which in a way motivated me to follow my dreams and go travelling around australa I've waited with anticipation to read this next book from this talented writer.The book in many ways mirrors the multi angled view of the story approach that gypsy takes, but this time, its more flowing, its more natural, and the style actually now works very well... I can easily identify with maya as some of the things that are talked about will make most 30 somethings feel a bit sentimental and reminiscent..... The book manages to hold your attention throughout...... Can't wait for her next.....
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