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kayladarthur's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
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
5.0
I absolutely loved this book. I loved how intimate it was. It was an insight into a life other than my own, and I feel like Lahiri wrote the characters really well. Her writing is so incredibly thoughtful like whoa!! I thought it was so interesting how, in her afterword, she mentioned that she sees which parts of the book are more “constructed,” and that she strays from the detailed writing style featured in this novel. She sees where she’s grown, how her writing has changed. I absolutely looove the details, but she’s moved on from that. A nod to the ongoing theme of the book: change. The changes we can and can’t control. I love the reflection at the end of the book, and thought that everything was wrapped up pretty well. All in all, I love this book. Def one of my favorite reads this year.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Suicide attempt
ravina_b's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Mini review: Jhumpa Lahiri’s writing is in a world of its own, I genuinely only had to read the first chapter to understand why THE NAMESAKE is such a famous novel. It is a fantastic exploration of identity and several different formats - including being a first- and second-generation immigrant, the weight behind a name, the identity of the individual vs. the collective. I connected so heavily with aspects of a few of the characters, and there were three whole pages depicting Moushumi’s relationship with the concept of marriage that were a near-perfect reflection of my own feelings about marriage. That, in particular, pushed THE NAMESAKE into a five-star read. This book had deep and complex emotions running through its very veins, the exploration of parent-child and boyfriend-girlfriend/husband-wife relationships was intense and realistic, and I’m only sorry that it took me so long to read it!
📌 Set in Kolkata, India, Boston, United States, and New York City, United States of America.
📌 Set in Kolkata, India, Boston, United States, and New York City, United States of America.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief and Death of parent
tashtasher's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gore, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Racism and Xenophobia
jenna_justi2004's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Beautifully written
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism
nenya's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I borrowed this book from my english teacher when we discussed colonialism in class and she recommended it - and regarding that topic, it definitely fulfilled my expectations. Since neither I, nor my ancestors have been colonized or have migrated somewhere, I am in no position to judge the authenticity of the plot and characters but I must say, it felt very true and accurate to me. It gives excellent and thoroughly elaborated insights into different perspectives of Indian immigrants as well as their children growing up in America and their struggles with balancing the two different cultures.
However, the story telling sometimes left me a bit bored - generally speaking it was well written but what bugged me was how when the plot got a bit mysterious and anticipation was being built up, the chapters tended to end in a small cliffhanger being followed by a time jump in the new chapter which very passively explained the past events/the outcome of the cliffhanger. This kind of took some of the suspense out of the story telling in my opinion and was a bit unsatisfying at times.
Yet, it is most definitely a good book and I would totally recommend it.
However, the story telling sometimes left me a bit bored - generally speaking it was well written but what bugged me was how when the plot got a bit mysterious and anticipation was being built up, the chapters tended to end in a small cliffhanger being followed by a time jump in the new chapter which very passively explained the past events/the outcome of the cliffhanger. This kind of took some of the suspense out of the story telling in my opinion and was a bit unsatisfying at times.
Yet, it is most definitely a good book and I would totally recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Grief, Death of parent, and Colonisation
Moderate: Sexual content and Abandonment
caseythereader's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-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
4.75
Given that I'm extremely late to THE NAMESAKE party, you probably don't need a real review from me. I'll just say that this is such a beautiful, tender, sprawling book that carries you along its currents. Following the Ganguli family through their joys and heartbreaks was such a wonderful experience, and - as with every time I've joined @idleutopia_reads' #DiversifyYourBacklist buddy read group - I've been so grateful to Karen for getting me to pick up such a lovely book. I would have gladly read hundreds more pages of this story, and I'm looking forward to reading Lahiri's other works.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Deadnaming
words_and_coffee's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent
silver_valkyrie_reads's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- 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 have to start by saying that this is not the sort of book I normally enjoy, so just having finished it ranks it my most favorite literary fiction of all time. Instead of the 'lovely' *cough* overly descriptive *cough* writing that usually marks literary fiction, this writing is simple and compelling.
It also helps that the characters give me a window into a different life and different set of circumstances than I've experienced, which I always enjoy. Even better, I found their 'different' circumstances strangely relatable in some ways. I don't come from an immigrant family, but I do know what it's like to have a family culture that's vastly different from everyone else around.
So, five star writing, with some five star moments, and overall a four star experience because I still struggle a bit with the very slow, literary style.
Except... Well, staying spoiler free, let's just say that on occasion some very poor decisions are made in the course of the story, and some of them disturbed me enough to really drag down the experience, hence the 3.5 star rating instead of four.
I'm glad I read this story, and parts of it will probably stay with me for a very long time, but I don't see myself being likely to revisit it.
It also helps that the characters give me a window into a different life and different set of circumstances than I've experienced, which I always enjoy. Even better, I found their 'different' circumstances strangely relatable in some ways. I don't come from an immigrant family, but I do know what it's like to have a family culture that's vastly different from everyone else around.
So, five star writing, with some five star moments, and overall a four star experience because I still struggle a bit with the very slow, literary style.
Except... Well, staying spoiler free, let's just say that on occasion some very poor decisions are made in the course of the story, and some of them disturbed me enough to really drag down the experience, hence the 3.5 star rating instead of four.
I'm glad I read this story, and parts of it will probably stay with me for a very long time, but I don't see myself being likely to revisit it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Grief