Reviews

Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya

manha10's review against another edition

5.0

I loved this book. I read this for my class and it was great. I loved the exploration of grief, poverty, gender roles and everything in general. I have never read a book set in India and it was time. I’ll be sure to read more from this author!

natalie_mcw's review against another edition

4.0

Read this on kindle on the plane. Beautifully written but sad book. As one of my friends commented, it is good to read and think about / be aware of the difficult circumstances in which many people in the world live and that yet they still find joy. I am grateful for my life. I wish so many people did not have to live as the characters in this book live. But I am happy they still find happiness and fulfillment.

stephen_coulon's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

Kamala Markandaya’s classic semi-autobiographical story of an Indian woman’s increasingly difficult life as a farmer’s wife in the mid twentieth century. It should be an affecting tale in its pathos – there’s plenty of suffering and hardship and punctuating moments of touching humanity. Only I found myself increasingly disconnected as the story wore on. I think at this point in my reading life I may need more from style than Markandaya has on offer. Her plaintive style is certainly readable but there’s no standout moments of sublimity in her technique. I did find it interesting to compare the narrator’s hardships in this book to American pastorals penned by women farmers (such as Cather and Ingalls-Wilder), as so many of the burdens and insights seemed shared by women across continents and centuries.   

madzie's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Death

Moderate: Grief, Child death, and Infidelity

reesetotle's review against another edition

3.0

YES FINALLY!!!!!!!!

maseface's review

emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.5

I don't think this book was for me but it was nice to read a classic by an Indian woman writer. Nectar and a Sieve is an interesting character study of a woman's journey from a young child bride to an old grandmother in India in the last years of British rule.

The book starts with Rukmani being married off at age 12 to an older man. I made many parallels between this book and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, which was the best book I read last year. Both are stories about a poor young woman of color who at a young age is married off to older men they hardly know. Some people might not like that this book doesn't condemn the practice of child marriage but I don't feel like it endorses it either. I think it's just portraying the reality of India at that time.

A big difference between Rukmani and Janie Crawford the protagonist of Their Eyes Were Watching God is that Janie takes a much more active role in her life and makes her own decisions. Rukmani on the other hand accepts what life gives her and doesn't ask for more. Some readers (myself included) might find this somewhat hard to relate to. A protagonist who doesn't want anything more and accepts their low station in life. But Rukmani's complacent attitude contrasted with other people's ambition is a major theme of the book.

A part where this is shown is when Rukmani's sons go on strike demanding better pay she doesn't understand why they would do such a thing. In her mind the tannery that employs them has all the power so what's the point in going against them when you can't win?

Rukmani definitely suffers from something called the Heaven's Reward Fallacy. It's the belief that if you continually suffer and sacrifice without complaint you'll be rewarded with something great. I didn't realize it was so universal. Rukmani suffers all the injustices that befall a poor peasant woman in colonial India yet she doesn't complain. When Kenny the sole white character in the book asks her why she doesn't cry out for help, she counters that people were given their spirit to rise above adversity.

Again I don't think this book was for me. But I'm glad I read it. Rukmani is a very unique protagonist and it was nice to learn about the lives of people who are very different from me.

mayapapaya7's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

i cried many many many tears

candyland's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

ebethinri's review against another edition

4.0

Yet another book from Rob's college class on Indian literature. I am finding that all of these books highlight the people's absence of self-determination during this time in history.

Depressing, yet fascinating to see the different responses to the same historical situation.

the_orange's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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? No

3.5