Rating: 
Summary: To Each His Own
Review: I read "Interpreter of Maladies" as a project for the book club to which I belong. Just previous to this reading I once again enjoyed "To Kill a Mockingbird" also winner of the Pulitzer. (Now there is a worthy book.) Before purchasing this book, I had not heard all the hype surrounding Lahiri and her work, so I was plesantly surprised to see that this book won a Pulitzer. My joy quickly subsided, however, and turned instead to puzzlement. While I did enjoy the book, I found nothing extrodinary in it. The stories did not move me in any way, with perhaps the exception of the exchange of secrets between the couple in "A Temporary Matter", to which I could relate (a little.) I know in comparing "Interpreter" to "Mockingbird" I am comparing apples to Oranges, yet after reading "Mockingbird" for the upteenth time, I felt that "Interpreter" lacked what it should take to earn a Pulitzer.....in my opinion, that is, the desire to reread the book, which, for this book, I have none.
Rating: 
Summary: Great book
Review: Deserving of all the praise it has gotten, this work of short stories is an exciting & lyrical read.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book
Review: All of these short stories are real gems -- finely wrought, carefully crafted, and altogether lovely. Be forewarned that the stories are very subtle, which perhaps explains (judging from several of the reviews below) why they have evaded some readers. True, this kind of delicacy in writing isn't for everyone. But those who appreciate more highly nuanced story-telling will be rewarded with an excellent and compelling (albeit all-too-quick) read. Truly one of the best books I've read all year and highly deserving of the Pulitzer.
Rating:
Summary: I wish I could write like Jhumpa Lahiri
Review: I selected this book because it had won the Pulitzer Prize -- I had no idea about its content or theme -- yet I immediately found myself totally immersed in the characters Lahiri creates, the culture clash, the hardships inherent in immigration, the difficulty of maintaining one's original culture and language on a new continent. The writing is beatifully simple and direct -- no flowery metaphors or strings of adjectives -- and it brings you to the heart of each story that much more intensely because of it. My grandparents immigrated to this country early in the 20th century, and this gave me some sense of what adjustments they had to make as they entered a new culture with a new language and new traditions. Just a beautiful book; I highly recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: I don't want it to end
Review: I'm halfway through, and already I don't want these stories to end. I chose this for my monthly book club selection, but I had no idea what a gem it would turn out to be. The writing flows so easily and paints every story in my mind so elaborately. I have been sucked in to every story so far within the first couple of paragraphs. I love the way Jhumpa Lahiri writes about food in every story (so far). This book makes me want to read more about and get better acquainted with Indian culture. I will anxiously await Jhumpa Lahiri's next book, whether it be a novel or short stories, but I'm hoping for the latter, because she writes them so well, which can't be said for all short story writers (usually only a couple out of a whole book are worthy of such praise). I would give it 5 stars except I haven't finished, so I don't want to go overboard with expectations. Probably too late for that, though!
Rating:
Summary: Good, but not Pulitzer-worthy
Review: I think the only reason this book won a Pulitzer is because its topic is exotic to westerners. Had the same kind of book been written about Western Texas, there would have been no Pulitzer. I thought the stories were entertaining and I appreciated the history and cultural elements, but I thought the stories themselves were not particularly creative or interesting. Take for example, "Sexy", it's about an American woman having an affair with a married man originally from Bangladesh. There's nothing special about the story other than the fact that it involves someone of another ethnicity and even then, the difference between the two cultures didn't play that big a part in the story. A lot of her stories leave me hanging at the end. Especially with short stories, I expect a sort of revelation and satisfying ending, like my friend telling me a story. Usually the ending is the best part, you listen carefully so you can get the punch line. It's not like a novel where you have the time and luxury to meander, put the book down and ponder. A lot of her stories end abrubtly, as if she ran out of things to say and that's where she decided to end it. I felt this way about her story about Boori-Ma. That's why I say it only won a Pulitzer because it's about a foreigh culture. You would not tolerate such a story about "boring" Americans.
Rating:
Summary: simply wonderful
Review: I began reading Interpreter of Maladies for something to do while drinking my morning coffee. I ended up reading it straight through and finished the book without having ever touched my drink. On the surface these stories are about Indians and Indian imigrants, but underneath they are about human beings and the complications of being human. Jhumpa Lahiri's writing is beautiful in it's elegant simplicity and her stories are compelling for the same reason. There are no unnecessary characters to confuse her story lines, no words wasted on empty descriptions. She gives the reader enough information to fully empathize with her characters and their situations without over-developing details or symbolic themes. The stories in this collection are simply wonderful, though the title story, A Temporary Matter, The Treatment of Bibi Haldar and The Third and Final Continent are particularly striking selections. Intrepreter of Maladies is an excellent book that is worthy of it's Pulitzer prize and your attention.
Rating:
Summary: Simple and Elegant
Review: The stories in this book are beautifully simple, yet elegant. I found the book quite by accident, and hadn't heard anything about it prior to purchase. I was overwhelmed by the unique approach this author took toward characterization -- defining only essentials and leaving the rest to be filled in by the readers. They were great stories, all of them. They reminded me of a single lily -- slender, elegant, yet highly emotive.
Rating:
Summary: A Subtle Critique of Globalization
Review: Jhumpa Lahiri is an ethnic Bengali writer, born in London. brought up in America, who writes in English. As someone caught between the rootless culture of the modern developed world and the more tradition-bound culture of India, she is well positioned to exploit that vague sense of unease that we feel when we turn our back on our roots and traditions. The short stories collected in this Pulitzer Prize-winning volume focus on different aspects of the modern Indian experience. Stories like "Sexy" and "This Blessed House" deal with Filofax-toting, young Indian professionals, apparently successful in the academic or computer fields in the USA, but nevertheless unsure of themselves and spiritually cast adrift in their adopted country. Often a contrast is made between traditional lifestyles, which, although far from perfect, seem somehow more real than modern ones. This echoes the way Chekhov used to juxtapose the hollow, glittery lives of the Russian bourgeoisie with the earthy lives of the peasants. In "Mrs Sen's" the painstaking method of preparing proper Indian meals, involving a litany of vegetables, is seen through the eyes of a young white boy whose single mother is too busy to look after him. But Lahiri is a good enough writer not to commit herself to narrow cliches about a 'spiritually vacuous West' or a 'soulful India.' Her stories set in the Subcontinent, like "The Treatment of Bibi Haldar," show how superstitious and narrow-minded such societies can be regarding illness and the need for marriage. The women in "This Blessed House" and "A Temporary Affair," by contrast, seem liberated by their lives in America. These stories explore the psychological and spiritual fissures opened up by the cultural dissonance of our modern age, and, as such, should strike a chord with anyone dissatisfied with the complexity and shallowness of out modern lives. The ultimate value of these stories is that they offer a subtle critique of globalization.
Rating:
Summary: An enjoyable piece
Review: Jhumpa Lahiri has caught the immigrant life quite well. I know it, because I lived that life in the USA as I journeyed through my years as a graduate student to where I am today. The anonymous critics of Lahiri probably can't appreciate her wirting because they can't perhaps empathize with the characters or would not like to empathize. Lahiri has mastered the art of story telling. She has captured the characters well as presented them so well that I felt as if I was right there in her father's living room. Good job Jhumpa! When is your next book coming out?
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