elliemcc11's review against another edition
3.0
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy of this book.
Opening with a violent scene, the author didn't hold back in terms of her introduction to the main character. Going back to the present we find Nomi, an Indian looking woman with a European accent, travelling in the same train compartment as 3 older Indian women. All are travelling to the pilgrimage town by the sea, but for different reasons.
Nomi was raised in an ashram, the spiritual leader of which held a certain sway over his followers and politicians alike. Brought here as a boat girl, escaping an unnamed war (Partition Wars possibly?, she and her friend Piku try to blend in. Nomi catches the eye of the spiritual leader which has unpleasant consequences. If, as a reader, you prefer not to read about child sexual abuse and violence against children, I'd advise to steer clear of this book. The descriptions feel very real but are worked well into the story but I appreciate some might find it uncomfortable reading.
The three older women have their issues - for example, one is on the verges of dementia and another is grieving for her husband. They wish to visit a temple on pilgrimage and are met by the guide. He also has his own issues as he's lusting after a younger man, who shows no interest in him and his gifts, but is later spotted with ashram "monks" which causes alarm. The other character to mention is the photographer who meets with Nomi to document the temples and pilgrimage sights. He has marriage and drink / drug problems and has a connection to the older women.
This story flits from past to present and that was something I found to work for me. The characters were okay but I was left with unasnwered questions. I did feel that, although the story had some very serious points, it was lightweight in parts and consequently I enjoyed it but wasn't thrilled by it. Saying that, I would read the author again so it hasn't effected me in that respect.
Opening with a violent scene, the author didn't hold back in terms of her introduction to the main character. Going back to the present we find Nomi, an Indian looking woman with a European accent, travelling in the same train compartment as 3 older Indian women. All are travelling to the pilgrimage town by the sea, but for different reasons.
Nomi was raised in an ashram, the spiritual leader of which held a certain sway over his followers and politicians alike. Brought here as a boat girl, escaping an unnamed war (Partition Wars possibly?, she and her friend Piku try to blend in. Nomi catches the eye of the spiritual leader which has unpleasant consequences. If, as a reader, you prefer not to read about child sexual abuse and violence against children, I'd advise to steer clear of this book. The descriptions feel very real but are worked well into the story but I appreciate some might find it uncomfortable reading.
The three older women have their issues - for example, one is on the verges of dementia and another is grieving for her husband. They wish to visit a temple on pilgrimage and are met by the guide. He also has his own issues as he's lusting after a younger man, who shows no interest in him and his gifts, but is later spotted with ashram "monks" which causes alarm. The other character to mention is the photographer who meets with Nomi to document the temples and pilgrimage sights. He has marriage and drink / drug problems and has a connection to the older women.
This story flits from past to present and that was something I found to work for me. The characters were okay but I was left with unasnwered questions. I did feel that, although the story had some very serious points, it was lightweight in parts and consequently I enjoyed it but wasn't thrilled by it. Saying that, I would read the author again so it hasn't effected me in that respect.
sukhlovesreading's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
sohampandirkar's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.75
wheezybird's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
1.0
michaelacabus's review against another edition
4.0
Perfection until the end.
With the craze of mindfulness and Eastern philosophy in the West (as balm for the more oppressive and stubborn aspects of Christianity, with its entanglements in politics making it impossible to distinguish the two), a novel that treats the Eastern ashram as being just as susceptible to evils may seem shocking.
This novel, though, is really about the imperfection one gets when making sense of the past. Investigations, real world or mentally, tend to leave us only with fragments, in this novel an incomplete documentary the metaphor. I haven't searched for my mother for this reason; I know that any search to find the woman who abandoned me as a child would only present more questions, and what I may be searching for may never be found. Good novel mirror life, resonate with life, and in life there are few tidy endings.
Many modern novels deal with the violence that seems thinly suppressed around us, and this one is no exception. However, too many modern novels rely on this as a vehicle for plot; in this case, it felt that no ready ending presented itself, so a violent act is used to have one come crashing upon the reader. It seemed almost unnecessary in this case; with a novel so strewn with violence throughout, a crescendo of something that would equate to meaning would have been better.
It's worth reading, for the look into how a religious practice we are tending to embrace in the West has significant problems with how it views women. The writing is electric, the story gripping; which made the ending all the more regrettable.
B-
With the craze of mindfulness and Eastern philosophy in the West (as balm for the more oppressive and stubborn aspects of Christianity, with its entanglements in politics making it impossible to distinguish the two), a novel that treats the Eastern ashram as being just as susceptible to evils may seem shocking.
This novel, though, is really about the imperfection one gets when making sense of the past. Investigations, real world or mentally, tend to leave us only with fragments, in this novel an incomplete documentary the metaphor. I haven't searched for my mother for this reason; I know that any search to find the woman who abandoned me as a child would only present more questions, and what I may be searching for may never be found. Good novel mirror life, resonate with life, and in life there are few tidy endings.
Many modern novels deal with the violence that seems thinly suppressed around us, and this one is no exception. However, too many modern novels rely on this as a vehicle for plot; in this case, it felt that no ready ending presented itself, so a violent act is used to have one come crashing upon the reader. It seemed almost unnecessary in this case; with a novel so strewn with violence throughout, a crescendo of something that would equate to meaning would have been better.
It's worth reading, for the look into how a religious practice we are tending to embrace in the West has significant problems with how it views women. The writing is electric, the story gripping; which made the ending all the more regrettable.
B-
ronanmcd's review against another edition
5.0
Spellbinding. Evocative and chilling with fantastic characters, each of whom are flawed. Some genuinely disturbing passages.
shesnicky's review against another edition
5.0
I'm blown away by this book, beautiful, moving, insane. I picked it up and couldn't put it down, I felt like I too was on that train to Jarmuli, being swept away faster and faster by the pages. I loved how farther on you saw how all the different lives intertwined, how the past and present came together. Amazing read.
pokewhat's review against another edition
4.0
Sleeping on Jupiter is a very picturesque, detailed look at a few days in a bunch of characters' lives and minds, and the past of the primary character, Nomi.
I loved the different character viewpoints and how the viewpoint can sometimes change very quickly and very briefly between characters, even the ones apart from the main six. The mystery behind Nomi's life is very compelling, as are the first-person recounts of it.
At some point the physical/sexual abuse in the story gets *very* heavy, making it almost too much to bear. Luckily most of the scenes heavy in such content are also pretty short, with one prolonged exception.
I was mildly disappointed in the ending, because while for Nomi and Badal you had a pretty clear arc that had a conclusion, Suraj was more ambiguous (which is okay because I basically hate him), and the three grandmothers yet more so. One doesn't know if Gouri will be found or not, only it looks like she will. But I couldn't really see what the three of them had got from this trip, what their journey within the journey was.
But overall, the book still successfully whooshed me away to the shores and temples (and one ashram) of Jarmuli, and into the minds of the characters. Definitely going to pick up more of Anuradha Roy's books.
I loved the different character viewpoints and how the viewpoint can sometimes change very quickly and very briefly between characters, even the ones apart from the main six. The mystery behind Nomi's life is very compelling, as are the first-person recounts of it.
At some point the physical/sexual abuse in the story gets *very* heavy, making it almost too much to bear. Luckily most of the scenes heavy in such content are also pretty short, with one prolonged exception.
I was mildly disappointed in the ending, because while for Nomi and Badal you had a pretty clear arc that had a conclusion, Suraj was more ambiguous (which is okay because I basically hate him), and the three grandmothers yet more so. One doesn't know if Gouri will be found or not, only it looks like she will. But I couldn't really see what the three of them had got from this trip, what their journey within the journey was.
But overall, the book still successfully whooshed me away to the shores and temples (and one ashram) of Jarmuli, and into the minds of the characters. Definitely going to pick up more of Anuradha Roy's books.
katmackie's review against another edition
3.0
Sleeping on Jupiter is a quick and sharp novel with interconnected stories, but I'm left somewhat dissatisfied with the book as a whole.
The first few chapters of Sleeping on Jupiter are exhilarating and suspenseful. We're introduced to an array of characters each with clear and unique voices. As the story progresses we see how each voice is relevant to the others. I had two favorites, but I think the voice of Nomi tied everything together nicely.
I happen to love stories with connections hidden throughout, but an abundance of this can sour the experience of reading a story. Sleeping on Jupiter surprised me at first when I realized that these characters were not just living alongside each other seperately, but that each plot was furthering the other's. This realization became less pleasant as the story reached the middle point, as new connections became predictable. Practically no one exists in this plot without some connection to the near or distant past of another, and this took it's toll on me as a reader.
With each character, Roy formulated contemporary thoughts on timeless themes. The surprise and aftermath of violence, love, religion, and home all occurred throughout the story. And while perhaps the lives and plots felt too connected, these themes flowed nicely among the differences of each personality. Roy's writing doesn't flinch from the realities of violence and it's many perspectives, and I enjoyed her style.
The first few chapters of Sleeping on Jupiter are exhilarating and suspenseful. We're introduced to an array of characters each with clear and unique voices. As the story progresses we see how each voice is relevant to the others. I had two favorites, but I think the voice of Nomi tied everything together nicely.
I happen to love stories with connections hidden throughout, but an abundance of this can sour the experience of reading a story. Sleeping on Jupiter surprised me at first when I realized that these characters were not just living alongside each other seperately, but that each plot was furthering the other's. This realization became less pleasant as the story reached the middle point, as new connections became predictable. Practically no one exists in this plot without some connection to the near or distant past of another, and this took it's toll on me as a reader.
With each character, Roy formulated contemporary thoughts on timeless themes. The surprise and aftermath of violence, love, religion, and home all occurred throughout the story. And while perhaps the lives and plots felt too connected, these themes flowed nicely among the differences of each personality. Roy's writing doesn't flinch from the realities of violence and it's many perspectives, and I enjoyed her style.