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maseface's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I don't think this book was for me but it was nice to read a classic by an Indian woman writer. Nectar and a Sieve is an interesting character study of a woman's journey from a young child bride to an old grandmother in India in the last years of British rule.
The book starts with Rukmani being married off at age 12 to an older man. I made many parallels between this book and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, which was the best book I read last year. Both are stories about a poor young woman of color who at a young age is married off to older men they hardly know. Some people might not like that this book doesn't condemn the practice of child marriage but I don't feel like it endorses it either. I think it's just portraying the reality of India at that time.
A big difference between Rukmani and Janie Crawford the protagonist of Their Eyes Were Watching God is that Janie takes a much more active role in her life and makes her own decisions. Rukmani on the other hand accepts what life gives her and doesn't ask for more. Some readers (myself included) might find this somewhat hard to relate to. A protagonist who doesn't want anything more and accepts their low station in life. But Rukmani's complacent attitude contrasted with other people's ambition is a major theme of the book.A part where this is shown is when Rukmani's sons go on strike demanding better pay she doesn't understand why they would do such a thing. In her mind the tannery that employs them has all the power so what's the point in going against them when you can't win?
Rukmani definitely suffers from something called the Heaven's Reward Fallacy. It's the belief that if you continually suffer and sacrifice without complaint you'll be rewarded with something great. I didn't realize it was so universal. Rukmani suffers all the injustices that befall a poor peasant woman in colonial India yet she doesn't complain. When Kenny the sole white character in the book asks her why she doesn't cry out for help, she counters that people were given their spirit to rise above adversity.
Again I don't think this book was for me. But I'm glad I read it. Rukmani is a very unique protagonist and it was nice to learn about the lives of people who are very different from me.
The book starts with Rukmani being married off at age 12 to an older man. I made many parallels between this book and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, which was the best book I read last year. Both are stories about a poor young woman of color who at a young age is married off to older men they hardly know. Some people might not like that this book doesn't condemn the practice of child marriage but I don't feel like it endorses it either. I think it's just portraying the reality of India at that time.
A big difference between Rukmani and Janie Crawford the protagonist of Their Eyes Were Watching God is that Janie takes a much more active role in her life and makes her own decisions. Rukmani on the other hand accepts what life gives her and doesn't ask for more. Some readers (myself included) might find this somewhat hard to relate to. A protagonist who doesn't want anything more and accepts their low station in life. But Rukmani's complacent attitude contrasted with other people's ambition is a major theme of the book.
Rukmani definitely suffers from something called the Heaven's Reward Fallacy. It's the belief that if you continually suffer and sacrifice without complaint you'll be rewarded with something great. I didn't realize it was so universal. Rukmani suffers all the injustices that befall a poor peasant woman in colonial India yet she doesn't complain. When Kenny the sole white character in the book asks her why she doesn't cry out for help, she counters that people were given their spirit to rise above adversity.
Again I don't think this book was for me. But I'm glad I read it. Rukmani is a very unique protagonist and it was nice to learn about the lives of people who are very different from me.
mayapapaya7's review
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
i cried many many many tears
candyland's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
ebethinri's review
4.0
Yet another book from Rob's college class on Indian literature. I am finding that all of these books highlight the people's absence of self-determination during this time in history.
Depressing, yet fascinating to see the different responses to the same historical situation.
Depressing, yet fascinating to see the different responses to the same historical situation.
the_orange's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
myarelli's review
5.0
I read this book in high school (13 years ago now) and it has always stuck with me as one of my favorites. It is such a humbling tale to read as you watch the main characters family seemingly never catch a break but keep pressing through their hardships.
It was difficult at first as I can remember feeling like it was "boring" but I am SO glad my teacher at the time urged me to keep pushing through. By mid-way I didn't want to put it down and I could feel myself rooting and rooting that things would look up for the main character soon.
This will forever be one of my favorite reads.
It was difficult at first as I can remember feeling like it was "boring" but I am SO glad my teacher at the time urged me to keep pushing through. By mid-way I didn't want to put it down and I could feel myself rooting and rooting that things would look up for the main character soon.
This will forever be one of my favorite reads.
alanffm's review
2.0
Nectar in a Sieve is a story about poverty and struggle in a rapidly modernizing pre-state India. The novel follows the struggles of Irawaddy a mother and wife who, despite incredible odds, manages to barely survive poverty for years. She is unfairly ostracized by her community and forced to watch her children either die or enter prostitution as the consequence of bad fortune. Nevertheless, she continues to look forward and persist and does all she can to hold her broken family together.
The novel is depressing and bleak with moments of optimism sprinkled in. It simply does not resonate with me in the same way that other books have. Whatever lessons on poverty, gender, social roles, and post-colonialism, are nested inside this book are largely lost on me and are unclear.
The novel is depressing and bleak with moments of optimism sprinkled in. It simply does not resonate with me in the same way that other books have. Whatever lessons on poverty, gender, social roles, and post-colonialism, are nested inside this book are largely lost on me and are unclear.
lucyc3274's review
the book is sad and the narrator a kind of doe-eyed pragmatist, and there’s a lot to be said about early neocolonialism. but, you know. the title is from a poem written by a British romanticist, which kind of makes you think that Markandaya really drank the kool aid, in a way.