Rating: 
Summary: Tales to cherish...
Review: I just finished a marvellous book titled, "Interpreter Of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri and its truly a world-class book. It's a collection of Nine Stories - each speaking of Isolation, Loneliness, Love - sometimes unrequited, Desparation and Above all - the feeling of being home. It was no surprise that Ms. Lahiri won a Pulitzer Prize in the year 2000 for this book and she deserved it to the hilt! Let's try and look at each story from a bird-eye's view without giving away too much: I started the book with the Second Story "When Mr. Pirzada Came To Dine" - This story as I would like to derive revolves around Mr. Pirzada who comes to dine and know this Indian Family living in Boston and how he develops this special relationship with a little girl - thereby trying to overcome the pangs of missing his family back in Bangladesh that was partitioned in the year 1971. This story is set in 1971 and I cried after finishing it. Absolutely Beautiful. My favorite tale in the entire book is "Sexy" - the fifth one where a Mid-Atlantic Woman falls in love with an Indian man - who is married and what she goes through resulting in a dramatic end - again, I love the way Ms. Lahiri tells a tale - It is as though she was living that woman's life, thereby making me live it as well. The title story "Interpreter of Maladies" is about Mr. Kapasi - a tourist guide who is also adept at translating maladies for a doctor in the remote part of India. It is through his job of being a guide that he interacts with Mr and Mrs Das and their children - leading to an astonishing discovery - and above all his innocent love falling apart... "Mrs. Sen" talks about Mrs. Sen and how America seems and feels like an alien land and no matter how hard she tries she cannot make herself a part of the entire tapestry. And all this is said or transpired between her and the boy Eliot, who she babysits.Excellently written!! I will only say this much...To know more about the other stories...Read this book!!
Rating: 
Summary: Read it!
Review: The first book I've read by the author. She has brilliantly written her collection of capturing short stories. Her short stories are like 'favorite scenes' from different movies, written nicely to keep the reader hooked. I liked most of them.
Rating:
Summary: Exquisite Writing, Poignant Stories
Review: I don't ordinarily buy short story books--not because I don't like short stories, but because I usually long to be caught up with characters for a greater duration of time. But I'm sure glad that a bookstore employee urged me to read this book, told me it was better than Lahiri's later novel that I was looking for! And wow, what a precious, treasure trove of stories--each of them 5-star in and of themselves! There's just not a false note anywhere here, in my opinion, and I kept wondering how Lahiri did it, how she achieved such mastery in her first collection of stories. I just can't say enough about the writing and craft that went into these stories and would urge others who love fine writing to read this book. The writing may look simple--and will be easy for anyone to read--but this is so hard to do (to make writing look simple), which is partly why I have such admiration for this author and this book. Lahiri obviously honed every word until it was just right, and yet it all flows so naturally. The writing is also wonderfully understated, which I loved--nothing sensationalized nor maudlin here (also hard to do, in my experience). Each story is very engaging, very readable, with characters who you get caught up with right away. I found all of the stories moving or poignant; they speak to the heart. And what worked for me was to just read one story and then put the book down and stay with those characters and the story for a little bit (because yes, you do wish you could spend more time with each of them). I was interested in this book particularly, when I saw it in the employee's hands, not only because I'd been hearing good things about the author, but also because I'm interested in immigrant experiences and in other cultures. Though I would hasten to add, as have other reviewers, that these stories about Indians (and one Pakistani) have dilemmas or conflicts in them that anyone should be able to relate to. Still, I'd recommend this collection, too, to anyone wanting to learn either more about the immigrant experience in America or about India/Indians in particular. I read these stories and the whole book very slowly, savoring the good writing and the wonderful characters. I also thought about how the writer had constructed the story and then at the end would think about each one, as each of them is multi-layered, with plenty to think about (though if you want to read them just 'on the surface' you'll still enjoy them, I think). It's interesting that different reviewers here had different interpretations of some of the stories, which is wonderful, as the stories allow the reader to engage with them at his/her own level and viewpoint. This is the best book of short stories I've read by far--for ages--and I'm now trying to think who I can give the book to, as it's one I want to share, especially with those who I think might appreciate the craft and wonderful writing here. It's easy to see how this book won the Pulitzer Prize! I don't often rate books five stars, but I'd give this 6, if there was a bonus option!
Rating:
Summary: a good read
Review: These stories are not just about the immigrant experience, but also about people in general, and how they relate to each other. Well worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: fantastic!
Review: Here's a collection of stories that'll make you go "hey, that happened to me!"..they'll make you smile, they'll make your gaze falter, they'll make you remember things you thought you'd forgotten and they'll make you think.
Rating:
Summary: Interpreter of Maladies
Review: This is a truly wonderful book and all of the other positive reviews are right on. The only thing I can add is how striking it was to read such very different stories all by the same author. Lahiri really gets into the minds, emotions, and motivations of characters young and old, male and female, immigrants in the US, native residents in India, and in various walks of life. The stories transcend their common Indian thread. The reader can imagine these things taking place anywhere, anytime, with the characters being anyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Over-valued stories
Review: Simply put, there is too much hype and too little value to these stories that play on multi-culteral themes for forgiveness. These pieces are poorly written and, finally, unrealized attempts to manipulate the reader. I was simply unconvinced, except at times when I broke down in laughter (not the writer's intent). The stories are slight and reveal a shallow understanding of the human condition. To say more would be to waste my time and yours. Go elsewhere for a more mature book.
Rating:
Summary: I hesitated...but I'm very glad that I did!
Review: My wife read this and recommended it to me, but I hesitated. I thought, What could a young, Indian girl possibly say that could interest me (a middle-aged white male)? Boy, I'm so glad I read this. Jhumpa Lahiri is one of the best contemporary writers that I've read. No matter who you are, this book will delight and teach you something about our cultures trying to survive together in this world. It's a great collection of stories.
Rating:
Summary: Ten delectable short stories.
Review: I am a fan of short stories, and Jhumpa Lahiri is one of the best artists of this craft. Although these stories don't take long to read, they each succeed in lingering long after the book is finished. Each time I finished one story and declared that it was my favorite in the bunch, I would start the next and thus my previous rating system would become invalid. Each story focuses on an Indian individual(s) who are in the midst of forging a new identity outside of India. Some protagonists are first generation immigrants, while others were born in the United States. But regardless of their degree of personal connections to India, each balances the delicate line drawn between being an "American" and being an "Indian". Some are more successful than others. These stories are absent of the quinnessential happy ending. As a result some readers might feel this collection is too dark or gloomy. Nonetheless, I believe this aspect leads further credence to each story as happy endings are never guaranteed in real life. It is difficult to pick out a favorite about these ten short stories but here are the ones that resonated with me the most, WHEN MR. PIRZADA CAME TO DINE - About a young Indian girl who becomes interested in the sad life of her parents nightly guest. THIS BLESSED HOUSE - A newlywed Indian couple moves into a new house and continuously finds Christian "gifts" left behind by the previous owners in the strangest places. INTERPRETER OF MALADIES - A tour driver finds that there are grave differences between first impressions and reality while he escorts a young Indian-American family to an important tourist destination in India. I thank Jhumpa Lahiri for writing such elegant yet thought-provoking stories in this book.
Rating:
Summary: Lush, Lovely
Review: I always hesitate before I read a collection of short stories. Somehow if I sit down to read, I want to sink into a story that will last several hundred pages not ten. "Interpreter of Maladies" proved to be a wonderful exception to my rule. Nine stories comprise this collection. Each story can be read and discussed on its own merits or the collection can be viewed and analyzed as a whole. Several themes run through most stories: the traditions of the Indian heritage set against New England, the different mutations of marriage or partnership and the love for one's country either old or new and adopted. My favorite stories included:
"A Temporary Matter"--in which a young Indian couple in Boston, forced to live without lights for a week, plays a cruel "truth or dare" game with each other which effectively ends their marriage "Sexy"--in which a young Midwestern, American woman who has moved to Boston becomes involved with a married Indian investment banker who finds her "sexy" "This Blessed House"--in which a young, newly married, well-educated Indian American couple adjust to marriage in their new home which has a hidden trove of Christian memorabilia. Though they did date prior to their nuptial ceremony, their marriage was effectively an "arranged" partnership by their parents "The Third and Final Continent"--so beautiful, a young Indian man who has emigrated to Boston lives with a 103-year old landlady who can't believe a man has just landed on the moon (it's 1969) By the end of the book, you have a sense of traditions and sensibilities that comprise Indian culture. I know now the importance of fresh fish, the fact that an arranged marriage probably has as much chance of working-or not-as a non-arranged one, the emphasis on higher education at prestigious schools, the fact that married women of a certain caste paint the part in their hair with vermillion. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy short story collections, who like modern fiction and female writers, who seek out books which focus on different cultures. I also would encourage all lovers of good literature-whether or not you are usually indifferent to short story collections--that this is a wonderful BOOK not just nine stories next to each other.
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