alinasknar's review against another edition
5.0
The Namesake was one of the stories I knew I would fall in love with before I even opened the book, and to my intuition's appeasement, I did. From the real, three-dimentional characters to the intricate storylines, the novel warmly welcomes a reader into the Ganguli family and their immigrant world. The retelling is set in a sequential, organised manner, allowing the reader to see the full ups and downs of human relationships, the family's both happiest and tragic moments, as well as the real-life development and ageing of the main character, Ganguli's firstborn destined to quite an unorthodox name Gogol. For Gogol, the name becomes throughout the years a blessing, a nuisance and finally a shadowy piece of the long-abandoned past; for his father, the name represents the overcoming of a tragedy, of perseverence. The most interesting part of the novel for me was the contrast between the first-generation immigrant parents and the second-generation, torn-between-two-cultures children.
For readers not deeply familliar with Indian culture, yet its admirers Jhumpa Lahiri does not overwhelm you with too much with culture-specific references or jargon, yet makes the process of getting to know the family and their traditions engaging and personal. This is my first Jhumpa Lahiri novel, and the charm of her delicate writing firmly inspires me to read her other works.
For readers not deeply familliar with Indian culture, yet its admirers Jhumpa Lahiri does not overwhelm you with too much with culture-specific references or jargon, yet makes the process of getting to know the family and their traditions engaging and personal. This is my first Jhumpa Lahiri novel, and the charm of her delicate writing firmly inspires me to read her other works.
khadiija's review against another edition
2.0
Although many parts of it resonated because of the familiar culture and thoughts of living in the US away from your country, it was overall a very boring and predictable read. I couldn't get attached to the characters at all. I didn't hate it but I didn't like it either. Glad I got that out of the way.
quickolive32's review against another edition
5.0
This book came out 20 years ago, when I was a freshman in high school. I wish I had read it then. Its like the author peered into the lives of children of immigrants and the lives of the immigrants themselves and created this book. There have been realizations I've had about myself and my parents over the years that are so beautifully described in here.
pjdas1012's review against another edition
4.0
“The name he had so detested, here hidden and preserved—that was the first thing his father had given him.”
This author has always been able to describe the Indian-American immigrant experience like no one else can. The first half of this book is the most perfect example of this. It reminded me so much of my own childhood, but also of what my parents must have experienced when they first came to America. It’s the deeper story to the old “immigrant with nothing but $5 in their pocket” line that we’ve all heard a thousand times. It felt like my parents were telling me their stories that they were to afraid to tell and I was to afraid to ask.
Halfway through, the novel takes a turn into a romance between two people with limited redeeming qualities. I could certainly have lived without that part, and it’s the reason why I don’t rate this 5 stars. But I am still glad that I read this and grateful that I could see a reflection of myself in literature.
This author has always been able to describe the Indian-American immigrant experience like no one else can. The first half of this book is the most perfect example of this. It reminded me so much of my own childhood, but also of what my parents must have experienced when they first came to America. It’s the deeper story to the old “immigrant with nothing but $5 in their pocket” line that we’ve all heard a thousand times. It felt like my parents were telling me their stories that they were to afraid to tell and I was to afraid to ask.
Halfway through, the novel takes a turn into a romance between two people with limited redeeming qualities. I could certainly have lived without that part, and it’s the reason why I don’t rate this 5 stars. But I am still glad that I read this and grateful that I could see a reflection of myself in literature.
gpettey19's review against another edition
5.0
"My grandfather always says that's what books are for...To travel without moving an inch."
Lahiri moved me across oceans, generations, and cultures, yet again in this novel. Shifting between several perspectives of an Indian American family navigating life's unexpected and often challenging circumstances, The Namesake brought me along an emotional journey. The primary narrator ends with a sense of gratitude for what we cannot predict or control in life, and how those events shape us.
This book made me think of how long life is, or can be, of how many twists and turns there are. It made me think of where I once thought I might be at this age and how entirely different the reality is. It's made me consider the value of being open to where our paths lead us rather than rigidly, uselessly preparing ourselves for what may not be our fate.
I'm also drawn to the theme of family, connections across time and space. How variable family and tradition are in the U.S. as compared to other cultures. How much a shared meal, breaking bread together, means.
For being a foreigner, Ashima is beginning to realize, is a sort of lifelong pregnancy -- a perpetual wait, a constant burden, a continuous feeling out of sorts. It is an ongoing responsibility, a parenthesis in what had once been ordinary life, only to discover that that previous life has vanished, replaced by something more complicated and demanding. Like pregnancy, being a foreigner, Ashima believes, is something that elicits the same curiosity from strangers, the same combination of pity and respect.
In so many ways, his family's life feels like a strong of accidents, unforeseen, unintended, on incident begetting another...And yet these events have formed Gogol, shaped him, determined who he is. They were things for which is was impossible to prepare but which one spent a lifetime looking back at, trying to accept, interpret, comprehend. Things that should have never happened, that seemed out of place and wrong, these were what prevailed, what endured, in the end.
Lahiri moved me across oceans, generations, and cultures, yet again in this novel. Shifting between several perspectives of an Indian American family navigating life's unexpected and often challenging circumstances, The Namesake brought me along an emotional journey. The primary narrator ends with a sense of gratitude for what we cannot predict or control in life, and how those events shape us.
This book made me think of how long life is, or can be, of how many twists and turns there are. It made me think of where I once thought I might be at this age and how entirely different the reality is. It's made me consider the value of being open to where our paths lead us rather than rigidly, uselessly preparing ourselves for what may not be our fate.
I'm also drawn to the theme of family, connections across time and space. How variable family and tradition are in the U.S. as compared to other cultures. How much a shared meal, breaking bread together, means.
For being a foreigner, Ashima is beginning to realize, is a sort of lifelong pregnancy -- a perpetual wait, a constant burden, a continuous feeling out of sorts. It is an ongoing responsibility, a parenthesis in what had once been ordinary life, only to discover that that previous life has vanished, replaced by something more complicated and demanding. Like pregnancy, being a foreigner, Ashima believes, is something that elicits the same curiosity from strangers, the same combination of pity and respect.
In so many ways, his family's life feels like a strong of accidents, unforeseen, unintended, on incident begetting another...And yet these events have formed Gogol, shaped him, determined who he is. They were things for which is was impossible to prepare but which one spent a lifetime looking back at, trying to accept, interpret, comprehend. Things that should have never happened, that seemed out of place and wrong, these were what prevailed, what endured, in the end.
ludditegirl's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
hollireads's review against another edition
3.0
Well written, interesting likable characters. Had some turns I didn't like
lsaligmander's review against another edition
4.0
One of the realizations I've come to recently is that there is often one experience in childhood or adolescence which tends to shape people's lives and worldview. I think the reason why I enjoyed this book so much is that it was the first time I'd ever seen this belief so clearly on paper. This book was the story of a family immigrating to the US, but more than that, it was the story of a name, and how it had shaped Gogol and his family. There are so many works of fiction dedicated to the immigrant experience, and even a decent amount which, like this book, span generations. What made this one unique and special to me however, is the way that the entire plot was tied to this naming.
I'm really torn on 4 or 5 stars for this one. I really enjoyed it and can't find any issues with it, but I don't think I feel passionate about it the way I do about some of my five star books.
I'm really torn on 4 or 5 stars for this one. I really enjoyed it and can't find any issues with it, but I don't think I feel passionate about it the way I do about some of my five star books.
avinash1892's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0