Rating: 
Summary: Great Indian Fiction
Review: I picked up this book because I wanted to read books by Indian authors and I happened to read a review about this book somewhere. Chitra Divakaruni is a compelling author, and she grabs your attention from the moment the story starts and begins to unfold, until the very end. The characters of Sudha & Anju are beautifully portrayed. They reveal the flaws of human nature, and the struggles the father-less girls hailing from a upper class family in the north-eastern Indian state go through from childhood through adulthood. You are literally transported into their world, living both their lives at once. As, the reader you almost want to break their thoughts and ask "can't you see"? At one moment, you want to be Anju and the other you want to be Sudha, and in the end Chitra leaves you wondering if the path the girls takes in their lives is in their own interest... You will definitely love this book- A must read if you like Indian fiction.
Rating: 
Summary: Story of female bonds....
Review: This is a wonderful book about the bonds between women, young and old. First, let me say that this is an excellent book, and I will read more by this author! She has a gift for writing with feeling and her use of adjectives makes the reader actually "sense" and "smell" India. Great book!
Anju and Sudah are girls that were born on the same day to mothers that just received horrible news about their husbands and then went into premature labor.
The 2 girls grow up closer than sisters and have a secret sense between them, very similar to identical twins. As the girls grown up, one of them moves to the USA and becomes more "Americanized" while the other stays in India and holds on to the "old traditions". A lot changes, but their love and bond between them stays strong.
I highly recommend reading this book. It will be enjoyed and easily relatable by any woman. The interaction of grandmothers, mothers, daughters, and aunts is wonderful to read and watch.
There is a nice little surprise in the story to give it a touch of suspense and wonder.
Arranged marriages and life's circumstances test the connection between Sudha and Anju, which keeps the reader thoroughly engrossed.
This is a novel that can not be put down, once you start reading. SISTER OF MY HEART is a treat to read and a story not easily forgotten. These characters will stay with you for a long time.
Don't pass up the chance to read a terrific book like this!
Rating:
Summary: a touching warm bonding
Review: This is a very touching and moving book, the author master the creativity and the poetic writing style to tell the story of two indian women.while reading the book, you feel as if you were in the book, watching the characters. you will be amazed by how descriptive and detail the story is.I thought it was a beautiful book, and i recommend it to everybody.
Rating:
Summary: Simple and touching story about the bonds between women.
Review: Anju and Sudha were born on the same day in Calcutta to a fine Indian family. Unfortunately, it is the news that both of their fathers have died that caused their mothers to go into labor. The 2 cousins are raised in a home full of women - their mothers and a widowed aunt with only the quiet, scarred chauffeur Singjhi, as a male presence in their lives. Anju and Sudha are so close that they can't stand to be in separate classes at school, they know the exact things to say to one another in all situations and they are the absolute best of friends. The story is told in the first person and is narrated in alternating chapters by Anju and Sudha. In the first half of the book, we learn about their personalities, their childhood, their sweet love for one another and we also learn a secret about Sudha's father that causes her to feel indebted to Anju. Sudha is the beautiful one. She loves to tell fairytale stories and she believes in love at first site. Anju is the outspoken and practical one who wants to go to college and run her mother's bookstore when she grows up. When the girls reach their 18th birthday their mother's arrange marriages to appropriate husbands and the girls have a double wedding. Sudha sacrifices running away with her true love for the sake of Anju's happiness; Anju's marriage depends on a spotless family reputation. How much of this sacrifice is prompted by her love for Anju and how much is because of the guilt she feels over her father's actions? The rest of the book is about their difficulties adjusting to life in their husband's households without the support and friendship of their close relationship. After a few years of marriage, Anju and Sudha become pregnant at the same time. But these pregnancies cause a great deal of heartache. I don't want to spoil what happens, but you should know that this part of the story made me cry. The book is mostly set in Calcutta, but the story is about relationships, and the location adds just a bit of flavor to the narrative. The author inserts fanciful metaphors and tales about princesses that make the book seem a little magical, but the true magic is the bonds between women. This touching book struck a chord in me because I have a 'sister of my heart' and I know how much our relationship means to me. The ending was satisfying even though a thread of the story is left unanswered and is dealt with in the sequel Vine of Desire. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: What a heartwarming, sweet story
Review: I just finished this book of which one of my book clubs suggested that I read ~~ and it is really one of the best written books I have read in a long while. The author doesn't grab your attention by the horn, but slowly, softly does she tell her story between two cousins and the choices they have made with their lives. And she is excellent weaving two lives separated by different cultures and oceans. You can feel the hot air in India, being surrounded by jasmine and you can see New York through Indian eyes ~~ feeling the sense of freedom of being away from a different lifestyle. Anju and Sudha are unforgettable characters ~~ each so different in her way and both strong women. They grew up closer than twins for they were always together, and the stories they tell to each other are exiquiste. Then marriage and their choices regarding their marriages only kept them apart for a while ~~ after all, they are sisters of the heart and nothing can really keep them apart. It makes one wish that they had a close relationship like theirs in their lives. They are so fortunate and yet so unfortunate. I highly recommend this book. It is an easy read and the whispers that Divakaruni tells throughout the book isn't easily forgotten. This is the first book I've read by Divakaruni and she is an author I promise to read again. She makes you feel like you're sitting some place safe while someone you love most in this world is telling you secrets only for your ears. And that is the most delicious feeling ever to have in this lifetime. If an author can create that feeling with a book, then she is superbly talented.
Rating:
Summary: Pleasurable reading
Review: I always enjoy a novel that transports me, and Sister of My Heart certainly does just that. The intimate look at the lives, loves and hardships of two "sisters", Sudha and Anju makes for poignant and entertaining reading. Whenever I read a book about Indian women, even in modern soceity, it always re-emphasizes how different and difficult the lives of women in other cultures can be. While some themes are universal to all women(love, marraige, children), the expectations, rules and traditions that govern women's worlds are vastly diverse. This is a great story to curl up and get lost in.
Rating:
Summary: Loved It!
Review: This book was incredible! I couldn't put it down. I bought it through word of mouth. I read 100+ pages in on sitting...after that, I couldn't wait to come home from work to read more! The book keeps adding twists and turns that you don't even expect throughout the whole book. I would highly recommmend this book to everyone. This was the first book of hers that I read. I'm planning on getting all of hers now!
Rating:
Summary: Sensuous and magical
Review: Tilo is a young magical alchemist trapped in an old woman's body. Trained by those well versed in sacred mythical power Tilo becomes a mistress of spices. Her chosen territory is a spice shop in a bustling multicultural city. The stores visitors are a kaleidoscopic blend of desire, culture and struggle. Though she has taken her vows to remain detached from human woes she boldly ventures into the private lives of her patrons. Despite the ominous warnings from her spiritual mentor, she uses the power of the spices to help those for whom she has grown to care for with unexpected results. She soon inhales the bitter aromas of spousal abuse, racism, and youth gang life. While breaking her vows to help others she encounters a man that seems to understand the "real" Tilo living under the mask of age. The sparks that fly from their union will change everything in Tilo's life. Chitra Divarkaruni weaves a tapestry of pain and transformation that is breathtakingly descriptive and pleasing to the senses in her tale of the Mistress of Spices.
Rating:
Summary: Touched deep down my heart
Review: One of the very few books that really touched me deep down in the heart. A rare delight to all the book lovers who dig for something extraordinary & realistic.
Rating:
Summary: Touched deep down my heart
Review: One of the very few books that really touched me deep down in the heart. A rare delight to all the book lovers who dig for something extraordinary & realistic.
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