Rating: 
Summary: Powerful and unforgettable
Review: I first read this book as a 9th grader in 1971...The book had a powerful hold on my life. I list it as one of the books that have been forever etched in my memory. The struggles of this Indian woman prove the indefatigable spirit that is in each of us no matter our geopgraphy or our cirscumstances. The writing is powerful. The book unforgettable.
Rating: 
Summary: Much too depressing
Review: I understand that they faced hardships, but after the fifth episode of 'all we had was rice water' I was quite tired of this book. It is so depressing! I had to read this for school and I am a sci-fi/fantasy fan, so maybe that is why I didn't like it so much. I found the storyline to be minimal, and I would leave the book feeling depressed and sad. That's not the way I want to feel when I am reading a book. Seriously, the book droned on about the hardships they faced, and I could barely find a spot that was remotely happy. I want to know about the good things in India! Right now I think of it as a poverty stricken wasteland when there is obviously much more to it than that.
Rating: 
Summary: And what, really, is happiness?
Review: This is a book that is worth some thought and reflection. Why? Well, at least for those of us living in a high-tech society (with time to write review for the internet), the first reaction to this book can be pretty horrifying. The poverty, the death, the lack of hope, the dung.... I am so grateful to my book group for forcing a second look at the book. As we tried to shed our personal responses we found some interesting things. For example, though it is an arranged marriage, it's a much stronger and happier marriage than most portrayed in contemporary Western literature. Indeed, the family is rarely unhappy -- only when on the edge of starvation or other drastic items. Their lack of possessions doesn't seem to really bother them. Perhaps a good lesson in Simple Abundance for us all.
Rating:
Summary: Philosophy noted
Review: There are many different outlooks, or philosophies of life. Some are easy to understand and adopted by many, while others are unique and take a lot of inquisitive thinking. In the novel Nectar in a Sieve, Rukmani's philosophy of life begins to bloom in the reader's mind while she is speaking to her husband, Nathan. Nathan is telling Rukmani that she must accept the new tannery that is being built, including all the various people that will come with it. Rukmani angrily responds, "They may live in our midst but I can never accept them. . . ." Rukmani feels that she does not have to accept the things that life throws at her, she just has to deal with them. This is rightfully so, and the manner and grace in which Rukmani copes with certain situations through out the novel epitomizes her philosophy of life. Many situations that arose were centered within the family's rented farm. It started when the rains refused to fall, creating barren farmland. Aside from the fact that the ground was parched and cracked, Rukmani kept working her precious garden, and traveled a good distance every dusty day to a water source where she was allotted a small amount of the limited liquid. With the unavailing farmland, crops were non-existent, and there was no income for Nathan and Rukmani to pay rent on the land. However, the rent had to be paid, and Rukmani readily gathered pots, shirts, and even her wedding sari to sell at the market. She was successful in bringing home some money, but the family still ended up surrendering the farm. This was the farm that Nathan was completely devoted to, and where Rukmani had established her very own family! Yet, even with this disparaging reality, Rukmani packed what was left of her possessions and readied herself for the grueling journey ahead. Rukmani's heart and will to survive allowed her to not accept the misfortunes that besieged her, but instead gave her the strength to cope with them.
Rating:
Summary: Poverty in India
Review: Nectar in a Sieve is a beautifully written masterpiece delicatley describing the story of a peasant woman in India. The story follows her struggle to fight for survival and the welfare of her loving husband Nathan and many children against all odds. The main character is more than easy to compare youself with, with certainly makes the book more readable though tragic.
Rating:
Summary: Superb craftsmanship
Review: Kamala Markandaya's novel is not only a pleasure to read, it is a complement to English literature. It is well written and has a beautiful story. The craftsmanship shown by the author make this book a cherished possesionwhich will certainly be revisited. A Bibliophile's MUST book!
Rating:
Summary: Nectar in a sieve
Review: I like this book, but it was a little difficult for me to understand because the author used many British words which were hard to understand. I am high school student. I recomend this book to people who are interested in reading family stories. It tells how people suffer in poverty; even though they work hard, they do not get what they deserve.
Rating: 
Summary: A Karmic Lesson in Suffering
Review: Nectar in a Sieve is a tale of the courage of the human heart and the indomitable strength of the human spirit. It is a testimony of finding hope in hopelessness and the attempt to savor life's nectar and sweetness before it all inevitably slips away. Set in rural southern India, we meet Rukmani, a simple peasant woman who confronts life's misfortunes and challenges: poverty, disaster and death, with remarkable fortitude and courage. This is not a tale of oppression, machismo, addiction or religion. The Hindu concept of karma teaches us a greater lesson about our protagonist Rukmani. Karma is not about religion but rather is a spiritual or metaphysical philosophy that allows the reader to perhaps reconcile (Rukmani's) life's tragedies and tribulations. Rukmani's path to Nirvana is through severe hardship, and we discover that the meteoric rise of one's character and spirit is indeed through suffering.
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Summary: I've Read This Book Three Times!
Review: ...and I intend to read it at least once a year. The first time I read it I was very moved by the hardships and trials faced by this woman of India. And I was impresed by her strong spirit and love for her family and country. The second time I read this book, I noticed more details, the undertones of depression and extreme starvation were apparent. I felt very guilty to have so much, while these beautiful characters, come to life through this book, were writhing in pain from hunger. I recently reread the book a third time and looked more closely at the plot. While some have suggested that it is drags on and on and appears meaningless, I suggest that this is exactly what the author is trying to portray. To Rukmani and her family, life does drag on and on. Life can seem meaningless and hopeless. But Markandaya offers a glimpse of sunlight through this dark theme - even though the flesh may die, the spirit lives on. Please take the time to reread this book and then share it with someone you know.
Rating:
Summary: watching her livelihood slip away
Review: Share a journey with Rukmani, an impoverished Indian woman who is sent off into marriage with a man she had never met and faces a rural society that must make room for industrialization and modernization. Each planting season is a life and death challenge where they must face hunger and the wrath of nature's elements. She cannot turn away as she watches her children starve to death. What more could someone possibly go through before losing all hope? The book reveals the extreme limits of one woman's fortitude in facing a world that cannot feed or shelter her.
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