'Unaccustomed Earth' by Jhumpa Lahiri
- This is again a short story collection. It almost feels like starting off where 'Interpreter of maladies' left. In the same vein, these stories are about immigrant Bengali families in the USA. It seems like a mixed bag in that the generations it covers is expansive and relevant, more so for first generation American children born to immigrant parents. Some of these stories have been published in the New Yorker, and can be found online. I found them in part good and interesting and in part not so.
My take : I am probably saturated with the topic of situational tales that can be spun around immigrant Indian families . Thats the most rationale I can assign to the fact that I felt it to be some kind of a chore to finish this book. Perhaps if I were to have read it at another later time(maybe 2-3 yrs later), not so close on the heels of "Interpreter of maladies" and "The Namesake"(which really I must have read more than a year ago), I might have enjoyed these short stories better.
'Miracle at Speedy Motors' by Alexander McCall Smith
- Latest in the Mma Ramotswe series, published April 15th 2008. As always, I am still enjoying this series and soaking in the interesting character quirks that it dwells upon. Also, I seem to have settled into a comfortable rhythm with it all.
Footnote : As of now, the reading card is empty, but not for long. Its going to be rectified soon enough thanks to a long overdue trip to the library.
Reading cart update
Saturday, April 26, 2008
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6 mint(s) of wisdom:
Haven't read Interpreter of M or Unaccustomed E. But I read Namesake and loved it. Even more, because, we were learning abut the phases in identity formation in children. As a spin off, we were discussing abt identity formation in immigrant children/minority children and this book became the the anchor of our discussions.
Mma Ramotswe is okay. As I had mentioned rythm matters. I chanced upon this book when I was blue that I had finished 'ALL' Hercule Poirots and since Dame.Christie is no more, there aren't going to any more HP books. Some one(online) had compared Alexander McCall Smith with HP/Christie. I was absolutely kicked and then terribly disappointed when I finished my first Mma R book. I read couple more over a period of two years and thats it.
Sorry that must be 'aa as YOU had mentioned...'. (NOT 'as I had mentioned')
e! I am reading UA right now too and I have liked the stories so far - I am realising that may be I am a short story person as I seem to get a little impatient with longer Novels these days.
I Suppose she is still talking about a time when she was growing up and the reasons why ABCDs are a confused lot. I'd like to know how it is for their children -what kind of values do they grow up with?
utbt : I liked Namesake too, but I am beginning to conclude that I am perhaps not much of a short story person, which brings me to Usha's comment :).
About Mma ramotswe series, by no means can it be compared to HP/Christie. I just like the location where these stories are based, kinda brings a new perspective on people and their lives.
Usha : I find short stories(though true to their name) abrupt. I enjoy the buildup and characterizations that novels seem to bring about. In these stories, I kinda sorta like some, the others were way out there. I skimmed through most pages of the seeming short story :) which doesnt aid its case, imo.
I read UE sometime back and liked it. It is in the same vein as the namesake, as it deals with a similar strata of hybrid desis. But some of the stories were interesting. I have heard say that one writes best when he/she writes about what he/she knows well. But, IMHO, JL will surely attract more readers by changing the field a bit.
On a tangent, saw the movie namesake recently (bought the dvd almost a year ago) and loved the way Mira Nair had not taken over.
Re Mma Ramotswe, I am reading cupboard right now. I read a short story in the costco mag which was part of the series. I love reading about Botswana and their way of life. It is simple writing, but has kept me hooked so far.
I read UE and must say I did feel a bit of sameness and there was a kind of predictability to how the story ended. It didn't leave me thinking.
I've just picked up another short story collection which is superb. It's by Kunal Basu and is called 'The Japanese Wife'. It's reminded me of why I've always enjoyed short stories.
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