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Product Description
From Booklist
Lushly infused with Hindu mysticism and potently imbued with volcanic emotions of fury, contempt, fear, and wonder, Nair's spirited tale of forbidden love set in contemporary India mirrors the radiance and majesty of the traditional Indian dance form known as kathakali. The presence of a young American irrevocably alters the lives of Radha; her husband, Shyam; and uncle Koman. Tape recorder in hand, Chris Stewart is ensconced in the resort compound operated by Radha's husband, intent on interviewing Koman about his once illustrious career as a kathakali dancer, yet it is Radha who fatefully captures his interest. Their attraction is immediate and immense, starkly contrasting the thinly disguised revulsion Radha feels for Shyam. As the lovers flaunt convention and Radha risks ostracism, Koman ruefully reveals the complex details of his heritage and the sacrifices he chose to make for the sake of his craft. Tempestuously exotic, Nair's intricately woven multicultural and multigenerational saga pulsates with passion and desire. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
"Tempestuously exotic, Nair's intricately woven multicultural and multigenerational saga pulsates with passion and desire."
--Booklist
"This intricately plotted novel by Nair (Ladies Coupé), her third to be published in the United States, blends myth, history, and human emotion into a mixture as sweet as the nectar of the jackfruit and as tangled as human behavior . . . Highly recommended."
"Nair's strength lies in bringing alive the everyday thoughts, desires and doubts of these six ordinary women."
--Times Literary Supplement
" . . . quietly powerful . . ."
--Kirkus Reviews
"A sensitive exploration of the tension of self-actualization vs. familial responsibility in a society with traditional values, this novel . . .will surely resonate with readers everywhere."
--Library Journal
"Nair is a powerful writer. . . she has created what must be one of the most important feminist novels to come out of South Asia."
--Daily Telegraph (UK)
--Library Journal, starred review
Praise for Ladies Coupé
"Nair is a powerful writer, who through this tender story shows great understanding and compassion for women and for the choices and regrets they cannot avoid."
--Booklist
--Booklist
"Nair's strength lies in bringing alive the everyday thoughts, desires and doubts of these six ordinary women."
--Times Literary Supplement
" . . . quietly powerful . . ."
--Kirkus Reviews
"A sensitive exploration of the tension of self-actualization vs. familial responsibility in a society with traditional values, this novel . . .will surely resonate with readers everywhere."
--Library Journal
"Nair is a powerful writer. . . she has created what must be one of the most important feminist novels to come out of South Asia."
--Daily Telegraph (UK)
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
Love. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Love. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
An entrancing book,
By Sita "indo-canadian reader" (Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Mistress: A Novel (Paperback)
This is the type of book that you will want to re-read. Anita Nair's writing has such depth and her characters are so real, you feel so deeply for them. Written through the perspective of all the main characters of the book, it allows the reader into their lives and their emotions. Set in Kerala, India, it protrays the richness of the land as well as culture while still allowing the story and characters to be thoroughly modern and easily identified with. A story of sadness but also of pasion and love. I love this book!
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
3.9 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews) 6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A sumptous, evocative tale,
By A reader - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Mistress: A Novel (Paperback)
Against the backdrop of Kerala in Southern India, Anjali Nair paints a deeply evocative tale of generations past and present, of locales near and far, of love, honor and betrayal. It is the story of Radha, a woman with modern day skills but still bound by tradition, her husband Shyam, her Uncle Konam ... and Chris who arrives at their resort from the USA.Radha feels constrained in her marriage of convenience, her artistic soul free to seek self expression only in conversations with the dreamy and philosophical Konam, who has disappointed his family by becoming a famous Kathakali dancer. She is bearly tolerant of Shyam, who she sees as materialistic and boorish, with lowbrow aesthetic tastes. The sudden appearance of Chris in their midst causes her latent vibrance to erupt with volcanic fury of emotions, which changes the relationships she has with all three men. In a sonorous cadence, Nair introduces in turn each of the nine types of human emotions (as exemplified in the classical dance drama form of Kathakali). She spins her tale from the narratives mainly of Radha, Shyam and Konam, an emotion serving as the theme for each of nine chapters. Radha and Chris (is this a clever update of the iconic Hindu lovers Radha and Krishna?) meet again and again as not-so cladestine lovers while Shyam helplessly watches on and Konam gives the relationship tacit approval. 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable,
By Tira "Tira" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Mistress: A Novel (Paperback)
I quite enjoyed this book, my second by Anita Mair, the first being Ladies' Coupe. A lot of her writing is not just about plot or "story" but about the feelings and experiences of the characters, and in that she excels, writing in a way that evokes the time and place as well as fleshing out the characters.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Lyrical ,deeply introspective novel,
By pustaka - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
Nair is a consumate writer with a deep understanding of human nature and matters of the heart. Using a traditional dance form from India: "kathakali" which depicts traditional ancient tales and characters, Nair weaves them into parallel lives set in modern India. She skilfully uses the "moods" the traditional dances depict, such as love, peace, anger etc into the stories of the main characters who struggle with issues of jealousy, fear, love and other desires. Reading this book ,we have the double benefit of a great story and a wonderful learning experience of an art form of which not many in the West have ever heard. I admit, that having seen the dance form as I have, does add more to the enjoyment of the book, but a reader with wider global interests will love this book.
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