Scan barcode
lastpaige111's review against another edition
5.0
I loved the main character and her grandmother. Both were so ethical and compassionate--inspirational. Lyrical writing, very evocative. Delightful villains both male and female. I wish there had been more than two choices at the end ...
littletaiko's review against another edition
4.0
This book kept drawing me in with the character development, story line, and setting. Set primarily in India, this is the story of a young, slightly naive woman, Korobi Roy, who is on the brink of marrying the son, Rajat, of a wealthy couple. She has been raised by her grandparents as her mom died early and she never knew who her dad was. Before the wedding, the sudden death of her grandfather raises some questions about how much he knew regarding who the birth father was. Between Korobi's search for her father, financial issues for her fiancee's family, and religious tensions within the country, there is much to absorb and enjoy. Told from four different perspectives it can be a bit hard to adjust to the alternate voices but once you settlle in, it's worth it. It was interesting that as Korobi grew more confident and stronger, Rajat's struggles weaken him a bit. Rajat's mother was probably the most interesting and complex character in the book.
noodlebooknook's review against another edition
5.0
What a beautifully written book.
This book was a wild ride but I absolutely loved it!
This book follows a young girl from India that learns a secret after her grandfathers passing that rocks her whole world and forces her in a journey to America to investigate, while leading a well off fiancé from a well off family to deal with some crazy things himself. It follows her family and his family and what it means to love, what it means to have baggage and what it means to have flaws.
It touches on so many deep themes from the class delegation in India during the early 2000s, the racism of America post 9/11, what ancestry means for you, grief from mourning the death of someone you love and more grief with the death of that person’s memory from learning about their baggage how you can still grieve and love them despite their flaws. It’s about family, it’s about everything.
The prose of this book is beautiful and I really enjoyed each perspective it gave from each character all of which felt so real and so human because of their flaws.
It got a little slow for me in the middle only because I just couldn’t tell where this story was going to end up but in the end it made a lot of sense.
I laughed, I cried, I gasped, and I was furious the full range of emotions I felt during this book was amazing and I cannot believe I haven’t heard about this book, it deserves a lot more hype, I look forward to reading the rest of the authors work in the future!
This book was a wild ride but I absolutely loved it!
This book follows a young girl from India that learns a secret after her grandfathers passing that rocks her whole world and forces her in a journey to America to investigate, while leading a well off fiancé from a well off family to deal with some crazy things himself. It follows her family and his family and what it means to love, what it means to have baggage and what it means to have flaws.
It touches on so many deep themes from the class delegation in India during the early 2000s, the racism of America post 9/11, what ancestry means for you, grief from mourning the death of someone you love and more grief with the death of that person’s memory from learning about their baggage how you can still grieve and love them despite their flaws. It’s about family, it’s about everything.
The prose of this book is beautiful and I really enjoyed each perspective it gave from each character all of which felt so real and so human because of their flaws.
It got a little slow for me in the middle only because I just couldn’t tell where this story was going to end up but in the end it made a lot of sense.
I laughed, I cried, I gasped, and I was furious the full range of emotions I felt during this book was amazing and I cannot believe I haven’t heard about this book, it deserves a lot more hype, I look forward to reading the rest of the authors work in the future!
cdehlert's review against another edition
3.0
Korobi is on the verge of marriage to her fiance when she finds out surprising news about the father she thought had died before she was born. She travels from India to America in search of her father and learns more about herself. This book was okay but I didn't feel a connection with any of the characters and they weren't very well developed.
_askthebookbug's review against another edition
4.0
Oleander Girl.
🌸
I often end up picking books because of their pretty covers and this book was no exception. And as I read along, I knew I made the right choice of choosing it.
🌸
Oleander Girl is the story of a young woman called Korobi who was named after the pretty and wild Oleander flowers by her dear mother. Korobi grows up with her grandparents when her mother dies during childbirth and also when they inform her that her father died in an accident. As the years pass, she grows into a beautiful woman in the household of traditional Bengali family while following all the rules set by her grandparents.
🌸
Rajat who comes from an affluent family falls in love with Korobi at the very first sight and courts her until she says yes to marriage. The grandparents are then thrilled for having received such a rich and classy matrimonial request while Rajat's parents are a little skeptical about their son's choice. When Korobi's grandfather dies of illness, she learns the hard truth that her father was never dead and also learns of her mother's death which was not a childbirth accident.
🌸
A deeply hurt Korobi decides to go in search of her father to America which then puts a strain on her relationship with the future in laws. Rajat's ex, Sonia doesn't ease things either. What follows next is how Korobi longs to see her father in America while Rajat's family face the problem of going bankrupt. Doubts arise if Korobi will ever come back to India after being lured by a man in America. The story takes us on an emotional rollercoaster as it unfurls the truth about her father, about Rajat and then comes a point where she has to choose Rajat or her temptation.
🌸
This book is beautifully written and I couldn't help falling in love all over again with @divakarunichitra's writing. It's so elegant and bold while she talks about strong women and standing up for one's own choice. The characters are moulded perfectly though I did feel that the story was slow in the middle. The ending was something that I'd never have guessed. A beautiful book on both inside as well as the outside.
🌸
I would rate this read 4/5.
🌸
I often end up picking books because of their pretty covers and this book was no exception. And as I read along, I knew I made the right choice of choosing it.
🌸
Oleander Girl is the story of a young woman called Korobi who was named after the pretty and wild Oleander flowers by her dear mother. Korobi grows up with her grandparents when her mother dies during childbirth and also when they inform her that her father died in an accident. As the years pass, she grows into a beautiful woman in the household of traditional Bengali family while following all the rules set by her grandparents.
🌸
Rajat who comes from an affluent family falls in love with Korobi at the very first sight and courts her until she says yes to marriage. The grandparents are then thrilled for having received such a rich and classy matrimonial request while Rajat's parents are a little skeptical about their son's choice. When Korobi's grandfather dies of illness, she learns the hard truth that her father was never dead and also learns of her mother's death which was not a childbirth accident.
🌸
A deeply hurt Korobi decides to go in search of her father to America which then puts a strain on her relationship with the future in laws. Rajat's ex, Sonia doesn't ease things either. What follows next is how Korobi longs to see her father in America while Rajat's family face the problem of going bankrupt. Doubts arise if Korobi will ever come back to India after being lured by a man in America. The story takes us on an emotional rollercoaster as it unfurls the truth about her father, about Rajat and then comes a point where she has to choose Rajat or her temptation.
🌸
This book is beautifully written and I couldn't help falling in love all over again with @divakarunichitra's writing. It's so elegant and bold while she talks about strong women and standing up for one's own choice. The characters are moulded perfectly though I did feel that the story was slow in the middle. The ending was something that I'd never have guessed. A beautiful book on both inside as well as the outside.
🌸
I would rate this read 4/5.
sci_mom's review against another edition
3.0
I received this book as a Goodreads Giveaway (a while ago...somehow it got stuck on a shelf and forgotten). I'm glad I corrected the oversight and would give it 3.5 stars if that was an option. While there are some gaps in the story, especially in rationale/reasoning of characters in critical actions, overall it was very enjoyable. I particularly love the way the author describes settings and culture in India. I cared about the characters, except for Rajat; he annoyed me and I didn't really understand what Korobi saw in him. I would have given it 4-5 stars if some of the motivations of characters were more fleshed out (i.e. Sonia was a weaker plot line where I didn't think the tension developed enough to justify her actions).
leavingsealevel's review against another edition
3.0
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni does "deep and havoc-causing family secret" so well. So well.
san_isa_reader_tooooo's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
nursenell's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book although it was a little slow initially. It is the story of a young Indian woman who was raised by her grandparents after her mother’s death the day of her birth. She is soon to be married but before she can get married she feels she first needs to find her birth father, who is an American living in the U.S. She travels to the U.S. in the search for this man, and in finding him she learns as much about herself as she does about her mother and father.
I kept thinking she would end up changing her mind about marrying the man she is engaged to. I had guessed at a different ending to the story so was pleasantly surprised by how the story ends.
I kept thinking she would end up changing her mind about marrying the man she is engaged to. I had guessed at a different ending to the story so was pleasantly surprised by how the story ends.