The Mistress of Spices: A Novel (Paperback)

~ (Author) "I am a Mistress of Spices..." (more)
Key Phrases: bougainvillea girls, first mother, Nayan Tara, Stop Tilo

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

On a mythic island of women "where on our skin, the warm rain fell like pomegranate seeds" powerful spices like cinnamon, turmeric, and fenugreek whisper their secrets to young acolytes. Ordained after trial by fire, each new spice mistress is sent to a far-off land to cure the life pains of all Indian seekers, while keeping a cool distance from the mortals. Only stubborn, passionate Tilo, disguised as an old woman merchant in present-day Oakland, California, fails to heed the vengeful spices' warnings. Fragrant with spice and sensuality, this winning tale rolls off the tongue. Written in the soaring, poetic tradition of China Men and Haroun and the Sea of Stories. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Divakaruni, author of the award-winning short story collection Arranged Marriage (Anchor, 1995), has crafted a fine first novel that makes a smooth transition to the audio format. Tilo, proprietress of the Spice Bazaar in Oakland, California, is not the elderly Indian woman she appears to be. Trained as a mistress of spices, she evokes the magical powers of the spices of her homeland to help her customers. These customers, mostly first- or second-generation immigrants, are struggling to adapt their Old World ideals to the unfamiliar and often unkind New World. Though trapped in an old woman's body and forbidden to leave the store, Tilo is unable to keep the required distance from her patrons' lives. Her yearning to join the world of mortals angers the spices, and Tilo must face the dire consequences of her disobedience. Divakaruni, whose conversational style translates well into audio, blends social commentary and romance into an eloquent novel of the human condition. With superb narration from Sarita Choudhury, this production is highly recommended for all fiction collections.?Beth Farrell, Portage Cty. Dist. Lib., Ohio
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Anchor (February 17, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385482388
• ISBN-13: 978-0385482387
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (102 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #38,786 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More than expected, June 26, 2000

By A Customer

This book was a very satisfying read. Using lyrical prose, the author tells her protagonist's story in past and present. I've noticed other reviewers have commented on how artificial the book's narrative seemed, but I thought it was beautiful. It felt like the story was being told directly to you, making the story more immediate (for me at least). Although the story is told through the protagonist's association with Indian spices, its not only about Indian and Indian-American perspectives and issues. The author does a wonderful job using this setting for her story but it can be told in any cultural context I think. But in using this context, she effectively shows that (what white Americans consider) "ethnic subcultures" experience the same trials of life everyone else on the world does. Generational misunderstanding and racial intolerance are a few of the problems her characters encounter, but not in an especially overblown or melodramatic way. The story is told emotionally, but that's because it is in first person narrative. In this sense I agree with other reviewers that women may enjoy it more than men. My husband also agrees, but thought the story was compelling nonetheless.

Altogether I felt this was a gorgeous and modern usage of fantasy, emotion and cultural representation. I doubt it will change your life forever, but its consciousness and beauty has really touched me.

(PS: if you want to learn more about Indian spices buy a cookbook, this is fiction)

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beguiling, mysterious and romantic......., April 22, 2005

By	Marcy Gomez (Kansas City, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

I picked up this book after hearing that it would soon be adapted into a film starring Aishwarya Rai (as Tilo) and Dylan McDermott (as Doug aka Raven).

Having recently 'discovered' India and Ms. Rai in the delicious film "Bride and Prejudice" and having just returned from a trip to San Francisco, I became intrigued by the plot of this book: an immortal Indian woman, Tilo, has the power to manipulate spices in order to help others. She keeps a shop in Oakland, CA, and administers the spices to those who ask for help. She is faced with a dilemma, however, when she meets the mysterious American, Raven...should she stay true to her purpose and remain immortal or give up everything for the man she loves?

More than just a story of choices, sacrifice and love, several wonderful characters also populate this novel:
- Haroun, the taxi driver who dreams of 'making it' big in America;
- Geeta, the young woman who faces opposition and estrangement from her family when she falls in love with wrong man;
- Geeta's grandfather, who at first opposes Geeta but later relents and tries to rebuild the relationships within his family;
- Lalita who is trapped in a loveless marriage with her brute of a husband;
- Jagjit, a promising young man who makes friends with the 'wrong crowd;'
- Hameeda, a single mother who secretly yearns for love;

..and, of course, there is Tilo - a young woman trapped in the body of an elderly woman who has the power to help those around her. Her fate becomes entwined with Raven, a young man with a secret past and who is the only person who sees Tilo for what she really is.

I breezed through this book and could hardly put it down. By the end I wished it would go on and on. Though the story does have a conclusion (and doesn't leave you hanging like other books), I just wanted Tilo's story to continue. Finishing it was like saying goodbye to an old friend. I applaud Ms. Divakaruni for creating such memorable and endearing characters and for effortlessly weaving fantasy and reality in one entertaining story.

I highly recommend this book to romantics everywhere and I'm looking forward to seeing the finished film. I am optimistic that the talented Aishwarya Rai and Dylan McDermott will do justice to Ms. Divakaruni's fabulous prose.

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderfully written novel--do not miss this one!, July 24, 2001

By	Joanna Daneman (Middletown, DE USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

The Mistress of Spices is written with a masterful mix of flights of fancy combined with everyday grittiness. The author, Chirtra Banerjee Divakaruni mixes her images with the same skill as an Indian housewife her special masala curry mix--unique, complex, and delicious.

The story is a fable-like tale of a Mistress of Spices, a woman trained in the art of using the everyday spices of Indian cooking and Ayurvedic medicine to solve the spiritual crises of daily life; family troubles, heartbreak, loss. But the Mistress herself must conform to a rigid code of behavior that is in constant conflict with the passions that surround her. Tilo, the Mistress who plies her craft in a dusty, typically Indian grocery store in Oakland, CA, is empathetic with the passions she heals with her spices. Maybe too empathic--and the price she might have to pay is very high.

The outcome of the novel is touching and the entire books is a wonderful movement from the mythic to the real. If you liked the novel Like Water for Chocolate, you will love this book.