Customer Reviews

The Hindi-Bindi Club

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have to admit to being skeptical about this book: I'm a male Indo-American writer, and I usually don't reach for what could be considered women's fiction. But after seeing Monica Pradhan speak at a local South Asian literary festival, I bought a copy. And couldn't put it down. HBC is a very fast read with just the right balance of drama, humor, culture, and insight, like a spiced-right curry. Much of the characters' journeys is internal, but Pradhan's skill with words and her ability to juggle multiple intertwined storylines kept me engaged. As an added bonus, this was the first book I've read that includes Marathi, the language I grew up speaking. Side note: the recipes are tempting enough to make this total non-cook consider trying them. Good reading and good food. Can't go wrong with that combination.

My favorite writers on the theme of the migrant Indian experience are Jhumpa Lahiri [The Namesake, Interpreter of Maladies] & Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni [Arranged Marriage etc]. The Hindi-Bindi Club was a pleasant surprise by first-time novelist Monica Pradhan. It explores the complexities of relationships between mothers and daughters, specifically Indian mothers and daughters, and the struggle to reconcile the mothers' migrant experiences with their daughters' more liberal outlook, as well as other conflicts within and without.

The stories here are told from multiple points of view - the daughters are represented by Kiran Deshpande, a medical doctor who is also divorced from her American rock star husband and yearns to be a mother, contemplating the unthinkable [an arranged marriage], Preity Chawla Lindstrom, the so-called perfect daughter who seems to have it all yet is haunted by the memories of her first love, and Rani McGuiness Tomashot, an artist who seems lost.

The mothers are Meenal Deshpande, who hopes to reconcile with her daughter whilst coming to grips with her own physical pain, Saroj Chawla who is blessed with divine cooking skills, and puts it to good use in a thriving catering business, yet harbors a dark secret, and finally Uma Basu McGuiness, who suffered the humiliation of being disowned by her father for following her heart.

Though the stories alternate from one voice to another, the narration flows seamlessly, and the end of each part is marked by an authentic Indian recipe that is mouthwateringly delicious [chicken curry, chutneys, desserts, lassi etc].

The subject-matter of human relationships in general and mother-daughter relationships in particular is explored with poignant detail and brought tears to my eyes, as being Indian myself, I saw a lot of my own family dynamics within the story. It is well-written, and so human, and yes, brings to mind works like The Joy Luck Club and Like Water for Chocolate, but is unique in its own right. I highly recommend it!

I really wanted to like this book. Despite giving it a fair shot, I couldn't even force myself to finish it.

Beyond the stories just falling flat for me, there was something that was really irking and annoying me about this book. I finally figured it out about 250 pages into it. The dialogue is stilted and completely unbelievable. It made me feel as if I were reading some high schooler's attempt at writing dialogue or even like a cheesy young adult novel.

The other thing that bothered me was that she really hits you over the head with the history. I appreciate her attempt to educate those readers who may not be familiar with Indian culture and history. However, it felt as if her tone was more like a school teacher than a novelist. There are many others writers, such as Tan, that successfully educate readers who may not be familiar with that particular culture in a more poetic fashion. I know many people will disagree with me on this, especially those that knew nothing of India prior to their reading of this book.

The last thing major criticism I have is the simplistic explanation of things Indian to non-Indian readers. For example, she describes Mumbai as "New York City and Hollwood combined", teen pathi as "The Indian equivalent of poker", and bhangra as "hip Indian music, kinda like Indian disco". I think she is being condescending to insulting the intelligence of her readers by her insistence on finding a Western equivalent of all these things that are distinctly Indian, as if no one would understand it otherwise. It would've been better if she had never included these details at all than to give such trite and one-dimensional descriptions that end up Westernizing these things anyway.

I did enjoy the recipe pages, and thought they were a pretty creative touch.

Overall, I was excited to read this book when I started it. However, the stories were just not riveting enough for me to keep going, and the dialogue significantly contributed to my giving up on Hindi Bindi Club. After about 150 pages, the book began to become a chore to me rather than an enjoyable escape.

This book was great! It gave me a whole new perspective on the South Asian American experience. The characters were incredibly heart felt, but it is Pradhan's attention to detail that makes you want to continue. From the lovingly prepared recipes to the wisecracks between the daughters, I just really related and enjoyed it!

I would like to thank Monica Pradhan for inviting me to an Indian wedding, and into their culture. As a born-and-bred American, I love reading about other cultures and I enjoy reading about women and their relationships. Ms. Pradhan has done a wonderful job combining very interesting stories and teaching others about Indian cultures. I love a book that I can put down when finished and say "that was a good book" but also know that I have become better educated because of it. I checked this book out of the library, but know that I know that Ms. Pradhan is donating proceeds to libraries, I will ask my husband for this book at Christmas.

The Hindi-Bindi Club started off alright, kind of an Indian version of The Joy Luck Club, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I was really expecting more depth to the characters. The stories started off very intriguing, such as Kiran's estrangement with her parents and I thought the stories of the mothers' early years were great, but I would have liked the author to expand more on the characters' present lives. For example, we are told Saroj Auntie is having an affair, but only a page and a half is devoted to that. I wish the author had spent more time developing that, as obviously it's a huge deal, not just a sidenote to be swept under the rug. Furthermore, we only know a little of Kiran's estrangement from her family, which is due to her first marriage which her parents didn't agree with. But why didn't they approve and what happened in the marriage? Obviously the book is trying to connect the lives of 6 women, but along the way, there are too many "rabbit trails" that just jump off somewhere and don't connect. I couldn't understand why Preity couldn't get over her first love, I couldn't connect at all with Rani, and I wanted to know more about Kiran's past. I just felt the author didn't spend enough time developing the daughters at all. Finally, the end of the story, where the focus is on Kiran and John, the story was just too fragmented. I couldn't keep up with whether we were at the Sangeet, the wedding or even India!

I do have to say, the receipes definately looked mouth watering and I want to try them, but the story itself was really lacking.

I am a Bengali who spent 7 years in the US, and now lives in Singapore (with more than a foot back in the old country, India). What I loved about Monica Pradhan's gorgeous novel was its authenticity. She either knows these people intimately (Kiran and Meenal have GOT to be Monica and her mother; Uma and Saroj have got to be modeled on her mother's dear Bengali and Punjabi friend), or she is an absolute master of character-creation and story-telling.
Each of the stories rang deeply true, and the ethnic touches in the narrative were deftly done. Preity's long lost love for a Muslim Indian juxtaposed with her mother Saroj's heart-rending memories of Partition made a potent brew -- ameliorated by the Chawlas' beautiful evening with a young Pakistani family from Lahore, whose warmth decides Saroj on a journey to the city she was forced to abandon as a child.
Kiran's struggles with her father, and the latter's reluctant embrace of his prodigal daughter. The wonderful twist of a white American more expert in Marathi than herself eventually proving to be the suitable boy her parents longed-for without quite expecting it.
And intellectual, artistic Uma Basu -- with more than a hint of reincarnation helping to bring alive the tragic story of her artistic, throttled mother, evidently reborn as the rocket scientist-turned artist grand-daughter, Rani.
And, for those so inclined, there are wonderfully authentic recipes. I recognised all the Bengali ones, and would love to sample Pradhan's variations some day -- apart from the Marathi and Punjabi recipes (including the Lahori Biryani that sounded absolutely luscious), which are sure to vastly enrich any connoisseur's cooking repertoire.

Monica Pradhan must get tired of people comparing her book, The Hindi-Bindi Club, to Amy Tans Joy Luck Club. However, I can't help it! They are both books about old world mothers and first generation daughters struggling to relate. They both are about mothers who are friends (club members) and daughters who are rivals. They both are about tradition and values and compromises. And most of all they both make the reader really, really hungry!



The Hindi-Bindi Club is about Kiran Deshpande, a thirty-two-year-old-doctor-divorced-first-generation- Indian-American, who returns home for the first time in five years to ask her parents to help semi-arrange a marriage for her. In her absence, her mother, Meenal, has undergone a mastectomy and breast cancer treatment. They both are struggling to gain a fresh start with each other while recovering from their past. It is also the story of Kiran's Father Yash and his struggles to forgive Kiran for not being the perfect Indian daughter he wanted.



The second story in this book is about Rani McGuiness Tomashot and her mother Uma, theirs is a story about art, poetry, and superstition vs. traditions and that of clinical depression. While, the third string of this story is about Preity Chawla Lindstrom and her Mother Saroj who struggle with perceived perfection, eating disorders, and fidelity. These stories intertwined with that of Kiran's weave a beautiful tapestry of Hindi language, Hindu traditions, Indian culture, change, friendships, alliances, rivalries, and a mother's love for her daughter. It is powerful in its ability to see through all of these things and for the characters to gain the capacity to forgive.



The Hindi-Bindi Club despite being similar to the Joy Luck Club stands strongly on its own. The e-mails and recipes that are sandwiched between chapters add a wonderful flavor and modern voice to these stories. With sprinklings of Indian history most Americans are not familiar with, it brings new insight into world events. The Hindi-Bindi Club would make a great book club discussion book, and in paperback is a perfect travel read.

I had never heard of Partition. I didn't know much about the Indian culture, especially the history. I learned some good stuff reading this book. And I learned it while falling in love with well-rounded, real characters. I want to meet these women. For a few days, they were my friends and I felt honored to have a glimpse into their struggles, their loves, their lives. The book is well-written. The research is evident. And it was a fun, enriching, thought-provoking ride. Thanks for writing this, Monica!

When I started reading this book, I could not put it down. I thought the characters were very interesting, and richly constructed. I enjoyed it up until the time the "Kiran - John" thing happened, and the book turned into mush in my view. From that point forward it focused on the more canned depiction of Indian culture - festive weddings, loving families/friends where nothing goes wrong, everyone's nice to each other. That was surprising to me because early on the book discussed the complexities of human nature so well - keeping the characters real, showing their depth, their zest for life and their ability to love and nurture and at the same time discuss tough issues such as the quest for female liberty, family bondage, religious conflict etc.,. But then it suddently turned into "My Big Fat Greek Wedding!"

The writing however was great throughout, and overall it's a fun read. This would have been a 5 star but for the last 25% of the story when I think the plot derailed.