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A Breath of Fresh Air
 
 

A Breath of Fresh Air (Paperback)

by Amulya Malladi (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
List Price: CDN$ 19.95
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Product Details


Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Though fiction set in India has recently broadened our view of its culture, only Bharati Mukherjee's Desirable Daughters has addressed the peculiar position of a divorcee and since Mukherjee's protagonist lives in the U.S., her situation is not the same as the one endured by Malladi's heroine in contemporary India. Anjali's arranged marriage to army officer Prakash Mehra proves to be a disaster: he hits her, lies to her and carries on an adulterous affair. After a tryst with his lover, Prakash neglects to pick up Anjali at the railroad station in Bhopal on the night in 1984 when a cloud of poisonous gas leaks from Union Carbide; Anjali almost dies. Courageously, she decides to divorce Prakash, despite the fierce disapproval of her parents and society. Fifteen years later, Anjali is a teacher in Ooty, contentedly married to a university professor. The Bhopal tragedy continues to affect them, however, since their now 12-year-old son was born with damaged lungs and a weak heart, and every penny they earn goes to his care. When Prakash is stationed near Ooty with his new wife and two healthy children, the two families are bound to meet. In their encounters narrated by Anjali; her husband, Sandeep; and Prakash marriage bonds are strained, and soul searching ensues. While debut novelist Malladi deserves credit for illuminating a troubling aspect of Indian culture, the novel founders on the character of Prakash, a man of limited emotional intelligence or generosity, whose epiphanic breakthrough into acknowledging his guilt serves the plot, but fails to make him a credible character. Yet Anjali is an admirable heroine, and women will relate to her heartbreak as the mother of a dying child.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.


From Booklist

Being in the wrong place at the wrong time can always have serious repercussions, but for Anjuli, none are quite so lethal as being abandoned in Bhopal, India, the night a toxic gas explosion rocks the city. Forgotten at the train station by her philandering, army officer husband, Anjuli survives the accident, although her marriage to Prakash does not. Years later, happily remarried, Anjuli still contends with the devastating effects of that fateful night, as she and her new husband helplessly watch their dying son struggle with the birth defects that resulted from Anjuli's exposure to the deadly poison. When Prakash unexpectedly reenters her life, Anjuli must confront her unresolved feelings surrounding her prior marriage and scandalous divorce. Unwillingly, Prakash is forced to acknowledge not only his role in their marriage's failure, but also his culpability in the death sentence his thoughtless act rendered upon an innocent child. In this accomplished debut novel, Malladi depicts believable and well-defined characters facing tumultuous circumstances with grace and sensitivity, passion and pride. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Customer Reviews

27 Reviews
5 star:
 (22)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (27 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most helpful customer reviews

 
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, May 17 2004
By A Customer
Great book...good story...however reading the reviews makes me wonder if people like Muktheswara R Meka from san jose who has written a review abt this book, even read it.
Why Bhopal gas tragedy ?he asks....it wasnt required.... he says!!
he obviously hasnt read the part in the book which tells the reader the reason the son has medical problems.Anyway ...to each his own.....but one thing I learnt from this is.....dont trust such reviews.i would have missed out on a great book if I had cared abt wot this Muktheswara R Meka thought
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5.0 out of 5 stars Indeed, Nov 26 2003
By A Customer
She is a great writer. I couldn't put this book down. She touches on subjects that are not easy to talk or write about. Anjali's ecnounter with the ex-husband and the heart breaking story of her son's sickness are not something most people will dare to write about. Way to go.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, wonderful!, Oct 23 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: A Breath of Fresh Air (Hardcover)
I read this book because I loved Amulya Malladi's second book, "The Mango Season." And "A Breath of Fresh Air" was absolutely fabulous. I didn't even know about the Union Carbide gas leak that happened in India until I read this book. But this book is not just about that gas leak, it is about an Indian woman who survives the gas leak and makes a life for herself. I think Amulya Malladi's greatest asset is her ability to write about strong and real women. The women she writes about maybe Indian but their emotions, their struggles and their joys are something shared universally by women all over.
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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Turns an simple story into something filled with life
Excellent not because of an immensely creative storyline, but rather due to Malladi's portrayal of a somewhat simple story that she brings to life. Read more
Published on Jul 10 2004 by Bthon

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!
This book is fabulous. The writing is simple, succinct, yet so moving. The author captured many different aspects of India and Indians in general without any sort of lacking... Read more
Published on Jun 9 2004

4.0 out of 5 stars BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN
Beautifully written in simple english, this book definitely touches one's heart. Did not get a chance to read her second book yet but I am sure I will.
Published on Oct 10 2003 by Radhika Turlapati

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book!
I loved this book from beginning to end. I was so engulfed in it I couldn't put the book down. I read this book and "The Mango Season" and I have to say Amulya Malladi has what it... Read more
Published on Jul 17 2003 by Monique

5.0 out of 5 stars Poignant and beautiful!
I don't usually cry after reading books; but after this one, I wept buckets. Amulya Malladi writes beautifully and this book brought alive India, the problems of divorce and a... Read more
Published on Jun 25 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Debut
Reading this book is like taking a roller coaster ride. You reach highs and lows along with the wonderful characters. Read more
Published on Jan 5 2003 by m.g.Swan

1.0 out of 5 stars A Bollywood film masquerading as literature
I read the reviews on Amazon before I read the book and tried to find at least pockets of either good storytelling and/or good writing. Read more
Published on Nov 4 2002 by neetuu2

4.0 out of 5 stars Breathtaking Indeed...
Amulya Malladi tells a tale of love, hope, forgiveness, facing the inevitable:death, infedility, divorce, struggle to find happiness all enveloped in this fine piece of prose set... Read more
Published on Nov 1 2002 by Jules

1.0 out of 5 stars Black & White Movie from the 70's !
I cannot believe that this book is getting such rave reviews. I can understand the reviews from people who did not watch the 70's black and white hindi movies in an army... Read more
Published on Sep 30 2002 by Muktheswara R Meka

5.0 out of 5 stars An inspirational breath of fresh air
During the past few years we have seen an increasing number of fine novels by Indian writers and A BREATH OF FRESH AIR by new writer Amulya Malladi ranks with the best of them... Read more
Published on Sep 26 2002 by Grady Harp

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