Rating: 
Summary: a hugely enjoyable & satisfying read
Review: I AM REALLY AT A LOSS WITH WORDS TO DESCRIBE HOW MUCH THIS WONDERFUL BOOK HAS TOUCHED MY HEART. IT IS PACKED WITH STRONG EMOTIONS, FILLED WITH HUMAN TRAGEDIES OVER WHICH - NOT ONCE DID I FIND MYSELF SHEDDING A TEAR. THE TWO YOUNG WOMEN'S LIVES - SO STRONGLY INTERTWINED- REPRESENT AN ACCURATE STORY OF CONTEMPORARY INDIA.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Rating: 
Summary: Stunningly beautiful
Review: This is a must read for any of those who have read Arranged Marraiges, and even for those who haven't. The story is beautifully told, with a slight sensation of reading a fairy tale. Traditional Indian ethics and feelings with the emphasis of sacrifice are delicately explored.
Rating:
Summary: An Enchanting Novel
Review: Sister of My Heart is a novel that is flawless in both style and structure. The writing is beautiful and rich in imagery. Set in Calcutta, India, the reader is able to create a full visual interpretation of the sights, smells, characters, and surroundings. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni writes an amazing tale of two cousins that share an incredible bond. Sudha and Anju are born on the same day under dire circumstances. The continue to live with each other and 'the mothers' throughout their girlhood. The link between Sudha and Anju is very strong, so strong that many do not understand. However, when Sudha begins to unravel the truths of her lineage she begins to separate from Anju. This is the beginning of the test of the sisterhood. From arranged marriages and circumstances that attempt to destroy the connection between Sudha and Anju, the reader remains completely enchanted. Sister of My Heart is a novel that can not be put down or soon forgotten. This novel is truly a treat for the senses. I look forward to reading Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni past and future work.
Rating:
Summary: A MUST READ.
Review: I have always appreciated the beauty that goes into most books about India. The writing is always so lyrical and gorgeous it makes my mouth water. And this book is a picture perfect example of that writing. Not at all overly done but just delicious. You fall in love with the main characters and are guessing with them as they try to unfold their pasts. Two girls. Two best friends. Their love for each other will move you. And although they are not blood sisters, they will forever be sisters of the heart.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful story
Review: This book was suggested for the book group I'm in. My aunt and a friend's mom had read it, too. It's wonderful. The storytelling alternates between the two main characters. It's funny, sad, heartbreaking and exciting all rolled into one. I could not put this book down.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, lyrical tale
Review: This beautifully written book is the story of two young women who are born on the same day, in the same home, to newly widowed mothers. The women are cousins, but grow up with a bond that makes them linked like sisters. The two have very different lives, as Anju, the witty and smart one, is truly a member of the Chaterjee family(a family of wealth and privilege), where as Sudha, the beautiful one, is a distant cousin. The story of how Sudha came to be, and who her father really is, is one of the many sub-stories that weaves its way into this intricately developed book. This book is about love, relationships, and about the fragility of life. It is also about things not always being what they seem. For Anju and Sudha are both forced to enter into arranged marriages. Poor Sudha's heart belongs to a man she met only once but was instantly drawn to, as he was to her. And the man she is led to marry answers none of her prayers. He is tied to his mother whom Sudha is never able to please. That story develops in ways I do not want to give away, but Sudha's character is one of strength and conviction. Anju is set with a man who she is instantly taken by, and at first he is taken by her, until he meets Sudha. He lives in America, and in time Anju leaves India to become an American wife as well. The complexities of the relationship between Anju and her husband Sunil are never quite revealed, leaving the reader to imagine what is truly going on. However, the tension is obvious, and Anju always remembers the way Sunil looked at her cousin with longing. Years pass and so do experiences, and Anju and Sudha do not share how they truly feel through letters or phone conversations until finally Anju truly needs her. Sudha's marriage does not quite go as planned, and he life takes unexpected twists and turns. As does Anju's. Ultimately leading them back into each other's arms and hearts. But can things ever be the same? This is basically where we are left, and then it is time to go on to the sequel!!! Fortunately I have it and cannot wait to dive into it. Ms. Divakaruni is an incredible writer who delves deep into the construct of human relationships and of the heart. This book is a treat, amazingly written and with a beautifully story of friendship and love.
I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Best book I've read in a long while.
Review: I had heard alot about this book from my online book club. I had been reluctant to start it but was greatful that I had finally read this wonderful book. Anju and Sudha are cousins and feel more like sisters, born on the same day and sharing most of there life together they are bonded in ways that others will never understand. Sudha and Anju both get married and there lives change forever. Anju moves to the United States and Sudha stays in India to live. Both women go through hard times and still manage to keep going. The bond between them both is incrediable they both help each other out in the hard times they each face. I cryed a few times with this book and laughed a few times. This is one of those books that will be loaned to a lot of my friends and hope that they will realize just how much of wonderful book this is. I can't wait to start her latest book.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed!
Review: This book is packaged with much literary promise however I found it disappointing.It is really Dannielle Steele in a sari. Sorry, this is just a trite romance novel.
Rating: 
Summary: A romance novel
Review: Be aware. And beware. This is a romance novel. Women make improbable choices in order to deal with guilt they have neither earned nor deserve and out of an obligation to "make someone else happy." It's a frustrating book, because the descriptions of the cousins' home in India, and their childhood and the "mothers" are lovely and rich. Then they each start doing the feminine "everything that happens is my fault" stuff and the book comes apart at the seams. As a woman, and a sister, and a friend and a wife I found the book insulting to women's intelligence and strength. There were numerous flaws, but the worst is that these two intelligent women kept doing incredibly dumb things out of "love." Perhaps I am too old to tolerate that as a literary devise, but I am concerned about young women who might read this and think these women made appropriate choices.
Rating:
Summary: Another great novel from Divakaruni
Review: I read "Mistress of Spices" which introduced me to Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's work. Then I got a recommendation from another Indian author to read "Sister of My Heart." That was a good deed, (Thanks, Sharon) because I loved this novel, too. The plot is very intricate and full of surprises. Sudha and Anju are two girls born in the same house on the same day, to different mothers, and from different fathers. Their fates are thereafter intertwined, and the two girls consider themselves sisters, if not actually twins. But their fates ultimately diverge--or do they? Author Divakaruni can create surprise with a single word or short phrase. Her introduction of the word "ruby" in the first chapters stands out on the page as if it were a loud trumpet call. Her use of small, well-chosen words at JUST the right time can wake you up. Pay attention, something very interesting is about to happen. I just love that! And, just like Mistress of Spices, the author knows how to mix a fable or fairy-tale like story with an everyday drama. I love that, too. This is one novel you should not miss if you love Indian fiction, if you love women's fiction (for any woman can enjoy this, I think) and if you loved Mistress of Spices.
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