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Roossy rated a book 5 of 5 stars

Peony in Love
by Lisa See (Goodreads Author)

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Peony In Love
By Lisa See
pages : 284

Do you believe in fate? I do. I believe I am fated to be with my husband. We came from two different countries and yet we were able to meet and be together. I also believe I am fated to live far away from my parents...more Peony In Love
By Lisa See
pages : 284

Do you believe in fate? I do. I believe I am fated to be with my husband. We came from two different countries and yet we were able to meet and be together. I also believe I am fated to live far away from my parents and siblings. It was hard to be away from my family but this condition taught me to be strong and independent.
Peony in love was also about fate. Fate of Peony. She was fated to die before her wedding, she was fated to roam around as a hungry ghost because her tablet was not doted by her parents and eventually, she was fated to marry her would-be-husband through a ghost wedding.
Peony was the only daughter of Chen family. Her marriage was arranged since she was young like other girls' marriages. Peony accepted her fate to marry a stranger, however she changed her attitude after she met a young man who captured her heart, Wu Ren, the poet.
The meeting happened when she was attending The Peony Pavilion opera. Peony did not know that the man she met was her future husband.
Peony's life changed after that meeting and after watching the opera. She was obsessed with the opera story and Wu Ren. She then refused to eat and drink. Her mother tried many ways to make her healthy again but it was too late. Peony was weak and was almost dying when her father revealed the truth about her future husband.
Peony in love was also about life after death. Peony tried to help her future husband by possessing his other wife which resulted in the death of the wife.
I was amazed that this story had many points. As I mentioned above Peony in love was about fate, was about life after death and it was also about the women writers.
Peony write her commentary on Peony pavilion when she was dying. She then tried to make the other wife of Wu Ren to finish it but she died before she had a chance to finish it. Eventually, the commentary was done through the last wife of Wu Ren . The commentary was published under Wu Ren's name but after much hardship, it was published under Wu Ren's three wives.(less)

Roossy rated a book 5 of 5 stars

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
by Lisa See (Goodreads Author)

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Snow Flower and Secret Fan
Lisa See
258 pages
Random House, NY

This novel was about a deep friendship between two women, Lily and Snow Flower. It was about the hardship of women in China in the nineteenth century: the pain of foot binding, the limited fr...more Snow Flower and Secret Fan
Lisa See
258 pages
Random House, NY

This novel was about a deep friendship between two women, Lily and Snow Flower. It was about the hardship of women in China in the nineteenth century: the pain of foot binding, the limited freedom to learn and to choose a husband were only a small part of their hardship. After all those, they had to endure humiliation and tortured by the in-law.
The story started with Lily. She was only 6 years old when her mother planned to bind her feet. A matchmaker who was asked to find an auspicious date saw her feet and predicted that she would have a prosperous future. The matchmaker then suggested a girl from a rich family as her laotong or “same old”. Laotong was a tradition to pair a girl with another girl as sworn sisters. You see, back then, a girl would get married and leave her family with a rare chance to see them again. Laotong and sworn sisters were needed to fill the emptiness after leaving the family.
Lily was introduced to Snow Flower, a girl from a rich family. They were instantly became attached. Lily thought she was lucky to have a rich girl to be her laotong. However Snow Flower did not tell her the truth about her family. The secret was disclosed during Snow Flower wedding preparation. Lily found out that Snow Flower family was beyond poor. It was true that Snow Flower family was rich once but the greediness and luxurious life took their money away.
The story continued with their happy life of getting pregnant and having children. Snow Flower was married to a butcher who was considered a polluted job back then.
Their life was destroyed by Taiping rebellion, as they needed to leave their houses and families. Lily who was visiting Snow Flower when the rebellion started had to escape with Snow Flower family and separated from her family for many months.
After the rebellion ended, Snow Flower wrote a letter, which threatened their friendship.
She wrote that she would be cared by her other sworn sisters that enraged Lily. Lily then humiliated Snow Flower with her secret in front of many people. They did not see each other anymore until the news about Snow Flower sickness came to Lily. It was too late to mend the friendship as Snow Flower died from ovarian cancer.
The story ended with Lily’s old day. Her wish to have Snow Flower in her life again came true by marrying Snow Flower’s granddaughter to her eldest grandson.
I had a mix feeling about this story. I felt disgusted to know that the women in this story blindly and obediently followed the tradition that limited their freedom. However at the same time, I felt proud and was relieved of their courage and endurance.
I am also touched by the friendship of Lily and Snow Flower. I am lucky I do not have to go through a life of them as I can still see my family especially my sister whenever I want.

“When a girl, obey your father;
when a wife, obey your husband;
when a widow, obey your son”

I guess that was in Lily and Snow Flower’s mind back then.
What do you think?(less)

Roossy rated a book 5 of 5 stars

Difficult Daughters
by Manju Kapur

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I have finished reading this book but I could not gather my mind to write a review for this book.

Roossy rated a book 5 of 5 stars

A Breath of Fresh Air
by Amulya Malladi

read in February, 2009

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Amulya Malladi wrote this novel based on the tragedy in Bhopal, India. The gas leaked claimed 16,000 people and many survivors had to life with the long-term effects of the exposure to the gas.

The Breath of Fresh Air was literary about breathing fres...more Amulya Malladi wrote this novel based on the tragedy in Bhopal, India. The gas leaked claimed 16,000 people and many survivors had to life with the long-term effects of the exposure to the gas.

The Breath of Fresh Air was literary about breathing fresh air for Anjali and for her son. It was also about an arranged marriage and the question, would an arranged marriage work?
For Anjali, there was no question about it. Everybody that she knew had arranged marriages and their marriages lasted.
It began when Anjali was in Bhopal during the catastrophic disaster.
A pesticide factory released its gas due to miscalculating pressure and surrounded Bhopal with its deadly fume. The gas killed thousands of people but Anjali survived. She was waiting for his husband to pick her up after visiting her parents. Prakash, the husband was sleeping while Anjali struggled for her life.
The marriage between them was arranged by Anjali’s aunt which delighted Anjali. She had been dreaming of marrying a handsome husband who would sweep her feet and made her a perfect wife. But Prakash was the opposite. He was a not a perfect husband. Anjali tried to hang on to the marriage and tried very hard to please and serve Prakash until she found out that he cheated on her. She made a decision to divorce Prakash as she could not bear living with a cheater anymore. This decision angered her parents since her parents believed that the wife should bear all pains and misfortunes in her marriage. In other word, no divorce!

Anjali life started again when she met her second husband. They met in the college and fell in love. They had a sick baby as a consequence of her breathing the toxic fume.
Everyday as Anjali saw his son, she blamed Prakash and carried the hatred for a long time. Their path met again when Prakash was stationed in the same town as Anjali. The guilty feeling that haunted Prakash forced him to visit Anjali’s house and found out about his son. He tried to mend his guilt by helping Anjali and her husband to save their son.
Anjali son, Amir was very ill and was too late to be saved. Before he died, he asked Anjali to wheel him to a park to have a breath of fresh air.(less)

Roossy rated a book 5 of 5 stars

The Namesake
by Jhumpa Lahiri

read in January, 2009

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Namesake was the story of Bengali’s family who had to face cultural differences in their life. Gogol, the main character of the story, was born in Boston. He was named after the Russian author, Nikolai Gogol. Gogol’s father was a big fan of Russian’s...more Namesake was the story of Bengali’s family who had to face cultural differences in their life. Gogol, the main character of the story, was born in Boston. He was named after the Russian author, Nikolai Gogol. Gogol’s father was a big fan of Russian’s literatures and survived because of Nikolai’s book from a train accident in India. When Gogol was born, his parents wanted to wait to name him as the naming letter from Gogol’s great grandmother was delayed. However, the letter was lost and he was stuck with Gogol. Eventually his parents gave him a good name, Nikhil. He was comfortable being a Gogol until he went to college and changed it legally to Nikhil.
The story continued to tell us about his life in the college, girls he met and broke his heart, his defiance against his parents to always go home for Christmas and Thanksgiving. The last part of the book was about his sadness from losing his father from heart attack and his happiness from his marriage life to a Bengali’s that became a failure after he found out that his wife was cheating on him.
I finished Namesake within 2 days, which was a record as I only read before bedtime.
I felt for these characters, especially the mother who was come to Boston without knowing anyone except the husband. How she had to adjust to American life for the sake of her children and eventually had to survive alone when her husband passed. As I doze off to sleep I kept thinking about the Namesake. The questions started to fill up my mind; Will Amanda feel foreign in our homeland the next time we go home? Will Amanda rejected to be with us for Thanksgiving and Christmas when she is in college?
Bringing up children in a foreign country will always be a challenge to all parents. Even though we, as parents can pass our cultures, eventually the local culture and moral will take over it.
My only hope for this moment is that Amanda will always looking forward to go home to Indonesia and Singapore and feel at home there.(less)

Roossy rated a book 5 of 5 stars

The Feast of Roses
by Indu Sundaresan (Goodreads Author)

read in November, 2008

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The Feast of Roses was about Mehrunissa; her life as a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother, an empress and a ruler. She was the love of Emperor Jahangir and they wed because they loved each other. As she gained more power from the harem, she asked t...more The Feast of Roses was about Mehrunissa; her life as a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother, an empress and a ruler. She was the love of Emperor Jahangir and they wed because they loved each other. As she gained more power from the harem, she asked to have more power in the kingdom’s politics, which meant she was to be consulted for any problems concerning the kingdom. Love apparently blinded Jahangir and he granted all of Mehrunissa’s wishes.
As Jahangir’s health deteriorated, Mehrunissa was the one in charge for many of the Mughal India kingdom’s affairs. This woman’s power was not common back in their time and many of the high-ranking officers despised it. The fear of losing power came to Mehrunissa when Jahangir had severe asthma attack and almost died. She then tried to secure her power and position by asking Khurram, one of Jahangir son to marry her daughter, Ladli. Unfortunately, her attempted failed and when Khurram became the emperor, she was exiled and forgotten.
My first encountered with Mehrunissa character was in Taj. She was mentioned as an aunt of Arjumand. There was not much information about her except that she did not like her husband and was married to Jahangir after her husband was killed. She was viewed as ambitious and smart. In one instance, she was humiliated by her lack of skill of archery by his husband’s other wife, which made her practiced archery very hard in a short time, succeeded in killing a tiger and gained her husband respect.
Nevertheless, I admired Mehrunissa as a strong woman. She went through humiliation as she thought as barren and only gave a daughter to her first husband. She witnessed her first husband assassination, she worked hard to earn her living and she loved her child despite of the child’s gender.
I have seen Mehrunissa's courage in many women. Eva Paron, Nancy Reagan and Hillary Clinton were among them. They were the brains behind their husbands. Many of these women are the brain machines in today’s commercial worlds and they are the reason why women should still fight for equal right.(less)

Roossy rated a book 5 of 5 stars

The Twentieth Wife
by Indu Sundaresan (Goodreads Author)

read in December, 2008

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The Twentieth Wife was Mehrunissa.
Her father was almost abandoned her when she was just an infant for he could not afford her. Luckily, Mehrunissa was picked up by a Persian man who was also the savior of her family.
The Twentieth Wife, the story of M...more The Twentieth Wife was Mehrunissa.
Her father was almost abandoned her when she was just an infant for he could not afford her. Luckily, Mehrunissa was picked up by a Persian man who was also the savior of her family.
The Twentieth Wife, the story of Mehrunissa’s love to her prince, Salim.
It was also a story of politics in Mughal India kingdom and its harem.
After Mehrunissa’s father accepted a position in the kingdom, she was noticed by the Queen and was asked to be a lady in waiting.
During her service, she took a noticed of Prince Salim and fell in love with him.
Her love and admiration were reciprocated however it was too late as Mehrunissa was engaged to be married.
The Twentieth Wife was also the story about power struggle between fathers and sons. A persuasion to get the throne was fired up by Prince Salim advisors and he rebelled against his father. While this happened, Prince Salim’s older son was also thirsty for the throne and challenged his father.
Mehrunissa’s life was described in details in this novel. From her suffering for not able to marry the man she loved to the humiliation of not able to bear a baby for her husband. Finally after enduring a few miscarriages, she gave birth to a baby girl. Mehrunissa’s life changed after a tragic death of her husband. She then went back to be a lady in waiting for the Queen (now a former Queen) and supported herself and her daughter for four years. The love between her and Emperor Jahangir had never ceased even though many people against it. Mehrunissa was the last wife of Jahangir.
I found out about this novel from my contact in Flickr. Just a few months before, I finished a novel titled “Taj”. In it, there was a short story about Mehrunissa and her marriage to Jahangir. The Twentieth Wife is a sequel of The Feast of Roses in which the story of Mehrunissa as an empress continued.
The author of this novel researched many history books to obtain the facts for this story. Indu Sundaresan was born and raised in India and currently lives in Bellevue, Washington, USA.(less)

Roossy added

Mansfield Park
by Jane Austen

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I did not finish the book ! Shame on me...well, the book was difficult to read. I have watched Mansfield Park DVD and I sort of expecting the story would be similar to the movie...

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Roossy is now friends with Tata
Sep 09, 2011 09:19am · like
Roossy rated a book 5 of 5 stars Peony in Love by Lisa See (Goodreads Author)	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Peony In Love By Lisa See pages : 284 Do you believe in fate? I do. I believe I am fated to be with my husband. We came from two different countries and yet we were able to meet and be together. I also believe I am fated to live far away from my parents...more
Apr 08, 2009 07:45pm · see review
Roossy rated a book 5 of 5 stars Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (Goodreads Author)	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Snow Flower and Secret Fan Lisa See 258 pages Random House, NY This novel was about a deep friendship between two women, Lily and Snow Flower. It was about the hardship of women in China in the nineteenth century: the pain of foot binding, the limited fr...more
Apr 08, 2009 07:44pm · see review
Roossy rated a book 5 of 5 stars Difficult Daughters by Manju Kapur	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I have finished reading this book but I could not gather my mind to write a review for this book.
Feb 15, 2009 12:48pm · see review
Roossy rated a book 5 of 5 stars A Breath of Fresh Air by Amulya Malladi read in February, 2009	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Amulya Malladi wrote this novel based on the tragedy in Bhopal, India. The gas leaked claimed 16,000 people and many survivors had to life with the long-term effects of the exposure to the gas. The Breath of Fresh Air was literary about breathing fres...more
Feb 15, 2009 12:46pm · see review
Roossy rated a book 5 of 5 stars The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri read in January, 2009	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Namesake was the story of Bengali’s family who had to face cultural differences in their life. Gogol, the main character of the story, was born in Boston. He was named after the Russian author, Nikolai Gogol. Gogol’s father was a big fan of Russian’s...more
Jan 27, 2009 07:12am · see review
Roossy rated a book 5 of 5 stars The Feast of Roses by Indu Sundaresan (Goodreads Author) read in November, 2008	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The Feast of Roses was about Mehrunissa; her life as a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother, an empress and a ruler. She was the love of Emperor Jahangir and they wed because they loved each other. As she gained more power from the harem, she asked t...more
Jan 15, 2009 07:39pm · see review
Roossy rated a book 5 of 5 stars The Twentieth Wife by Indu Sundaresan (Goodreads Author) read in December, 2008	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The Twentieth Wife was Mehrunissa. Her father was almost abandoned her when she was just an infant for he could not afford her. Luckily, Mehrunissa was picked up by a Persian man who was also the savior of her family. The Twentieth Wife, the story of M...more
Dec 01, 2008 09:04pm · see review
Roossy added Mansfield Park by Jane Austen	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I did not finish the book ! Shame on me...well, the book was difficult to read. I have watched Mansfield Park DVD and I sort of expecting the story would be similar to the movie...
Nov 14, 2008 05:54am · see review
Roossy made a comment on Uce's profile "ce, akhirnya dikaw update goodreadsnya..."
Nov 11, 2008 06:22pm

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