Customer Reviews

Imaginary Men

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Anjali Banerjee has created an exciting, vivid almost cinematic story in her novel "Imaginary Men." Lina is a 29 year old Indian woman. She lives in San Francisco, but at the start of the book she is in India for her sisters wedding. Her aunt, who is a matriarch of the family, presses Lina about her own wedding plans. Secretly Lina is still harboring feelings of sadness regarding her short lived engagement to her love Nathu. Sadly, two years prior Nathu passed away.

Lina's aunt is all set to arrange her engagement to an Indian man whose nick-name is Pee-Wee. Not trying to go along with her aunt's plan on the spur of the moment Lina tells her aunt that she is engaged to a jet setting, wealthy man. The news of her engagement spreads through the wedding party like wildfire and for months to come Lina is forced to keep up the charade of the mystery man which she has invented in her head. At the same time she finds herself thinking about Raja, a man who she originally pegged as a sexist chauvinist. Soon he arrives in San Francisco seeking her matchmaking services for his brother.

"Imaginary Man" is a really great book. The story reminded me of Sheila Goss' Essence best-selling book "My Invisible Husband." "Imaginary Man" is funny and the author really makes the character of Lina come alive and the situations were told with such detail the book read like you were watching a movie.

There are some Indian/Hindu words used throughout the books and these words are shown in italics. I thought the words were italicized because there would be a glossary in the back of the book but it seems they were only italicized for emphasis.
At the end of the book is a really great Q&A interview with the author.

San Franciscan professional matchmaker Lina Ray travels to Kolkata, India to attend her younger sister's wedding. At the gala her matchmaking Auntie Kiki tries to arrange a match with Nikhil Ghoge, an Indian version of Pee Wee Herman. Desperate Lina makes up a fiancé living in America. She flees the gala only to run into Raja Prasad. They talk, but she concludes he is old line chauvinistic Indian so she wants nothing to do with him though he gives her a star galaxy granite stone as a reminder of their brief connection.

The next day Niki takes her niece to meet horoscope reader Pandit Parsus who says the fiancé seems unreal and that Niki needs to go to California to see if he is worthy of joining their family. As Lina's lies multiply, Raja hires her to find a spouse for his brother while he makes the case that they are right for another. Lina sees the "silvery threads" that she knows means they are right for each other, but first she must overcome the death over two years ago of her fiancé Nathu and her scorn of her Bengali heritage.

IMAGINARY MEN is a refreshing chick lit tale starring a wonderful second generation American struggling between her India heritage and her San Francisco lifestyle. Lina and her family members provide insight into the Brachmo Samaj Hinduism within the humorous family drama. Learning first hand how a simple fib can gain a goliath life of its own, Lina is a fabulous lead character who anchors IMAGINARY MEN as she compounds her lie in comedic ways. Fans will want sequels from author Anjali Banjerjee.

Harriet Klausner

Let me just start by saying that I am huge fan of chick lit and I am very easily entertained by almost any kind of read. That being said...this book was a colossal disappointment!! I was very encouraged when I read the back cover and really thought the concept was sort of cute and held great potential and it probably would have been a great read if only the story line wasn't so rushed and predictable. I almost felt like the author was in a hurry to be done with the book and it seemed like a half-hearted effort where she didn't spend any time introducing the characters or any sort of interaction between them. Before you got to know a character or a scene, you realized that the writer had already moved on to the next. There are a couple of moderately amusing lines, but not enough to make me get past my not-so-mild irritation with the storyline. Honestly, I wouldn't waste any time on this one.

I really enjoyed this book. It gave a interesting perspective on relationships that are happening between Indian kids that grew up here with the same "westernized" type kids growing up in the East today. It makes us understand that relationships are possible when we learn to compromise. The heroine of the novel ends up finding her "Prince Charming" in the place that she didn't expect. It shows us that we should keep our eyes and heart open to whatever lies in front of us. A twist to the traditional ABCD novel.

I enjoy the occasional indulgence in chick lit and finding quality stuff can sometimes be a challenge. This one attracted me because of my budding interest in Indian culture. While it was a fairly cute novel, it was sheer fluff. Some of it was a fun read but, overall, it was all calories and no nutritional value.

Just like an old saying, "the cobbler's sons have no shoes" successful matchmaker Lina Ray hasn't the time or inclination to make a match for herself--until family pressure forces her to announce her engagement to a man of her own making, in order to avoid a traditional Indian marriage to one of her relative's choices. Now the clock's ticking--and she's got to come up with a real live body before her family arrives. But all the frogs in San Francisco can't possibly measure up to the Prince of her dreams, can they? What's a girl to do?
Banerjee's smooth, fast-paced style combines with witty and humorous characters to provide an immensely enjoyable read. Laced throughout Lina's lively adventures are poignant moments dealing with the importance of family and how cultural differences affect that role. I would recommend this novel to anyone who loves to laugh and soak up a little romance in just the right places. Reading IMAGINARY MEN is a delightful way to spend an afternoon...

Imaginary Men centers around Lina Ray, a San Francisco-based matchmaker whose own lovelife has taken a nosedive since the death of her philandering fiance. Her family, concerned about her being alone "at her age," seems to pin their own happiness and contentment on her finding a husband, so, to get them off her back and perhaps make them happy for a moment, Lina makes up a fiance. Naturally, her lie spins out of control, and she spends the rest of the book untangling herself from the mess she's created. Further complicating matters is the bona fide prince Lina meets while in India, who looks like the man of her dreams, but acts like an old-fashioned chauvinist. Then again, maybe it's all a cover for a sensitive guy underneath who really could be "the one."

Banerjee executes a tried-and-true premise beautifully, making it new by weaving in the colors and textures of India and accurately portraying the careful balancing act all of us who are caught between two cultures have to face. The characters are vibrant and the family is a crack-up. It's charming, it's fun, I love it, go read it.

Lina's extended Indian family is wondering when she'll ever get married. Lina herself is wondering when she'll find the right man. In the meantime, she makes her home in San Francisco, working at a match-making company, and using her talents at finding people their Mr. or Mrs. Right.

After a particularly grueling wedding back home in India, her family tries to set her up with a bachelor she has absolutely NO interest in. Much to her horror she finds herself lying to her family and telling them she is engaged to a man named Raja Prasad. The only problem with that is that she does know a man by that name, but he is out of her reach.

But back at home in San Francisco, Raja seeks her out, wanting her to set his brother up with the perfect woman. Lina knows she is in trouble because her Aunt will soon be coming to California to approve of her "Fiance".

How will Lina get out of this mess? Will her secret be discovered?

"Imaginary Men" was a very romantic read. The story line is completely based around love and finding the right man. As a matter of fact, this book would fit comfortably into the romance section of the bookstore. There is plenty of crackling romantic tension throughout that will keep the reader on their toes.

As a personal preference I usually don't like to read romances too much, especially story-book like romances that are too good to be true. However in this case, "Imaginary Men" wasn't too bad. I would have enjoyed it if Lina would have been more interested in her own life without a man, but obviously that wasn't what this book was supposed to be about. The writing was fluid and enjoyable, and Lina as a main character was great: smart and relatable.

Overall I'd recommend this book to readers who enjoy a good romantic, feel-good type story.

Yes it is a quick and easy read, but such a predictible soap opera/Bollywood story with very little development that you can really do without it. This genre is booming and there are some great books out there, I would advocate trying to find another title to buy

I really enjoyed this book. It is a quick read with interesting characters. The author has a simple writing style which I find refreshing. I love Indian authors as I am fascinated with the culture. I am a professional matchmaker, so it was especially interesting to me that the main character is a matchmaker. I have also read her book Invisible Lives and loved it. I recommend checking out this talented and delightful author!