Arranged Marriage: Stories

Awesome Read! Each of the stories was well read and completely different from the next story! Gave a lot of different perspectives.

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni has a "NEW FAN"! I can't wait to read more of her writing! She is concise, and yet, still manages to paint a picture with her phraseology as she expounds on the UPS-and-DOWNS of Arranged Marriages.I tend to be an "armchair anthropologist" and treasure any little tidbit regarding the rituals of daily life in another culture--whether mundane or exotic--that I'm able to glean while reading. In that aspect, this book certainly didn't disappoint.I generally steer away from "Short Stories", but the subject matter of these stories totally sucked me in. I believe this author possesses so much talent that she could toss all the facets of daily living into a pillowcase (be it ultrasound, monogamy, spousal abuse, whatever....), shake it up really hard so they were thoroughly mixed, reach in and pull one out, and with minimal effort, compile a totally mesmerizing, believable tale. If you haven't previously sampled Ms. Divakaruni's writing, give it a try--You won't be sorry.....NMR

I'm not a fan of short stories in general and after the first 2 I was frustrated because they were only very brief, but the more I read, the more intrigued I became with the stories. I especially loved the story about the Maid and it was a good length so that was even better. By the time I finished the book I really enjoyed it and would read more of the author's books

It's a window to a society quite different from mine showing that feelings are universal. It's well written and easy to read. Perhaps characters are flat. In my opinion that has to do with the author's goal: show women a way to freedom, boosting their egos and make them believe in their own capabilities.The problems of living between to ways of life completely different is very interesting.

Really a sad book to read. We think of India as a "spiritual" country, but many things, especially the culture's view on women is really sad. Hard to believe that this is still going in the 21st century. I can already hear the argument that "the divorce rate is only 1%"... the run-away rate of slaves in the 1800's was the same. Where can you run if you have no money, no support structure and nowhere to go?

I love the vignette style of this book. it's always a refreshing change to the hum drum long chapter style of reading. The stories really allowed me to take a look at Indian women in a different light. I never knew that so much went into the decisions to move to America.

I really enjoyed the stories of Indian women and learning pieces of their cultural heritage. With each story one could see the commonalities of being a woman no matter your location and then there were times where you could sympathize with the plight of women from Indian culture. This is definitely worth the read!

A fascinating insight into Indian culture exploring themes around duty, love and self.Most of the characters are well developed and the author paints such vivid pictures of the different settings that you almost feel like you could walk into one of the scenes.

This is a collection of most gripping and spellbinding stories I must say ... Chitra pulls you into her world so effortlessly that it becomes difficult at times to step out of it ... Must read!

Easy to read. Vivid descriptions. Heart-rending scenes. I'll recommend this book.

I've lost copies of this and had to buy new because I keep lending it out. The stories are very well written. They also pull you into the world of South Asian women in a seductively simple and nuanced way. The unspoken norms and expectations, the attempts to break free or to remain within known parameters, the heartbreaks and the joys, the shame of others and of self, and so on. It is well worth reading.

This book via a series of short stories brings out the different types of arranged marriages that happen in the society. While some end up in a happily ever after, there are few which take a grim turn. This book will keep you glued till the end because you will want to witness the silver lining of arrange marriages.

Good book, but sad. Expectations of everything being the same when you move to another country, very difficult situations.