Wednesday, November 28, 2007

277: The Hindi-Bindi Club - a review

I will start with this disclaimer: this is my own unbiased opinion of a novel I read this summer. I was not compensated in any way for this review nor do I expect to be. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it to those who love learning about other cultures.

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This is a book about love, marriage, family, food, and relationships.

Monica Pradhan did a great job of explaining the subtle layers of Indian culture for me.

In The Hindi-Bindi Club, three young-ish Indian-American women learn through their relationships with their moms that living up to the expectations of their families can allow room for their own individuality.

I learned many things from this book. For example:

- If I choose to cook more, I can try the yummy-sounding Indian recipes found through out this book.

- People are basically the same when it comes to family. Most of us want what's best for our families. Sometimes we're pushy but hey, it's what we know. :-)

- Maybe arranged marriages aren't so bad. Marriage can be difficult at times. Having two families willing to invest in the survival of one's marriage can be a good thing.

- Tradition and ritual can be good things too. Sometimes it's helpful to know what one is expected to do and then do it. Other times, maybe not. ;o)

- I really really want to visit India. As many regions as possible. I want to experience it live and in person.

Thank you Monica Pradhan for sharing this book with us. I reallllllly want to see this one on the big screen. Hopefully soon.


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Christmas is coming y'all. If you're looking for stocking stuffers or you're making out your wish list, this one is a definite good read. :-)


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4 comments:

jessabean said...

I am always looking for new books to read, so I will have to check this out!

I think India is fascinating, and I've read several articles on modern Indian women who are feminists and embrace arranged marriages.

Let us know how the cooking goes! :)

Aly Cat 121 said...

Chile where you been? Girl you over there humpin huh?

Bliss said...

Jess, from your keyboard to God's ears. I won't be cooking any time soon but I'm gonna encourage Mr. Bliss to try a few of the recipes. He and Baby Bliss rule the kitchen at our house. I'm usually on the clean-up crew. :-)

Lemme know how you like the book. :-)

Bliss said...

Aly, I'm coming your way. LOL