Customer Reviews

Darjeeling: A Novel

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Bharti Kirchner, a locally-based writer in my hometown of Seattle, has written several novels where food and culture go hand in hand. I first was introduced to Ms. Kirchner and her writing at a multicultural literary exposition. She read a passage from "Pastries," another novel where food is an important part of the relationship between people and also a metaphor for their interactions.

I happened to spot "Darjeeling" on the book shelf at the library and was intrigued by the tea business in India and how it connects and divides a prosperous family involved in the cultivation of tea and the upkeep of the land from which it is produced. The patriarch, Mr. Gupta, has two daughters. The eldest daughter, Aloka, is beautiful, vivacious and seemingly has all of the breaks. The younger daughter, Sujata, is plainer, less social and the black sheep of the family. A twist of fate divides the two sisters when a young man, Pranab, comes between them. The arrogant and hard-headed young man wants to overthrow the power weilded by their father over the numerous workers he presides over. Pranab feels Mr. Gupta is exploiting them and not adequetly taking care of their basic living needs (healthcare, fair wage, etc). While Pranab is in love with Sujata and charmed by her brilliant mind, he is expected to be married to Aloka, the older, more well-respected daughter. Still, he embarks on a love affair with Sujata during their engagement. This is a scandal that divides and alienates the women from each other as Aloka agrees to go along with the marriage in spite of Pranab's poor character.

At first it was hard for me to grow accustomed to Kirchner's systematic writing style. At times, I felt I was reading an instruction manual. (Kirchner was a computer engineer for many years, prior to becoming a writer.) The second half of the book grew on me as I, as the reader, observed a transformation in both women who must rise above the patriarchical and misogynistic culture they have been raised in. Aloka was raised as the "good Hindu wife." This meant she wasn't to question her husband regarding any of his extra-marital affairs or his coldness. Sujata also undergoes a tremendous transformation and gains great self worth through great adversity and self discovery through life's hardships.

Wonderful and powerful book. Even if you had never been to Darjeeling, or to India, for that matter, it gives you an unexplained sensation of melancholy, as if the place belonged to your ancestry. It even made me run for the Internet to know more about Darjeeling and the tea business. A real lesson in geography and tea-tasting!

Apart from the obvious mastery of the language in descriptions, the story is an ode to self-growth and sufficiency, both for men and women. As in reality, love is not a bed of roses. Instead, real love is the ability to love oneself first, then the other. This can be seen when Aloka simulates being Parveen; she fell in love with her first, then discovered that she loved Jahar just as well.

It is a book I greatly recommend for all those who enjoy an intricate story without the classical happy ending.

Fast paced, good descriptions of scenery, tea business, manhattan immigrant life and food, food..food. I like Kirschner's writing more for food descriptions than anything else and this is no exception. In general the storyline is more like a hindi movie - two women for one man and a benevolent 'thakur ma' and an angry dad and so on. But credit should be given to the author for portraying women - particularly immigrant women's dilemmas with clarity and respect. The ending also speaks for the same thing, both women doing what they believe in and letting the men know and get what they deserve!

This is a thoroughly captivating and insightful book that takes the reader to the beautiful mountain town of Darjeeling and to an intriguing family that owns a tea plantation. There are issues of love, displacement,and self-renewal all told through a lyrical voice. The story and the characters stay with you. This is Kirchner's best work by far.

The author explores the soul of two sisters in this wise and witty novel. Her descriptions alone would have made it. I recommend reading this novel with a good cup of tea.

The book has nothing special to offer. Its a quick and mindless read. I could not identify with the characters at all. The two female protagonists are way too silly and naive, given their respective ages. The male protagonist is unappealing from the beginning. The book left me feeling devoid of any new or fresh perspective. In brief, if your stuck in a coffee house and need to pass time without thinking too much, you can perhaps grab a copy.

First of all, I have to say that I love books about India and Indian culture. Some of my favorites include The Namesake, The Space Between Us, and Serving Crazy with Curry. So I had high hopes for Darjeeling.
I have to say though, it was a disappointing experience. The dialogue in the book was completely unconvincing. It bounced back and forth without any feel of a real conversation. Either the vocabulary came off sounding haughty or the sentiments came out sounding forced. And on top of that, it was supposed to be this sweeping family saga that spanned 10 years and involved betrayal, a family dynasty, and the westernization of two young women. Yet everything that these two sisters had gone through miraculously got resolved in one afternoon while baking together. It was just so unrealistic, over-simplified and totally dissatisfying. If you're looking for an easy, formulaic read, then this might be the book for you. Otherwise, I don't recommend it at all. Try one of the other books that I mentioned earlier in my review!

The best part of this novel for me was its evocation of the locale. It made me want to visit Darjeeling myself. I thought the plot was sort of a soap-opera, but I have to admit I did not foresee the outcome. It was a satisfying conclusion, though. An Indian acquaintance pointed out that the love triangle is a staple of Indian cinema. The writing attempted to be lyrical in its descriptions, and sometimes succeeded. However, the language was too often awkward and a little off. I'm guessing it's because English was not the author's first language, resulting in strange off-kilter usages. I don't know why her editor didn't straighten these out.

It was a good read. Learned a lot about tea. Liked the book but there were a couple of places where it felt that the author either overlooked the culture or didn't do enough research. Here are some inconsistencies that bothered me:

It puzzled me that the Bengali father knew that his eldest daughter's finance was sleeping with his youngest daughter but he stayed calm. Once his mother let's him know that she too is aware of the affair he does react in a more traditional way by hiring thugs to kill the guy.

Also, Grandma Nina keeps referring to the tea plantation as something belonging to her ancestors but it didn't belong to her ancestors; she came into the family as a young bride.

Anyway, overall it is a good read. Enjoy.

i love this book, it has a mixture of both the American/Canadian and Indian culture. Both sisters in this book are very intelligent. They share the same culture as women of India, but they are from different worlds. One sister is adventurous living in Canada, and the other sister is very accomplished living in New York...an amazing book!