beaucoupmitch 's review for:

Gadis Kretek by Ratih Kumala

4.0

mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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As someone who watched the series before reading the book, allow me to point out the difference made between the two, which I thought was pretty significant. Firstly, unlike in the series, Arum didn't play that much role in the book. I don't understand why the series made Lebas and Arum as the main characters, because I thought it made more sense that the three brothers were the main characters. Secondly, book Dasiyah is more youthful and innocence than series Dasiyah, maybe because they picked Dian Sastro, even though her assertiveness and intelligence were successfully transferred to the screen. Lastly, the book didn't mention about women not being allowed into the sauce room. In contrary, Dasiyah was more respectable in the book and the company was fully in her and her father's control. And her father gave her full credits for the success of Kretek Gadis and Kretek Merdeka.

As an overall review, I highly recommend this book if you're keen to learn Indonesian history in the moments before and early independence era through our most beloved and most hated culture: smoking. The research done for this book must be beyond measure. Both the book and the series are impressive to me. This book was able to portray cigarettes as Indonesia's economy, political tools, and cultural heritage.