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I enjoyed this collection of short stories - I don't think I've read short stories since college. All of the stories revolved around Bengalis who now live in the U.S. All of the stories are about relationships between people: father and daughter; brother and sister; husband and wife, etc. The book is split into 2 parts. The first part contains completely unrelated stories. I think they started out good, but got weaker as they went on. The second section contained 3 stories where all the characte
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I would prefer to give this book 4.5 stars. In typical Jhumpa Lahiri style, it is a collection of short stories. The main characters are Bengali and have immigrated to the US. I love when a book gives me a glimpse into a culture that is foreign to me. Most of the stories have a melancholy tone..... but she has such an amazing way with words and phrases that is worth reading. This is not a 'feel good' or 'fluff' book - so if you are looking for something light - look elsewhere.
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The writing allowed me to connect with the characters, and I enjoyed reading about the merging of cultures from one generation to the next.
Liked the short story format. Good character development. Would have liked some of the stories to end happy though.
Fantastic writing, depressing stories...
Jun 20, 2009
Bookclubcheerleader
marked it as to-read
Jul 23, 2011
Brenda Tolbert-Radder
added it
