The remarkable debut novel by Mariner's original house author, The Namesake is a quietly beautiful family portrait that deftly expands on Lahiri's signature themes of love, solitude, and cultural disorientation (Harper's Bazaar), the very themes that made her collection of stories of an international bestseller beloved by readers worldwide as well as an enormous favorite among reading groups. In The Namesake Lahiri follows the Ganguili family on their journey from a tradition-bound life in Calcutta through their fraught ...
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The remarkable debut novel by Mariner's original house author, The Namesake is a quietly beautiful family portrait that deftly expands on Lahiri's signature themes of love, solitude, and cultural disorientation (Harper's Bazaar), the very themes that made her collection of stories of an international bestseller beloved by readers worldwide as well as an enormous favorite among reading groups. In The Namesake Lahiri follows the Ganguili family on their journey from a tradition-bound life in Calcutta through their fraught transformation into Americans. After their arranged marriage, Ashoke and Ashima adapts, though with effort, while his wife longs for home. When their son, Gogol, is born, the task of naming him betrays their hope of respecting old ways in a new world. And we watch as Gogol stumbles along a first-generation path strewn with conflicting loyalties, comic detours, and wrenching love affairs. With great empathy, acute insight, and unparalleled poise, Lahiri explores the expectations bestowed on us by our parents and the means by which we come to define ourselves. Readers -- and reading groups -- who flocked to Interpreter of Maladies will find The Namesake equally elegant, subtle, and deeply affecting.
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Add this copy of The Namesake to cart. $95.67, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hialeah, FL, UNITED STATES, published 2004 by Houghton Mifflin.
An intelligent and empathetic look at transcultural family life, Indian values and its tensions, and the search for roots by a writer formed by such things (India, UK and US). Wonderful character portrayals, a delightful read that may broaden your cultural awareness as it did mine.
JRich
Jul 15, 2008
Wonderful!
I loved this story for the way it portrayed both the ordinary and the extraordinary experiences of the characters' lives. The way she wove the stories of Ashoke and Ashima together with the stories of their children was also very beautiful giving you a perspective most readers will probably share - that of a child and that of a parent - having been the one and become the other. Certain parts of the story broke my heart and other parts felt like small triumphs, but all told the story just felt very real. My life, as a suburban wife and mother living 3 miles from where a grew up with a Western European background and not even possessing a passport, is continually enriched by authors such as Lahiri who share something that, to me, is a world away.
sase
Jan 22, 2008
the way she wrote the book will make you feel how each of the characters felt in different situations there is a beautiful connection between the reader and the characters she did a wonderful job
Nell
Jun 22, 2007
Culturally Revealing and Poignant
Jhumpa Lahiri's novel The Namesake is a powerfully told story of cultures merging. It is also a riveting coming-of-age story of a boy who grows into his name. Definitely a worthwhile book!
pattybake
Apr 26, 2007
The Namesake
This book is a wonderful read! I read it for my book club in February. I would recommend this to everyone!
