For Matrimonial Purposes [Hardcover]

Kavita Daswani (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 19, 2003

In this sparkling debut, an unconventional heroine defies tradition by making a marriage between the strict customs of India and the wild freedoms of America to find her own happy ending.

Hilarious and heartwarming, For Matrimonial Purposes proves that while the search for love takes many forms, the heartbreak and exhilaration are universal. In a sensual whirl of silk and spices, Kavita Daswani takes us from Bombay to New York and back again-in what is sure to be one of the most welcomed debuts of the summer.

Unmarried at twenty-four-and with no prospects in sight-Anju is a great source of worry to her family. Despite the best efforts of relatives, fortune-tellers, and matchmakers to arrange a marriage, she can't seem to find a husband-or at least one she's willing to marry.

Quickly becoming a spinster by her culture's standards, she is eager to escape the community that views her as a failure. After pleading with her parents for permission, she boards a plane bound for the United States and a dream of a career. And although husband-hunting isn't any easier in New York City, at least she's got company!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Matchmaking Indian-style collides with love "Umrican"-style in Daswani's giddy debut featuring a privileged but rebellious young woman who moves to New York after her family fails to secure a marriage for her by the time she turns an elderly 26. While pursuing a graduate degree and career, Anju embraces the idea of "falling in love," a phrase that doesn't exist in the Indian language-("we say pyar hogaya-love has happened")-but the Prada-loving fashion publicist still finds herself "oddly drawn to the age-old system of arranged marriage" and stubbornly believes "observing the tradition" will elevate her "to the highest ranking on the scale of social conduct." She's also eager to please a mother who won't address her husband by his first name and tells her daughter, "I don't want you to be happy. I want you to be married," after Anju announces her desire for true love. Torn between the freedom of her American life and the responsibility of being a dutiful daughter, Anju travels to Bombay, "the matrimonial melting-pot," where she endures a ceaseless and often hilarious parade of potential suitors, flamboyant family weddings, consultations with assorted astrologers, professional matchmakers and family priests, all in the hopes of achieving marital nirvana. Daswani's effervescent handling of a classic plot is perfect for the hectic summer wedding season. The only flaw in this heady, cardamom-flavored confection is the rushed happy ending, which leaves readers hankering for more details.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-Anju, 26, is the only daughter of an upper-middle-class Indian couple in Bombay. Friends and relations are pairing off in arranged marriages, but her mother and others cannot find anyone with any "chemistry" for her. She talks her parents into letting her move in with an aunt and uncle in New Jersey, so that she can attend graduate school in New York City. Anju remains the dutiful daughter, keeping to herself while the search for a proper husband continues on two continents. Through the years, the search gets ever more desperate. Meanwhile, she finds a fashion-publicist job she loves, and becomes successful. There is much about Indian dating/marriage customs here, including descriptions of lavish celebrations that can last a week. The tone is light, the look at the culture a little offhand, and the story races along. Anju loves her family and wants to please them, but she has a mind of her own. Her narrative includes current fads and names in the news, which are nicely contrasted with life in Bombay. Not until the end do readers know if she finds Mr. Right, and teens will empathize with this anxious protagonist as she waits.
Judy McAloon, Potomac Library, Prince William County, VA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult; First Edition edition (June 19, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399150706
• ISBN-13: 978-0399150708
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,202,599 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Unrealistic, ubelivable and pathetic! SKIP IT, July 25, 2005

By 

Prachi Patel (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: For Matrimonial Purposes (Hardcover)

Two of my favorite types of literature are Indian and Chick-lit so when I read the back cover of this book I was ecstatic. I had a lot of expectations when I started reading "For Matrimonial Purposes," but after reading it..to say I was disappointed is an understatement! Kavita Daswani's book hailed as 'Bridget Jones meets Bollywood' is the story of single-gal Anju's search for true love.

The writer's biggest failure was when creating the main character. Personally she annoyed me tremendously. On one hand she was too wannabe-Sex and the City..dropping designer names every now and then. And on the other hand she has acts as an obidient Indian daughter willing to get married to any Tom, Dick or Harry her parents choose for her. This to me was not believable at all. I understand Ms. Daswani's approach to make her identifiable to people Indian and not, but I did not buy it...any of it. She made claims of being independent and self-sufficient when the whole time she was hopelessly dependent on a man to complete her and give meaning to her existence. She claimed to be looking for true love when she didn't mind being tied to any random man willing to take her.

I love Sex and the City and Bridget Jones, they are about accepting who you are and loving yourself. They say that being 30-something and single is totally okay. But For Matrimonial Purposes is saying that if you are reaching 30..please run, hurry up..quickly look for a man who will have you or else it would be shameful to be alone. On the other hand I understand the need to make your parents proud and be considerate of their dreams and desires for you. But Ms. Daswani fails miserably to create the right balance.

Another thing that I did not fall for her is how Anju goes from not having a degree in PR to becoming a VP of a company who does PR for high fashion of all things. Here again Ms. Daswani tries to create a Sex and the City-type character with a glamorous PR life...but she could have gone for a more believable career. The book also ends badly, the romance seems rushed and Ms. Daswani is trying to hard to end it in a fairy tale-type ending instead of a realistic one.

The book is WAY TOO FAR away from reality to be enjoyable. I hated the book.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Eh...So what's the point?, October 2, 2003

By 

katdlr "katdlr & family" (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: For Matrimonial Purposes (Hardcover)

I'm an avid reader of almost any type of fiction (a really wide range, believe me). Lately, I've been into fiction revolving Indian/South Asian culture. Alas, this book takes the subject of arranged marriage and sort of mangles it. The protagonist is considered an "old maid" for still not being married at the age of 33. But this entire story is all about her search for "the one" to marry (as arranged by her parents, relatives, whatnot). She even moves to New York not because she wants to better herself, she moves there to a) try to find a husband; and b) escapes people's criticisms of her. She find a great new life there, but no, she's still whining about not having a husband.

The book goes back and forth into time but it's all about the same thing. "Why can't I find a husband?" Well you know why? Because the protagonist is a whiny, self-pitying, spoiled lady! I recommend you borrow this book! Don't buy it!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not what it's cracked up to be, August 14, 2003

By A Customer

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This review is from: For Matrimonial Purposes (Hardcover)

To sum it up, this book is another example of a lost opportunity to realize the potential of an interesting theme, namely the juxtaposition of two cultures and its effect on one individual. The writing is simplistic and cliche-ridden, and the number of references to pop culture will give the book the shelf life of a BenLo movie. Superficial and manufactured, this one will take little time to read and even less time to forget.