Rating: 
Summary: (4.5) A poignant portrait of friendship
Review: Divakaruni is a writer with extraordinary heart, as she exposes her own soul with every word. Two "sisters-by-family", cousins-by-birth, Sudha and Anju are two sides of one coin, living and educated in a traditional upper class environment, sheltered from the worldly effects of Calcutta. When both of their fathers meet accidental deaths, the girls are raised in a predominantly maternal home.Sudha and Anju have shared everything in their young lives: Anjou is studious, practical, and usually willing to defer to the shining beauty of her cousin; Sudha, perhaps by virtue of her beauty, is hungry for experience and romance, cushioned by an excess of naivete. Plagued by insatiable curiosity, Sudha demands to learn a family secret, which alters her life and personal choices forever, affecting the bond forged since birth. We are party to the subtle changes of each young woman, in alternating chapters, until their maturity, marriage and coincedental pregnancies. As happens to all adults, they are forced to make painful decisions, ultimately drawing their charmed circle around eachother once more. But much of the pleasure of SISTER OF MY HEART is in the reading. I didn't want the story to end, and at the same time, couldn't stop reading it until long after midnight. Divakaruni is a writer to treasure, a writer of the heart.
Rating: 
Summary: Judging and Loving
Review: This is a novel about an upper-caste family in Calcutta, India, the Chaterjees, and about two women Sudha, a striking beauty and Anju, relatively plain but intelligent and curious. The two share the same birthday and grow up together. Indeed they are inseparable and prefer each others company to the exclusion of others. They grow up in a society of women (the "mothers") who try unsuccessfully to provide to them a life sheltered from modernity and its woes. However, Anju can't be kept from the bookstore her biological mother operates, Sudha can't be kept from the consequences of her beauty, and the two girls growing into adolescence can't be kept from the consequences of simply growing up. The story is told in chapters with each chapter alternating between the voice of Anju and Sudha. The fathers of the two girls disappeared and presumably died before their birth on a wild scheme to find a ruby mine in the jungles of India. Through adolescence and into adulthood, the two become inseparable -- close through the many bad times and the few good times. Both Anju and Sudha have marriages arranged for them with the mothers concern for their well-being and the downward turn of their families fortunes and health. Sudha stays in Calcutta with her engineer of a husband who is dominated by his mother. In marrying the mother's choice, Sudha forsakes Asoka, her seeming true love whom she met in a movie theater and who wants to marry her. Anju travels to the United States where she pursues, as agreed to by her husband, a college education. The plot of the book is elaborate, with many twists. The plotting of the book is implausible, as are its twists and turns. It is also full of coincidences which detract from the story and from any sense of characterization or purpose. Partly because of the elaborate nature of the plot, the characterization of Sudha and Anju is, in my opinion, very weak. They can do no wrong, Sudha with her beauty, Anju with her intellect, and the two of them with their love for each other. They are products, the author would have us believe, of an Indian society in transition between traditionalism, which the book sees almost exclusively in terms of male domination, and modernity, again described almost exclusively in terms approaching American feminism. In addition to its unconvincing story line and weak characterization, I didn't like this book because of its feminist stereotyping and its judgmental, hostile character to Indian society, (American society as well) and to men. For most of the book they are portrayed as bullies and bores, concerned only with sex and with using women as objects. Sudha and Anju, in turn, are presented as pure hearted, as perceptive, and as victims.
The portrait is not convincingly done and it is overly obvious. It made me angry with the book. There are nuances with the development of the plot but they are insufficient to override the general male-bashing and society-bashing. I tried to think of an appropriate way to express what I found wanting in the book. Here it is, put simply. There is another Calcutta than that that we are given here and it is the Calcutta of Mother Theresa. Mother Theresa is reputed to have said "If you judge people, you will have no time to love them." Her statement captures much of what I find troublesome in this novel. For all their love for each other and their thwarted ambitions, Sudha and Anju, and for the most part their novelistic creator, are judgmental and partial to others. They have no sympathy for India, for men, or for the promise of America either beyond the bounds of a strident feminism. They view people through the lenses of their own ideas exclusively and can't see others or sympathize with them as others see themselves or as Sudha and Anju themselves wish to be treated. These are the reasons I can't recommend this novel. I have a hard time imagining a male reading the book with pleasure. It is a difficult read, ornately plotted, poorly characterized, and written, in my view, in a spirit of undue judgment and criticism.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the most beautiful books I have ever read!
Review: I found this book by chance as I was roaming the aisles in the bookstore and I couldn't have been more thrilled with a book! The story is intense and brings out many different emotions, some at the same time. However, it is easy to get into the story quickly and is not a very difficult read. I had never read anything before about the culture in India and this book gave me wonderful insight into the culture and the ways women exist within their families and the larger culture. I strongly recommend this book if you are looking to grab something enjoyable and interesting that will caputre your attention.
Rating:
Summary: A pleasant surprise!
Review: I had read Divakaruni's Arranged Marriage which I thought was just okay, so I wasn't really expecting much, but this book was certainly very impressive. Its worth all its five stars!! I didn't want to stop reading after I started. I had never read a book before with alternating narrators, i thought it was handled very well. I really liked the way she portrays the central characters of Sudha and Anju. The story is very life-like, very true...there are still millions of homes in India where you can find the exact same situation. This book should certainly help give hope and courage to all those people. And after completing the book, you just can't help feeling better! The doors to happiness aren't always closed, you just have to muster the courage to open them! Good job Chitra!
Rating:
Summary: Poetic page-turner!
Review: Wonderful! Like a fairy tale, yet with enough harsh reality to give it a modern, compelling feel. A great escape!
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully written story
Review: While I resisted reading this book for a long time, thinking that it would not be to my liking, I finally read it and am glad that I did. This book has such beautiful lush language that the reader is immediately transported into the setting in India. You really feel as though you are there, smelling the scents, seeing the buildings, experiencing the life. The relationship between Anju and Sudha, who are cousins but are also "sisters of the heart", is lovingly and wistfully portrayed. Divakaruni is able to hone in exactly on why women's friendships, and their bonds, are so long-lasting and so important. Not only the relationship of the cousins, but that of their three mothers as well. I was a little put off by the awkwardness of the present tense changing to the past tense in dialogue, but put that aside to enjoy the story. I wish the ending had been less hurried, and that the voices of Anju and Sudha had been more distinct. All in all, a good experience and a book from which I learned a great deal.
Rating:
Summary: A stunning look at life
Review: This is possibly one of the most beautifully written books I've ever read. Divakaruni does an amazing job of representing true feelings in a way every reader can relate to. At different parts, I found my heart leaping with joy, my body shaking with anger and my eyes wet with tears. The book's narration alternates between the two heroines, Anju and Sudha, to give the reader a unique, interesting, and beautiful perspective. This page-turner's storyline follows the sorrows (and anticipation) of arranged marriage, the tragedy of lost love and the powerful bonds of friendship. I can safely say 'Sister of My Heart' has given me a new outlook on life and the world I live in.
Rating:
Summary: Thought provoking.....
Review: This was my first time reading Divakaruni's book, and what a wonderful book it was! I was hooked from the start, and read it in two days! Since then, I've lent the book to several friends, who loved it as much as I did. I can't wait to get started on Chitra's other books.
Rating:
Summary: Amazingly beautiful and touching tale.....
Review: This is the first review for Amazon that I have written and indeed, felt compelled to write. This was a wonderful book...I read it in one and 1/2 days. I could not stop reading and then I was sorry when the story was finished! Flowing, lyrical, expressive and true....this book conveyed the realities of the imperfections of life, love and human nature, while creating a beautiful fairytale like story with so many twists and turns you literally gasp out loud when a new secret is revealed. The examination of how women are treated in other cultures as well as our own, family and women's relationships and social expectations were additional thoughtful and provocative topics explored in this story. I am eagerly awaiting the sequel, which Ms. Divakaruni is currently working on (she stated this herself at her recent book reading). I will certainly order it the first day I can! I highly recommend this book....it is superb! :)
Rating:
Summary: A gorgeous tale.
Review: I couldn't put this book down! An emotional, twisting plot, wonderful characters, beautiful imagery, lush language...all in all, a wonderful read to escape into.
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