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19th out of 91 books
—
131 voters
The Village Bride of Beverly Hills
The author of the "enchanting" and "delightful" (USA Today) debut novel For Matrimonial Purposes returns with a romantic comedy about a new bride leading a secret double life.
After an arranged marriage in her native India, Priya moves with her husband to California, where they share a house with his parents. Playing the traditional daughter- in-law role, she�s expected to...more
After an arranged marriage in her native India, Priya moves with her husband to California, where they share a house with his parents. Playing the traditional daughter- in-law role, she�s expected to...more
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
June 28th 2005
by Plume
(first published February 1st 2005)
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I should probably be embarrassed, but I happen to be in a chick lit mood right now and I was excited to see this at Sefer v'Sefel because I actually liked "For Matrimonial Purposes" (mostly for its interesting comparison possibilities with shidduch-dating) and was interested in reading more by the same author. I generally like Indian books, although Daswani's are admittedly a departure from the heavier ones I usually read. So far, this one is light and fun and meeting, but not exceeding, my expe...more
Saya nggak tahu pasti bagaimana cara orang India memilih pasangan hidupnya. Tapi kalau di film-film atau buku yang pernah saya simak, sejauh apapun mereka berkelana ke berbagai penjuru dunia, mereka akan menikah dengan orang satu bangsa (maksudnya sama-sama orang India). Topik ini sebenarnya kurang menarik buat saya. Lagipula saya bukan penggemar film India. Dua film India yang saya gemari adalah Bend It like Beckham dan Kisna: the legend of Bird. Saya sangat suka dua film itu karena menggambark...more
Jan 13, 2009
sinta nisfuanna
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
pinjam,
metropop-teenlit-chicklit
Cerita yang menarik. Kisah Priya, wanita India yang harus terbang ke Amerika demi mengikuti sang suami yang baru dikenalnya seminggu. Segala imajinasinya tentang kisah pernikahan yang indah, harus runtuh saat berhadapan dengan keluarga suami yang sangat cerewet dan konservatif. Tapi anehnya, keluarga yang sangat taat adat India ini malah menyuruh Priya untuk bekerja, yang pastinya sangat bertolak belakang dengan adat India yang mewajibkan istri hanya sebagai pengurus suami dan rumah tangga.
Sebua...more
Sebua...more
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Feb 14, 2012
Michiyo 'jia' Fujiwara
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
indian-literature,
chick
Setelah perjodohan di India, Priya pindah bersama Sanjay, suaminya, ke Los Angeles dan berbagi rumah dengan keluarga suaminya. Peran sebagai menantu tradisional mengharuskan Priya melakukan semua tugas rumah tangga, memasak, membersihkan rumah, dan--karena tak kunjung hamil--juga mencari pekerjaan. Tapi pekerjaan glamor yang Priya dapatkan tidak sesuai dengan harapan mertuanya. Priya pun menjalani kehidupan ganda yang harus ia rahasiakan. Repotnya, Priya menikah dengan laki-laki yang terlalu men...more
Chick Lit
I adore books set in India or featuring Indian characters, and this lighthearted book is a very nice chick lit read.
Priya's arranged marriage is to a young man who lives in Los Angeles, so after the wedding in India, she is suddenly taken out of the only culture she has known. Priya must adjust to life in the U.S., life as a wife, and is virtually a full-time servant to her in-laws, as Indian culture dictates.
Priya's prickly mother-in-law prods her into getting a job until she becomes p...more
I adore books set in India or featuring Indian characters, and this lighthearted book is a very nice chick lit read.
Priya's arranged marriage is to a young man who lives in Los Angeles, so after the wedding in India, she is suddenly taken out of the only culture she has known. Priya must adjust to life in the U.S., life as a wife, and is virtually a full-time servant to her in-laws, as Indian culture dictates.
Priya's prickly mother-in-law prods her into getting a job until she becomes p...more
Just what I needed after some somber themed novels - chic lit for the Bindi set! I love learning more about the whole east Indian culture & this was a perfect summer escape. Essentially the plot is arranged marriage; bride moves to the San Fernando Valley from Delhi & amid being almost an indentured servant to her in laws & not getting pregnant right away, she's told she might as well get a job & earn some money. Fantasy kicks in & after a few months as a receptionist for a H...more
I'm always drawn to stories of people from other countries/cultures finding their way in the Western world (or vice versa); for that reason I liked this story, and also how Ms. Daswani described arranged marriage as a matter of course, and dealt with the problems ensuing without any hysteria or Western high-moral-groundiness. I'm afraid she only gets three stars because the arc of the story was too hard to believe and diluted the importance of the rest of the book; wow, from receptionist to top-...more
I found Priya to be very interesting.
WHile I wanted to see her assert herself sooner, I understood that would have been contrary to her culture.
I was glad to follow this story to its conclusion. I hated to see it end.
I found some charachters to be a little thinly drawn, the in-laws, it would have been great to know more about them. This reads a little like a romance/ coming of age novel. The interesting difference, for me, was the plot. It was interesting to see the emotions that Priya experie...more
WHile I wanted to see her assert herself sooner, I understood that would have been contrary to her culture.
I was glad to follow this story to its conclusion. I hated to see it end.
I found some charachters to be a little thinly drawn, the in-laws, it would have been great to know more about them. This reads a little like a romance/ coming of age novel. The interesting difference, for me, was the plot. It was interesting to see the emotions that Priya experie...more
This is a highly entertaining book and a great transition if you have read a serious book and just need some mindless entertainment.
This novel tell about an Indian Bride who follow her husband to America. Her husband still stay with his family with traditional family. like any other Indian family. Her name is Priya. Her mother in law ask her to work but a simple job. Priya work as a receptionist in a entertaintment magazine and accidently she get opportunity to be the journalist.. She must hide her new job from her husband's family.
This is an amazing novel for me.. many value you need to know about marriage and equality bet...more
This is an amazing novel for me.. many value you need to know about marriage and equality bet...more
I found this originally at Books-a-Million on the $3 shelf. I normally don't like chick-lit because it's overdone in the sex area, but this was nicely done. Only drawback is language in some parts, but the storyline was nicely put together and kept me wanting to know what happened next. The narrative is not bogged-down by extensive descriptions. Flashbacks are placed appropriately when they will most benefit the reader. Incidentally, it helped me to understand the mindset of the private Indian f...more
Really liked this book...menghibur, kocak, pilihan katanya pas...tak berlebih-lebihan...ibarat teh manis, hangat dan gulanya pas..walaupun terkesan dihidangkan dengan ringan tapi unsur budaya dan kehidupan India cukup banyak memberikan informasi.
Berbeda dengan Jhumpa Lahiri yang lebih serius -favorit saya juga- Kavita Daswani menyajikan secara berbeda.
Pengantin baru dengan segala kekikukan menghadapi lingkungan baru dengan nilai-nilai dan cara hidup yang berbeda. Kesan saya dari beberapa buku y...more
Berbeda dengan Jhumpa Lahiri yang lebih serius -favorit saya juga- Kavita Daswani menyajikan secara berbeda.
Pengantin baru dengan segala kekikukan menghadapi lingkungan baru dengan nilai-nilai dan cara hidup yang berbeda. Kesan saya dari beberapa buku y...more
Indian-born Priya's marriage to Los-Angeles-dwelling Sanjay is arranged and she flies to CA to live with him, his parents, and his sister. As tradition dictates, she does all the cooking, cleaning, serving, and on top of this is told to go out and find a job. She begins as a receptionist for an entertainment magazine but is quickly promoted to journalist (unlikely but whatever). She has to keep her glamorous job a secret from disapproving in-laws while trying to improve her marriage to a handsom...more
Quite a different perspective on arranged Indian marriages. Sanjay, raised in America, returns to India to find and marry Priya. Priya returns to America with Sanjay but lives in a joint household which is strict, conservative and overbearing. By sheer luck, Priya lands a job through which she gets several promotions, but her husband's family is dead set against the final outcome of what is leading to a career so she hides it from them, including Sanjay. Of course, the caca hits the fan, Priya a...more
Frothy and light, the book reads as though Daswani hoped a producer would pick it up and turn it into a straight-to-tv movie. And it would make a good one. Its a modern day fairytale with a princess who has a secret, a handsome prince, a couple of ogre-ish in-laws and three, if not ugly, then at least awkward, sisters. If you enjoy chicklit, then this is prime reading.
'Everything Happens for a Reason' and 'The Village Bride of Beverley Hills' are the same book published under two different title...more
'Everything Happens for a Reason' and 'The Village Bride of Beverley Hills' are the same book published under two different title...more
Priya is a traditional Indian bride with a loving family who is thrust into American life with her wishy-washy new husband and the demanding in-laws they live with. When she accidentally stumbles into a rewarding job as a Hollywood journalist, she must hide her new career from her family while dealing with the building sense of dissatisfaction for her home life.
Appeal characteristics - Romance, comedy, young woman discovering herself, Indian culture, Hollywood culture.
Appeal characteristics - Romance, comedy, young woman discovering herself, Indian culture, Hollywood culture.
It's a coming of age story but for the next age up. Priya is a young Indian woman who has been raised to be very traditional and is suddenly having to deal with a whole new family, husband and country. It's a learning curve not just for her but also for those connected with her.
Also, this is a story about worth. How much do we value ourselves? And how much do we value those we love?
I enjoyed it. It didn't quite go the way I expected, and it managed to address serious issues without being heavy.
Also, this is a story about worth. How much do we value ourselves? And how much do we value those we love?
I enjoyed it. It didn't quite go the way I expected, and it managed to address serious issues without being heavy.
This was a delightful "Indian chick-lit" novel about a young Indian bride and her trials and successes assimilating to America and her in-laws after a traditional arranged marriage. Priya finds success in a career but must keep it secret from her conservative new family who expects her to do all the housework and cooking and who believe she is working as a receptionist at a Hollywood magazine, when she actually is a well-regarded feature journalist meeting celebrities right and left.
Fun little book about an Indian bride coming to America to live with her husband and his family (arranged marriage). Not only is she expected to take care of the family home, but also go out and get a job. The job she initially gets is at a Hollywood magazine as a receptionist, but gets quickly promoted. She has to keep the promotion a secret from her new family because although they want her to work they don't want her to work that much. Learned a lot about Indian culture along the way. Enjoyab...more
Fast read. I read it in a few hours in one sitting. Descriptive, easy read. Not a complex plot, but I wanted to find out what happened to the main characters. Some of the sub-characters weren't well defined, or were introduced and then virtually dropped from the plot, and there were a couple of open ends (all her office friends and "friends"), or ends that were... thin, at best (Lynette). Still, overall a decent read.
It has been a long time since I have had time to read and this was a fun choice. I had recently watched a Bollywood movie, "Bride and Prejudice" and thought it was cute and found this book on my shelves the same weekend. It is a light read, but really interesting to learn about arranged marriages and Indian culture. It was also refreshing to read about an unselfish character.
Priya is a newlywed who has just moved from Dehli to Los Angeles. Her arranged marriage has brought her across the globe and into very unfamiliar territory. She's trying to get to know her new husband while taking care of the entire family. Not only do her in-laws expect Priya to do all of the cooking and cleaning, but now they expect her to get a job as well--she's not pregnant, after all. A tall order for a woman who has never had a job before. After a while she finally lands one: a receptioni...more
This was an easy read, which was something I needed, but unfortunately it lacked depth. The main character is definately sweet and likeable, but she is the only character you ever really get to know. I gave it two stars for the interesting culture clash and likable protaginest. I would have like more develoment of other characrters and some more detail about her life.
ehhh.Didn't really like the story that much though it made me grateful being an Indian that I was not raised in India and that my parents are obsessed with arranged marriages.I didn't really appreciate her writing that much. It was a book that will be swept under the rug in my memories and I will forget I ever read it.
oh good lord, talk about an ornery book - not very well written, predictable storyline, over the top obvious dramatics for the sake of over the top dramatics. The only saving grace is that it is written by an Indian-American, so this shows that we have really made it. When an Indian-American can write such rubbish and get it published so beautifully, our time has come.
I really loved this book. It was about a girl from India who moves to L.A. after an arranged marriage. I loved learning more about the culture in India. It was interesting to see her views on love and marriage. It was full of surprises. Fast read. Full of entertainment. Just fun!
A tale about an Indian bride who arrives in Beverly Hills. Her new husband and in-laws expect her to be their personal maid, and work on top of that. She ends up leading a double life at work, and ends up becoming a much-in-demand journalist for the entertainment magazine she works for.
light hearted read, with one dimensional characters and a one dimensional storyline. The book is a fairy tale - finding a dream job, earning thousands, meeting with big-name celebrities, and winning over her husband and in-laws a second time was pure fantasy.
Selain buku diskon di Gramed, ceritanya sangat menyenangkan. Dibalut dalam bahasa yang mudah dicerna alias ringan ga nyampe sejam juga udah tamat. Banyak juga hal baru yang bisa dipelajari dari novel ini khususnya tentang kebudayaan India. Interesting!
Enjoyed it, quite fast-paced, kept me reading all through the night till it was finished. Story of a woman trying to combine her life as a traditional Indian wife living with her conservative in-laws, and her working life in modern America. Nice.
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Kavita Daswani is an American author who started her career as a journalist for South China Morning Post when she only seventeen. She lived in Hong Kong before moving to Los Angeles.
Now in her thirties, she has written several novels for grown-ups and young adults that represent her passion and love for the Indian culture. In her books, we see how young Indian girls are trying to break away from t...more
More about Kavita Daswani...
Now in her thirties, she has written several novels for grown-ups and young adults that represent her passion and love for the Indian culture. In her books, we see how young Indian girls are trying to break away from t...more
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“Semua tahu, Sayang...agar nasib baik tetap langgeng, kerendahan hati harus selalu dipelihara. Tidak peduli keajaiban apa yang dihadiahkan hidup padamu, jangan pernah membual tentang itu.”
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