Product reviewsInterpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri (1999, Trade Paperback)

Okay book

This was an okay book about people from India told in short stories that I thought might all meld together at one point, but they are all seperate stories, some about people in India and some in America. It won the Pulitzer Prize so I expected it to be better than it was. The title story "Interpreter of Maladies" was about a taxi driver/guide in India and an American couple with kids that he was driving in his taxi for a day of touring. The driver also had a job during the week as an interpreter in a doctors office so all day he heard and translated others peoples illnesses. In just the one day, he fell in love with the American woman, she told him about a big secret in her marriage and that was about it. Only one story stuck with me and that was one about a woman who lived on the roof of an apartment building filled with Indian people and how they helped her survive after her uncle and aunt put her out. She had an illness that made her socially unacceptable and they deserted her because of it, but she managed to survive in spite of it all. The rest of the stories are ordinary, but all in all the book is okay.Read full review...

Engrossing collection of nine stories revealing cultural contrast coloring universal humanity

Lahiri's first book, Pulitzer Prize winner. Nine stories mostly born of the cultural paths of Bengali families coming to America in the latter half of the twentieth century. Beauty and sadness.

I love collections of short stories and this one is up there with Salinger's Nine Stories and Vonnegut's Welcome to the Monkey House.Read full review...

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Interpreter of Maladies

This book was a great sampling of the combiniation of India and America's cultures. I was only a little disappointed in the fact that it was compiled of short stories and not one cohesive tale. This was okay, just not what I was expecting. I bought this book after reading Jhumpa Lahiri's newer novel called The Namesake, which was an amazing story! Both books are good to learn about the culture of India and how people feel when adjusting to a new life in America.Read full review...

Great read, worthy of Pulitzer

Our book club picked this book to read and discuss. Jhumpa Lahiri won a Pulitzer for this collection of short stories, and I can see why. The stories are about characters and "slice of life." I usually want to read quickly to see what the plot is all about, but these stories are to savor, not to swallow quickly. Her writing is exquisite. The stories take place in India and in American and deal with people adapting to the difference in culture. There's the story of the couple that grows apart after their baby dies. Another story deals with the fate of a woman who cleans the stairwell of an apartment building. Great read.Read full review...

"Interpreter of Maladies" review

i bought this book for an english reading class in college. good book, great stories and very much a though provoking read. the stories deal with mostly indian culture, either immigrants here in america or still in the country, and deals with issues of homesickness, traditions, and women strength. Lahiri adds womderful discriptions and uses food as a main theme found throughout her stories, representing richness of life, or lack of any.
not all happy stories, but all very relevant, whether you are of indian culture or not.Read full review...

Interpreter Of Maladies

I read this book about a month ago and was very impressed with the author's ability to make the characters so real that I had a very clear mental picture of them. Each story included something about the author's culture which was very interesting. I was impressed with the title story when I realized why it was so named. Some of the story endings seemed incomplete or left me a little disappointed but for the most part, it is a truly well written and cleverly put together book. Even the cover was impressive. If you look very closely, you can make out two hands with the traditional henna tatoos on them.Read full review...

What more can be said

What more can I add to what has been said about the writing of Jhumpa Lahiri. This is her first book and is made up of nine short stories. I like short stories as they give the reader a chance to read a complete writing and then go about one's business. This collection is wonderful as is all of Lahiri's writing. Once again, she tells the reader about India that mysterious country which we all would like to visit but probably never will. Lahiri gives us a chance to meet the people, learn their customs and perhaps get interested enough to make the trip after all. After reading several Lahiri books, it is obvious to me that the Indian people rather than being taken over by the English, put up with them. Marvelous writer; marvelous stories. Do give it a try.Read full review...

Great read.

It is a beautifully written group of short stories that give insight to a culture I was less familiar with, but feeling I relate to very much - being somewhere that doesn't feel like home.

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Beautiful book for a great price. Always find the best deals here.

Beautiful book for a great price. Always find the best deals here.

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: second.sale

Did not like

Did not like this book at all. Only the last story had a decent ending.

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: second.sale