≡ Libro Gratis A Good Indian Wife A Novel Anne Cherian 9780393065237 Books

A Good Indian Wife A Novel Anne Cherian 9780393065237 Books

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A Good Indian Wife A Novel Anne Cherian 9780393065237 Books

Suneel is certain he can resist his family's attempts to wed him to 'a good Indian wife' to take back to America with him. Unfortunately, he is not as wily as he thinks and finds himself married to Leila. Bitter and angry, he takes her back to America, where he has a thriving practice as an anesthesiologist, and a nice girlfriend on the side. He has no room for a wife, American or Indian. Leila does everything she can to please him, but seems to have little results.

I really liked Leila and disliked Neel, as he calls himself. He is so shallow, he doesn't take an interest in Leila until his friend's approval makes him sit up and take notice. Leila deserves better.


Tags : A Good Indian Wife: A Novel [Anne Cherian] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <strong>A clash of hearts and cultures set against the divergent backdrops of rural India and downtown San Francisco.</strong> Handsome anesthesiologist Neel prides himself on his decisiveness,Anne Cherian,A Good Indian Wife: A Novel,W. W. Norton & Company,0393065235,Contemporary Women,Anesthesiologists;Fiction.,India;Fiction.,San Francisco (Calif.);Fiction.,American Contemporary Fiction - Individual Authors +,Anesthesiologists,Arranged marriage,Culture conflict,FICTION Women,Fiction,Fiction - General,Fiction Contemporary Women,General,Literature: Texts

A Good Indian Wife A Novel Anne Cherian 9780393065237 Books Reviews

Absolutely loved "A Good Indian Wife". I could not put it down and read it in 2 days! I could not wait to find out what Leila was going to do once she found out what Neel's real plan was. I wish I could be more like Leila because she handled every situation so gracefully even though she was faced with such harsh realities. This is the first time I've read anything written by Anne Cherian but I will definitely be on the look out for more books written by her.
A Good Indian Wife starts out in San Francisco with Suneel or Neel as he goes by in his American life. Neel is a Sanford graduate and an anesthesiologist in a local hospital. Neel wants his future wife to be very American with blonde hair and on the same level of intellect as himself. Neel has been summoned back to India to visit his dying grandfather. When he gets there he is talked into seeing some girls while he's there. His Grandfather talks him into seeing at least one. Leila who is thirty and considered a spinster by her village is the one girl that Neel meets with while in India. After a series of misunderstandings between Neel and his family he ends up agreeing to marry Leila afraid if he backs out it will make his grandfather worse. The story continues as Leila tries to find her place in San Francisco and Neel tries to figure out how to divorce her as he continues on with his girlfriend of three years, Caroline.

A Good Indian Wife captured my attention from the get go. I kept turning pages to see where it was going next and how it would turn out. I am disappointed by the way it ended. I also find the characters a little cliché in a lot of spots, the gold digging girlfriend, the prejudice brother, the lying husband, the forgiving wife.

The contrast between the American way of life and India way of life was a strong theme in the book. There were lots of descriptions of the way of life in the village in India where Neel and Leila are from. When India things, food, customs and living conditions are described from Neel's point of view they are done so in a negative way, whereas from Leila's point of view they are much more accepted. She isn't trying to fight against her heritage like Neel is. The author also shows you San Francisco through Leila's eyes as she tries to build a life for herself in a completely different country without completely losing her India customs.
I bought "A good Indian wife" and read it in two nights. It was hard to put down. My heart went out to Leila who was extremely brave and more tolerant with the Simpleton Neel than I ever would have been. He was what my parents referred to as an 'educated ass.' I kept wondering when she was going to open up her eyes and realise that she was no longer in India, but in the dog eat dog world of the USA. I just loved the way she toppled Caroline's cart when she called to proclaim her love for Suneel or Neel as he liked to be called. This story rings so true. Indian men are not the only men who consider having having a white trophy as reaching the epitome of one's life. It is an everyday occurence among men of all races. Neel's infidelity was absolutely hard to read about and I kept hoping that Leila would find a handsome man, for the payback would have been sweet; but she was too good a person to enter into such a clastendine affair and won in the end. Was it worth it? I can't say until Miss Cherian brings the sequel to the market.
This book was a great introduction into the Indian culture and provides an indepth look into the values of family loyalty, respect and the traditions of arranged marriages, which still happen in today's society. The central characters; Suneel and Leila are brought together rather forcibly through their family's hands. It is surreal for us in America to have two people who did not want to marry/get married to each other do so, but through the cultural expose that Cherian offers us, we come to understand it.

The reader fluctuates from feeling badly for both characters, to wanting to defend one against the other. Leila's character blossoms upon meeting Suneel and we get to see her transform from one who had self esteem issues into a more confident and acclimated woman once she settles in America and in her new life with Suneel. Suneel, once resigned of his new life, realizes all the things he thought he didn't like in India were still with him; his love of family, loyalty to his family and most importantly he comes to recognize his love of the country from which he was born.

This was a first time read for me by Cherian and I will check out her other works. This was an easy and quick read, so give it a try if you want to be entertained as well as learning a bit about a new culture.
I was able to relate to Neel (Suneel) because I struggle with managing two cultures, and though I don't try to shake off my heritage, I understand his frustrations. Some of the characters in his family seemed uncomfortably realistic to me, and the author did a great job of letting me know that they have good intentions. I was disappointed because the indian wife's journey was either bland or nonexistent. Neel himself seemed to all of a sudden snap out of it, and perhaps I had missed his growth and realization. I ordered this for a low price, and paid more for shipping and handling. If you come across it, read it. I am taking it to Goodwill and perhaps you will be able to buy it there. However, I don't recommend going out of your way to purchase this.
Suneel is certain he can resist his family's attempts to wed him to 'a good Indian wife' to take back to America with him. Unfortunately, he is not as wily as he thinks and finds himself married to Leila. Bitter and angry, he takes her back to America, where he has a thriving practice as an anesthesiologist, and a nice girlfriend on the side. He has no room for a wife, American or Indian. Leila does everything she can to please him, but seems to have little results.

I really liked Leila and disliked Neel, as he calls himself. He is so shallow, he doesn't take an interest in Leila until his friend's approval makes him sit up and take notice. Leila deserves better.