I didn't finish it. I took it back to the library.

I enjoyed this less than Interpreter of Maladies, but as a novel it was well-crafted, carefully balanced, and edifying. Lahiri's mastery of her characters and narrative is clearly evolving. A good read. ( )

I love Jhumpa Lahiri's writing . I have re read her Interpreter Of Maladies numerous times. I even re read the short stories of her's published in newspapers. I am saying all this because , even though I love her writing style, The Namesake didn't work for me.I am not saying it was bad . It definitely wasn't but it wasn't as good as I had expected her next book to be.

This whole theme of trying to find your identity amongst the people who treat you like a foreigner even though you were born and brought there is approached with great sensitivity but it never becomes anything more than that. Gogol's identity crisis , his frustrations regarding his parents Indian values even after spending half their life time in US was really believable.

Lahiri's narrative was very appealing , characters very well developed but I wish story had something more to it . A certain zing was missing which I thought was found in abundance in her short story collection .

Recommended to fans of contemporary fiction.

I haven't seen the movie version (not a fan of book to movie adaptations ) but might give it a try some time soon. ( )

The Namesake is the story of globalization and colonialism coming together in the Ganguli family, especially the relationship between the elder Ashoke and the younger Gogol.

Through several intertwining plot lines, told through a few different perspectives, Lahiri shows how culture takes it toll and presents its boon, especially on immigrant families.

The writing is skilled, and there are moments of beauty in this novel, though the ending could have been a bit better. ( )

When thinking about how to describe The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, the word that keeps coming to mind is “quiet”. Lahiri slowly weaves a beautiful tapestry of the love and living and feelings of being an immigrant family. The different customs and how the culture of the land in which you live can so overtake you and change you in ways you can’t even realize. First and foremost, it is a love story: The love of a man and wife, the love of parents for their children, the love for one’s family, and the love of one’s homeland. It’s also a story of the journey we all must take of self-acceptance, and, after that, the acceptance of others. Of course, the “Indian-ness” of it is also beautiful and intriguing.

One of the things I find fascinating from this book is the realization that all people everywhere share the burden of growing up, of culture, and of the hopes and expectations of their parents. For the majority of us, we caring these burdens among our own people… fellow humans who share similar experiences in this and this helps us not feel so alone. However, for those who have left their native lands, there can be a constant ache and isolation as they endure the struggles of life without the ability to lean on someone who can understand how they feel. What’s more, the first generation born in another land are even more isolated, having one foot in the old and new country, they can neither relate to their parents who have no understanding of the way things are in their adopted homeland, nor can they fully relate to their peers who either don’t have any concept of their home life or they find it a curiosity.

Click for full review: http://thekoolaidmom.wordpress.com/20... ( )

This may well be the only book I have ever read that I could also watch the movie for without rolling my eyes. Both are fantastic, touching, involved tales of a first generation Indian-American man searching for his own identity. ( )

A very fine crafted novel of a family and especially Gogol getting to grips with American society and his sexuality. ( )

"The Namesake" is a story of identity. Unfortunately, Gogol, the protagonist proves a less interesting character than his father, the man who bequeathed him his complicated namesake. Jhumpa Lahiri writes well, but this novel drags so much one begins to wish it were a short story rather than a novel. Read "Unaccustomed Earth" for multiple stories of Indian-American identity and immigration. ( )

A family chronicle, wherein the parents are far more interesting than the whiny son. Boring... ( )

What a great book! I enjoyed reading about Indian culture, and people. She's a wonderful author. ( )

A likeable enough book but a little simple.

What I liked:
- Perspectives of Indian-Americans from a couple of generations; it gave me insight into another culture.

- The book has a lot of heart. I emphasized with the characters after seeing them in positive and negative lilghts at different points in their lives. I reflected on my own life, my parent's lives, and turning points along the way.

- Lahiri's writing is clean and clear.

- The admiration shown for Gogol, an author I also admire :-)

What I disliked:
- About halfway through it seems the story gets a little boring; it seems too simple a telling of the events in this somewhat ordinary family's lives. Lahiri is a good writer, and I think she follows what Hemingway said in "Death in the Afternoon", "...write when there is something that you know; and not before; and not too damned much after." On the other hand, I do hope that she someday writes about subjects outside of her comfort zone.

Favorite quotes:
On Americans:
"But she has gathered that Americans, in spite of their public declarations of affection, in spite of their miniskirts and bikinis, in spite of their hand-holding on the street and lying on top of each other on the Cambridge Common, prefer their privacy."

On reading:
"'My grandfather always says that's what books are for,' Ashoke said, using the opportunity to open the volume in his hands, 'To travel without moving an inch.'"

On saying good-bye and good luck:
"'Dida, I'm coming,' Ashima had said. For this was the phrase Bengalis always used in place of good-bye.
'Enjoy it,' her grandmother had bellowed in her thundering voice, helping Ashima to straighten. With trembling hands, her grandmother had pressed her thumbs to the tears streaming down Ashima's face, wiping them away. 'Do what I will never do. It will all be for the best. Remember that. Now go.'"

On Venice, one of my favorite cities:
"In the spring he went to Venice alone for a week, the trip he'd planned for the two of them, saturating himself in its ancient, melancholy beauty. He lost himself among the darkened narrow streets, crossing countless tiny bridges, discovering deserted squares, where he sat with a Campari or a coffee, sketching the facades of pink and green palaces and churches, unable ever to retrace his steps." (I couldn't agree more ... the way to see Vencie is to get off the tourist track between San Marco and the Rialto Bridge and "get lost") ( )

The Namesake is about a boy named Gogol who is born in America to Indian parents. His parents were in an arranged marriage in India, and moved to America shortly after the wedding. They are strangers in a foreign land, and America never really feels like home to them. Gogol grows up an American and his parents do not understand his American culture. Likewise, he does not understand their culture, either. This is a typical story for many Americans whose parents came here from another country, and the book gives an insight into what life is like for families that face the challenge of combining starkly different customs. ( )

The newly married Ganguli couple move from India to America, and name their first baby boy "Gogol" on a whim, after the father's favourite author while they wait for the "good name" to come in a letter from India which never arrives. The little boy and man struggles to come to terms with the weight of the name as he grows up in late twentieth century America.

I found this book, about the clash of cultures between Bengali and American very funny, very entertaining and very moving. As a German-born half British girl now living in the UK, I could relate to some of the identity crises, although obviously the cultures from one European culture to another are not as different as cross-continental cultures.

This book was very easy to read, but pulled you along in the lifestory as Gogol Ganguli grows up, moves away and gets married. The observations on family life were spot-on, and I would certainly recommend this book. It has inspired me to searchout some of this author's other books as well. ( )

Lahiri's Bengali family in America does a good job of showing first generation immigrants adapting and yet seeking out there own, finding a sense of comfort in the companionship of people who understand their culture and the way a generation gap occurs with the children who are raised in America and have never known that culture. However, the later half of the book was a little predictable. Nikhil, who is the namesake, has two major relationships in which it is inevitable that there will be a rift. The way it is written allows for no suspense. You know it isn't going to work out from the beginning. Overall not as intriquing as "interpreter of maladies". ( )

A tale of family relationships and the immigrant experience, The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri explored the lives of Ashoke and Ashima Ganguli, who settled in Boston from India, and their children, Gogol and Sonia. The first part of the book expressed Ashima’s difficulties with settling into her new home. While expecting their first child, the couple waited for a letter from a grandmother, which would detail the names of their child. The letter never arrived, forcing Ashoke and Ashima to choose a name for their son, settling on “Gogol,” who was a Russian writer who was influential on Ashoke as a young man.

The story then transitioned into Gogol’s life – and his discomfort with his name. Before college, he changed it to Nikhil, attempting to shed the Indian and family ties that he felt bound him. We follow Gogol through college and architectural school, dead-end relationships and a cultural restlessness. It wasn’t until the unexpected death of his father that Gogol began to feel comfortable with his Indian heritage – though too late to share with his father.

The Namesake spoke in a whisper but delivered strong messages about ancestry, family and culture. I believe Lahiri is a short story writer at heart, and her chapters throughout The Namesake could have stood alone. I found the ending to be endearing, leaving me with hopefulness for Gogol and his family.

Fans of Jhumpa Lahiri should definitely put The Namesake on their shelves. I look forward to reading her latest short story collection, The Unaccustomed Earth very soon. She is one of our most talented storytellers. ( )

Sentimental and a tear-jerker, but done the right way. 3 dimensional characters that you can really care about. A good story about the importance of family. ( )

Lahiri's prose is beautifully elegant, concise and quiet and smooth. She has such a gift for detail, for noting the small aspects of everyday life and weaving them subtly into her narrative, that The Namesake is never anything less than a pleasure to read. As with the previous work of hers that I've read, the short story collection Unaccustomed Earth, Lahiri focuses on the immigrant experience—Ashoke and Amina, Bengali immigrants to the US from Calcutta, and their two American-born children, Gogol and Sonali—and she is very talented at teasing out the disconnection which arises from living between two cultures.

That said, I found the ending was too rushed, and that it lacked substance and weight. I could see the outline of what Lahiri wanted to do with the ending, but I don't think she quite managed it—the last few pages didn't have the emotional freight for me that they should have. Oddly, I finished the book thinking that if the book had focused on the life of Gogol's mother, Amina, rather than on Gogol himself, it would have been much more engaging for me. ( )

A splendid book which unravels the situation that an immigrant Indian family faces in USA. The book is very simple and for the first time, I read an author who talks about Indian things -- need to cook a feast, need of family. The discoonect portrayed between generations is touching. A must read book ( )

The three deckers, the sparse apartments of Indian graduate students, the smell of Indian cooking, the making a new life in the suburbs of Boston, J.L. makes it all come alive in vivid detail. I can see, smell, hear it all, from cover to cover.

Good stroy about clutureal problems in US, but I just have trouble with Indian affairs. ( )

bookazine ( )

Großartig! Lesen! ( )

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lariri. She won the Pulitzer for her short story collection, but I have to say this was disappointing. The story follows Gogol, whose parents are immigrants from India, through childhood into his thirties. Gogol is not happy with his name; does not understand his parents; doesn't feel like he fits in America; fails in his love life. Unhappiness and dissatisfaction abound. There wasn't much dialogue and everything else is written from a third person point of view, which did not help me feel emotionally attached to the main character. A disappointing book. ( )

Engaging novel, with clear style. Plot twists are a little too obvious, but her dealing with the characters is just and realistic. I really enjoyed the idea of a third identity (his two cultures, plus the Russian with his initial name) and his searching for who he really is within all cultures. This was a one-night read. ( )

Beautiful story, if you have a chance to see the movie - it's lovely. ( )