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tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
‘Astha was brought up properly, as befits a woman, with large supplements of fear.’
Astha is an obedient middle-class girl growing up in Delhi during the 1970s. Her father wants her educated; her mother wants her to be settled into a safe, arranged marriage. While Astha’s family is not wealthy, they have hopes for the future. While Astha meets some males herself, and has a little more experience that her mother realises, she eventually agrees to an arranged marriage. Hemant seems kind enough.
‘She was a bride, and her grip of Hemant’s hand grew more certain, and the blush on her face more conscious.’
Astha has two children, and a job at a primary school, and for a while seems perfectly happy. She also paints. If the physical nature of her marriage has changed, this is not initially of great concern. Both Astha and Hemant are busy.
‘Life was shaping up nicely, with her mind and heart gainfully employed.’
But then Astha becomes involved in a theatre troupe run by Aijaz, a politically active man. This leads Astha to become more politically and socially aware, and she also begins to see her painting as something more than a genteel hobby.
‘Somewhere along the way Hemant’s attitude to Astha changed.’
As a consequence of growing community unrest, Aijaz and his theatre troupe are burned alive in their van one night. Astha joins the crowds in protest. Some months later she meets Aijaz’s widow Pipee, and they are drawn together. Fondness becomes love, friendship becomes complicated.
‘Why was it, thought Astha wearily, that love always had to be balanced by its opposite?’
Astha’s story unfolds slowly throughout this novel, details of her daily life serve to add depth to her development as a woman, to her frustrations and choices. By the end of the novel, Astha is a complex and complicated character, neither free of convention nor entirely entrapped within it. By trying to put the needs of others first, by being unable to celebrate her own achievements, Astha seems unable to completely take control of her own destiny.
‘She wanted to say yes, I have done it, I have sold my first painting, I have achieved something, let us celebrate, but the number of ‘I’s’ involved ensured that the words refused to leave her mind.’
This novel has stayed with me. Ms Kapur has managed to incorporate the stresses and tensions between the ties of tradition and the possibilities afforded by a more progressive life. The choices are not oversimplified: a progressive western education does not make it easy to move beyond the traditional, nor does visiting America. Life is more than culture, geography and history. Life is full of compromises. A thought provoking novel: well worth reading.
‘A trip abroad would be nice, no matter whom one loved and whom one left behind.’
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Astha is an obedient middle-class girl growing up in Delhi during the 1970s. Her father wants her educated; her mother wants her to be settled into a safe, arranged marriage. While Astha’s family is not wealthy, they have hopes for the future. While Astha meets some males herself, and has a little more experience that her mother realises, she eventually agrees to an arranged marriage. Hemant seems kind enough.
‘She was a bride, and her grip of Hemant’s hand grew more certain, and the blush on her face more conscious.’
Astha has two children, and a job at a primary school, and for a while seems perfectly happy. She also paints. If the physical nature of her marriage has changed, this is not initially of great concern. Both Astha and Hemant are busy.
‘Life was shaping up nicely, with her mind and heart gainfully employed.’
But then Astha becomes involved in a theatre troupe run by Aijaz, a politically active man. This leads Astha to become more politically and socially aware, and she also begins to see her painting as something more than a genteel hobby.
‘Somewhere along the way Hemant’s attitude to Astha changed.’
As a consequence of growing community unrest, Aijaz and his theatre troupe are burned alive in their van one night. Astha joins the crowds in protest. Some months later she meets Aijaz’s widow Pipee, and they are drawn together. Fondness becomes love, friendship becomes complicated.
‘Why was it, thought Astha wearily, that love always had to be balanced by its opposite?’
Astha’s story unfolds slowly throughout this novel, details of her daily life serve to add depth to her development as a woman, to her frustrations and choices. By the end of the novel, Astha is a complex and complicated character, neither free of convention nor entirely entrapped within it. By trying to put the needs of others first, by being unable to celebrate her own achievements, Astha seems unable to completely take control of her own destiny.
‘She wanted to say yes, I have done it, I have sold my first painting, I have achieved something, let us celebrate, but the number of ‘I’s’ involved ensured that the words refused to leave her mind.’
This novel has stayed with me. Ms Kapur has managed to incorporate the stresses and tensions between the ties of tradition and the possibilities afforded by a more progressive life. The choices are not oversimplified: a progressive western education does not make it easy to move beyond the traditional, nor does visiting America. Life is more than culture, geography and history. Life is full of compromises. A thought provoking novel: well worth reading.
‘A trip abroad would be nice, no matter whom one loved and whom one left behind.’
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
jp1's review against another edition
5.0
Loved it! Different to the tv adaptation. But honestly both worth adding to your list!
ashritha_02's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
hyacinth_girl's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book, however, it was a little sad. In 310 pages, you see Astha's life completely fall apart. She falls in love many times, but is disappointed in some way in all of them. The first one was just a crush, the second wasn't parent approved, the third lasted the longest but ultimately ended in unhappiness, and the fourth one wasn't necessarily society approved. Her relationship with Pipee was definitely the one filled with the most love, passion and desire, but because of where they were in each of their lives, it just wasn't going to work. I felt happy for Astha when she began being intimate with Pipee (it was completely unexpected, but she needed it) but knew that it wouldn't last. Someone who is married can't have an affair with someone who is not married, it will never work. I don't want that to sound like I approve of affairs, but in Astha's case, she felt no love in her marriage and divorce is heavily frowned upon. In the end, it was probably for the best that she doesn't fully pursue her intimacy with Pipee because of the life she had already established, but it was a nice release from her everyday, mundane and unhappy life.
byronicreader's review against another edition
3.0
I am just overwhelmed. I never guessed that this book will be poignant and melancholic with the first few chapters. I expected a bit of drama, but I got more than what I signed up for.
A Married Woman is unapologetically sensual and political. I thought it is about a woman exploring her sexuality but it also explores what is to be a woman of "modern India". Set in the backdrops of Babar Masjid Demolition, it also talks about the hypocrisy of Indians and the Indian Household. Kapur's writing is unapologetically desi and I totally enjoyed it. So much love, loss, hope, helplessness, and more love.
Mood: dramatic, melancholic and poignant
A Married Woman is unapologetically sensual and political. I thought it is about a woman exploring her sexuality but it also explores what is to be a woman of "modern India". Set in the backdrops of Babar Masjid Demolition, it also talks about the hypocrisy of Indians and the Indian Household. Kapur's writing is unapologetically desi and I totally enjoyed it. So much love, loss, hope, helplessness, and more love.
Mood: dramatic, melancholic and poignant
rootdroid989's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
I picked up to read the book so as to compare it to the adaptation on the streaming sites.
I am sure that the work was pathbreaking when it was published but the prose has not stood the test of time. The plot is not new but some stories never are, and yet they make you see a different perspective or a fresh composition to the problem. A Married Woman offered neither to me.
I am sure that the work was pathbreaking when it was published but the prose has not stood the test of time. The plot is not new but some stories never are, and yet they make you see a different perspective or a fresh composition to the problem. A Married Woman offered neither to me.
em_beddedinbooks's review against another edition
2.0
It was pretty disappointing. I had expected more from Manju Kapur. Its the story of Astha an ordinary middle class girl who has an 'arranged marriage' and then comes to know life is not a bed of roses. A few stereotypical issues are dealt with, with great bias. I am fed up that there should be lesbian sex in any book which vouches for woman uplifting. Can't women seem hep and forward and in control of their lives, without being lesbians or free-from-the-bond of marriage. I feel Astha has treated her husband and kids far worse than they have treated her. There's quite a lot about the Babri Masjid issue too.
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition
3.0
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich’s famous “Well Behaved Women Seldom Make History” has a point. History tends to ignore or undervalue those who are nameless and do the chores. In other words, let’s took about Socrates but give Xantippe a bad rep because, you know, for nagging about where the grocery money was coming from. Grocery money is so not important. In some ways, this is also true about books. We prefer to read novels with people doing things, discovering things, whacking things, screwing things.
Okay, maybe screwing people and not things, but you take my point.
Kapur’s novel, A Married Woman, is a well-behaved woman novel, a story about stories we don’t usually considering important or even worth reading about. There’s a reason for this. Conflict sells for a variety of reasons, yet we are missing something with conflict all the time.
Kapur’s novel about a married woman does have conflict, though it is a largely internal struggle. Ashta is making her way through life – a desire to be who she is, or to at the very least discover who she is – as well as to follow the traditional roles that are laid out for her. What happens are conflicts between duty and art, the survival of a marriage and the discovery of a new passion. These conflicts are played out with a backdrop of Muslim/Hindu conflict.
The book is quiet. In fact, it is hard at times to feel as if something more major must happen. It isn’t so much that nothing happens, but that what happens is very much real. Strangely, the weakest part of the book is the section that is Ashta’s voice. There is something off about those diary entries.
Okay, maybe screwing people and not things, but you take my point.
Kapur’s novel, A Married Woman, is a well-behaved woman novel, a story about stories we don’t usually considering important or even worth reading about. There’s a reason for this. Conflict sells for a variety of reasons, yet we are missing something with conflict all the time.
Kapur’s novel about a married woman does have conflict, though it is a largely internal struggle. Ashta is making her way through life – a desire to be who she is, or to at the very least discover who she is – as well as to follow the traditional roles that are laid out for her. What happens are conflicts between duty and art, the survival of a marriage and the discovery of a new passion. These conflicts are played out with a backdrop of Muslim/Hindu conflict.
The book is quiet. In fact, it is hard at times to feel as if something more major must happen. It isn’t so much that nothing happens, but that what happens is very much real. Strangely, the weakest part of the book is the section that is Ashta’s voice. There is something off about those diary entries.
htumu's review against another edition
3.0
I really wanted to enjoy this book, but somehow it fell flat. The ending left me underwhelmed. Moreover, Pipee was the most frustrating character I read in a while. She is judgemental and shows extreme lack of sympathy for Astha. The book itself was very slow. Pipee and Astha met at around the 70% mark in the book so their relationship was fairly underdeveloped.
Astha’s and Hemanth’s relationship seemed very authentic and managed to keep me interested in the text. The constant gaslighting and the abuse of power is something I have seen a lot around me growing up. However, Astha didn’t undergo any major character arc throughout this book. Her relationship with Pipee was equally as toxic as her relationship with Hemanth. She was still submissive and tried her hardest to please each and every person in her life despite the toll it took on her.
There was so much telling and barely any showing in this book. The author provided a lot of context around the Hindu-Muslim conflict, however, it all seemed like a massive info-dump. It would have been better to see the subtle discrimination Muslims face every day in India from the lens of an upper middle class Hindu family. The book could have focused more on Astha’s sexuality. It could’ve dealt with performative activism. This book had so much potential and yet it was mediocre at best.
Astha’s and Hemanth’s relationship seemed very authentic and managed to keep me interested in the text. The constant gaslighting and the abuse of power is something I have seen a lot around me growing up. However, Astha didn’t undergo any major character arc throughout this book. Her relationship with Pipee was equally as toxic as her relationship with Hemanth. She was still submissive and tried her hardest to please each and every person in her life despite the toll it took on her.
There was so much telling and barely any showing in this book. The author provided a lot of context around the Hindu-Muslim conflict, however, it all seemed like a massive info-dump. It would have been better to see the subtle discrimination Muslims face every day in India from the lens of an upper middle class Hindu family. The book could have focused more on Astha’s sexuality. It could’ve dealt with performative activism. This book had so much potential and yet it was mediocre at best.
cheshta's review
4.0
Set during 1980-90's India (mainly Delhi ) the story follows Astha through almost 20 years, from high-school, college, to married life. She has lived a life of an average Indian woman- studying till she can, having a couple of love interests during those years and then marrying a total stranger on the recommendation of her parents. Her husband and his family are renowned people, have plenty of money & property and her husband loves her (or makes love to her frequently). Astha thinks she has achieved the pinnacle of happiness. But as her children grow up and the husband grows distant and disrespectful, she realises that she is not satisfied. She has devoted all her life being a good daughter, wife, and now mother but she realises that she is missing something...and this something comes to her in the form of Pipeelika (Sanskrit for 'Ant').
Going into the book, I didn't expect too much, specially from Astha and Pipeelika's relationship and I was proven right. It does a wonderful job of portraying various emotions an average Indian women trapped in a bad marriage goes through, but the relationship between the 2 women was not explored fully and I was not satisfied.
That being said, if you choose to leave that side of the story, it has a lot to offer. Astha grows as a character, from being an extremely submissive wife to being able to voice and stand for her opinions sometimes. A complete reversal would have been highly artificial. I loved how the author made the reader relate to Astha, everyone will find some or the other aspect of themselves being displayed by her. The husband is a typical Indian one with all the bad qualities so its easy to hate him.
There is also a great deal of plot happening in Ayodhya and Babri Masjid demolition event has been used by the author to both, sensitise the reader and move the story. Perhaps this made the book more memorable for me as we just witnessed the building of the Ram Mandir. I shouldn't have been and yet I was surprised by the arguments and counter-arguments given for the building of the Ram Mandir.
Overall, it was a good read, something I usually don't read but will like to in the future. Definitely recommended
Going into the book, I didn't expect too much, specially from Astha and Pipeelika's relationship and I was proven right. It does a wonderful job of portraying various emotions an average Indian women trapped in a bad marriage goes through, but the relationship between the 2 women was not explored fully and I was not satisfied.
That being said, if you choose to leave that side of the story, it has a lot to offer. Astha grows as a character, from being an extremely submissive wife to being able to voice and stand for her opinions sometimes. A complete reversal would have been highly artificial. I loved how the author made the reader relate to Astha, everyone will find some or the other aspect of themselves being displayed by her. The husband is a typical Indian one with all the bad qualities so its easy to hate him.
There is also a great deal of plot happening in Ayodhya and Babri Masjid demolition event has been used by the author to both, sensitise the reader and move the story. Perhaps this made the book more memorable for me as we just witnessed the building of the Ram Mandir. I shouldn't have been and yet I was surprised by the arguments and counter-arguments given for the building of the Ram Mandir.
Overall, it was a good read, something I usually don't read but will like to in the future. Definitely recommended
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