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A review by ejpass
Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya
3.0
3/5 stars
Recommended for people who like: Grapes of Wrath, stories of struggle, slice-of-life
I'll start off by saying I didn't dislike this book, I just didn't like it either. It kind of sits in that weird middle ground for me where I can admire Markandaya's style of writing and still acknowledge the book didn't really elicit any emotions from me. The plights that Rukmani and her family go through are tough and I suppose I do have sympathy for them, but I like it when it's as if I'm going through what the characters are going through, feeling the same emotions they are, and experiencing the plot with them. While Markandaya's writing is lovely, it just didn't draw me into the story that way and thus there was a sort of emotional detachment as I read.
Markandaya's writing in this book is rich with the scents and scenes of Rukmani's life. You can tell by the way Rukmani describes the things she sees that she really does love the land she lives on and that the arrival of the tanner is a less-than-fortuitous thing for her. Likewise, I again enjoyed the richness of the imagery in the city in the second half of the book, and while I did feel lukewarm toward the plot and characters, I did feel as if I could see, smell, and hear what was being described. Aside from imagery, there are some fantastic quotes in this book about life, poverty, and hunger that I really enjoyed. So many different things happen in this book, both good and bad, and I feel Markandaya had something profound to say about both kinds of moments, the peaceful and the chaotic.
Rukmani was an okay character. Sometimes she took agency of her life and the lives of those around her and sometimes she didn't, as is wont to occur. She definitely experiences a lot in her life, from getting married at age 13, to ending up with seven children, not all of whom live into old age, to having to transplant her entire life as she's getting on in years. I think part of the problem with the emotional detachment I experienced is that I often feel as if Rukmani has an emotional detachment. Markandaya writes of Rukmani crying or experiencing joy, but really the only emotion I felt come through strongly was fear. The world could be peaceful and I could see that peacefulness, but I didn't feel the contentment that would go along with it, and I wonder if part of it is because any contentment Rukmani felt toward peacefulness got lost along the way.
In terms of plot, this book really follows along with Grapes of Wrath in that the plot is the lives of the characters. I will admit that I don't generally do well with these kinds of stories as I tend to prefer plots where something other than life occurs. This book is worlds better than Grapes, though, so even if you didn't like that one, there's somewhat of a chance you'll like this one (unless you're like me and don't like the semi-Romantic-style plot line).
In all, it's a short read that's not bad but not good, though the writing is masterful. It follows the ups and downs of life of Rukmani as she goes from being a child bride to a mother to an adult and has to deal with her world changing not only as she ages, but also as outside influences, such as a European tannery, begin to invade her and her family's lives.
Recommended for people who like: Grapes of Wrath, stories of struggle, slice-of-life
I'll start off by saying I didn't dislike this book, I just didn't like it either. It kind of sits in that weird middle ground for me where I can admire Markandaya's style of writing and still acknowledge the book didn't really elicit any emotions from me. The plights that Rukmani and her family go through are tough and I suppose I do have sympathy for them, but I like it when it's as if I'm going through what the characters are going through, feeling the same emotions they are, and experiencing the plot with them. While Markandaya's writing is lovely, it just didn't draw me into the story that way and thus there was a sort of emotional detachment as I read.
Markandaya's writing in this book is rich with the scents and scenes of Rukmani's life. You can tell by the way Rukmani describes the things she sees that she really does love the land she lives on and that the arrival of the tanner is a less-than-fortuitous thing for her. Likewise, I again enjoyed the richness of the imagery in the city in the second half of the book, and while I did feel lukewarm toward the plot and characters, I did feel as if I could see, smell, and hear what was being described. Aside from imagery, there are some fantastic quotes in this book about life, poverty, and hunger that I really enjoyed. So many different things happen in this book, both good and bad, and I feel Markandaya had something profound to say about both kinds of moments, the peaceful and the chaotic.
Rukmani was an okay character. Sometimes she took agency of her life and the lives of those around her and sometimes she didn't, as is wont to occur. She definitely experiences a lot in her life, from getting married at age 13, to ending up with seven children, not all of whom live into old age, to having to transplant her entire life as she's getting on in years. I think part of the problem with the emotional detachment I experienced is that I often feel as if Rukmani has an emotional detachment. Markandaya writes of Rukmani crying or experiencing joy, but really the only emotion I felt come through strongly was fear. The world could be peaceful and I could see that peacefulness, but I didn't feel the contentment that would go along with it, and I wonder if part of it is because any contentment Rukmani felt toward peacefulness got lost along the way.
In terms of plot, this book really follows along with Grapes of Wrath in that the plot is the lives of the characters. I will admit that I don't generally do well with these kinds of stories as I tend to prefer plots where something other than life occurs. This book is worlds better than Grapes, though, so even if you didn't like that one, there's somewhat of a chance you'll like this one (unless you're like me and don't like the semi-Romantic-style plot line).
In all, it's a short read that's not bad but not good, though the writing is masterful. It follows the ups and downs of life of Rukmani as she goes from being a child bride to a mother to an adult and has to deal with her world changing not only as she ages, but also as outside influences, such as a European tannery, begin to invade her and her family's lives.