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Sister of My Heart

by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (Goodreads Author)

3.93 · rating details · 4,993 ratings · 622 reviews

From the award-winning author of Mistress of Spices, the bestselling novel about the extraordinary bond between two women, and the family secrets and romantic jealousies that threaten to tear them apart.

Anju is the daughter of an upper-caste Calcutta family of distinction. Her cousin Sudha is the daughter of the black sheep of that same family. Sudha is startlingly beautif...more

Paperback, 336 pages

Published September 15th 2009 by Anchor (first published 1997)

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Aug 11, 2008

Nadiah rated it

Shelves: fiction

Reading this novel is like letting your heart be the passenger of the wildest roller coaster. And, for me, roller coaster is frustrating.

So, yes, I was frustrated reading this beautiful novel.

It is full of secrets, revealed one by one within the chapters. When the secret was out, I felt like leaving the book on the table. It was too hard to keep up with.

But, I couldn't.

So, I kept on reading until the last page. It was just too beautiful to leave be...more

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Apr 18, 2010

nat rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: various-fiction

"Hanya kisahlah... yang bisa menghindarkan keturunan kita dari membuat kesalahan besar seperti pengemis-pengemis buta yang menabrak duri-duri pagar kaktus."
(Chinua Achebe, from Anthills of The Savannah)

Usai menyelesaikan sebuah buku dari India lagi. Dan ternyata ceritanya sangat indah, tidak mengharu biru seperti film2 india kebanyakan. Aku merasakan ketangguhan hati seorang wanita di sini.
Novel karangan Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni ini dituturkan dari 2 sudut pan...more"Hanya kisahlah... yang bisa menghindarkan keturunan kita dari membuat kesalahan besar seperti pengemis-pengemis buta yang menabrak duri-duri pagar kaktus."
(Chinua Achebe, from Anthills of The Savannah)

Usai menyelesaikan sebuah buku dari India lagi. Dan ternyata ceritanya sangat indah, tidak mengharu biru seperti film2 india kebanyakan. Aku merasakan ketangguhan hati seorang wanita di sini.
Novel karangan Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni ini dituturkan dari 2 sudut pandang tokoh utamanya, yaitu Anjali (Anju) dan Basudha (Sudha).

Keduanya sebenarnya tidak memiliki hubungan darah, namun tumbuh bersama sebagai saudara sepupu sejak lahir, dengan waktu lahir yang tak jauh berselang. Karakter keduanya sangat berbeda, namun mereka menjadi saudara sehati yang saling mengisi. Anju yang tidak terlalu cantik, berkarakter aktif, kritis, cerdas, ekspresif, dan mempunyai cita-cita tinggi sebagai seorang wanita. Sudha yang lebih cantek, berkarakter kalem, lembut, perasa, penyayang, tekun, dan bercita-cita menjadi ibu dan istri yang baik.

Seiring dengan perjalanan hidup mereka, saat mereka masing2 akhirnya menikah melalui perjodohan, derita dan tantangan hidup mereka alami silih berganti. Walaupun hubungan mereka sempat renggang karena kecantikan Sudha yang memikat suami Anju, serta jarak Calcutta-California yang memisahkan, pada akhirnya mereka menemukan kedamaian dalam hati satu sama lain, bukan dalam suami2 mereka, yang ternyata tidak dapat mengerti perasaan wanita seperti Anju dan Sudha saling mengerti satu sama lain.Saat masalah berat menerpa di tengah mereka yang menantikan kelahiran anak pertama, mereka mulai bahu-membahu mendukung dan menguatkan, hubungan mereka kembali seperti saat mereka tumbuh bersama dalam sebuah rumah.
Akhir kisahnya mengharukan, sepucuk surat misterius menjawab semua tanya...dan memberikan kedamaian bagi Sudha.Memberikan keyakinan pada Sudha, bahwa ia menyayangi Anju bukan karena rasa bersalah, namun karena kasih yang murni sebagai saudara sehati ...

Novel ini disisipi dengan berbagai keunikan budaya India, dan berbagai isu yang mengemuka saat itu, bahwa keturunan masih dianggap sebagai alasan utama seseorang menikah. Dengan penuturan yang enak untuk diikuti, 320 halamannya tidak terasa menjemukan. Novel yang kaya akan kisah persaudaraan, persahabatan, kesabaran, pengorbanan, pengampunan, kekuatan dan ketangguhan para wanita dalam menjalani hidup yang berjalan m enyimpang begitu jauh dari impian semula ....namun akhirnya menemukan keindahan kehidupan dengan caranya sendiri ...

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Mar 23, 2011

Cassy rated it

Shelves: physical-own, 2011, fiction-general, region-india, event-met-author

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni and I go way back. She helps out as an on-stage interviewer for a great Houston-based reading series, Inprint. I was there when she was torn to shreds by Orhan Pamuk. I witnessed her redemption when her interview with friend, Amy Tan went more smoothly. Chitra is always smiling and approachable. She teaches creative writing at the University of Houston. I’ve heard her on the local NPR station. In short, she feels accessible to me.

Inprint flies in big name a...moreChitra Banerjee Divakaruni and I go way back. She helps out as an on-stage interviewer for a great Houston-based reading series, Inprint. I was there when she was torn to shreds by Orhan Pamuk. I witnessed her redemption when her interview with friend, Amy Tan went more smoothly. Chitra is always smiling and approachable. She teaches creative writing at the University of Houston. I’ve heard her on the local NPR station. In short, she feels accessible to me.

Inprint flies in big name authors from all over the country and occasionally the world. So, when I heard Chitra was going to be featured (alongside Gish Jen) for the last event of the season, my first thought was “aww, they are doing her a favor” followed by “they must be trying to save money by getting someone local”. My cynical self didn’t consider that she might actually be a talented author. (I cannot believe I am admitting this!)

In fact, Chitra is quite a good storyteller. I would recommend this book to those who can handle a heavy dose of sentimentality. My eyes moistened with affection for the characters. My stomach grumbled as she described the delicious dishes and smells of India. My heart tightened at the sad turn of events. Looking back, some revelations were foreseeable. But I was so immersed in the story as I read that I did not bother to stop and cast predictions.

Chitra came to the event dressed in her sari as normal. In a refreshing departure from the blasé attitude of most authors, she was obviously excited to be there and sat on the edge of her chair. The interview asked how she started writing: Chitra was homesick during graduate school in the U.S. when she learned her grandfather had died back in India. In an effort to remember what he looked like, she started writing and continued as a closet writer for years.

I never fail to embarrass myself when I meet an author. As she was signing the book, I clutched my heart and crooned “I cannot believe you separated those two characters!” She flashed me an indulgent, but puzzled expression. “Well, you know she eventually goes back to India…” I gave her my blank, what-in-the-world face. It turns out there is a sequel, The Vine of Desire. Honestly, I was disappointed to learn this. I have read two other great, stand-alone novels this year that have unexpected sequels: These is My Words and Daughter of the Forest. What ever happened to leaving a good thing alone?
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Nov 04, 2011

Sorcha added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2007

My last book of 2007.[return][return]Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni made an indelible impression on the literary world with her first novel, The Mistress of Spices, a magical tale of love and herbs. Sister of My Heart is less reliant on enchantment but no less enchanting as it tells the tale of two cousins born on the same day, their premature births brought on by a mysterious occurrence that claims the lives of both their fathers. Sudha is beautiful, Anju is not; yet the girls love each other as si...more

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Apr 22, 2011

Veic Book added it

Hello My Literary Lady Friends,

Please join me on April 10th at 41 Morgan Street for our monthly Book Club shenanigans. The book is Sister of My Heart by Chitra Divakaruni.

I have created a sign-up sheet at \\ERH\VOL1\Veic\ORGANI~1\NONWOR~1\BOOKCL~1\SIYUHB~1.DOC for food. I haven't decided what to feed ya'll yet but I'll let you know when the time gets closer. Jess, can you pass this on to Jen? Thanks!

Directions to my abode:

Head north on N...more

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Aug 21, 2010

Ellya Khristi rated it

Dua wanita, yang dilahirkan dalam waktu yang hampir bersamaan, mengikat janji sebagai saudara sehati, menjalani takdirnya masing-masing sesuai jalan yang mereka pilih. Diceritakan dengan menggunakan sudut pandang dua orang tokoh utama di buku ini, Anju dan Sudha, masing-masing mengungkapkan rahasia-rahasia yang selama ini mereka pendam. Anju, putri keluarga berkasta tinggi di Calcutta. Penampilannya biasa-biasa saja, cerdas, keras kepala, dan suka membangkang. Sepupunya, Sudha, adalah putri “kam...moreDua wanita, yang dilahirkan dalam waktu yang hampir bersamaan, mengikat janji sebagai saudara sehati, menjalani takdirnya masing-masing sesuai jalan yang mereka pilih. Diceritakan dengan menggunakan sudut pandang dua orang tokoh utama di buku ini, Anju dan Sudha, masing-masing mengungkapkan rahasia-rahasia yang selama ini mereka pendam. Anju, putri keluarga berkasta tinggi di Calcutta. Penampilannya biasa-biasa saja, cerdas, keras kepala, dan suka membangkang. Sepupunya, Sudha, adalah putri “kambing hitam” keluarga itu. Penampilannya cantik, serius, berhati lembut, dan penurut.

Suatu ketika kehidupan mereka berubah total. Mereka dijodohkan dan diharuskan segera menikah. Anju menikah dengan pemuda yang disukainya saat perjodohan, dan Sudha menikah dengan orang yang dijodohkan dengannya walau ia mencintai orang lain, dengan alasan ini demi Anju. Keluarga mertua Anju tak akan menerima Anju kalau ada anggota keluarga Anju yang bermasalah. Demi kasihnya pada Anju, Sudha mengorbankan perasaannya sendiri… Lalu tragedi menimpa mereka berdua, dan mereka akhirnya menyadari, walau terpisah jarak, mereka terhubung satu sama lain.

Dengan latar belakang kultur dan budaya India yang kental, buku ini mengingatkanku pada The Hundred Secrets yang pernah aku baca dulu, yang juga kaya dengan kultur dan budaya Cina masa lampau.

“…Kalau memikirkan masa laluku, aku paling sering teringat Anju. Begitu banyak bayangan terjalin dalam benakku. Anju bermain lompat-lompat bersamaku di teras kami, bertekad ingin menang, tetapi selalu menghadiahi aku pelukan erat dan ciuman basah bila ternyata aku menang. Anju, matanya berbinar dengan niat nakal, membujukku untuk makan piajis bawang dari para penjaja di pinggir jalan. Kemudian, matanya gelap penuh penyesalan ketika ia memegang kepalaku sementara aku muntah di kamar mandi. Anju dengan wajah merah karena marah, membelaku terhadap bentakan Ibu. Anju dengan impiannya untuk bisa kuliah yang hancur, menangis di tempat tidurku. Anju dengan wajah seperti malam penuh bintang ketika menceritakan Sunil padaku. Tetapi selalu pada akhirnya aku melihat Anju pada saat pesta pernikahan kami. Di balik kerudungnya yang tipis, berkilau keemasan, matanya seolah terpahat dari marmer hitam ketika ia memandang Sunil lalu aku lalu kembali lagi.” (hal.176)
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Feb 01, 2010

Lktrigueros rated it

Wish there were more books like this! It's as sentimental as it sounds, but the author makes it work. Loved the theme of sisterhood, the backdrop of traditional India, and the beautiful story.

The story never dragged, but I can't say the pace was perfect. I didn't like feeling manipulated into reading faster than I wanted to because of ominous foreshadowing at the end of many chapters; it took away from savoring the writing at my own leisure because I had to plow ahead to see wha...more

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Nov 22, 2009

Judy rated it

This author is an artist with words. She writes beautifully. I picked up the novel because her book of short stories, Arranged Marriage, was written so beautifully, and this one did not let me down. One element of the plot seemed predictable to me, but the character and theme development, the poetry of her language are transcendent and contain the complexity of human relationships. I read it in Greece and meant to leave it there but I couldn't leave it because I thought it was so powerful, so l...more

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Feb 03, 2012

Pooja Dimba rated it

I have to say I'm not a big fan of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, but this book is probably one of the most beautifully written books I've ever read. It's woven with so much emotion, that it made me feel like crying at so many points.

When I started reading this book, several times I wanted to put it away and not continue reading it, but it kept calling out to me telling me to finish it. I finally just sat down and read the whole thing through in about three hours. I wanted to soak in e...more

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May 26, 2011

Ajay Pradhan rated it

This is a late review. The book was published eleven years ago in 1999 by Doubleday. Yet, I hadn’t heard of the author until this month, even though I have seen the movie “Mistress of Spices”, based on her novel by the same title. After reading the book, I read a number of reviews of the novel. I wanted to see what other readers, critics and reviewers thought of the novel, especially the author’s style. Most reviews I read gave positive review of the novel and extolled the author’s gift of writi...moreThis is a late review. The book was published eleven years ago in 1999 by Doubleday. Yet, I hadn’t heard of the author until this month, even though I have seen the movie “Mistress of Spices”, based on her novel by the same title. After reading the book, I read a number of reviews of the novel. I wanted to see what other readers, critics and reviewers thought of the novel, especially the author’s style. Most reviews I read gave positive review of the novel and extolled the author’s gift of writing. But, I didn’t find in those reviews what I was looking for—her style and the beautiful employment of fiction metaphors and similes. Therefore, I decided to write this review.

The story is about two young women, Anju and Sudha, who are cousins, who grow up together, and who are born on the same day, the day both of their fathers die in suspicious circumstances in the predator-infested thick mangrove jungles of the Sundarbans. Despite the element of mystery and curiosity about the death of the fathers, this is not a mystery novel. It’s not a genre or popular fiction. It’s far from being a commercial fiction. The circumstances of the girls’ fathers’ death, therefore, is not the main line of the story, but only a critical foundation which thrusts the two girls to a lifetime of bonding as it does their mothers, Gouri Ma and Aunt N, and an aunt, Pishi, who all live in the same house as a close-knit family. With fathers dead and no other male members in the family, the upper-class Calcutta family of three women and two girls forms the central unit of the story. The story is about the relationship and bonding between Anju and Sudha, whose love and affection for each other is full of selfless sacrifice, open truthfulness, mutual dependence, cathartic devotion, and, at times, with slight jealousy. The author adeptly traces the story of the two young women from their childhood to their womanhood, as told in first-person narrative alternately by Anju and Sudha. Each is the sister of the heart of the other.

This review is, however, not so much about the story itself as it is about the author’s writing style. The novel is a literary fiction. The story is driven, as are all literary fictions, more by characters than by plot. Some acerbic commentators hint that literary fiction is a neologism and, despite the poetic and lyrical metaphors and similes that enhance the elegance of prose, makes the story unreadable. Notwithstanding, the generally accepted notion that literary fiction is the work of superior intellectual mettle than are those of genre, popular or commercial fiction. I do not agree that literary fiction is mostly unreadable. I believe those who make such harsh and unfair judgment are those who wish to read in literary fiction what are essentially the domain of commercial or genre fiction—stories essentially driven by plot. I do not imply that genre or commercial fiction are any less better (I actually enjoy them, whether Frederick Forsyth’s international political and crime intrigues or John Grisham’s legal suspense in the suburbia of America); I only say that Divakaruni’s work stands in a category that is obviously different from commercial fiction.

Divakaruni artfully tells the story in narratives full of similes and metaphors. Her prose is lyrical and is poetic. Divakaruni’s liberal and artful use of metaphors, which is mostly used in poetry, paints the story with a poet’s mind. She is, in fact, an award-winning poet (which I learn from the author’s introduction in the book). Divakaruni’s prose reads like poetry, even without verse. Her use of trope or figure of speech, while making sure they don’t sound trite, makes the story warm and pleasurable reading.

Divakaruni is an exceptional writer. But, of course, she is not the first literary fiction writer who liberally uses metaphors as prose style. Norman Mailer, a literary giant, for example, is a master storyteller who packs metaphors in his stories. Divakaruni’s use of metaphors, drama and passionately living characterization reveal her exquisite cognitive ability to observe or imagine lives in intimate and rich details and tell them in a way that makes readers feel they are not only observing a story but are, in fact, in the story. Her ability to engage readers is amazing.

One of Divakaruni’s unique style is that she creates her own metaphors that are at once meaningful to readers, instead of using the ones that have existed and been used by others (e.g., “bright as pomegranate juice” to describe a smile, or “my mouth is crowded with gravel” to describe how the narrator feels the need to retort to something she doesn’t like, or “the sun paints the wall golden” to tell the reader that the sun has shone in the room, or “smooth as molasses” to describe the smoothness of spoken words). This metaphorology is Divakaruni’s gift to readers, in addition to the story itself. This style adds additional dimension to Divakaruni’s skill as an author—that of a linguist using semiotics, symbolism and, to some extent, mysticism of words and phrases. She deftly spares the readers of archaism in her style, maintaining the high level of reader engagement and interest from beginning to the end. She elevates the work of storytelling to an art form.

Divakaruni weaves into the story elements of conflict as part of the story structure that keeps the readers engaged. The conflicts in her story are based more on characters than on plots. As a reader, I felt as though I was in the same room while the protagonists were engrossed in conversation, oblivious of my presence. She introduces element of curiosity, if not mystery, into the story in the early part of the story as a conflict that she resolves only near the end of the story (when Sudha, along with her infant daughter, Dayita, are on their plane flight to America). Between this early conflict and the eventual resolution, there is a lot of action in characterization. The characters in her story drive the plot.

This is Divakaruni's first and only novel that I’ve had the pleasure of reading so far. It’s an emotional story that has an intellectual impact like such that a linguist and author with rich imagination can make. I liked the book for its warmth depiction of female bonding amidst complexities of life and wondered why I hadn’t heard of the author before, much less read any of her novels. Although literary fictions are not the primary source of information about cross-cultures; this novel provides a literary vehicle for cross-cultural readers to understand and enjoy Bengali culture and society in Calcutta.

When I completed reading the story, I couldn’t help but wonder if Sudha was going to return to Calcutta from her sojourn to America. The novel stood well on its own as a complete story; but there are several strands that I couldn’t help but wonder about how they would progress. I wanted to know what would happen to Singhji and whether Sudha would see him again and how she would feel if she did. I wanted to know what would happen to the trinity of women in the family, Gouri Ma, Aunt Nalini and Pishi. And, of course, most of all, I wanted to know what would happen to Ashok, the man Sudha loved but sacrificed not once but twice—for Anju, the sister of her heart.

Before I close this review, I must say one thing. I have the bad habit of reading multiple books simultaneously. When I started reading this book, I had already read about a hundred pages of “The Hungry Tide”, a novel by Amitav Ghosh. I found the story too enjoyable to put the book down and go back to Ghosh’s book. As much as I was enjoying Ghosh's book, too, it just had to wait.

After reading the novel, when I found out that Divakaruni wrote a sequel to the story later, “The Vine of Desire” in 2002, I couldn’t help but feel good. I immediately started looking forward to reading it. After one book, I have become a Divakaruni fan. She is a brilliant storyteller.

Note: I wrote this review on February 15, 2010 and shared with the author through her Facebook page.(less)

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Mar 08, 2011

April rated it

Shelves: 2011-reads

Beautiful story of two cousins battling opposing forces while bonded by tragedy and torn apart by secrecy.

The girls, born in a time where individuality is stiffled by strict cultural tradition and social norms dictate much of one's being. American ideas of indpendence and education have creeped into conversations and linger as possiblity. Anju is in constant opposition of tradition. She longs for America and a college education. Sudha, born with exquisite beauty, her future remains ...more

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Feb 03, 2011

Chana rated it

Shelves: fiction-family-drama, india, released-through-bookcrossing

A romantic, coming-of-age, family saga in Calcutta, India. Two girls growing up in the same household, bonded so strongly even at birth that they grow up sharing inner hearts, as the title says "sister of my heart". The girls are both fatherless as their fathers passed away in the same sad and mysterious accident right before the girls were born. The girls are raised by the "3 mothers" and eventually marry, which is complex in itself.
One of the things that I really like...more

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Jun 24, 2011

Ape rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: india-pakistan

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I finished off this book this evening whilst we've got an Andy Murry tennis match on tv in the background (it's Wimbledon!). Anyway, I enjoyed this book, so it's distracting me from the match. It was a good read, quite addictive, and I'm so glad Bjorg also passed on to me the next book =). I'd also be quite interested to read some of Divakaruni's other books.

So, this is a kind of family melodrama-saga, in some ways the usual standard thing, not particularly surprising or shocking - t...more

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Apr 09, 2011

Russ rated it

I picked this book up at a thrift store for .99 when I picked up a new course shirt for the wilderness. Not the type of book I'd seek out, but I'd been gone from India for over a year and I missed the tales woven into Bollywood Films and I sensed this book might be full of the drama you could only find from and Indian writer. I was not disappointed. The tale of the two cousins love for one another, the loves and betrayals that came into their lives, the conflict of family and societal expecta...more

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May 17, 2011

M. Gray rated it

I've often wished that Goodreads let us give two ratings for a book: one for how much we enjoyed it, the other how much we respect it. I could give this book four or maybe even five stars for respect. The writing, on a line by line basis is beautiful. Divakaruni's metaphorical language flows naturally and elegantly. She is also a strong storyteller. I especially liked how her ending was happy but gave us one unresolved issue to make us worry/continue thinking about the characters.

As ...more

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Apr 03, 2009

Indah ip rated it

Dapat buku ini di pesta discountnya MPH. Lumayan 50% dari harga normal, beli 2 buku Tony Parsons dapat 1 bonus. Awalnya asal ambil aja, baca ringkasan belakangnya.

Tapi,..setelah baca sampai selesai ternyata ceritanya menarik juga. Jadi penasaran sama buku2nya Divakaruni.

Tentang dua orang gadis, tumbuh rapat sebagai sepupu. Apapun yang dilakukan selalu bersama-sama. Suatu hari salah satu menemukan rahasia masa lalu. Hal ini membuat hubungan mereka berbeda.

Sebel...more

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Oct 10, 2011

Sharon rated it

Shelves: fiction, book-club

This is the story of two cousins growing up together and being raised by three aunts. One of the cousins is of an upper-caste Calcutta family, while the other cousin is of lesser means. The story starts while they are about 11 years old and continues past their arranged marriages. Anju and Sudja are very different from one another, yet change reversing their character roles in adulthood. They have a strong bond that never lessens, even as they are separated from one another in America while ...more

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Nov 26, 2011

Shan Vrolijk rated it

· review of another edition

hm.. keren banget. beberapa nusuk banget ceritanya, seperti kenyataan kalo menikah bukan hal gampang. Sebaiknya pastikan sebelum menikah, orang yang kita nikahi benar-benar mencintai kita, karena pada saat pernikahan sudah terjadi, nggak ada lagi celah untuk mundur... kecuali, ya, dengan perceraian, yang amat dibenci Tuhan.

ada kata-kata yang masih menarik perhatianku:

saat seorang lelaki dan seorang perempuan bertemu pandangannya, ada seuntai tali emas yang mengikat merek...more

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Mar 21, 2011

Susan Hatch rated it

this is the book we read for march's bookclub...which doesn't meet for 2 more days. I'd have to report back on what the others thought. But for me...I did not care for this book.

Perhaps it's the Indian culture or the way of life. Perhaps it's the odd loyalties. Maybe I like the happily-ever-after endings that d not exist herein. I suppose there are enough real sorrows in life that I prefer not read other ones. I don't know why a young wife would bring into her home a 'sister', w...more

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Oct 25, 2009

Feral rated it

I loved every minute of reading this book. I don't know why I didn't give it 5 stars? The language of the book lulled me deep into the story, which is of two girl children raised in the same family in Calcutta in current times. The book primarily explores the cataclysmic changes in the social mores of the upper class as it meets with modern times, but through the tender telling of the stories of these two young women and their love for each other. The language is that of a fable; the detail ...more

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Dec 02, 2008

Jamie Incorvia rated it

This book had an interesting back and forth narrative style. It is the story of two Indian girls who are as close as sisters, and share more of an intertwined past than even they know. Each chapter is told from either one or the other girls' perspectives, which leaves the reader feeling as though she knows both of them really well. Plus, Divakaruni does a nice job of making her writing style shift for each character's voice. It was epic in scope (spanning about 15 years) and made me hungry for I...more

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Jan 16, 2012

Susan Johnson rated it

What a love story. Not the usual one but one that is so deep and enduring and makes a person'e life worth living. Three women live together bound by the love of two daughters. And the two daughters bound together by the toughest ties- love. One of the mother says, "It's love that makes a relationship, as much as blood." As an adoptive parent that line sung to me in it's truth. There are times I forget that I didn't give birth to them- I love them that much. This book spoke to me on so ...more

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Feb 18, 2010

Lauren Loutzenhiser rated it

Even though this book was recommended to me, I resisted reading it for some time - I just didn't think I would enjoy a book set in India and chock full of Indian customs and heritage. Boy, was I ever wrong! This book was completely enchanting, and I fell in love with the characters. I was amazed at how I could relate to them - this proves that love and sisterhood are universal. I whole-heartedly recommend this! (But a word of warning, there are a couple of swear words, including a big one. ...more

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Jul 31, 2007

Andrea rated it

Recommends it for: teresa

This book is captivating. The characters are very strong and the story is beauftifully written, full of humanity.

like 1 like

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Sep 20, 2011

Lubi Lafdewali rated it

After "Arranged Marriage" I picked this book to read. I was mesmerized by Chitra's ability to take me to a city I've never been to, where I could smell and taste and visualize and understand everything Bengali... a culture I've barely known personally.

Chitra's ladies in the book: Sudha & Anju are women that we will never forget. The strength of their relationship is awe-inspiring and it makes a loner like me want a sibling or a best friend of that calibre!

I ha...more

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Feb 10, 2009

Laura rated it

While this isn’t as mystical as Mistress of Spices, it’s as enchantingly and compellingly told. Two cousins in Calcutta are born prematurely into a household of women on the same day as their fathers die. Their lives are woven together like gold and silver threads, providing strength and contrast to each other as they grow together — and apart — through years, cultures, and arranged marriages. There are secrets, dramas, and...best of all...secret dramas! I loved the complicated relationship betw...more

like 3 likes

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Jun 21, 2011

Michael Kerlin rated it

I just read Sister of My Heart and absolutely loved it. I had taken a long break from fiction and fallen into a bit of a non-fiction rut. Sister of My Heart was lyrical... I have never seen such perfect physical metaphor for such a broad range of emotions. The characters, particularly Anju, Sudha, and Singhi were extremely compelling and Anju and Sudha's voices irresistible. I felt transported into their homes and minds in Calcutta. I have just started One Amazing Thing, and am loving it. ...more

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Jan 04, 2010

Pirate rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 26, 2009

cathy rated it

Recommended to cathy by: Hehthur

I thoroughly enjoyed this story told alternately through the perspectives of two cousin who were spiritually conjoined. It was an elegant study in culture, tradition, feminism, problem-solving, and persistence. While it could be said that this book addresses problems that are unique to women, I felt that its most important message applies directly to both men and women - find your strength and answers inside yourself. External forces can never satisfactorily meet your needs.

P.S. And ...more

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Feb 04, 2011

Phillip rated it

I read this about 5 years ago so this review is a bit stale due to limited recall. The original impetus to read it was to have a better understanding of someone else and not to actually read the book, but I have to admit I ended up enjoying this book and it gave me a greater appreciation of different cultures; also, there was at least one indelible scene that engendered shame due to how ugly xenophobia can be which added to my understanding of people that immigrate to America and are of a diffe...more

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About Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is an award-winning author and poet. Her work is widely known, as she has been published in over 50 magazines, including the Atlantic Monthly and The New Yorker, and her writing has been included in over 50 anthologies. Her works have been translated into 20 languages, including Dutch, Hebrew and Japanese.

She was born in India and lived there until 1976, at w...moreChitra Banerjee Divakaruni is an award-winning author and poet. Her work is widely known, as she has been published in over 50 magazines, including the Atlantic Monthly and The New Yorker, and her writing has been included in over 50 anthologies. Her works have been translated into 20 languages, including Dutch, Hebrew and Japanese.

She was born in India and lived there until 1976, at which point she left Calcutta and came to the United States. She continued her education in the field of English by receiving a Master’s degree from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.

To earn money for her education, she held many odd jobs, including babysitting, selling merchandise in an Indian boutique, slicing bread in a bakery, and washing instruments in a science lab. At Berkeley, she lived in the International House and worked in the dining hall. She briefly lived in Illinois, Ohio and Texas, but has spent most of her life in Northern California, which she often writes about.

Divakaruni currently teaches in the nationally ranked Creative Writing program at the Univ. of Houston. She serves on the Advisory board of Maitri in the San Francisco Bay Area and Daya in Houston. Both these are organizations that help South Asian or South Asian American women who find themselves in abusive or domestic violence situations. She is also on the board of Pratham, an organization that helps educate children (especially those living in urban slums) in India.

Divakaruni has judged several prestigious awards, such as the National Book Award and the PEN Faulkner Award.

Two of her books, The Mistress of Spices and Sister of My Heart, have been made into movies by filmmakers Gurinder Chadha and Paul Berges (an English film) and Suhasini Mani Ratnam (a Tamil TV serial) respectively.

Divakaruni lives in Houston with her husband Murthy, her two sons Anand and Abhay (whose names she has used in her children’s novels) and Juno, the family dog.

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“that's how it is sometimes when we plunge into the depths of our lives. no one can accompany us, not even those who would give up their hearts for our happiness” — 14 people liked it

“I guess there's a lot we hope for that never happens.” — 9 people liked it

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