28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Another good book from Divakaruni, October 3, 2004
QUEEN OF DREAMS by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
October 3, 2004
I became a fan of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni when I read SISTER OF MY HEART. QUEEN OF DREAMS is the fourth novel by Divakaruni that I've read and it did not disappoint. For those who have read her books, this one resembles VINE OF DESIRE the most, with both taking place in the Bay Area of Northern California, but at the same time has references that lead back to India. Both books relate to the immigrant's life in California, and how their life has changed since leaving their homeland.
But that is where the resemblance stops. In QUEEN OF DREAMS, the focus is on relationships, mostly between a mother, Mrs. Gupta, and her adult daughter Rahki. While VINE OF DESIRE was rooted in the physical world, QUEEN OF DREAMS flows into the world of dreams, as Mrs. Gupta has the ability to decipher them, be it her own or others. She has the ability to help others through their dreams, and this is what drives her. While mother and daughter are close, this is one area that Rahki is not allowed to trespass. She desires her mother's talent, but it was not passed on to her. It leaves Rahki bitter and resentful that she cannot share in this part of her mother's life.
The book follows Rahki's attempts to understand her mother better, and at the same time the reader, and later Rahki, are allowed to see what Mrs. Gupta's dream journal confesses. The journal tells Mrs. Gupta's story, from her days in India to her dreams that foretell her death.
Rahki, in the meantime, is newly divorced and living with her young daughter Jona. She is trying to survive by running a coffeehouse and selling her paintings, hoping to be "discovered" one day. She also has to deal with her ex-husband Sonny, who is in her life almost every day because of their daughter. She has not forgiven Sonny for something that happened during their marriage, and she has never told her family about this incident, which led to their divorce.
I enjoyed QUEEN OF DREAMS as much as I have enjoyed her other novels. I love how she blends in the culture of India, the Old World, with life in California. She does a good job describing what it feels like to be an immigrant in the United States, as well as being the children of immigrants, not quite belonging to the new country and certainly not belonging to the homeland. The segments on dreams were done well enough that Divakaruni had me believing in them.
She also did a good job showing how the characters related and reacted to September 11, which was the climax of the book. It brought back memories for me, showing how those of Middle Eastern descent and Indian descent, living in America, were treated due to the color of their skin, shortly after this horrific event. It again displayed the immigrant experience in America, one of the themes in QUEEN OF DREAMS.
For those who enjoy reading about other cultures living in America, or those who enjoy stories of mothers and daughters, this book is for you. I recommend this book heartily.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The power of the past to shape the future, September 15, 2004
From the domestic to the mystical, Divakaruni has a unique talent for blending the daily lives of Indian-Americans with the myths of a distant homeland.
In a story that examines the relationship of a troubled young mother, in the middle of a divorce, with her own mother, a dream teller, we learn of the indecision and self-doubt that haunts Rakhi. Fascinated by her mother's past, the years spent in India training to counsel clients by reading their dreams, Rakhi is obsessed more with the known than the unknown, convinced that if she can solve the riddle of a distant mother, she will locate her own missing pieces.
When Rakhi's mother dies in an accident, the daughter is left with a failing tea shop, her mother's Dream Journals and unresolved questions about her failed marriage. When even her painting hits a brick wall and inspiration disappears, Rakhi is bereft. But as Rakhi's father translates the dream journals, painful truths are revealed to father and daughter, bringing them closer in grief and understanding. The journals are an unexpected parting gift, an opportunity for Rakhi and her father to reawaken their long-dormant relationship and heal past misunderstandings.
Through the journals, we learn of the despair of an intuitive Indian girl, forced to choose between her talent for dream telling and the love of the man she marries. The seemingly complacent wife, who has helped so many through difficulties, is a multi-layered, complex woman beset by her own inner challenges, searching for peace and contentment, faced with untenable choices. This mother is warm and accessible, her deep conflicts and passions revealed.
While the attacks on 9/11 throw the Indian-American community into the same confusion as other American citizens, they are later attacked because they look like terrorists, outcast in their own neighborhoods.
All of these things create the impetus that forces Rakhi into the necessary changes to get her life back on track. Questioning her most basic assumptions and motives, the true nature of love and the capacity to forgive, Rakhi makes an extraordinary journey, guided by the constant presence of her mother's loving spirit. Steeped in the ramifications of diversity, cultural identity and the importance of family, Divakaruni once more proves herself an inspiring and master storyteller. Luan Gaines/2004.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another 5-star novel, October 27, 2005
I have now read 4 of Ms. Divakaruni's books, and hope she writes another novel soon. She has a tremendous gift to make her images come to life in your head as you are reading. I also felt again that I was being given a privileged tour of a culture different than my own, and could see my own culture through different eyes. So in addition to being entertained, I was being educated. Along with a great story comes a little magic--in that way her work reminds me of Alice Hoffman--the magic seems like a completely natural and believeable part of the world. Read this book, and then read the rest of her work!
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