Customer Reviews

The Rice Mother

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I bought this in a lot of 3 used books, all dealing with female characters of South Asian descent. The other two are more fluffy chick-lit and the ones I bought the lot for--but when I picked up this novel and browsed through it, it immediately sucked me into its world and kept me there.

The central character is Lakshmi, and we see the wondrous and often frightening world of Malaysia in the first half of the 20th century largely through her eyes and experiences. She marries and raises six children, fighting fiercely for them and facing terrible struggles and tragedies. She is a fascinating character telling her story forthrightly. At times I loved her and at times I wanted to reach into the book and shake her, but she and her world were 100% real to me as I read the book.

But she isn't the only narrator, and this is where the book became really fascinating to me. Her husband, sons and daughters and eventually grandchild and great-grand child (as well as a few secondary characters) tell portions of the story through their eyes, adding perspective to the overall narrative and enlightening the reader on portions of the story that the other characters didn't directly observe. Each of the characters had a very distinctive voice and the shifts in tone and narration added dimensions to the story. Although the first half of the book is stronger with Lakshmi front and center, and loses some focus and steam once her grand daughter and great-grand daughter move to the forefront, events and themes ultimately come to a satisfying conclusion.

While the story can be at times quite harrowing and sad, it made for a great read and kept me completely engrossed in its world as I read. I look forward to other books by this author.

Although I didn't read this as part of a reading group, the additional reading group materials in the back, including an interview with the author and discussion questions, enhanced my personal reading of the book and are worth a look as well.

If you remember fondly the generational sagas of 1970s and 1980s women's fiction (early Barbara Taylor Bradford, Belva Plain, etc) in which stories that start with one female character ultimately play out and resolve through her descendants, and like reading books set in lesser-known settings (I think this is the first book I've ever read set in Malaysia), check this out!

This book is the most addictive read i've encountered for a while. The reason it is spellbinding is Manicka's accurate potrayal of life in Malaya during the second world war. The details of a Ceylonese family's life in these times are surprisingly accurate. It makes me wonder how my own family lived through these times. Her description of the family members and details of family life is colourful and rings true. She writes of food like she has cooked them all.The disadvantages are that at times her writing style is stifling with repetitions and mixed metaphors. Also, I feel there isn't enough closure on each character. They are all so vividly developed at the beginning, then they all mysteriously get old and die or dissapear. Also what is with Nisha, how can anyone voluntarily remain amnesic for more then a decade- not knowing anything about her mother or her family?

This book took me on an extraordinary journey through the minds and hearts of several characters. The author's writing was so descriptive and imaginitive that I could feel the characters' pain and feel it deeply. As I was reading the novel, and even now after just finishing, I feel deeply connected to the characters, and I loved hearing "their story." As the voice of the story changes to different family members, we get to see things from different perspectives, and hear new apects of the situation. Through every story prevades a love so heartbreaking it can't possibly be returned.

There is much sadness in this book, yet I wouldn't say it was a sad book. It reflects the realities of happiness and tragedy within a family.

I bought this book randomly and was pleasantly suprised. I wanted the book to never end! I'm truly looking forward to Rani Manicka's second novel.

I bought this book when I was in Mallorca on my vacation, and I must say this was one of the best purchases in my life. This book is about one family's faith through the generations. How the choices in your life can affect the outcome of not just your destiny but even your loved ones.
While reading this book you become an unseen family member of the characters, you share their happiness, pain, disappointment and so on.
The book is extraordinarily well written with sophisticated vocabulary and leaves no one untouched.
I don't want to reveal too much of the story, you just need to read the Rice mother to be able to understand what a great book this is!
I strongly recommend it.

A member of my Book Club suggested this for our next book, so I figured I'd give it a try. Within the first few pages I was engrossed and hated to put my book down! I loved how the author used different "voices" for each chapter, enabling the reader to get different perspectives on events that happened to this family. I found myself having wishes and dreams for the characters as if they were my own children. I enjoyed this book so much I'm planning on reading it again before my book club meets. Also recommend: The Kite Runner

When I read this book, it was the second of this authors, i enjoyed her other book, touching earth, but the Rice mother, i found it so awestriking that i had to write a review to let ot'hers know how i felt about it, and thats a first. The rice mother i found was a deeply inspired novel, the generational story made it seem like a fable, the spirituality and superstition in the novel gave it an air that lifted it above other books written in this genre. The magic and mysticality of every day life, and the harshness of the same all came out in one book. Amazing, she should be proud of this book. I didn't know what to do with the book once i'd finished it, i wanted all my friends to read it, but now im not sure if everyone would get the feeling i got from reading it and im not sure if i they should read it, i dont want them to have any halfling reactions to it.
work well done,
thank you

I was impressed with this book for several reasons. For one, for the amount of characters that we meet, it is surprisingly well organized. There was only a moment or two in which I was a bit lost but the subtle reminders in her writing style quickly brings me back into the main story. She maintained a decent cohesion in the book and the secrets of the story are revealed subtly and through different characters. The other reason I was impressed is that the complexity of the story has a good flow. It's not flawless - there's a bit of disjointedness in the story - but overall the story flows into each section. I thought it was a particularly good idea for the author to write the beginning of the book in one narrative. It establishes a lot of groundwork that, as the book and characters mature, builds on itself. Lastly, the mysticism in the story isn't out of place - she incorporates it skillfully in the story and it only adds to the plot.

Should this author write another novel available in english - I would definitely read it.

The Rice Mother is a lyrical, exotic tale about a powerful matriarch, Lakshmi, who is married off at 14 and goes on to have six children, endure the Japanese ocupation of Malaysia, and guide her offspring through their various encounters with addiction, love, power and heartbreak. Rani Manicka's tale is bursting with exotic sights and smells, food and culture, mysticism and metaphor.

So why only three stars? I know a lot of people loved this book, but I found it painful to read. After an engaging beginning that sucks the reader into caring about these characters, Manicka is just too cruel to them. The violence and horror that this family suffers was too much for me - further, it seemed unnecessary. In my head I envisioned a hundred alternate endings (ie Mohini dashing into the woods, Dimple and her husband communicating), and Manicka's plot just didn't convince me that her tragic path was the right one.

This story is a beautifully written one that takes you through four different generations of a Malay family. It starts around the 1910's or 20's until our modern time. As the story goes you see glimpses of the Malay society in WWII and its effect, you get to know how it looked like in the 70's and even in our most recent history. However, it doesn't overdose you with facts about the society or the culture. It so beautifully and subtly introduces it to the reader. It's really a mesmerizing book. Just make sure to take notice of all the names that you will come across. It could be a bit confusing.

This book was a wonderful read. It kept me very interested and was written in great detail. It reminded me somewhat of the movie "The Joy Luck Club" because it talks about different stories of generations of family. I absolutely loved it. I really recommend this book to anyone.