I love a good long family saga, and this book nailed that.

At the age of 14, Lakshmi is married off to a rich man in Malaysia. She travels from her home in Ceylon, only to discover he isn't rich, and he is also not bright. He is kind though, and his home is better than what she came from. And then we learn of her children and some grandchildren--through the Japanese occupation in Word War II, dreams of education and marriage, children and businesses.

This book is 400+ pages and is very good, but it is also hard. There is so much sadness, regret, and sorrow. ( )

This historical saga, set in Malaysia, covers several generations of a family, descended from a strong-willed matriarch. The author's writing is beautiful and the intertwined storylines are interesting. However, the characters' stories are also quite bleak and at times, I longed for some happy moments to relieve the misery. ( )

I have developed a dislike of novels that are set in another country and that rely in large part on superstitions common to that country. For example, many Chinese and Japanese novels will involve superstitions about a person's marriage, about where tableware must be placed to ward off bad spirits, about incidents that portend bad or good thing ahead. Perhaps because I am more "rational" than most, I tend to find the reliance of the characters on superstitions tiresome and irritating.

There is certainly superstition here, of a similar nature. The main character, Lakshmi, is from Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Born in 1916, she is married young in an arranged marriage and moves to Malaysia with her new, older husband. Her mother had been given to understand that her new husband was rich and that therefore Lakshmi would be able to live the life she deserved. But it was a trick. He had borrowed a watch and a car and driver to give the appearance of wealth. Lakshmi soon discovered that he was poor and, more, that he would be unlikely ever to raise above his present position.

Lakshmi is determined to make this work. She is no stranger to hard work and is not afraid of it. She takes on the maintenance of the house and the fixing of meals, the cleaning of clothing. When she discovers that her husband has had a bad habit of borrowing money, she steps in to clean up the accounts and get the money going where it needs to go. Fortunately, her husband cares deeply for her and does as he is told. He is a kind man, if not as intelligent and capable as she is.

The story takes us from Lakshmi's beginnings to her friendship with a young woman who works as a servant next door, to the birth of her several children. The first children, twins, are born with the cross of a fortune-teller's warnings on them. Thus the superstitions begin to reign, even when dismissed by Lakshmi. We watch the children grow and in some cases have children of their own, and eventually we even meet the great-grandchildren.

So not only is there a layer of superstition, but also a multi-generational theme. I am most fond of characters in novels, and usually when there are many generations the details of the individuals become lost and it just becomes "a story". Not so in this case. Lakshmi's strength and character clearly mark her as "the rice mother", and her personality is memorable to the end. Several of her children also get to speak and we easily distinguish the differences. It is possible to become attached or at least interested by some of the children and grandchildren. A great-grandchild has a story at least as interesting as Lakshmi's, which was like a bonus, a novel within a novel. AFter a while I felt like I wanted this story to keep going, to become a series, almost. Most unlike me, but certainly a tribute to the honesty of the writing. ( )

The Rice Mother by Rani Manicka is a multi-generational story about a Sri Lankan family that resides in Malaysia. The book opens in the 1920s with Lakshmi, the beloved daughter who is married at fifteen to Ayah, a 37 year old rich widower who lives in Malaysia. When Lakshmi arrives in Malaysia she learns that this man is far from rich, but he is a decent man who allows Lakshmi to take control of the finances and the household. They go on to have six children and for the most part are contented until the Japanese invade in 1941.

After the war years the family is changed. The father withdraws into himself and Lakshmi falls into fits of rage and lashes out at those she loves. The story follows the children as they grow, marry and have children of their own, but this family seems to experience one tragedy after another. Each chapter is told by a different family member right down to the grandchildren and the great-grandchildren.

The Rice Mother is the author’s debut novel and at times this saga of domestic turmoil seems overly ambitious and the writing becomes flowery and heavy but the descriptions of the mixed Malayan culture, customs, religion and culinary delights kept me engaged. ( )

I think this has been a very interesting read. At times very disturbing, for example when the book talked about the Japanese occupation. Disturbing also, because it talks about love going wrong, children dying, misunderstandings on multiple levels.
Not a nice book, but a nice book to read, I hope you understand what I'm trying to say with this... ( )