Most Helpful Customer Reviews
28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
JOIN THE CLUB!, May 25, 2007
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.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Credible portrayal of mother-daughter relationships, with bonus recipes!, October 14, 2007
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!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Couldn't finish it, December 26, 2008
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.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
