Climbing the Mango Trees: A Memoir of a Childhood in India (Hardcover)

by Madhur Jaffrey (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. The celebrated actress and author of several books on Indian cooking turns her attention to her own childhood in Delhi and Kampur. Born in 1933 as one of six children of a prosperous businessman, Jaffrey grew up as part of a huge "joint family" of aunts, uncles and cousins—often 40 at dinner—under the benign but strict thumb of Babaji, her grandfather and imperious family patriarch. It was a privileged and cosmopolitan family, influenced by Hindu, Muslim and British traditions, and though these were not easy years in India, a British ally in WWII and soon to go though the agony of partition (the separation and formation of Muslim Pakistan), Jaffrey's graceful prose and sure powers of description paint a vivid landscape of an almost enchanted childhood. Her family and friends, the bittersweet sorrows of puberty, the sensual sounds and smells of the monsoon rain, all are remembered with love and care, but nowhere is her writing more evocative than when she details the food of her childhood, which she does often and at length. Upon finishing this splendid memoir, the reader will delight in the 30 "family-style" recipes included as lagniappe at the end. Photos. (Oct. 11)
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From Booklist
Actress and consummate authority on the foods of India, Jaffrey reflects on her earliest memories in this autobiography. Steeped in Hindu culture and learning, she grew up within an extended well-to-do Delhi family that expected the best of each. Starting with her grandmother's placing honey on her tongue shortly after birth, Jaffrey's life began to arrange itself around all that food represents in Hindu life. Some of her most touching and distressing scenes come with the advent of India's independence and its partition. Jaffrey's friends and schoolmates had from the outset included both Hindu and Muslim, but religious and political strife soon sundered all relations. On the culinary front, Hindu refugees from the subcontinent's northwest regions brought tandoori cooking to Delhi and ultimately made it an integral part of the national cuisine. In an appendix, Jaffrey records recipes for dozens of dishes that figure in her memoir. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Knopf; First Edition edition (October 10, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 140004295X
• ISBN-13: 978-1400042951
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #447,838 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Scrumptious!, November 11, 2006

By	R. Mitra "mystery writer" (Long Island, NY United States) - See all my reviews

I have read her cookbooks and I have seen her act in movies. Both, I might add, have been virtuoso performances.
I bought this book for I was born in Delhi, India, around the time (give or take 10 years)that Ms. Jaffrey writes about.
It is delightful.
Not only the narrative, simple, unassuming but wonderfully evocative, but what she manages to put in between family reminiscences. All those wonderful food items and she describes them with mouthwatering adjectives.
Very enjoyble indeed.
I wish they'll bring out an audio edition, this is worth listening to and drool in a long car journey

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Review from Parul & Arvind Narain (California), October 13, 2006

By	Parul Narain "Parul Narain (CA)" (California, US) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I just got this book after waiting for a few months and was quite thrilled to see familiar names and places mentioned. Being a distant family member, I am probably prejudiced but I think this book is a fascinating read, especially for someone brought up in Delhi. The book even has a family tree in the beginning, going back to the 1500s. As in all her books, Madhur Jaffrey manages to give her recipes a very easy to do feel and very helpful hints for people like us living in the US and I am dying to try out the recipes. Enjoy!

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Evocative Journey Through India's Past, January 3, 2007

By	Marianne O. Schmidt - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

My son bought me this lovely book for my birthday, and as always, the writing is seductive, and draws one in immediately. Jaffrey has a delightfully chatty and confidential tone when talking about family and friends, and it makes you feel you know them well. This is a fascinating book - well written, and one that lingers in the memory like a fragment of a dream: familiar, elusive, and haunting. My only complaint is that it wasn't longer, and didn't go much past early adulthood. I want to know more, and hopefully this talented actress, author, and raconteur will do just that. This is my 6th book by Madhur Jaffrey, and I am fond of them all. I recommend any and all to people willing to try something new. A personal favorite is Flavors Of India. Lots of great recipes and anecdotal information on the people and regions of India. If you are new to Indian cooking, you are in for a rare treat with her many cookery books. They do take some time and preparation, but if you can read, and are moderately adventurous, all will be well. Let me also recommend Indian CDs and Bollywood for the full experience. Bon voyage.