Customer Reviews

Interpreter of Maladies

5 star:		(198)
4 star:		(83)
3 star:		(30)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

In "When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine," one of the stories in this outstanding collection, the 10-year old narrator savors the candies Mr. Pirzada gives her, enjoying just one each night. So it was with me, indulging in Ms. Lahiri's stories one by one over nine evenings. Ranging from 13 to 28 pages, these are not happy stories. Yet a certain optimism bubbles up as the characters persevere through melancholy themes of displacement and estrangement and loss. Ms. Lahiri's language is a warm breeze, carrying the reader into and through the story ... and at the end of each, you will find your eyes focused not on the page, but through the page as if at the actual scene that just wrapped. Absolutely not to be missed!

With her unique gift of perception, Jhumpa Lahiri has captured the human condition from various angles. Even in the most familiar settings and circumstances, a tactile sense of conflict exists within each character. Her writing is clean and precise, but with a rhythm so natural it breathes emotion and atmosphere while the reader forgets they are reading. A very human storyteller.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize

I do not usually read short fiction, but when I see the sticker on the front cover that reads "winner of the Pulitzer Prize", I am willing to give the book a chance. Short story collections winning the Pulitzer are rare, just about as rare as a debut winning the prize. This is the debut collection from Jhumpa Lahiri (who has a novel coming out in Sept 2003) and after reading it, I feel that it is definitely worth reading and deserving of the Pulitzer.

It is obvious that all of the stories are of a high quality, but there were some that stood out more than others. "The Third and Final Continent" is probably the best of the collection and is simply a stunning story that I did not quite want to end. "Sexy" is a story dealing with adultery and a woman in a relationship with a married man because he makes her feel sexy. The title story and "A Temporary Matter" are also excellent stories.

Lahiri's stories all deal with Indians (native to India) and the every day life they live. Most of the stories are set in America with expatriates, but a couple of stories are set in India. More noticeably, these are all human stories and Lahiri captures life so perfectly that we feel that we are living these stories. Even so early in her career, Jhumpa Lahiri is already a master of her craft. Highly recommended.

Jhumpa Lahiri, whose book I stumbled upon by chance, and bought with some doubt in my mind (I have found many short-stories to be quite boring, or lacking in some other way), even if it was the winner of the Pulitzer Prize 2000, as indicated on the cover, is a showcase for the power of the short story. The individual narratives are quite varied, but share in common three elements that make Lahiri's collection a treasure to behold: They all center around the lives of Indians, whether living in India itself, or abroad. They all share the same subtlety, realism and attention to detail, with a tinge of the enchanted. The language of the narratives is wonderfully crafted, and varies to suit the tone of each. If I were to write any more about this collection, I would be revealing little details that I would readers would discover for themselves. Let me just say this: Even if like myself you are prejudiced towards short stories, and prefer to read through heavy doorstoppers, this collection will enchant you. It features some of the best writing I have seen published for a long time, and each individual story holds enough truth, character description and detail, to form the basis of a film. I would thus thoroughly recommend this collection of intelligent, wonderfully written stories to anybody who likes to open a book and forget about his or her surroundings, even if only for a few hours. But try it for yourself! Pick up a copy! Another book I need to recommend -- completely unrelated to Jhumpa Lahiri, but very much on my mind since I purchased a "used" copy off Amazon is "THE LOSERS CLUB: Complete Restored Edition" by Richard Perez, an exceptional, highly entertaining little novel I can't stop thinking about.

I'm not going to lie--this isn't the type of book I typically choose. I am generally instantly drawn to the girly pink covers of chick-lit books. I got this book only to read something impressive in front of my father while visiting home.

What a surprise I was in for! Lahiri's exquisite prose, beautiful language and imaginative stores drew me right in. The tales are very realistic and tell of feelings that people can really relate to, while informing the reader about various aspects of Indian culture in a very enthralling way. At the end of the book, I felt like a more informed, more cultured, and a more open minded person. Not only will Lahiri entertain without losing your attention for a minute, but her stories will leave you contemplating things about life and cultures you may never have thought about before. A must-read for just about anyone--guys, girls, young or old. If writing is an art, this piece should be worth millions

A wonderful collection of short stories about people and relationships. It is a hilarious mix of India and America, of traditional and modern, love, jealousy, grief, loneliness and dreams. Ms Lahiri successfully cut across cultural boundaries through characters that imprint themselves in the minds of readers of al backgrounds. It is understandable why Ms. Lahiri won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, the O. Henry Award and the Pen/Hemingway Award in her first published work. She possesses a huge vocabulary and unique writing style. I also recommend For the Relief of Unbearable Urges, The Usurper and Other stories, The Catcher in the Rye. Short stories like these are a rare gift to the reading world.

Jhumpa Lahiri, whose book I stumbled upon by chance, and bought with some doubt in my mind (I have found many short-stories to be quite boring, or lacking in some other way), even if it was the winner of the Pulitzer Prize 2000, as indicated on the cover, is a showcase for the power of the short story. The individual narratives are quite varied, but share in common three elements that make Lahiri's collection a treasure to behold: They all center around the lives of Indians, whether living in India itself, or abroad. They all share the same subtlety, realism and attention to detail, with a tinge of the enchanted. The language of the narratives is wonderfully crafted, and varies to suit the tone of each. If I were to write any more about this collection, I would be revealing little details that I would readers would discover for themselves. Let me just say this: Even if like myself you are prejudiced towards short stories, and prefer to read through heavy doorstoppers, this collection will enchant you. It features some of the best writing I have seen published for a long time, and each individual story holds enough truth, character description and detail, to form the basis of a film. I would thus thoroughly recommend this collection of intelligent, wonderfully written stories to anybody who likes to open a book and forget about his or her surroundings, even if only for a few hours. But try it for yourself! Pick up a copy! Another book I need to recommend -- completely unrelated to Jhumpa Lahiri, but very much on my mind since I purchased a "used" copy off Amazon is "THE LOSERS CLUB: Complete Restored Edition" by Richard Perez, an exceptional, highly entertaining little novel I can't stop thinking about.

Jhumpa Lahiri, whose book I stumbled upon by chance, and bought with some doubt in my mind (I have found many short-stories to be quite boring, or lacking in some other way), even if it was the winner of the Pulitzer Prize 2000, as indicated on the cover, is a showcase for the power of the short story. The individual narratives are quite varied, but share in common three elements that make Lahiri's collection a treasure to behold: They all center around the lives of Indians, whether living in India itself, or abroad. They all share the same subtlety, realism and attention to detail, with a tinge of the enchanted. The language of the narratives is wonderfully crafted, and varies to suit the tone of each. If I were to write any more about this collection, I would be revealing little details that I would readers would discover for themselves. Let me just say this: Even if like myself you are prejudiced towards short stories, and prefer to read through heavy doorstoppers, this collection will enchant you. It features some of the best writing I have seen published for a long time, and each individual story holds enough truth, character description and detail, to form the basis of a film. I would thus thoroughly recommend this collection of intelligent, wonderfully written stories to anybody who likes to open a book and forget about his or her surroundings, even if only for a few hours. But try it for yourself! Pick up a copy! Another book I need to recommend -- completely unrelated to Jhumpa Lahiri, but very much on my mind since I purchased a "used" copy off Amazon is "THE LOSERS CLUB: Complete Restored Edition" by Richard Perez, an exceptional, highly entertaining little novel I can't stop thinking about.

Jhumpa Lahiri, whose book I stumbled upon by chance, and bought with some doubt in my mind (I have found many short-stories to be quite boring, or lacking in some other way), even if it was the winner of the Pulitzer Prize 2000, as indicated on the cover, is a showcase for the power of the short story. The individual narratives are quite varied, but share in common three elements that make Lahiri's collection a treasure to behold: They all center around the lives of Indians, whether living in India itself, or abroad. They all share the same subtlety, realism and attention to detail, with a tinge of the enchanted. The language of the narratives is wonderfully crafted, and varies to suit the tone of each. If I were to write any more about this collection, I would be revealing little details that I would readers would discover for themselves. Let me just say this: Even if like myself you are prejudiced towards short stories, and prefer to read through heavy doorstoppers, this collection will enchant you. It features some of the best writing I have seen published for a long time, and each individual story holds enough truth, character description and detail, to form the basis of a film. I would thus thoroughly recommend this collection of intelligent, wonderfully written stories to anybody who likes to open a book and forget about his or her surroundings, even if only for a few hours. But try it for yourself! Pick up a copy! Another book I need to recommend -- completely unrelated to Jhumpa Lahiri, but very much on my mind since I purchased a "used" copy off Amazon is "THE LOSERS CLUB: Complete Restored Edition" by Richard Perez, an exceptional, highly entertaining little novel I can't stop thinking about.

I've made it a habit of reading the Pulitzer Prize winners for Fiction; I find the Pulitzer is one of the most reliable recommendations for strong literature. This book of short stories (and winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 2000) is no exception. The first story in particular is heart-breaking and riveting; the other stories follow suit. Highly recommended.