She tossed and turned, her body an alien creature full of strange, strong impulses beyond her control. Saroja lives in a village with her parents, aunt and beautiful elder sister Lalitha. Saroja s life is uncomplicated, and simple things give her joy like the birth of a calf or a taste of one of Chingleput s sweets. Lalitha, on the other hand, believes she is too good for the village. Ambitious and spoilt, she has dreams of being a movie star that are fulfilled when a film-maker casts her in his documentary on village life. Overnight Lalitha becomes the talk of the town; her latent sexuality manifests itself and she uses her elevated status to her advantage. Basking in Lalitha s reflected glory Saroja tries to imitate her womanly wiles, which results in confused ideas about sexuality and ambition. But when the family is faced with a scandal, Saroja emerges with a practical outlook on life.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of her best,
By A Customer
This review is from: Two Virgins: A Novel (Hardcover)
This coming of age story of two sisters in India is one of Kamala Markandaya's finest works, and my favorite of hers. It is a story of awakening, exploring a time when a child, through events beyond her control, loses her childhood naivete, descriptively termed as her "bubble". An adult book with a timeless story that explores childhood, womanhood, poverty, abortion, prostitution and humanity in a chaotic world.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Gradual maturing of two sisters in village India-Wonderful,
By Uma Subramony (Nashua, New Hampshire) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Two Virgins: A Novel (Hardcover)
In this book "Two Virgins" Kamala Markandaya takes us into the lives of two sisters who gradually bloom and are on the threshhold of physical maturity set in the background of post Independence India. Kamala navigates very deftly into the lives of Saroja and Lalitha and makes her characters breathe so realistically that we will not forget them once we read the book.All readers of feminist novels will enjoy this book and it is one of her finest works.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not "Nectar in a Sieve",
By Jen42 (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Two Virgins: A Novel (Hardcover)
I grew up reading "Nectar in a Sieve" and was very excited to find "Two Virgins." I found the depiction of life in an Indian village- and a young girl's "seduction" by the city- very interesting. However, I found the older sister quite unbelievable and not at all sympathetic, so it was hard to be involved in her story. (Sometimes she seemed so oversexed it was ridiculous.) The novel also moves very slowly at times. I wasn't quite sure whether the very ending was supposed to be fatalistic, comical... or what.
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