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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
A brutally honest portrayal of rural Indian society, the effects of colonialism, and the lives of village folk who endure endless tragedies. It examines the life of a woman in a patriarchal society and her relationships with her husband, children, and various other women and men in her life. Rukmini, the narrator, reflects on her life filled with tragedy, loss, poverty, and love through immersive and palpable language.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My love goes to both the characters of Ruku and Nathan. A book of hope for sure. This was written with a beautiful use of language by centre focusing the colonial south Asian culture. “ A work without hope draws nectar in sieve “. The perfect illusionary nature of happiness and how difficult it is to capture it is nicely delivered.
I can see why this novel is largely assigned to High Schoolers. The text focuses heavily on surmounting and enduring struggle, while glossing over what readers can only assume are happier times. This speedy 200 pages covers at least 20 years of a family's rotation from excess to starvation and birth to death, but the adult reader can remain largely unengaged as the story seems void of details that rouse empathy. The speed, emphasis on poverty and simplistic writing style makes the novel better for younger audience or those looking for a quick read with a tone of warmth.
Simply and beautifully written. A simultaneously heartbreaking and uplifting novel.
Story about hope, challenges, life's ups and downs. Hopeful? Takes place in India. Timeless.
I had to read this book for school, and it's most likely my least favorite book that I've ever read, which is weird because this book was honestly forgettable. The writing style and choice of words made me feel like I was reading a romance novel and the predictability was almost too much for me to take.
Even when pertaining to her response to grief and tragedy, the main character didn't even deal with it. The entirety of the book was one unfortunate event after another, and although there were some insightful lines (not even pages or chapters), the whole of the book was a ridiculous waste of time.
This is going back on my bookshelf, and it's never coming off again.
Even when pertaining to her response to grief and tragedy, the main character didn't even deal with it. The entirety of the book was one unfortunate event after another, and although there were some insightful lines (not even pages or chapters), the whole of the book was a ridiculous waste of time.
This is going back on my bookshelf, and it's never coming off again.
oh so good :’) from the start we learn about the death of the main character’s husband Nathan and along the way you learn about their journey together, from the beginning to the very last seconds and on. it’s a wonderfully written story with such beautiful language and one of the best school reads i’ve ever had. at some points however, the story is a bit slow and repetitive because there is few changes to Rukmani and Nathan’s life at the time but overall an enjoyable read. There is a lot of imagery and symbolism throughout the book making it a great contender for a school read. I most likely will not be reading this novel again, due to my lack of interest in the setting but the characters are well developed and I do not regret picking up this book for school :)
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
TW: I would like to warn anyone before they read this book that there are mentions of starvation. The book was very sad, but worth the emotional journey. The plot showed a very different way of living and I was quite moved by the ending. I removed some stars from it's rating because the beginning and middle was slow. I also felt like there was a little too much suffering detailed. I understand that Rukmani's life was difficult, but it made me want to put down the book when it when in-depth on starvation.