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Unaccustomed Earth | 
 enlarge | Author: Jhumpa Lahiri
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Category: Book
Buy Used: $16.27
Used (2) from $16.27
Rating:  122 reviews
Sales Rank: 3527008
Format: Import
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 8.6 x 5.7 x 1.3
ISBN: 0747590001
EAN: 9780747590002
ASIN: 0747590001
Publication Date: June 2, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New. Delivery is usually 5 - 8 working days from order, International is by Royal Mail Airmail
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| Customer Reviews: Read 117 more reviews...
 A writer's workbook November 27, 2008
Raymond D. Marshall (Thompson Falls, MT USA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Jhumpa Lahiri is a writer's writer. These stories are very romantic about missed loves. She uses stream of consciousness, changes of point of view, description, storytelling, and other writing techniques very well. I am amazed at her style.
She writes what she knows. She is a Bengali immigrant. Her characters and stories reflect that heritage. Her stories contain culture but are not limited to the culture. She is describing the human condition that is universal to all: A father who is trying to make a new life and trying to make up to a daughter for past ills; a flat-mate who falls in love with another but dares not express that love; parents that set unrealistic standards for their children. The situations are real and universal. I learn about the Bengali people but I also learn about life through her writing.
I was expecting a full novel instead of short stories in the first part of the book and a novella in the second part. She writes about the different garments and dishes but explain them well. Her purpose is not to do that. Her purpose is to tell the story and detailed descriptions of the foods and garments would distract. The reader can always go to Google for more detailed information.
The book kept my focus. A good read as they say. But more importantly for me, I found myself smiling at the style and techniques in admiration and jealousy.
Bengali beauties November 26, 2008
Evelyn Bibi (Virginia, USA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Loved it! So real: some stories are so sad. Great writing, as always.
Evelyn
Jhumpa's emotional masterpiece November 21, 2008
Soultan of Swing (USA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Jhumpa Lahiri writes about the people she knows best. Although all the stories deal with Bengali families, the incidents could be common to any Indian family living in the USA, and any non-resident Indian (NRI) can relate to them. She preys on the reader's emotions throughout the book, with a rather gut-wrenching finale to most of the stories.
 Book of short stories - Cover to cover without a break? October 22, 2008
bakermom (CA, USA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
It was definitely entertaining (I might have used "gripping" if it were a novel) enough to from cover to cover without a break. Even though it was about immigrant families from West Bengal (which I have never visited) living mostly on the East Coast of America (in cities and towns I have never heard of), she created a sense of association, call it connection, with the characters.
The little girl torn between two different cultures at home and at school, the teenager struggling in college and thereafter to prove herself, the accomplished professional resigning to an arranged marriage "to fix it", the expectant mom of a toddler, the parents wanting their kids to have the best of both worlds... they all hit home for this particular audience. Not sure if it would be the same outside the diaspora.
It was so good, it made me cry October 15, 2008
F. Essa (Los Angeles, CA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I LOVED this book. I especially enjoyed the Hema & Kaushik triology. Lahiri's writing just seems to flow with ease, and it's a pleasure to read. I just love the way her stories unfold very carefully. I actually liked this collection of short stories even more than Interpreter of Maladies. It's the best book I've read in years.
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