Helpful Score: 2
Loved this book. I would read it again, but I have too many books on my TBR list already.
I read this book while traveling in India in 2008 and enjoyed it very much. I have many Indian friends and I believe that this book is a realistic depiction of the process of arranging a marriage and the possibility of disastrous results. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to learn about Indian culture, the politics of arranged marriage, or immigration from India to the US.
Helpful Score: 2
Anne Cherian explores an arranged Indian marriage in this book. It was a page turner for me. Lots of education about Indian culture and tradition were weaved throughout this book. Leila and Suneel evolve from naivety into maturity. Suneel gets a new appreciation for the culture he came from (and rejected.)Leila grows strong through her trials. It's a very good book!
Helpful Score: 1
I just finished reading this book and I have mixed emotions about it.
I really loved the majority of the book. The author writes well, descriptions are very good. I enjoyed the body of the book and couldn't put it down and couldn't wait to read more.
However, I have to say that I was disappointed in the ending. I felt as if the ending was too abrupt and left the reader feeling as if "that's it??". I wish the author would have either taken the story further or would have done something more with the ending.
Other then that it was a good book.
I really loved the majority of the book. The author writes well, descriptions are very good. I enjoyed the body of the book and couldn't put it down and couldn't wait to read more.
However, I have to say that I was disappointed in the ending. I felt as if the ending was too abrupt and left the reader feeling as if "that's it??". I wish the author would have either taken the story further or would have done something more with the ending.
Other then that it was a good book.
I'm not sure why other reviewers called this a romance? Neel, born in India makes his way to the USA for college and ends up a successful anesthesiologist in San Fransico. He is tricked into going back to India because he is told his beloved grandfather is dying. His mother has other plans. A marriage. Arranged marriages are normal in India. Having worked with Indians myself, this story was very parallel to what they told me. Lelia, who only knows Indian tradition is excited she is finally getting a husband, especially one who lives in America. Sadly, he wants nothing to do with her. He marries her out of obligation, but tries everything in his power to make it not work, from hoping she can't get a Visa, to ignoring her completely and continuing his relationship with his blonde bimbo. Neel is not likable. An arrogant prick. This book is about Lelia learning who she is and growing despite her situation.
This wasn't by any means great fiction. The author had the makings of a good plot here but seemed unable to follow through, letting it devolve into a cheesy soap opera-ish tale. It's one thing if the main characters are not particularly likable as the ones in here, it could still be a sharp, absorbing narrative, but the characters here appear poorly written. The heroine is a hard to reconcile odd mixture of self-opinionated spunkiness and spinelessness, who left me more annoyed than intrigued. And the ending , a glaringly contrived happy ending.
Overall not a bad read, just not a great one either. There are better books out there. But I have also read so much worse than this. A nice light entertainment reading. Just don't expect too much, and don't ask too many questions. Good book for a road trip or a beach. Doesn't require any thinking.
This wasn't by any means great fiction. The author had the makings of a good plot here but seemed unable to follow through, letting it devolve into a cheesy soap opera-ish tale. It's one thing if the main characters are not particularly likable as the ones in here, it could still be a sharp, absorbing narrative, but the characters here appear poorly written. The heroine is a hard to reconcile odd mixture of self-opinionated spunkiness and spinelessness, who left me more annoyed than intrigued. And the ending , a glaringly contrived happy ending.
Overall not a bad read, just not a great one either. There are better books out there. But I have also read so much worse than this. A nice light entertainment reading. Just don't expect too much, and don't ask too many questions. Good book for a road trip or a beach. Doesn't require any thinking.
I enjoy reading about India. This book takes what is normal in India and superimposes it on what is normal in America and presents the challenges that transition presents. This could be non-fiction, that's how realistic the story is. Loved it!
I enjoyed this book very much. It seems to be an accurate account of what goes on in the lives of Indians residing in the States and their families back in India who want them married, as well as how love can bloom in an arranged marriage. I liked the cultural details and the humor, as well.
I read the book in a very short time, as I kept returning to it to see "what happens next," and letting the other books I had begun wait (I always have several going at once.) This is a book with a pleasant aftertaste, too--something I appreciate more and more these days.
I read the book in a very short time, as I kept returning to it to see "what happens next," and letting the other books I had begun wait (I always have several going at once.) This is a book with a pleasant aftertaste, too--something I appreciate more and more these days.
This was an involving tale about different cultures and miscommunication. The author developed the characters well and it gave you an incite into the difficult transitions made by immigrant cultures in the US.
I loved this book. What a wonderful first book.
A great read for anyone who loves to read about other cultures.
Well written account of a culture than is unknown to most Americans. The differences in culture and outlook are well presented. It gave me a better understanding of both the Indian culture and the immigrants from that country.
Delightful AND a quick page-turning read! This read to me a bit like chick lit, but with more substance and less frou frou. It gave me some insight and education while also being delighted at the story.
