Customer Reviews:

Avg. Customer Rating: 3.9 / 5.0

"Out of Gogol's overcoat":

With her 1999 collection of short stories, INTERPRETER OF MALADIES, Pulitzer-Prize winning writer, Jhumpa Lahiri, proved her talent for storytelling and keen eye for detail. She demonstrates those same abilities again in her poignant first novel, THE NAMESAKE. Lahiri's book follows the thirty-two year journey of its protagonost, Gogol Ganguli, from his birth to Bengali-American parents in 1968, to a transitional moment in his life in 2000, and ultimately to his self-acceptance. Along the way, and always at... more info

Good book, but somewhat too long:

Jhumpa Lahiri, - This is a depressing novel; almost well written, but depressing nonetheless. It should have been subtitled "The worst things that can happen to you if you emigrate". It permeates your consciousness especially if you identify with the protagonists Ashima and Ashoke who left their homeland to strike out a life in the US. That they succeeded is vastly overshadowed by the events that happen to them when their kids grow. About 2/3rd of the book is dedicated to Gogol, the namesake. Gogol is... more info

In a World of Dissonance:

I loved this book. Partially, because I am of South Asian descent, to me it felt like reading a part of my childhood in flowing, beautiful prose.

I think a lot of the negative reviews that I've seen come from people who are probably not aware of what artists do, which is detail, description, and getting into a craft so deeply that it feels like breathing. I think, also, JL is one of those artists who enjoys asthetics and womanhood -- and also the sensual pleasures of everyday life. I found her description... more info

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