Book Review 10
Name Of The Book : Sister Of My Heart
Author : Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Publisher : Anchor Books
Year : 2000
Category : Fiction
Review :
'Sister Of My Heart' is the story of Basudha and Anjali, two Indian girls who are cousins and live in a house with their mothers Nalini and Gouri and their aunt Pishi. The girls use their own voices to narrate the story of their lives which are interconnected by blood and the unexpected events of their lives. In alternating chapters, the reader closely follows the lives of Sudha and Anju through childhood, adolescence and early adulthood. Indian traditions and culture are part of the rich environment portrayed in the novel and the descriptions of Calcutta are especially vivid. It is divided into two halves - 'Princess In The Palace Of Snakes' and 'The Queen Of Swords', named after stories the girls tell each other. Often the events of the book parallel the happenings in these stories. Also, mixed with these stories, are Bengali myths and stories of the Gods in the Hindu tradition.
I am a big fan of Chitra Banerjee's writings and I must say that this is one of my favourite books by the author. Right from the beginning, I was emotionally drawn towards the characters of the book. Her style of writing is magnificent and the book is fast-paced. The story is spun without flaws and the characters have a lot of depth. The characters are not black and white but have grey areas in their personalities which make them realistic. The book gives immense importance to relationships between women which is very rare in many Indian novels. The relationships between the sisters, their mothers and between mothers and daughters are very touching. It was a very emotional read and the story-line kept me hooked so I was able to complete it in a day. The book also makes us aware about the patriarchal, regressive mindsets of Indian families and societies prevalent even to this day. However the characters, towards the end of the book are able to break free from the confines of expectations placed upon them by the society. This is one of the rare books that I give a 5/5 rating. I strongly recommend this beautiful book to all readers.
Rating : 5/5
Name Of The Book : Sister Of My Heart
Author : Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Publisher : Anchor Books
Year : 2000
Category : Fiction
Review :
'Sister Of My Heart' is the story of Basudha and Anjali, two Indian girls who are cousins and live in a house with their mothers Nalini and Gouri and their aunt Pishi. The girls use their own voices to narrate the story of their lives which are interconnected by blood and the unexpected events of their lives. In alternating chapters, the reader closely follows the lives of Sudha and Anju through childhood, adolescence and early adulthood. Indian traditions and culture are part of the rich environment portrayed in the novel and the descriptions of Calcutta are especially vivid. It is divided into two halves - 'Princess In The Palace Of Snakes' and 'The Queen Of Swords', named after stories the girls tell each other. Often the events of the book parallel the happenings in these stories. Also, mixed with these stories, are Bengali myths and stories of the Gods in the Hindu tradition.
I am a big fan of Chitra Banerjee's writings and I must say that this is one of my favourite books by the author. Right from the beginning, I was emotionally drawn towards the characters of the book. Her style of writing is magnificent and the book is fast-paced. The story is spun without flaws and the characters have a lot of depth. The characters are not black and white but have grey areas in their personalities which make them realistic. The book gives immense importance to relationships between women which is very rare in many Indian novels. The relationships between the sisters, their mothers and between mothers and daughters are very touching. It was a very emotional read and the story-line kept me hooked so I was able to complete it in a day. The book also makes us aware about the patriarchal, regressive mindsets of Indian families and societies prevalent even to this day. However the characters, towards the end of the book are able to break free from the confines of expectations placed upon them by the society. This is one of the rare books that I give a 5/5 rating. I strongly recommend this beautiful book to all readers.
Rating : 5/5