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Anju is the daughter of an upper-caste Calcutta family of distinction. Her cousin Sudha is the daughter of the black sheep of that same family. Sudha is startlingly beautiful; Anju is not. Despite those differences, since the day on which the two girls were born, the same day their fathers died-mysteriously and violently-Sudha and Anju have been sisters of the heart. Bonded in ways even their mothers cannot comprehend, the two girls grow into womanhood as if their fates as well as their show more hearts were merged. But, when Sudha learns a dark family secret, that connection is shattered. For the first time in their lives, the girls know what it is to feel suspicion and distrust. Urged into arranged marriages, Sudha and Anju's lives take opposite turns. Sudha becomes the dutiful daughter-in-law of a rigid small-town household. Anju goes to America with her new husband and learns to live her own life of secrets. When tragedy strikes each of them, however, they discover that despite distance and marriage, they have only each other to turn to. Set in the two worlds of San Francisco and India, this exceptionally moving novel tells a story at once familiar and exotic, seducing listeners from the first page with the lush prose we have come to expect from Divakaruni. Sister of My Heart is a novel destined to become as widely beloved as it is acclaimed. show lessTags
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sundancer 1. Chitra Banerjee Divaaruni wrote both
2. Both have strong female leads
3. Both take place in India
4. Both are about courage, bravery, family, and friendship
Smell by Radhika Jha
by cometahalley
Member Reviews
From the very beginning of Sister of My Heart, Divakaruni dangles mysteries and secrets in front of the reader. Anju and Sudha are non-blood cousins, but as close as conjoined sisters. Both girls lost their fathers when they were newborns, but how? There is mystery surrounding their simultaneous demise. Each chapter of Sister of My Heart is told from the alternating viewpoints of Anju and Sudha. Each cousin's voice is too similar to discern but maybe, just maybe that is the point. Their love for one another, their bond makes them as close a singular entity. When one "sister" learns a deep family secret she is torn between keeping it and uncovering it. She needs to weigh the cost of each choice carefully.
This is the story of how one show more event can leave you scarred. Like a clogged artery, love cannot flow as easily. Secrets snag the once open heart. Is there a chance for forgiveness? show less
This is the story of how one show more event can leave you scarred. Like a clogged artery, love cannot flow as easily. Secrets snag the once open heart. Is there a chance for forgiveness? show less
This is an absorbing book that is written in a poetic, readable style. I love books about friendship, female bonding and other cultures; this story elegantly weaves together all these elements. It spans 15 years and has enough layers, plot twists and tension to be emotionally engaging. It’s told from the perspective of two cousins who are so close they consider themselves “Sisters of the Heart”. These young women are charming and easy to identify with. As the author moves you through their life trials, she also presents some very universal life lessons for you to ponder. She focuses on the reality of being female in India and the beautiful art of female bonding so necessary in a culture that is harsh and oppressive for women, show more constantly bringing to mind the importance and marvelous endurance and support of female friendships. Although the strength of this book revolves around relationships, it also elegantly and richly portrays the culture and lifestyles of Calcutta, India. In summary, although a bit predictable, Divakaruni gives us an amazing story. She's an award winning author and poet. I recommend this book to those who like a light but engaging read about other cultures or India in particular. A big thanks to the PBR reader who suggested this book.
Review previously posted at: www.princetonbookreview.com
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Review previously posted at: www.princetonbookreview.com
Find us on Face book http://www.facebook.com/#%21/pages/Princeton-Book-Review/73532562757 show less
This book was poetic, rich with exotic descriptions and beautiful metaphors. Divakaruni weaves a delicate, intricate web of complex problem after complex problem. Just when you believe something good will happen for one of the characters, another problem presents itself and your heart breaks for the harsh reality of Indian culture on the women. This book is about how strong the tree of sisterly love grows and how deep the roots go. It is also about unfulfilled desire and sacrificial love. The book had pages which re-ignited my passion for my true love. There were pages that were irresistible to capture quotes from and write them down so I can save them forever.
This is a book that I must have been carrying around for over a month before I had the opportunity to sit and read it. I'm glad I finally had a five minute window to open it, although it did mean that I had to find time to read the rest of it! It is the story of two girl cousins, born in a large Calcutta house on the night that their mothers heard of the deaths of their fathers. While underlying the story is the struggle of being a female only household in a highly patriarchal society, it is really a story about who is family.
Told in alternating points of view of the two cousins, the gradual unfolding of the secrets that either hold a family together or tear it apart is beautifully presented. The mysticism that is wound through is show more fascinating - the cousins have very different beliefs, and the author has managed to juxtapose them in such a way that both are believable. The world building is subtle and very detailed, to the point that I suspect I would have got a completely different experience from reading the book if I had an underlying sense of the time and place that it is set. The details are sufficiently subtle that they don't give a sensation of voyeurism into some one else's culture, but of being invited to see through the eyes of the girls/women. 9/10 show less
Told in alternating points of view of the two cousins, the gradual unfolding of the secrets that either hold a family together or tear it apart is beautifully presented. The mysticism that is wound through is show more fascinating - the cousins have very different beliefs, and the author has managed to juxtapose them in such a way that both are believable. The world building is subtle and very detailed, to the point that I suspect I would have got a completely different experience from reading the book if I had an underlying sense of the time and place that it is set. The details are sufficiently subtle that they don't give a sensation of voyeurism into some one else's culture, but of being invited to see through the eyes of the girls/women. 9/10 show less
L'amore che lega due donne va oltre i legami di sangue. Due bambine cresciute insieme e che affrontano un mondo troglodita dove gli uomini ancora sottomettono le donne ai loro voleri...
Amando le storie afghane, non avevo mai fatto caso che le donne indiane vivono più o meno come loro e hanno usanze e costumi molto simili.
Consigliato!
Amando le storie afghane, non avevo mai fatto caso che le donne indiane vivono più o meno come loro e hanno usanze e costumi molto simili.
Consigliato!
My last book of 2007.
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni made an indelible impression on the literary world with her first novel, The Mistress of Spices, a magical tale of love and herbs. Sister of My Heart is less reliant on enchantment but no less enchanting as it tells the tale of two cousins born on the same day, their premature births brought on by a mysterious occurrence that claims the lives of both their fathers. Sudha is beautiful, Anju is not; yet the girls love each other as sisters, the bond between them so strong it seems nothing can break it. When both are pushed into arranged marriages, however, each discovers a devastating secret that changes their relationship forever.
Pretty good, though with the chapters alternating between the show more two girls I did get a little confused sometimes as to what happened to whom - there seemed to be not enough difference between the two voices for me to remember who and what. (I have to admit that I did read this over perhaps a week, putting it down and picking it up again, so that may have contributed). show less
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni made an indelible impression on the literary world with her first novel, The Mistress of Spices, a magical tale of love and herbs. Sister of My Heart is less reliant on enchantment but no less enchanting as it tells the tale of two cousins born on the same day, their premature births brought on by a mysterious occurrence that claims the lives of both their fathers. Sudha is beautiful, Anju is not; yet the girls love each other as sisters, the bond between them so strong it seems nothing can break it. When both are pushed into arranged marriages, however, each discovers a devastating secret that changes their relationship forever.
Pretty good, though with the chapters alternating between the show more two girls I did get a little confused sometimes as to what happened to whom - there seemed to be not enough difference between the two voices for me to remember who and what. (I have to admit that I did read this over perhaps a week, putting it down and picking it up again, so that may have contributed). show less
A fun, engaging story about two Indian sisters, each struggling to live their own unique lives but, naturally, intertwined. Divakaruni has an interesting and unique writing style that is natural and poetic at the same time. Recommended.
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Author Information
34+ Works 11,022 Members
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni was born in India and later moved to the United States to attend college. She earned a M. A. at Wright State University and a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley. Divakaruni held many odd jobs until she was able to become an accomplished writer. She was the president of MAITRI, a crisis hotline for female show more South Asian victims of domestic abuse, and is currently a professor at Foothill College in California. Her works have been recognized in more than 50 magazines and 30 anthologies. She also has been awarded two PEN Syndicated Fiction Project Awards, a Pushcart Prize, and the Allen Ginsberg Poerty Prize. Divakaruni's books include Arranged Marriage and The Mistress of Spices. Her Title One Amazing Thing made The New York Times Best Seller List. (Bowker Author Biography) Chitra Divakaruni is the author of the bestselling novels "The Mistress of Spices" & "Sister of My Heart", the story collection "Arranged Marriage", which won several awards, including the American Book Award, & four collections of poetry. Her work has appeared in "The New Yorker", "The Atlantic Monthly", "Ms.", & other publications. Born in India, she lives in the San Francisco area. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is a LibraryThing Author, an author who lists their personal library on LibraryThing.
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Has as a student's study guide
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Sister of My Heart
- Original title
- Sister of My Heart
- Original publication date
- 1999; 2000 (Italian translation) (Italian translation)
- People/Characters
- Basudha "Sudha" Chatterjee; Anjali "Anju" Chatterjee; Nalini Chatterjee; Singhji; Ramesh Sanyal; Ashok (show all 10); Sunhil Majumdar; Pishi; Gopal; Dayita Sanyal
- Important places
- Calcutta, India; San Francisco Bay Area, California, USA; India; California, USA
- Epigraph
- It is only the story ... that saves our progeny from blundering like blind beggars into the spikes of the cactus fence.
-Chinua Achebe, Anthills of the Savannah - Dedication
- For those who told me stories and those to whom I tell them now: my grandfather, Nibaran Chandra Ghosh; my mother Tatini Banerjee; and my three men, Murthy, Anand, and Abhay
- First words
- They say in the old tales that the first night after a child is born, the Bidhata Purush comes down to earth himself to decide what its fortune is to be.
- Blurbers
- Rosellen Brown; Amitav Ghosh
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- 13,111
- Reviews
- 34
- Rating
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- Languages
- 10 — Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 35
- ASINs
- 7