INDEPENDENCE BY CHITRA BANERJEE DIVAKARUNI

-

BOOK NAME: INDEPENDENCE 

AUTHOR NAME: CHITRA BANERJEE DIVAKARUNI

GENRE: HISTORICAL FICTION 

PUBLISHER: HARPERCOLLINS

BOOK BUY LINK : https://www.amazon.in/Independence-Chitra-Banerjee-Divakaruni/dp/9356294585



BOOK COVER IMAGE:





BOOK REVIEW: 

In 1947, in the remote village of Ranipur in West Bengal, life was all good for the local Doctor Nabakumar and his daughters - Deepa, Jamini and Priya. Deepa is sharp and innocent at heart and is blessed with an enchanting beauty. Though Jamini is a skilled artisan and caretaker of her family, she finds herself unloved and aloof. Priya is forthright and ambitious and wants to follow in her father's footsteps. Though Nabakumar and his wife always find themselves with contradicting opinions, their love bonds the family into a tight-knit one. 


While Amit and Priya hope for a beautiful future together and for Nabakumar's family a peaceful life, riots break out in most parts of India which gets dirty in West Bengal. Each of their lives and ambitions takes a fateful turn leaving the family dismembered. The story is about their fight back, the show of strength and survival in sisterhood in the face of calamity. 


For those who loved and celebrated this book, my review might be upsetting and nettling. But honestly, I thought I would love the book when I first started it. I like the book in parts where it tried to delineate the events of partition and its effects on the lives of common people. Nabakumar and Priya were likeable for their courageous and upfront attitude. The book was fast-paced and short, making it a quick read. But apart from these, I honestly did not enjoy the book at all. 


Firstly, DO NOT write a love triangle involving sisters who plot against each other to win the man. Secondly, I really did not see any sisterhood at all until the last page. It was always about how one sister secretly envied the fortune of the other and how they wouldn't keep each other's secrets. Plotting against their own sibling for a man, wishing the sister be dead so she could marry him herself, stealing the gift that her sister's betrothed had given her - if this is the sisterhood this book wants to promote, sorry, I just can't like it. 


The ending looked forced and laborious to achieve the claim of sisterhood that’s promised in the book. Apart from that, the characters were shallow and unbearable, and the book is a very one-sided projection of the partition event. It clearly needs more research on the partition and more commas and punctuation between sentences and descriptive words. The artistic freedom really took away the fun of reading. 


ONE LINE DESCRIPTION: A highly clichéd love triangle between sisters set in the partition era!


MY REVIEW: 2.5-3/5

I am participating in Blogchatter’s #TBRchallenge

#penbooksandscalpel


Comments

  1. Tomichan MatheikalAugust 18, 2023 at 3:42 AM

    Sometimes even good writers produce mediocre work.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. RehanaSeptember 28, 2023 at 10:51 PM

      Exactly. I am going to try her other books because I believe they are better than this.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

CHAPTER 1 - ALIZA AND AHMED

-
Image
Their eyes met for the second time in the day. Every time this happens, Aliza feels a ticklish sensation in her stomach. It's not that they have not been closer than just eye contact, but the jitters won't leave her alone. Her mother-in-law was busy scooping out the last few morsels of chicken from the bowl with a creaking noise that numbed Aliza's ears. Her father-in-law was lost in thoughts enjoying his chicken malai korma and tempered ghee rice.   ‘Aliza, can you get me some warm water?’ Aliza comes running with a jar of water to fulfil her new wife's duties, and Ahmed finds his moment just when Aliza is filling his tumbler and his parents are busy eating. He pokes her in the hip, which is faintly visible between her saree fold and her blouse. Aliza winces and moves behind quickly. She turns around to ensure no one has witnessed it and promptly returns to work, flashing a smile. Ahmed had to steal moments like these between daily activities because the house was alwa
Read more

CHAPTER 4 - DISTANCE MATTERS

-
Image
'Congratulations on your promotion and transfer. We are looking forward to your full commitment to us. Do get back to this letter at the earliest with your answer.' Read the crafted piece of paper. Ahmed's parents were delighted and jumping with joy. They were chanting 'Alhamdulillah' fervently while Aliza stood confused. She could not make anything of this news because Ahmed's promotion meant everything to her. But his transfer would only mean that Aliza must stay back with her in-laws while he would visit only during weekends. She would happily do so, too, if not for her unsupportive mother-in-law. Aliza wanted to cry, and her eyes brimmed with tears that the world looked like a smudged canvas laying still in front of her. She looked at Ahmed pleadingly and waited until 10 to ask him if he really wanted to go. Asking in front of her in-laws would only mean the end of her good days. Ahmed did not look up because he knew what his transfer meant for both of them.
Read more

MY FAVOURITE BLOGCHATTER MOMENTS FROM 2023

-
Image
Contrary to every other year, in 2023, the writer in me had a great time compared to the reader me—all thanks to the team of Blogchatter. If you are new to the world of blogging or have been living under a rock, Blogchatter is an open community for bloggers and readers, and they organise writing and reading challenges for its members. Blogchatter keeps motivating its writers and readers with badges and credit points that can be encashed. My journey with Blogchatter started in mid-2022, and it's been so great so far. I have had meaningful conversations with fellow readers, bloggers and writers. I was also introduced to unique content through this community. Though I try to write most days of the year, there are also times when I feel I can't write anymore because I can't think of anything. I would either just blank out or be overwhelmed with my personal life and a full-time job. During moments like these, Blogchatter comes up with a timely rescue by introducing challenges a
Read more