Rating: 
Summary: really good read
Review: Interpreter of Maladies is simply a collection of short stories about the lives of people no more ordinary than the next person you will see walking down the street. However, the stories are remarkably laced together with unforgettable details, leaving the reader with a bittersweet aftertaste of the impressive and yet simple scrutiny of each character and a chilling familiarity with their everyday lives.
Jhumpa Lahiri writes with a straightforward sophistication which is both easy to read and thought provoking. Her characters, whether they are Indian-Americans struggling to find a place where they can call home, a door sweeper in India, or a part time tour guide, are all revealed to us through their daily experiences, and it is ironically the simplicity which enables us to not only connect and sympathize with each character, but also allows her themes of everyday human circumstances to make it's clear impression.
Most stories revolve around Indians immigrating to America. Each story has a touch of Indian culture and heritage. The conflicts the characters face are nothing new or unusual- crumbling relationships, cultural shock, leaving home etc. It is Jhumpa Lahiri's descriptive powers and her well-crafted storylines that makes each character come alive with fierce and even provocative emotions.
Rating:
Summary: literary discovery
Review: As an English major who has studied the writings of Rushdie, Narayan, A. Roy, and Tagore, I picked up Lahiri's book with reluctance--Was I up to the task of ploughing through thickly figurative language and deciphering high-browed diction? I was surprised to see that Lahiri's prose was, on the contrary, simple and almost Hemingway-esque. I fell in love with the book and read the stories over and over. It is a quick read and a real treat for anyone who loves short stories. As a second generation Indian in the U.S. I was amazed at how well Lahiri captures the foreign voice while alternating religious perspectives, narrative voices, and countries. This book is richly transcultural and incredibly simple. It does not need flowery language to drive its point across. Breathtaking...Jhumpa Lahiri is not just a novelist but also a sociologist and a poet who can convey to any foreigner a million words within one simple short story, leaving the reader thinking about the stories long after he has read them.
Rating:
Summary: So good, I've already given away my copy to a friend!
Review: I picked this up in Dubai and started reading one story.....just to pass the time in my hotel room.....and then I couldn't put it down until I'd finished the entire book.I am not a big reader of short stories, prefering the longer journey of the novel. However, Ms. Lahiri is such a gifted writer I will gladly read anything she comes out with next. The magic of this collection of stories is in how well drawn her characters are...she brings them to life, you understand their motivations, their choices, their story.....you don't feel as if they and you are simply being manipulated for the sake of a clever plot line the author wants to try out. In fact, most of the stories are not exotic, outlandish, mawkish stories.....they are vignettes from everyday life. Observations of ordinary people whose ordinary lives become sweet and memorable under the careful scrutiny of the author. The lasting impression is a greater appreciation of our lives and the stories we live from day to day. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
Rating: 
Summary: Vivid tales and beautiful prose
Review: This is a strong collection of short stories that fit together because of a common theme: looking for home, looking for a sense of being in place. Many of the characters are immigrants or first-generation Americans, with the presence of India strongly in the foreground. Other stories actually take place in India, with characters struggling with debilitating loneliness, or who become strangers in their own homes. The prose is most delectable when defining relationships or settings by food and clothing. Lahiri can narrate from a male as well as the female perspective, simply and truthfully. Her sense of humor is not overt, but many of the situations are genuinely funny and the laughter can come as a surprise.
Rating:
Summary: Kudos--Bravo---More---Outstanding Writing!!!!
Review: The greatest praise I can give to this book of short stories is to tell you to go out and buy the first copy you find. Don't order it, don't wait; go out of your way and find it somewhere. Then, find the closest café or coffee shop, order your favorite latte or tea and start reading. If I am right, your latte and tea will get cold as you become immersed in the lives and times of Author Jhumpa Lahiri's characters. Writing prose is easy; writing good prose is not so easy. Where are the writers who know how to write well? Have today's editors so few to work with, or are they dismissing the writers of good prose for the writers of best sellers? So much of today's writing is constructed of passages of words just cobbled together as if the story evolved from a bunch of scrabble boards. Well to those readers who yearn for outstanding prose, I strongly endorse the 2000 Pulitzer Prize winner for fiction "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri. It has been quite some time since I enjoyed a book of short stories so much. This one is a gem. Since this is the author's first book, I marvel at her skills, and those of us who are truly honest will admit our envy of those skills. After reading this relatively short volume, I eagerly await her next installment. If there is any one thing that will grab the reader as they follow each tale in this volume of short stories, it is the author's remarkable ability to describe people and places with such accuracy and detail that the reader feels as if they are a familiar visitor in the very room where the story unfolds. You feel almost like a trusted neighbor who is always welcome in the characters' lives. Author Lahiri dwells on her characters' surroundings; she makes the reader absorb the details to fully appreciate the characters' predicament; by the use of simple sentences chock full of details you can hear the water begin to boil in the kettle and feel the human situations resonate in each character. The importance of family is a common theme running through each story; each story of the ethnic genre stands alone. Most of the stories deal with Indians who have emigrated to the West. You do not have to be Indian to appreciate the people and culture depicted in these stories as Ms Lahiri's writing depicts human situations and emotions that transcend borders. You will not forget some of the stories and characters--- you'll want to watch television with Mr. Pirzada; you'll appreciate Mrs. Sen's baby-sitting skills and remember a familiar aunt; you'll wonder if Sarjeev and Twinkle's marriage survives; families with immigrants will know somebody like Mr. Kapasi who interpts maladies for the doctor for foreign speakers. If you do not like short stories, or wonder how the Pulitzer for fiction was awarded to a book of short stories, give this one a chance. After you read it, I guarantee that when you see someone in your favorite bookstore deciding whether to buy this one, you'll lean over to them and heartily endorse this book's fine writing. Can you give a better review?
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: The book kept my interest from page 1 until the last page. It amazed me how the author was able to capture the characters so well in so few pages. The characters in each story were so interesting they could each have a novel all their own. In fact, my one complaint was that the stories were too short. I got so into them that I was almost diappointed when they ended. I did find the stories sad, but not tragic. I would recommend this book to anyone, but don't read it on an empty stomach, the many referrences to Indian food made me very hungry!!!
Rating:
Summary: can prose get any better?
Review: wow, i was utterly amazed, blown away, by the mastery of language. each story is a unique gem, but put together and savored in this anthology, one can't help but be swept away by the amazing power lahiri displays over the telling of true fictional tales.
Rating: 
Summary: Surprising Award-Winner
Review: After reading five of the nine stories included in this collection I decided not to proceed any further. "A Temporary Matter" was very good and worthy of 5*'s, "When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine" had a lot of depth and feeling and was probably worth 4*, but then the book took a turn. The title story "Interpreter of Maladies" was mediocre at best and "Sexy" fell far short of its name. As I got deeper into the collection all of the stories seemed to blend and become repetitive. Lahiri would probably write a very strong full-length novel, but I wasn't impressed with the short story collection and am very surprised it was honoured with the Pulitzer.
Rating:
Summary: Heartbreaking when the stories end. You want more!
Review: A great read. Each story was surprising in its wisdom and poignant observations of the ordinary. This book took me into people's hearts that I had never thought of and made me feel for them. Every sentence had a purpose and was so well executed--no wonder it won a Pulitzer. A wonderful choice for anyone who wants to expand their knowledge of other cultures and/or enjoys beautifully written prose.
Rating:
Summary: Hmmm.
Review: I'm a native-born American citizen with Indian (immigrant) parents, and I've rarely felt particularly "Indian", as my parents raised me without telling me much about my cultural heritage. The little they did tell me about Indian culture regarded how silly they thought some of its customs were, such as arranged marriage and religious fasting. I found this book incredibly interesting. I've read very little fiction about India, so I don't know how these stories compare to the rest of what's out there, but I loved every one of them. They gave me an immense amount of respect for my heritage, from its broad ideals to its intricate details. They also provided me with a viewpoint that I could easily relate to, since most of the main characters were Americans or Indians who had spent all or much of their life in America. In particular, I was fascinated by the way the author depicts things that are normally seen by Western culture as backwards and oppressive. For instance, her portrayal of arranged marriage is interesting because it's not presented as something inferior to the American model of courtship and love, but as an alternative. I found that many of the stories in this book challenge the Western conceptions of "soulmates" and "finding the perfect match" by suggesting that an individual can love almost anyone romantically and unconditionally and can happily live with them for the rest of their days, as long as they are willing to put effort into the relationship and treat the other person with respect and understanding. Lahiri's stories are full of cultural juxtapositions that are catalysts for such ruminations, although they're often very subtle (I'm sure I missed a ton of them) so it's usually up to the reader to make the connections. Which I don't have a problem with, because it means I can read her stories over and over and keep finding new things in them. Unlike many other short stories I've encountered, most of the stories in this book didn't have some kind of "surprise plot twist". In fact, most short stories I've read are more like full-length novels compressed into 20 or 30 pages: they have an exposition, rising action, climax, resolution, and a lot of action takes place in them. Lahiri's stories aren't like this at all; they're more like portraits that change over time. I mean, a single day in anyone's life is a story, and a very interesting one: not because all kinds of events and plot twists happen, but because of everything else. Lahiri focuses on everything else. A still-frame portrait takes a single, uneventful instant in someone's life and makes it beautiful. Similarly, Lahiri's short stories take a few relatively uneventful days, weeks, or months in an ordinary person's life and make them seem extraordinary. Without being trite, contrived, or corny. I don't know how she accomplishes this, but I'm envious.
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