Customer Reviews

Of Marriageable Age

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A rich, colorful explosion of Indian culture spanning from Madras to Demerara, this novel is so vividly told and so skillfully woven that you'll find yourself visualizing the story as you go along, in full color with surround sound, smells and all.

Three children, two countries, three stories, three different decades - separate, yet cohesively bonded into one epic saga.

Nataraj (Nat), plucked from an orphanage in India by a white doctor, is given the chance to receive a good education, and quickly discovers within himself the power of healing.

Sarojini (Saroj) lives a comfortable life in British Guiana, until she encounters racism and hatred, and repeatedly defies her ethnically blinkered father, having recognized inner beauty in other people despite external appearances.

Savitri is a cook's daughter from Madras, the central character of the book, who despite her strict Indian family, manages to tie herself to the white family who employs her father, leading to a heart-rending sequence of unfortunate events.

Flitting like a butterfly between the three stories, the author explores deep, dark issues of humanity, but these are not permitted to consume the story, as they are beautifully counterbalanced by love and respect, by breathtakingly descriptive passages and exotic settings.

It's a period piece, a geography lesson, a mystery, a tragedy, a drama, a soap opera, but most of all a love story, not only for the central characters, but for the author to pay tribute to two countries that have made their mark in her heart.

If you like sweet, sappy love stories, or rich Indian culture and tradition, or even if you just liked the movie "Monsoon Wedding", this book is highly recommended for you.

Amanda Richards December 12, 2004

When speaking of the book Of Marriageable Age by Sharon Maas it is difficult not to use such words as tapestry, intricate and woven. Each thread of the story seems to be woven in such a way as to create an intricate tapestry which presents a delicate picture of the lives of the characters in this book. It is true that author Sharon Maas believes that there exists a grand scheme to our lives and that if we are sensitive to, in her words "the magnetism" we will indeed benefit. This belief is aptly demonstrated in the book.

The setting for the book is on three continents, India in Asia, Guyana in South America and Britain in Europe and the time span is from the 1920's through the 1960's. The main characters are tied to each other in intricate and mysterious ways. The older generation who grew up in India, are David, an English boy and Savitri, daughter of his servants and the younger generation, Saroj a young girl of Indian descent growing up in Guyana and Nat, an Indian orphan. For those of us who came of age in the 1960's in the United States it is interesting to see that people of other countries and cultures were dealing with similar issues at that time. For Saroj, a young woman from Guyana and Nat, a young man from Indian the issues of rebellion and independence from the older generation were part of their struggle for maturity.

Saroj grows to adulthood nurturing a hatred for her father who she feels is all things evil and who wants to control her and subjugate her. When she is a young teenager he arranges a marriage for her, which she desperately fights against. Her dream is to become educated in England and to achieve that dream she feels she must wage a successful battle against her father.

I would encourage readers to follow Saroj, Savitri, David and Nat in their journey through life to see what composite picture is finally revealed as their lives interweave.

Being Asian, a lawyer and in an arranged marriage myself , I could certainly identify with the conflicts the characters faced: arranged marriages, search for a potential partner by ones parents, conflict of whether or not to defy ones parents in their insistence on having an arranged marriage, trying to understand their arbitary prejudices they held against different castes and creeds. All of these issues are dealt with in the amazing book. Towards the end, you try to figure out how things will be resolved, you rack your brain for possible solutions in order for the characters to be together. It was a sad, emotional, funny, enlightening book to read. Sharon Maas has captured so much in this novel, you root the characters on and are gripped right until the last page. Brilliant - read it.

Of Marriageable Age is a cleverly crafted and intricately woven story dealing with the complexities of arranged marriages.

Sharon Maas has captured a certain innocence in her writing. This story grew inside her and was finally born in an ancient farmhouse where she typed in the depth of winter. Sharon pours the warmth of her very soul into the pages. This story will bathe you in balmy thoughts and entice you into its pages the way the ocean entices you to swim in its depths. She remembers what it feels like to be a child in the comforting safety of a mother's love or how it feels to embrace a moment in time, so thoughtfully, it always clings to your memory.

Her intense power of observation enables her to set up situations, which bring out the characters deepest fears, sublime longings and internal tortures. She creates tension at the end of each chapter, propelling you forward to read the next exciting detail. Each chapter in the first section focuses on one of the three main characters.

This rotation of chapters invites you to follow the lives of Nat, Saroj and Savitri who in the first section are like streams of water moving towards a river. The second and third sections are more like a waterfall in which moments of enlightenment flow through you suddenly, as you realize how these three characters' lives intertwine. Each life is richly textured with cultural details as they move from the innocence of childhood into an adult awareness. The character development is outstanding. As the story grows and changes, hope grows within you that the characters will find the happiness they deserve.

The Blue Morpho butterfly on the cover seems to represent Saroj, who must struggle through countless battles of thought to finally shed the insulation of her old life so she can embrace her destiny. She at first spins protective silk thoughts around herself, trapping herself so she can grow her wings. She is living in British Guiana, South America, in the 60s. I love her free spirit when she emerges from her cocoon, her imagination, her beloved places.

"...she also went there to escape to the seashore, to get a glimpse of the ocean, to run for miles along the Sea Wall, to wade, barefoot and curly-toed, into the foaming sheet of warm brown water when the tide rolled gently in and licked the beach. The ocean was freedom. Standing at its edge and gazing far out into the horizon, eastwards, she felt a deep, yearning ache that rose out of some unknown kernel within her, that reached out, far far out, to that distant horizon, to the unseen shores that lay beyond, and further, to the endlessness of the sky, to the endlessness of time.

...the tower room was all windows, without shade. Open the glass panes and the wind sailed through, a cleansing, vigorous wind that swept away care and uprooted disquiet. Up here you felt tall, free, strong. Up here, nothing could touch you. It was a refuge from the heat of the day, a sanctuary from the pain of living. An escape...." pg. 47, 48

Saroj tries to control her life and hurriedly rushes down paths as they are presented to her. She fights and wriggles free from her controlling father (an orthodox Hindu lawyer) only to see his true intentions years later. She finds a childhood friend named Trixie who seems to understand her rebellion. Trixie rescues her from the tapestry of a deeply rooted tradition.

The men in this story seem more willing to follow tradition, to accept their fate. Nat is adopted by a doctor working in rural India (Madras State, 1947) and not only has the ability to heal, he later has the ability to water thirsty souls and women are drawn to him. He longs to find a woman who will invite him into her secret life. He realizes women are seeking spiritual unity and that true strength is gentle. Women long for a connection of the soul. He also wants to uncover the mystery of his own life.

Savitri understands silence. She lives from the inside and knows that the man she loves is the other part of her soul. Forbidden fruit is irresistible to her, yet she also has the ability to love unconditionally. She is a servant (cook's daughter) of the Lindsays, an English family living in India. She falls in love with the master's son. Her story starts in Madras, India, in 1921. She and David observe one another from a distance, living separate lives, wanting to find some connection that threatens to dissolve them both into a sea of troubles. While the storms of their lives threaten to tear them apart forever, somehow they manage to find a few moments of absolute bliss.

While Nat and Savitri's stories are essential to the plot, Saroj is definitely the main character who evolves through a process of choices and situations thrust upon her by life. Her exuberance for life is woven into thoughtful prose. You enter her world, one which she is trying to abandon. Her very soul desperately cries out not to be tied down to duty. She wants to make her own choices, especially when it comes to choosing a husband, her lover for life.

Standing at the window of her mind, you will observe the most intimate of thoughts. She will capture your heart. Instead of embracing various moment at times, she dreads her fate, the impending doom. She is dramatic and horrified at the thought of being forced into marriage at a marriageable age. She knows that in life, there is one man who is worthy of her intelligence and beauty. Locked in the prison of her father's discontent, the depths of her passion give her mind buoyancy. She at times flies away on her thoughts.

An impressive masterpiece of delicious thoughts. The prose will drip like mango juice into your thirsty soul. It will touch your life in a way no other story ever has.

Exquisitely Meditative. A vivid exotic mystery to unravel in
the labyrinths and gardens of your mind.

~The Rebecca Review

Black Africans, brown East Indians, white Englishmen (and women) -- all come under the scrutiny of writer, Sharon Maas, in her engaging novel, OF MARRIAGEABLE AGE, -- and all are found lacking, that is to say, human. There are no sacred cows here, except, of course, for those contentedly wandering the streets in which this story plays out.

Like most Americans, I knew nothing about the subcontinent of India and the people living there, their history and culture, their daily lives. After reading OF MARRIAGEABLE AGE (and thoroughly enjoying it), I know a little. But, more importantly, I want to know more, lots more, for writer, Maas' has whet my appetite for novels about the Indian world.

OF MARRIAGEABLE AGE is a story that unfolds in two different timelines and on two different continents. Saroj's story is set in what used to be British Guiana (in South America) during the 60's. Like the United States, this country too is rocked by racial tensions and social upheaval. Saroj contends with the demands of school, the distractions of youth (rock music, boys), and a strict, orthodox Hindu father. Half a world away in India, Nat starts out life in an orphanage, but is soon adopted by a Sahib (an Englishman) doctor. They spend their days ministering to the poor and societal castoffs in a small village. Also in India, Savitri's story unfolds on the Lindsay estate. The daughter of an Indian cook employed by a wealthy English family, she lives out a blissful childhood, falling in love with the Master's son, David. Theirs, of course, is a love that can never be, not in the world of Gandhi's India. For, like the English, the Indians too, have their caste system, and in this novel, many succumb to its appeal, causing them and their families grief, and making for a good read. OF MARRIAGEABLE AGE is engaging and moves along at a good pace, leaving the reader to wonder how these three different threads will be woven together.

Despite the title and the plot point of arranged marriages, this is not strictly a women's novel about sexual equality. It is, rather, a panoramic novel about human life. Toward the end of the novel, one of the Indian characters shows an 'overseas-born' Indian through the streets of Madras, India, pointing out the awful poverty and squalor as well as the beauty, embodied in the food, the colorful clothes, and the humanity of the people. He says to her something like, "This is India, embrace it!" This is what Sharon Maas' novel, OF MARRIAGEABLE AGE, does. It says to the reader, "this is life. It's horrible, it's beautiful. Embrace it, love it, live it!"

This is an exquisitely written and superlative, multi-generational novel, delicately woven with gossamer threads of human experience. It is a story of human frailties, passions, and cultural traditions. It is a spellbinding tale of several people who become unforgettable to the reader. It is an epic saga of individuals who are connected across time in a way none of them could have foreseen. A wellspring of cultural differences bear upon their futures and send them along paths none of them could have envisioned. It is, above all, a story of forbidden love that would impact on others for generations to come.

This is the story of Savitri, a native of India, a Brahmin beauty, a healer, who fell in love with David, the son of the wealthy English family for whom she and her parents worked. Her love for David would remain constant, despite those in her own family who would seek to destroy it.

This is the story of David, the English boy who grew up in British colonial India and never forgot his childhood sweetheart, despite the cultural and racial roadblocks placed in his path by those who did not have the gift to look into the soul of another.

This is the story of Nat, the boy who straddled two cultures, Indian and English, whose mysterious ancestry threatened to prevent him from being united with the woman who held the key to his heart and soul.

This is the story of Saroj, a Guyanese beauty of Indian descent, who wanted to leave the old ways, the ways of mysterious south east Asia, the ways of India, and embrace those of the west, only to find that her soul mate was one in whom both cultures had made peace.

This is, above all else, a spellbinding story of love and passion that runs so deep that time would sustain it forever. Underlying this story are the threads of a mystery that are subtly woven into its fabric. This novel is a panoramic and sweeping saga that will cause the reader to be swept away by its depth, its richness of language, and its vividly drawn characters, and descriptive detail. The author, a very gifted writer and talented storyteller, has written a novel that will keep the reader riveted to its pages until the very last.

It is some time since I read this book but the emotions are still with me. The book provides an insite into earlier life in India. It focussed on the lives of a number of people from differing races and portrays the hardship and brutality they endure because they love outside their race.

There are amazing twists and turns but reality is this is probably one of the best books I've ever read. I simply couldn't put it down. Family can triumph. Read it and enjoy.

"Of Marriageable Age" is a fine, exquisitely written novel, one with unique locales, fully defined characters & an engaging plot. Another reviewer on this site refers to it as a mystery, but in my estimation, the only mystery involved is why this book isn't available from a U.S. publisher!

Ms. Maas opens her book with 4 year old Nat in late 40's Madras. The next chapter also focuses on a small child, a young girl in British Guiana (Belize). Then it's back to Madras, only in 1921 with another young girl. At first, all that seems to tie the 3 protagonists together is that they are all Indian, living in Hindu communities. These communities & the individuals that comprise them are so indelibly delineated by the author that the reader feels no confusion between the storylines, instead being drawn further into each life before abruptly switching to another.

Over the course of 500+ pages & 30+ years, the reader discovers how the 3 protagonists are linked, intimately. I'll admit I cheated by reading the end part-way through, but it is to Ms. Maas' credit that I still was interested enough to continue with the book.

This novel may be too literate & well-written for the Danielle Steel/Jackie Collins public, but it certainly deserves a chance in the U.S.! C'mon, someone, pick it up!

This is a very enjoyable novel with memorable characters. Set in India, England, and Guyana, the story centers around an orphan and his adopted father, the mystically endowed daughter of a cook, an Indian family in Guyana and an English family in India at the end of the British reign.

The characters all have a bit of India mythology associated with them. Each has something magical or mysterious. Each takes on a different guise or identity from time to time, like the multiple personalities of the Hindu gods and goddesses. On top of all this lies a very well-told tale of love lost and found, with some nice surprises right up to the end.

My only criticism of the book is that from time to time in the book, Hindi words are used that most people may not be readily familiar with. While some of the words are common ones, others could have been replaced by the English equivalent with no loss to the atmosphere they provide. There is a glossary in the back of the book, however, so this is a minor issue.

I give it five stars because I am going to re-read it right away!

As lush and as breathtaking as the bougainvillea, the hibiscus, and the vibrant oleanders that enrich the landscape of Madras, India, Sharon Maas weaves a mesmerizing tale of custom, culture, love, and human resiliency in the pages of her novel, OF MARRIAGEABLE AGE.

And these accolades come from a guy who wouldn't know a 'sari' from Saran wrap--who before now couldn't even find British Guiana on a world map the size of my brother-in-law's ego. And not only that, the story involves--shuddering--romance, a sure-fire factor to guarantee a premature toss into my ever-growing 'yawn bin.' Yet the author's fluid, engrossing, compelling, tragic, poignant story of three remarkable characters spread across the world--in three different places and times--easily overcame my chest-thumping machismo and allowed me to enjoy, to savor, Maas' seductive tale.

Nataraj. Savitri. Sarojini. Three unforgettable characters, three lives involved in a cataclysmic clash of cultures--of the ancient, and the modern: three lives as intertwined and interdependent as the notes on a piece of music. Maas directs and orchestrates their lives with an engaging talent that draws the reader in, makes him or her care--and care deeply--what happens next. The author draws from an abundant well of both personal observation and painstaking research to breathe life into vivid people from three continents--and her work resounds with ringing credibility.

This is good stuff.

OF MARRIAGEABLE AGE is an absorbing read, and highly recommended. The ending is a bit sappy, but what the heck, Maas' characters are due a few hard-earned breaks. And said ending might stick to the roof of my mouth, but it still tastes awfully good.
--D. Mikels