শীর্ষেন্দু মুখোপাধ্যায়Rezensionen

The story of Somlata a poor bride in a once rich household and her daughter Boshon, indulged as the only child of the household, and how the not-death of Boshon's (great)great-aunt has shaped both their lives. It is a bit heavy on the "influence of a good woman" but at least shows that that neither the influence nor the good is straightforward.½

Quick and odd book with an even ofder ending.

I really enjoyed this little book from a Bengali writer. The narrators were excellent and gave all the spice to the book. Through this little story I learnt a lot about the cultural context and the great emancipation of women just in three generations.

Two good narrators for this audiobook. I'm afraid I was a little lost in the telling. Not quite my cup of tea. I did read to the end though. I just didn't really understand it. My bad.

A short and beautifully told traditional Bengal tale about a woman haunted by the ghost of her great-aunt-in-law and her daughter, who is haunted by the possibility of love with an equal. It has drama from caste issues, especially the indolence of the formerly wealthy, and a well-drawn contrast between the harsh yet improving fate of women in the India over two generations. There's also a helpful note from the translator - who, to readers in other languages - IS the author.

The title says it all, just not with the usual understandings!

Cautionary tale, mythology, philosophical reader, a traditional story feminist? Maybe all, some or. One of the above. One thing is true, this is definitely not funny.
Kismet? Reincarnation? Or making choices pushed on by changing times, a ghost, your own set of beliefs, or simple taking up the mantle of survival?
Bride Somlata marries into the Mitra family. She is from a poor but determined family. Traits that will stand her and her new family in good stead.
Then there's the aunt/sister-in-law Pishma, a child widow locked in her own set of rooms buoyed up by her anger at the Mitras, and a cache of jewelry. A cache she alerts Somlata about in a rather unexpected way.
Somlata's daughter Boshon floats through life, rebelling against her culture. She likes being alone and testing people. Her relationship with a poorer boy who returns from America shows her lack of empathy.
The last test she executes is rather horrid but fits in a weird way with what has gone before. Is this then a moral tale? I'm unsure, maybe. But it is a story with gravitas.
Magic realism adds to this culturally imbedded story of a Bengali family told from the perspective of three generations of women.
Delicately written, despite some of the harsh happenings, an unassuming and rewarding read.

A HarperCollins ARC via NetGalley

This funny and sweet novel made me, a "probasi Bengali," quite sentimental. The protagonist is so full of goodness that she can "rescue" a bitter ghost and give her, literally, a new lease on life. The author frames reincarnation as a chance for redemption; I, as a lapsed Hindu who now identifies as an atheist, tend to think of it as wish fulfillment or the consequence of having regrets in one's present life. Recommended, especially for readers with an interest in Bengali culture.

এই ছুটিটা নিয়ে ভেবে রেখেছিলাম যা যা পড়ছি সেগুলোর মধ্যে অন্তত দুটো বই শেষ করবো। কিন্তু বাসায় এসে গত ন'টা দিন ধরে পাঁচশো বারো পৃষ্ঠার ঢাউস উপন্যাসটা শেষ করলাম। দুটো চরিত্রের বর্ণনার মাধ্যমে অন্য আরো একটি চরিত্রের গল্প বলা- কতটা ক্ষমতাধর লেখক হলে এভাবে কেউ সময় নিয়ে এক্সপেরিমেন্ট করতে পারে! গল্পটা একই সাথে অতীত এবং বর্তমানকে সামনে টেনে নিয়ে যাচ্ছে। কিছু জায়গা একটু খাপছাড়া যে লাগে নি তা না, কিন্তু মুগ্ধতাটাই মূখ্য।

মুগ্ধতাটাই ধ্রুব।

Good one worth reading.

I enjoyed every page of this book.With a simple writing the author discussed about the random story about life and how it varies from people to people,society to society,maybe at some point all the story is same.He tried to find the meaning of life in philosophical perspective with those character. But Amazing experience and worth reading many times.