Nectar in a Sieve

Rating:
Summary: Looking through the eyes of the lost one
Review: This book showed the courage of a woman who had dreams of one day marrying into a family of somewhat wealth. With the changing of times her dream of a happy beginning didn't take place. Her happiness took place through the achievements of her life. She learned to enjoy what some would call the simple things in life. One can learn to enjoy life as it's given day to day, learning to use our resources to its fullest.

Rating:
Summary: The portrait of a woman
Review: This book gives vivid detail of how a woman with hopes and aspirations of becoming the ideal woman is changed. Through the many changes she experienced it showed how a woman has to accomodate for so many things that she would choose to avoid.

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Summary: An affirmation of personal values
Review: Something happens to you when you read this book. It seems natural to take a close look into your own life. You imagine how one woman like Rukmani can take on all the suffering day after day, year after year. Rukmani is a woman that you wish you could be more like but fear the result of it. One can not imagine a life like Rukmani without reflecting and wondering... "What do I have to be unhappy about?" It is an affirmation that we can learn from others and that what is important in our own lives, is in fact the nectar!

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Summary: Endless Suffering
Review: Nectar In A Sieve is easy reading, but a very hard story to grasp. It's sad to see how people in third world countries could suffer so much where they have to eat grass in order to survive. I admire Rukmani because throughout all her suffering and deaths in her family, she still maintains to have hope. I can't imagine how many people would have lived as far as she did without giving up or even dying? This book is very depressing, but a great story because it is a reality that many people are not aware of. I'm glad that there are authors like Kamala Markandaya to provide these stories for readers who ignore the miserable lifestyles of these families out there.

Rating:
Summary: A story about the virtues of persevering... I think not.
Review: This story kept me believing that at some point the main character would encounter long-lasting success or easy living, but instead I found short bursts of humble happiness and a lifetime of unwinnable battles against nature. A good family falls apart and what seemed to be a strong woman turned out to be a stubborn lady with little knowledge of her surroundings and a difficult lifestyle.

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Summary: Life is hard and then you die...
Review: A powerful, yet disturbing novel. A rollercoaster of mostly steep declines. Only an optimist would be a suited reader for this extremely depressing story, filled with dissapointment, deprivity, and death.

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Summary: Life can deal you a bad hand sometimes
Review: Powerful and depressing. Thought provoking...do you want to be poor...a pawn? Think about drinking rice water for most of your life. I really hope that life is not like this for many people...anywhere. Markandaya certainly can write, she can bring the reader into the novel...very touching moments between Nathan and Rukmani. Gimme a happy pill now. Mike

Rating:
Summary: The Most Incredible Journey
Review: Nectar In A Sieve brings you up and down! If you like to read about emotional roller coasters, this is a must for everyone interested.

Rating:
Summary: what else can happen?
Review: some people don't believe in luck but after you read this book you will believe in bad luck. the things our main character goes through becomes to much by the middle of the story for anyone to believe. if you don't like exageration like myself you won't really enjoy this story.

Rating:
Summary: An Inspiration
Review: This is truly a tale of the undomitable human spirit. It is an inspirational story, but totally depressing. If you are looking for a feel good story, this is one to avoid . . . if you are looking for a story with a character who you want to scream at for being so ignorant, than this is the book for you. No seriously, I recommend this as a definite read.