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book_concierge's review
4.0
Devi can't stand the pressure (to marry and as a result of losing her job in Silicon Valley), so she commits suicide - but is saved by her meddling mother and forced to live with her parents as she "recoveres." She refuses to speak but begins cooking - nonstop - new twists on traditional fare (blueberry curry chicken or Cajun prawn biryani). When a stranger appears her secrets begin to come out. And the entire family's "tradition" of miscommunication further complicates things.
I enjoyed this story and would like to read more of Malladi's work.
I enjoyed this story and would like to read more of Malladi's work.
sapphicbookdragon's review
5.0
The characters felt real and raw to me - complicated, flawed but strong, too. Devi found a way to cope with trauma and depression through her cooking. It was the outlet she needed at the time to get through everything before she got to the point where she was able to talk about it and cope in healthier ways.
The voluntarily mute protagonist reminds me of Marsden's So Much To Tell You, a tale about a traumatized teenager with a burnt, scarred face who stopped speaking to anyone for over a year.
The voluntarily mute protagonist reminds me of Marsden's So Much To Tell You, a tale about a traumatized teenager with a burnt, scarred face who stopped speaking to anyone for over a year.
book_nut's review
3.0
Would have been better if there were more about food. I liked Devi's story, though.
tejaswininaik's review
2.0
Read my review of the book here.
http://loadstoread.wordpress.com/2014/06/19/serving-crazy-with-curry-by-amulya-malladi/
http://loadstoread.wordpress.com/2014/06/19/serving-crazy-with-curry-by-amulya-malladi/
emrobreads's review
3.0
While this was an easy read and I found the book interesting and especially loved the recipes sprinkled throughout, on the whole, I felt it was kind of a downer and some of the plot elements didn't completely feel like they meshed in properly, but were rather just thrown in to make things interesting, if that makes any sense.
time_to_read_23's review
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: Abortion
literaryfeline's review
4.0
Devi lost her job, was having an affair with a married man, and had a miscarriage and wanted to end her life. Feeling like she had failed at life, she was ready to die, only she could not even do that right. Her mother comes to her rescue and soon Devi finds herself living with her parents and visiting grandmother with her family all around her offering their support and yet struggling through their own emotions and personal issues. Devi, refusing to speak, turns to cooking to soothe her pain, finding comfort and peace in the kitchen.
Ms. Malladi provides a look into the hearts and minds of each of her characters, allowing readers to better understand them and their motives. As I read, I wished each of the characters could share openly with each other all that they felt and thought in order to clear up the misunderstandings and heal some of the hurt they had caused each other over the years. How much like real life! A book about love and family, this is a story involving complex characters and is written with much depth.
Ms. Malladi provides a look into the hearts and minds of each of her characters, allowing readers to better understand them and their motives. As I read, I wished each of the characters could share openly with each other all that they felt and thought in order to clear up the misunderstandings and heal some of the hurt they had caused each other over the years. How much like real life! A book about love and family, this is a story involving complex characters and is written with much depth.
em_beddedinbooks's review
4.0
A semi psychological delve into why relationships fail and how we can rebuild those. This is the story of 3 generations of women, each who has failed to find or sustain the love of her life. A grandmother who divorced her abusive husband and got blamed for his suicide to boot, but who later found love with another man. Her daughter who is the typical affluent house wife, and no one seems to care about her and her emotions as she has almost become a 'door mat' - her two daughters, who are intelligent, the eldest one abrasive and over achieving tied up in a loveless arranged marriage and the younger one, who is lacking self confidence and tries to find happiness with a myriad of men. The story starts with the attempted suicide of the younger sister. I love stories which deal with inner strifes and psychology of people, because that is what we dont get to see in real life. This book was sort of an eye opener to how relations can spoil despite any major reason. I particularly loved the fact that it included lots of cooking and recipes, according to the mood of the protagonist (the suicidal younger sister)
mrz_owenz's review
3.0
The moments in this book range from funny to heart-wrenching to tantalizing (in the foodie sense). The story of a messed up Indian-American family is believable even in it's "she couldn't have!" moments. And the glimpses of the recipes made my mouth water.