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10th out of 52 books
—
51 voters
Salt and Saffron
A beautiful novel detailing the life and loves of a Pakistani girl living in the U.S.
Aliya may not have inherited her family's patrician looks, but she is as much a prey to the legends of her family that stretch back to the days of Timur Lang. Aristocratic and eccentric-the clan has plenty of stories to tell, and secrets to hide.
Like salt and saffron, which both flavor fo...more
Aliya may not have inherited her family's patrician looks, but she is as much a prey to the legends of her family that stretch back to the days of Timur Lang. Aristocratic and eccentric-the clan has plenty of stories to tell, and secrets to hide.
Like salt and saffron, which both flavor fo...more
Paperback, 256 pages
Published
May 15th 2002
by Bloomsbury USA
(first published 2000)
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"Saffron is a luxury, but salt is a necessity, Aliya learns in this charming, witty exploration of class values." - Library Journal
"The utterly sensuous descriptions of food and tea are alone worth the price of admission." - Booklist
This is my first book that I've read by Kamila Shamsie. Salt and Saffron is a beautiful, interesting, and very well-written novel. I am eager to read Shamsie's other books.
*All I can remember is the names of mouth watering foods* :D
The story revolves around Aliya; a...more
"The utterly sensuous descriptions of food and tea are alone worth the price of admission." - Booklist
This is my first book that I've read by Kamila Shamsie. Salt and Saffron is a beautiful, interesting, and very well-written novel. I am eager to read Shamsie's other books.
*All I can remember is the names of mouth watering foods* :D
The story revolves around Aliya; a...more
Aaliya is a global citizen of Pakistani origin. But a flirtatious conversation with a stranger on the plane sets her thinking about her roots and the people and stories that have led to her.
The Dard-e-dils, Aaliya's family, trace their roots back to the Mughal era, through British occupation, down to the Partition that broke hearts & families and finally their current day status as Karachian elite. Aaliya skips between past and present as she grapples with the mysterious loss of a beloved c...more
The Dard-e-dils, Aaliya's family, trace their roots back to the Mughal era, through British occupation, down to the Partition that broke hearts & families and finally their current day status as Karachian elite. Aaliya skips between past and present as she grapples with the mysterious loss of a beloved c...more
I enjoyed this book and am struck by the feeling that I know this person and the milieu - of course I don't - her being Paki and it being set in Karachi..and me from arch enemy India..really? The flavour of the book is so much of the North India that I grew up in that I am positively nostalgic. I love a book that bashes prejudices..but of course, no upper class family from the subcontinent would countenance one of its own running away with the khansama maharaj/cook.
Did Misha recommend this book...more
Did Misha recommend this book...more
The novel begins as Aliya is on a London-bound airplane after graduating from college in Massachusetts. Aliya is a young Pakistani woman and is on her way home to Karachi. She is a natural storyteller and spends the flight relaying tales of her family, the Dar-e-Dils, to several of the other passengers. Throughout their history, the Dard-e-Dil family has had sets of `not-quite twins' who bring bad luck or shame to the family. Aliya tells tales of her family and these twins back to the time of th...more
It's another book affirming the strong impact of families over generations--this time a Pakistani family. Given current news of increasing tensions (again) between Pakistan & India, it should have had heightened interest (especially as it deals with those historical tensions' effects on this family), but the prose was too cutesy, it didn't very successfully challenge the class divisions it purported to, & was mostly just plain boring.
May 19, 2009
okyrhoe
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
bookcrossing,
pakistan
The Dard-e-Dil family saga, the stories and the secrets, told by the young Aliya is the means by which she attempts to find the rhyme and reason of her attraction to the 'wrong' type of guy, a fellow Paksitani unfortunate to have been born on the opposite side of the tracks as herself. Discovering the truth behind the unmentionable, the fate of her starred not-quite-twin will, she believes, lead her to the right choices she needs to make. It sounds just like any other tearjerker love story, but...more
Enjoyable little story, as Aliya travels back home from America to India. Carrier of stories for her generation, she is enchanted with the concept of "not quite twins" until she finds out that she is the "not quite twin" with the scandalous Aunt Mariam. Having met a man from "the wrong side of the tracks", Aliya doesnt know if she will be the one to bring shame on the family
I enjoyed the plot/s and characters in this novel set mainly in Pakistan, but I did get a bit lost with the myriad of names and characters, even with a partial family tree at the front. The story slips in and out of the past, memories and stories are a key aspect of this novel. Would probably look up other of Shamsie's novels.
I really liked this book. Took me a few pages to get into it as there were so many characters involved and I got a bit confused. However, so glad i perservered. It was an intelligent, witty book with a poignant and heartfelt story about family, the caste system and the changing views/priorities of each generation. A short read but definitely worth it.
I liked this one much more that Burnts Shadows. Of course, it's a completely different style even though it's the same author. Shamsie proved in this early novel that she can become a master story teller.
This book was VERY easy to read. I did get bogged down occasionally on the cultural terminology, but I felt I definitely learned a little of the Indian/Pakistani culture. Definitely kept my curiosity on the not-quites :-)
In three words: convoluted and implausible. Shamsie's more recent books are better and they reflect a more mature viewpoint (at least, of the main characters). I felt this book tried to use too many tricks and gimmicks (e.g., twins and the "not-quites") and it was distracting or tiresome very soon.
I think the writing itself was strong and capable. And the story had some intrigue. But the storytelling needed to be tightened.
And my personal gripe, especially with Kartography and this one, is how...more
I think the writing itself was strong and capable. And the story had some intrigue. But the storytelling needed to be tightened.
And my personal gripe, especially with Kartography and this one, is how...more
Interesting for history and context of Indian and Pakistani culture. Romantic, mystical and a lot of characters so I was glad the family tree was included in the book.
subtle, irreverent and cheeky humour by turns...simple story made complex by much to-and-fro..interesting perspective on Indo-Pak divide within families.
view all 7 comments
Really liked this book a lot! Loved the learning about all the different cultures.
A classic for anyone interested in women's views in S. Asia...nuanced.
Bitter sweet, melodramatic but very poetic.
A day's read. More like a soap opera. Poor book by Shamsie.
The best love story I have ever read.
Deeply fascinating and thoroughly riveting...
This is a beautifully written book. Her unique witty way of writing has an enchanting and page-turning quality to it. It is one of those books that leaves a pleasant aftertaste, and you may even feel like reading it all over again after you've reached the end! The characters have been described in rich detail. At some points I lost track of the family tree and the various characters connected to each other in the story, but it seemed to set well enough in the end by the end. Highly recommended!
The joy of good food, the pull of the past and family secrets, the power of caste and class are all interwoven into this story about a young Pakistani woman, newly graduated from an American college, who tries to come to terms with a painful event in her life from four years earlier by following its connections to her family's grand colonial-era and pre-colonial past in India. Another flawed but very much sympathetic character (as well as cast of characters) from Shamsie.
The complicated family relationships took rather a bit of sorting out, but the main story was fascinating. well worth the read.
I still think she is over-rated
Intersting book regarding the history of India/ Pakistan before partition and tale of Dar di dil family through generations. The tales in this book remind me of all the stories I have heard from my grandmother regarding Taimur Lane and other stories heard on long winter nights under the Korsi :0)
One of her earlier books and it shows. Instead of being suffocatingly beautiful, this was merely very good. Having read all her later work, I could definitely see the writer she becomes peeking, almost bursting through but stitched up in a few clumsy not-quite-there moments.
A fun quick read about a Pakistani woman who comes from a royal background and falls in love with a man whose ancestors are from the non wealthy part of the country. Also family secrets come out through different connections on the family tree which are funny.
1 like · like · see review
A wonderful look at a modern woman enmeshed in a sprawling Indian family which split during the creation of Pakistan out of India during the 40's. Definitely written in a loose style appealing more to younger folks (i.e. under 50).
I liked the theme of the 'not-quite' twins throughout the book and the descriptions of family and political history. Yet, the writing seemed a bit too forced at times and the end was as cliched as a cheesy Bollywood movie.
I have a feeling my friend Lyz gave this book to me for my...17th? birthday. It might have been 16th, but whatever. In any case, it was a beautifully written book that had me in tears later on.
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Kamila Shamsie is a Pakistani novelist, who writes in the English language. She was brought up in Karachi and attended Karachi Grammar School.
She has a BA in Creative Writing from Hamilton College, and an MFA from the MFA Program for Poets & Writers at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where she was influenced by the Kashmiri poet Agha Shahid Ali.
Kamila wrote her first novel, In The C...more
More about Kamila Shamsie...
She has a BA in Creative Writing from Hamilton College, and an MFA from the MFA Program for Poets & Writers at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where she was influenced by the Kashmiri poet Agha Shahid Ali.
Kamila wrote her first novel, In The C...more
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“How horrifying that morning when you wake up and your first thought is not of the person who has left. That’s when you know, I will never die of a broken heart.”
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7 people liked it
“All right, don't scoff, mock or disbelieve: we live in mortal fear of not-quite-twins.”
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3 people liked it
More quotes…
