The Walled City: A Novel

Library of Modern Jewish Literature

by Esther David

This novel traces the rigid circumscribed lives of three generations of women in an extended Jewish family in the walled Indian city of Ahmedabad.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Judaism

204 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Neha Wadhwa]

It took a while to get immersed in the book as it was a little slow in the beginning. liked the innocent narration from a young girl's perspective and the conflict she is going through in understanding her community while also trying to balance her own desires and logic.

[Rahul Gurav]

गौरी देशपांडेंनी आणि अंबिका सरकार यांनी मराठी मध्ये 'तटबंदी' या नावाने अनुवादित केलेले पुस्तक वाचनात आले.
सुरुवातीला किंचित कंटाळवाणे वाटणारे पुस्तक जसजसे पुढे जावे तस वेगळाच वेग घेते..अहमदाबाद,त्यातील दरवाजे, शहराची जुनी तटबंदी, वाहणारी नदी, झाडाच्या फांद्याप्रमाणे पसरलेलं ज्यू कुटुंब आणि त्यांच्या अवती भोवती असणारा हिंदू, मुस्लिम शेजार..
या सर्व प्रतीकांचा अतिशय समर्पक वापर करत बहुसंख्येने असलेल्या समाजात, धार्मिक दंगलीनी ग्रस्त शहरात स्वतःची धार्मिक ओळख शोधण्याची तिची धडपड, या धडपडीत तिच्या ज्यू कुटुंबियांची होणारी होणारी फरपट..त्यातच बदलणारा सभोवताल व बदलत जाणारी मूल्ये, सामाजिक व कौटुंबिक दोन्ही..वचन दिलेली भूमी इस्राईल आणि लहानाची मोठी झालेली मायभूमी, कर्मभूमी यांच्यातील निवड, ही निवड प्राप्त पर्यायांचा विचार करता नक्कीच सोपी नाही.
एस्थर डेव्हिड या लेखिकेने स्वतःच्या मनातील भावभावनांच काहीस गंभीर, गमतीशीर, गोंधळलेले, निरागस चित्रण करताना कुटुंबाकडे वा समाजाकडे एकाक्ष दृष्टीने बघण्याची कला मोहवून जाते.. बेने ज्यू या समाजाची, त्यांच्या धार्मिक चालीरितींची व निष्ठांची चांगली ओळख या पुस्तकातून होते..Identity Crisis वा स्वओळख शोधणे किती कठीण असू शकत याची प्रचिती आल्यावाचून राहात नाही..शेवटी लेखिका नायिकेच्या एकंदरीत परिस्थितीला 'विषचक्र' संबोधते, पुस्तक वाचल्यावर त्याची कारणे नक्कीच समजतील..

[Sonya Puri]

Loved the book especially as I’m in Ahmedabad since almost 1 yr. A very different style of writing, from a growing child’s perspective yet very deep.
Deals with the conflicts of a Jewish girl wanting to enjoy the small joys of life like playing Holi and painting her nails & the resistance of her family.
I particularly loved the delightful illustrations at the start of each chapter. I guess the author being an artist turned writer contributed to them but couldn’t find a mention anywhere if they were hers.
It definitely makes me want to explore a number of places in Ahmedabad like Chalte Pir ki Dargah.

[Shlok Shah]

This book is peculiar in a way that it does not have a story line, its just a child's observations on what she faces growing up in a Jewish family in Amdavad and her feelings. But still it is written in a capturing manner and its perfect to know more about the Jews of Amdavad.

[Luminalsl]

Le roman a quelque chose d'ensorcelant mais je dois dire que sa lecture m'a quelque peu désarçonné. Le texte est écrit à la première personne et au présent sur le ton de celui d'une enfant décrivant ce qu'elle voit, vit et ressent, sans se détacher. C'est troublant au début, mais comme je l'ai dit, on finit par être ensorcelé.

[Apostropha]

The Walled City offers an interesting look into the negotiations of identity, community, and tradition of Jewish Indians in Ahmedabad. David's style is quite individualistic, so it took a while to get into the book, but once I did I found it rewarding, if ultimately somewhat depressing.

[Heidi]

This book was unusual - it had a very unique writing style, without any kind of plot or storyline. It's a slow start, but once you get into it, it's absorbing, and David manages to bring India to life in her sparse prose.

[Joss]

A bit of a slow start, but really well worth sticking with.

[Rina DSouza]

Was an interesting view of Gujarati Jews, who are of Marathi origin. Must confess that I did not know that such a community still existed. Simple but interesting take on their lives.