Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 26-30 of 119
 Beautifully written August 14, 2008
Karen (Alpharetta, GA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I LOVED this book of short stories. I read several reviews that Interpreter of Maladies was better, but I didn't feel this was the case. I thought this was even better; very beautifully written!
Excellent book August 13, 2008
Leigh N. Reason (Los Angeles, CA)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is a lovely collection of short stories that stays with you long after you've read the last page. This is Lahiri's best by far...same simple yet searing language, but the observations are so true they take the wind out of you.
Wonderful characters August 7, 2008
Susan Marx (Orange, NJ, USA)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
By the second paragraph you are interested in the characters and what will happen. A talented writer. An enjoyable read. She has become one of my favorite authors and I anxiously await her next book.
Beautiful July 31, 2008
rayburn_reader
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Unaccustomed Earth is a beautiful follow up to Interpreter of Maladies, which I had read and loved. Here, Jhumpa Lahiri returns to similar subject matter, the everyday lives of Bengali immigrants. Her characters remain, as ever, complex, well wrought creations that you feel you know intimately. I loved every story in this collection especially the long one at the end, which is more like a short novel. Lahiri's beautiful writing, her great story-telling ability, and deep sense of human sympathy make her works a pleasure to read. I could easily return to Unaccustomed Earth and read it again and probably with as much enjoyment as I did the first time.
A comforting familiarity July 31, 2008
Ken Staffey (Bridgeport, CT United States)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I, like other readers, felt that many of the characters and stories seemed very similar to Ms. Lahiri's other works. While this may be the case, I found it comforting. Though the characters are almost always Begali, they could easily be members of other groups. I think Ms. Lahiri touches on themes common to most people: loneliness, isolation, longing, etc. Ms. Lahiri is writing what she knows and she does it well.
I think at this point, I would expect these types of stories from Ms. Lahiri, just as people expect horror from Stephen King. Can you imagine if you read this book and it was all about Cuban immigrants in Miami? Maybe a lot of the same themes would apply, but it wouldn't be what you'd expect.
It's nice to open this book and find some familiar (but different) characters back in Boston (and beyond). But once you go past the surface, there is more than the Bengali experience. It's not the "Namesake" in small chunks or "Interpreter of Maladies" with a few new characters.
With that said, I'd definitely recommend "Unaccustomed Earth" to those who have not read Ms. Lahiri before and those who are coming back for more. While the settings are familiar, you don't need to have read any of her other books to thoroughly enjoy this one. Finally, I'd say the last two related stories alone are worth the price of admission, so to speak. Enjoy!
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