Buy used: $7.11

FREE delivery June 7 - 13. Details

Or fastest delivery June 1 - 5. Details

Select delivery location

Used: Good | Details

Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

Have one to sell?

Sell on Amazon

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See this image

Follow the Author

Bharti Kirchner

Sharmila's Book Mass Market Paperback – March 1, 2000

by Bharti Kirchner (Author)

3.4 18 ratings

See all formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Hardcover

"Please retry"

$4.95

—

$3.00

Paperback, Bargain Price

"Please retry"

—

$11.40

Mass Market Paperback

"Please retry"

$7.11

$8.50

$3.14

Longing for a connection to her Indian heritage, Americanborn Sharmila Sen agrees to an arranged marriage, but her trip to India forces her to confront her doubts about her distant intended husband, controlling motherinlaw, and a sinister mystery surrounding the death of her fiancT's first wife. By the author of Shiva Dancing. Reprint.

Print length

400 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Plume
Publication date

March 1, 2000
Dimensions

5.36 x 0.68 x 8.04 inches
ISBN-10

0452278848
ISBN-13

978-0452278844
See all details

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Born in India, Bharti Kirchner worked as a software systems engineer for many years before becoming a prize-winning cookbook author and fiction writer. She lives in Seattle, Washington, and is the author of Shiva Dancing (available from Plume).

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Plume; 0 edition (March 1, 2000)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0452278848
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0452278844
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.6 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.36 x 0.68 x 8.04 inches

Customer Reviews:
3.4 18 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Bharti Kirchner

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Bharti Kirchner is the author of twelve books--eight critically acclaimed novels and four cookbooks and hundreds of short pieces for magazines and newspapers. Her essays have appeared in eleven anthologies, the most recent being What to Read in the Rain. Her latest novel, Murder at Andaman, is due out in December 2020.

Bharti's previous novels include Season of Sacrifice: A Maya Mallick Mystery, Goddess of Fire, Pastries: A Novel of Desserts and Discoveries, Darjeeling, Sharmila's Book, Tulip Season, and Shiva Dancing and cookbooks include Indian Inspired and The Bold Vegetarian. She has written for Food & Wine, Vegetarian Times, Writer's Digest, The Writer, Fitness Plus, Northwest Travel, and The Seattle Times. Her highly-praised short story was selected for the anthology, Seattle Noir and later also included in USA Noir.

HONORS & AWARDS- Bharti has won the prestigious 2020 SALA Award, a VCCA (Virginia center for the Creative Arts) Fellowship, several 4-Culture Literature Awards, a City Artist's Project Award,two Seattle Arts Commission literature grants, two Artist Trust literature grants, and has twice been a Fellow of Jack Straw Productions. She has been honored as a Living Pioneer Asian American Author.

She is a popular speaker at writer's conferences nationwide.

Customer reviews

3.4 out of 5

18 global ratings

5 star		32%
4 star		22%
3 star		15%
2 star		15%
1 star		15%

How customer reviews and ratings work

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Kelvin L. Reed

Engrossing, engaging and entertaining!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 1, 2000

Verified Purchase

I'm not sure why I chose to read "Sharmila's Book." It's not my usual fare. (I tend to read thrillers, courtroom dramas and ethnic or political nonfiction.) Still, I found myself drawn into Sharmila's fascinating dilemma as she struggled with her Indian and American heritage. Ms. Kirchner is a very talented writer. She keeps the reader interested and describes her scenes thoroughly, writing for the Indian and non-Indian alike. I read the entire book in less than a week, sometimes staying up late at night because I wanted to follow Sharmila on her journey. And what a tantalizing journey it was!

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Gitano

Good solid little book

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 2, 2004

Better than Shiva Dancing. I don't understand those who give it just one star. I am a hard grader and I give it 3 stars. The descriptions of Delhi are quite accurate, character development is good, and the plot holds one's interest. The author is very good at evoking the emotion we all have felt when trying to make such an important decision in choosing a partner for life. You can really feel the anguish Sharmila goes through. I'm sure jet lag played a big part as well! Congratulations to the author on a good book!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 19, 2006

This book was a great, quick read! The story flowed easily and there were surprises throughout.

Helpful

D. Pawl

beautiful and redeeming story.....

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 9, 2004

This book is absolutely mesmerizing and thoroughly engaging!! It was as though I was experiencing a beautiful film. I could see the sights, smell and taste the Indian food the title character consumes and felt the delicate fabrics from which the saris come from. Kirchner's style is whimsical, heartfelt and cuts like a knife.

"Sharmila's Book" is an intimate and brutally honest account of one Indian-American women's journey to India to meet with her potential husband--this is through an arranged marriage organized by her parents. Though, Sharmila was born and raised in Chicago, fully immersed in American culture, she retains strong ties to traditional Indian respectablity, culinary preparation and her image and duty as a young and well-educated woman. What she discovers about the arrangement is all that glitters is not gold. Her intended, Raj, is tall, handsome, athletic and has seemingly all the breaks (MBA from a prestigious United States university, a prestigious position in the Indian caste system, and considerable material wealth), but something just isn't right about him. She can't put her finger on what........

Sharmila's trip to India turns out to be more than what she planned for. It turns out that the central reason for her travels is only secondary to her personal journey within as a woman and someone struggling with a dual cultural identity. Her story is also truly empowering for any woman of any culture who reads the novel. Sharmila learns about self respect, as well as taking the road less travelled when persuing true happiness in life.

Please reccomend this book to anyone who wants to get a better sense of the dual identity struggle that exists for American-born people of ethnic Indian origin. Very compelling!!!

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Customer

NIce Book

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 17, 2002

Being an American of Indian heritage myself, AND having recently done the arranged marriage thing, I thought this book would be an interesting read -- just to see if it parralelled my experience in any way. It's also the FIRST book that i have read about people like me -- growing up Indian in America.
I thought the writing was good, and the emotions she captured were right on target for the most part. The main character was easy to like, and the book was not a cookie cutter story. Maybe b/c I found much in common with the subject matter -- I may be a bit biased -- but I have definitley read worse. If you like reading about women and how different cultures shape lives differently even within the US -- this is a good read. Nice ending too.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

IndyGirl

Predictable and poorly characterized

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 20, 2005

This novel appeared to actually be just a draft for a novel. There is no character growth, just that Sharmila learns some additional facts throughout the novel, and goes from one fantasy to another. The story did not ring true, at all. I understand that the author was trying to convey the anguish of getting married from an Indian-American viewpoint---but the main character was too poorly developed adn the plot predictable. The other characters are just flat. The editor should have asked for further revisions.

Helpful

tpw79

Interesting Read About Different Cultures

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 29, 2000

Though this book was a bit predictable at certain points, I think this book was so interesting because it puts a spotlight on the very traditional and controversial matter of arranged marriage. At times while I was reading it I felt like I was watching a soap opera or a Bollywood movie. The author keeps the book going with interesting characters and scenarios. This is one of those types of books that you don't want to put down because the book is so interesting. I recommend this book for those who are into touchy-feely romance novels.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Customer

Trying

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 25, 2002

I was in the public library browsing when I read the author's bio and checked out Sharmila's Story. I finished the book because of my OCD BUT the story is too wordy with every dialogue rehashing the same explanations over and over. A little into the book, I was wishing the characters would just have a regular conversation without the indian history or cooking lesson accompanying each response. The characters were pretty badly developed, Sharmila's character is confused and always in two minds...overall, the book was a drone.

Helpful

Amazon Music Stream millions of songs	Amazon Advertising Find, attract, and engage customers	6pm Score deals on fashion brands	AbeBooks Books, art & collectibles	ACX Audiobook Publishing Made Easy	Sell on Amazon Start a Selling Account

Amazon Business Everything For Your Business	Amazon Fresh Groceries & More Right To Your Door	AmazonGlobal Ship Orders Internationally	Home Services Experienced Pros Happiness Guarantee	Amazon Ignite Sell your original Digital Educational Resources	Amazon Web Services Scalable Cloud Computing Services

Audible Listen to Books & Original Audio Performances	Book Depository Books With Free Delivery Worldwide	Box Office Mojo Find Movie Box Office Data	ComiXology Thousands of Digital Comics	DPReview Digital Photography	Fabric Sewing, Quilting & Knitting

Goodreads Book reviews & recommendations	IMDb Movies, TV & Celebrities	IMDbPro Get Info Entertainment Professionals Need	Kindle Direct Publishing Indie Digital & Print Publishing Made Easy	Amazon Photos Unlimited Photo Storage Free With Prime	Prime Video Direct Video Distribution Made Easy

Shopbop Designer Fashion Brands	Amazon Warehouse Great Deals on Quality Used Products	Whole Foods Market America’s Healthiest Grocery Store	Woot! Deals and Shenanigans	Zappos Shoes & Clothing	Ring Smart Home Security Systems

eero WiFi Stream 4K Video in Every Room	Blink Smart Security for Every Home	Neighbors App Real-Time Crime & Safety Alerts	Amazon Subscription Boxes Top subscription boxes – right to your door	PillPack Pharmacy Simplified	Amazon Renewed Like-new products you can trust

Follow the Author

Sharmila's Book Mass Market Paperback – March 1, 2000

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Product details

Videos

About the author

Bharti Kirchner

Customer reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries