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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Inspiring book by an inspiring author, 22 Sep 2005
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.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
From India to England; via Scotland & Spain! Still India, 21 Jun 2005
By A Customer
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.
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a truly remarkable book, 25 Feb 2003
what an amazing story. the characters, colours, spices and the depth of feeling are incredible. The skill of the author draws the reader into the cleverly woven plot through the eyes of the main characters. This is a book to be consumed in one sitting, no way can the reader dip in and out- once started it is impossible to stop until the last page. On reaching the last page the reader will feel a sense a loss and wonder how they can follow this book.
Ms Nair has an exceptional insight into human nature and the shades of truth which we all toy with.
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