Those are questions I still don't have answers to, even after discussing with the book club. This is a well written book, technically, but so hard to read due to its unrelenting negativity and lack of any redemption or personal growth.
The narrative was also lopsided, wit This is a book I would not have finished if it weren't for a book club meeting The narrative was also lopsided, with Part 2 seemingly tacked on at the end after a much more richly painted Part 1.
If the author's goal was to make you feel the discomfort of her subjects, she succeeded, in a way - while I didn't connect with any characters, this book was an uncomfortable read. Not a good marketing strategy - I have no desire to read any more by Anita Desai. Nov 29, Girish rated it it was ok Shelves: booker. Fasting, Feasting is one of those books that should not be read for the plot but for the prose. By which, if you miss the subtle punches or those great phrases, it is a pointless book.
The book is about 2 families set in contrasting cultures India and US through the eyes of siblings Uma and Arun respectively. Both families seem dysfunctional and suffocating to the protagonists.
And the subtle similarities make for the relevance between the 2 parts one significantly longer than the other Uma, Fasting, Feasting is one of those books that should not be read for the plot but for the prose. And the subtle similarities make for the relevance between the 2 parts one significantly longer than the other Uma, the spinster sister with MummyPapa one entity finds herself shackled by the chains of family.
The crushing force of neglect and denials makes her life seem miserable. The Indian sensibilities of the 80s which include bias against the girl child, dowry system, marriage, the abhorrence for the working woman are subtexts that run all through the first part. Arun is fighting his own demons and an observer of the Pattons family in US. The open culture and seeming freedom carries its own set of miseries. The ending is quite tame. The writing is simple and prose beautiful in places.
A pretty short book by normal standards, but overall, could not understand the hype around it. Oct 05, Yara Hossam rated it it was ok Shelves: education , boring. The worst part about this book is that it is what I have to study for tomorrow's exam. Now that I'm done studying I will review it. This book has a nice, tolerable concept that could have been delivered in a less boring way. Yeah, this book is really, very, intensely boring. I mean I got to know the Indian culture through it and I got to know how their society regard women and men, and believe me that was okay nice during the first time reading it Except only I had to read it tons of times including my goddamned notes because I don't want to fail.
Every time I read it, i figured out that the story's perception is really narrow and limited. Uma settling for her life as what it is was horribly mistaken as character development and "preserving her imagination" Complete nonsense I swear. Uma is literally the dumbest protagonist I have ever met How Uma reacts every time she jumps into the river: My reaction to the whole river symbolizes freedom bullshit: MiraMasi was the only character I could tolerate I mean the woman did nothing to bore me to death, and she was at the same time defying the traditions in her own personal, beautiful way.
Desai's style of writing is really annoying, I mean for a minute we're in the present Part two was even more uninteresting and it was criticizing the American society as the materialistic society, as if no other society is materialistic Unfortunately, that did not happen at all.
They were all presented in a dumb, dull way that made you believe what Desai only conveys and therefore you don't know anything about them except what she told you How can I judge a character this way???? She was practically forcing the "character development" down my throat. By the end of the novel I'm literally dying and what Arun does is give the shawl to Mrs. Can you guess what that symbolizes? It symbolizes how he lets go of the authority his parents have over him, and how he is getting rid of his past life..
Wish me luck in my exam okay? I have really enjoyed reading this novel. It is written well, flows smoothly but not blandly, and is compellingly interesting. The characters in it are well-portrayed and extremely believable. The pictures that she paints with her prose are startlingly realistic, yet also gentle. The book is divided into two parts. The first and longest is set somewhere in India.
We are shown the intimate details of a family consisti I have really enjoyed reading this novel. We are shown the intimate details of a family consisting of two sisters, a son, and their ageing parents. She is practically and intellectually inept. Her parents, whose dreadful behaviour is frustratingly credible, try to make her into their domestic servant.
They try to get her married more than once, losing a great deal of dowry money in their attempts to do so. Yet, despite her disappointing aspects, the reader learns that she is a real human with her own peculiar spiritual interests and aspirations. What is initially considered to be a successful marital coup eventually proves otherwise. Meanwhile, the son of the family Arun goes to the USA to study.
A bleak but utterly credible picture of life in suburban America unfolds. Arun, regarded as being an oddity by his hosts, feels the same about them.
If the first and second parts of this beautiful tale about dysfunction in families are somehow connected, then I must have missed the connection. Nevertheless, this did not detract from my enjoyment of a wonderful piece of writing. Desai uses such simple, subtle language to take the reader through the journeys of two middle class siblings from a small town in India across seemingly opposite cultures of, on one hand, the traditional, conservative India and on the other hand, the liberal, abundantly resourced West.
It is an important book and is power packed with various issues that continue to befuddle and hinder society's progress even today and it's all put together splendidly. Her writing is full of charm, at times conte Desai uses such simple, subtle language to take the reader through the journeys of two middle class siblings from a small town in India across seemingly opposite cultures of, on one hand, the traditional, conservative India and on the other hand, the liberal, abundantly resourced West.
Her writing is full of charm, at times contextually humorous and the characters she creates are extremely relatable, albeit slightly one dimensional. My first Desai book, it has definitely made me curious to pick up her other works. Nov 01, Violet rated it really liked it. I really liked this book. It's all about family relationships and you can't help but feeling sympathy for the main character, Uma, as her family is clearly disappointed in her because she has failed to find a suitable husband, and as her parents don't listen to what she really wants out of life.
The heroine is not a fascinating woman but a plain, nice and simple one and I liked that, I liked being able to understand her and to see her as a person rather than a two-dimension character. It was bea I really liked this book. It was beautifully written as well, simple and efficient. Nov 15, Alan rated it really liked it Shelves: novels. I'm not sure how the second part fitted with the first, but no matter, the second was a satirical look at USA food and customs seen through the eyes of an Indian lad on a University placement in Massachusetts, while the first part concerned his put upon sister Uma and her parents' attempts to marry her off.
Both protagonists are quite passive and used to show the odd customs and hierarchies around them. It is all beautifully written. Jun 05, Judy rated it really liked it. Anita Desai is a writer I've been meaning to try for a long time, and I will definitely read more of her work after enjoying this book.
Although it is categorised as a novel, it is really two linked novellas, a longer one about Uma, a middle-aged daughter in a small Indian town who finds herself trapped in a life of caring for her demanding parents, and a shorter one about her younger brother, Arun, who goes to study in America.
There are some similarities of theme between the two sections, with Anita Desai is a writer I've been meaning to try for a long time, and I will definitely read more of her work after enjoying this book. There are some similarities of theme between the two sections, with food playing a key role in both parts, as suggested by the title. I admit I had hoped for more feasting than actually features! I thought the first story was the stronger of the two, with more space to develop and a larger cast of characters.
I wasn't quite sure what the time period is, but as the later part with Arun in America seems to be set in the present day the book was published in presumably the earlier part is in the s. The portrayal of the marriage market, with husbands being wooed by parents on behalf of their daughters, in return for dowries, is powerful and haunting.
The American section shows a young girl under different pressures, Melanie, who has an eating disorder, but we never really learn enough about her to understand why she is suffering.
Arun is very well drawn in this section, though, and I enjoyed seeing through his eyes. Mar 16, Leah rated it liked it. I was bought this book as a present a while ago, and I knew very little about it or the author. The cover picture is very inviting and reminded me of my own time in India, those warm, earthy tones and splashes of colour. We are transported into the life of a family in India, where 2 sisters, Uma and Aruna, live with MamaPapa, a fusion of 2 people who, although individuals, present a force of tradition that dictates the family's way of life.
Into this situation is born a son, Arun, a boy who unwit I was bought this book as a present a while ago, and I knew very little about it or the author. Into this situation is born a son, Arun, a boy who unwittingly changes the course of the family's dynamic with his potential and his value. The novel begins with emphasis on Uma, the bespectacled, clumsy, childlike older sister. Forever a disappointment to her controlling parents , she is expected to help bring up Arun, and is emotionally neglected by her parents in favour of the other siblings.
Uma also has fits and her family finds this embarressing and unnecessary, as if she deliberately courting attention. Two unsuccessful marriage attempts after many rejections before she is even met, lead to 2 stolen dowries, and a stigma that is neither of her making, nor one she can ever hope to escape. Uma's only allies are 2 outer family members who are disapproved of, her aunt who pays random visits on religious pilgrimages, and her cousin who hides his physical afflictions by being brash and loud, but eventually turns his back on his family and becomes a hermit.
Uma's aunt believes her fits are a mark of the lord. It seems Uma's only real happinesses come in brief and desperate bursts, while viewing her Christmas card collection when her parents are out, or more sadly, when she nearly drowns after stepping off a boat and is disappointed to be pulled from the peaceful waters. It is not a suicide attempt, merely somewhere quiet, non-judgemental. Interspersed with Uma's story we learn of Aruna's marriage to a successful business man and her move to fashionable Bombay and 2 children.
However, despite her deliberate flaunting in front of her parents, and Uma in particular, she is also unhappy at heart, as her obsessions with having the best overtake her life and render it sterile. There is also their beautiful cousin's marriage which ends in cruelty and then tragedy. Are their any women who triumph in this novel?
Any women who are allowed to be themseves? It seems only the next door neighbour is content, and only after a long battle with her mother-in-law. Two-thirds the way through the book we have a sudden shift in direction. We are taken to USA where Arun is at university and staying with a family during the holidays.
Arun is now a timid and reclusive individual, weighed down by his fathers aspirations and relentless education, and thrown into an alien environment he finds baffling. Surprisingly this forms the most humourous part of the book, and I laughed out loud at some parts. The American family are drowning in their own problems of Western psychological neuroses, of obsession, delusion and dysfunction. Arun is horrified, but also recognises similarities with his sisters situation, and instead of embracing his freedom, he retreats further inwards, missing his own dysfunctional family.
The title of the book clearly comes from the comparison of those who have little and those who have too much. A lot of the imagery and episodes and comparisons take place around food but this is only used as a metaphor to illustrate constraints or abundance of freedom and its subsequent problems. This book is not for those who enjoy plot driven novels full of action or even conclusions. It is a beautifully written study of characters, a skillful set of observations, but it offers no answers, only presentations of comparisons.
Although I enjoyed the last part in America, it was the weakest part of the book because of its abruptness, and its stereotypes. I just did not believe in the family being so unredemptive and hopeless. I longed to get back to see if Uma had hauled herself away from her prison with her family. We never find out. And for all of their faults I never viewed her family as hopeless.
There are many beautiful and colourful descriptions in both parts of the novel and I was attatched to Uma, willing her to find a way out and knowing she probably would not. I enjoyed this novel because of these things and its subtle comedy. My favourite quote comes after a painful evening with the Pattons at a compulsory barbecue Arun is vegetarian , the episode is wryly wrapped up by the author They hurl themselves at it like heathens in the frenzy of their false religion, and die with small piercing detonations.
The evening is punctuated by their unredeemed deaths. Aug 08, Milan Sadhwani rated it it was amazing. Anita Desai is now one of my favourite authors after I finished reading this book and I am going on a quest to find out why she didn't win the Booker Prize the year this came out Fasting, Feasting is not plot-driven but the language is vivid and very evocative.
I liked the juxtaposition of part one and part two. From the back cover: Uma, the plain, spinster daughter of a close-knit Indian family, is trapped at home, smothered by her overbearing parents and their traditions, unlike her am Anita Desai is now one of my favourite authors after I finished reading this book and I am going on a quest to find out why she didn't win the Booker Prize the year this came out From the back cover: Uma, the plain, spinster daughter of a close-knit Indian family, is trapped at home, smothered by her overbearing parents and their traditions, unlike her ambitious younger sister Aruna, who brings off a 'good' marriage and brother Arun, the disappointing son and heir who is studying in America.
Across the world in Massachusetts, life with the Patton family is bewildering for Arun in the alien culture of freedom, freezers and paradoxically self-denying self-indulgence. I could really relate to the contents of this book, coming from an Indian background myself. What I really loved was Desai's narrative, which some may describe as rambling but what I think is actually very accurate of how Indians speak and think.
It makes it very real and her dialogue is quite believable as well. I found myself laughing out loud countless times throughout and thinking, oh boy I feel you, Uma! Making you empathise with her characters is really a huge part of Desai's success in writing this book. Indian or not, you will surely feel for Uma with Desai's convincing language and clear prose. If you're expecting a fast-paced or action-filled plot, I don't suggest this book although if you are willing to put in the patience, you will find yourself wondering and anxious to know about Desai's memorable characters Uma and Arun as well as their insufferable parents who are known as MamaPapa.
Anita Desai writes for the pure pleasure of it and raises some interesting observations about people that will linger with you, long after you've finished the book. I know that it did for me. All in all, a great book that requires a fair bit of attention due to the intense details, worth your time and effort. Then there were the exams when the pace of study would work itself up in its annual crescendo, the tutors in a frenzy, having to make sure their wards performed creditably in order to ensure another year of lucrative tuitions, Arun staying up night after night, sunk into his books while mosquitos hovered above his head and perspiration slid stickily down his collar.
He settles back in silence, and his face closes to all these annoying hints and suggestions being thrown out by the two women; it is like a gate closing on unwanted visitors.
It was a day as all days ought to be, not just a single one in the whole year, a single one in a whole lifetime. If Uma was asked to paint a picture of heaven, then heaven would have paper lanterns hanging from the trees along the drive and around the school courtyard, pots of white and yellow chrysanthemums like great boiled eggs in freshly painted flowerpots on the veranda stairs. They go out onto the veranda and sink onto the swing which seems to rock upon an ocean of heavy, sultry air that heaves with the expected monsoon.
The glassy water of the river, swollen by rains up in the mountains from which it comes, seems solid, weighty, a huge mass of grief holding them up on its heaving surface, flowing swiftly and unheedingly beneath. Arun makes his way slowly through the abundant green of Edge Hill as if he were moving cautiously through massed waves of water under which unknown objects lurked. Greenness hangs, drips and sways from every branch and twig and frond in the surging luxuriance of July.
Together they wheeled the card around and avoided walking past the open freezers where the meat lay steaming in pink packages of rawness, the tank where helpless lobsters, their claws rubber-banded together, rose on ascending bubbles and then sank again, tragically, the trays where the pale flesh of fish curled in opaque twists upon the polystyrene, and made their way instead to the shelves piled with pasta, beans and lentils, all harmlessly dry and odour-free, the racks of nuts and spices where whatever surprises might be were bottles and boxed with kindergarten attractiveness.
She smiles a bright plastic copy of a mother-smile that Arun remembers from another world and another time, the smile that is tight at the corners with pressure, the pressure to perform a role, to make him eat, make him grow, make him worth all the trouble and effort and expense.
Jun 03, Jonathan Pozzi rated it it was amazing. In terms of plot, I liked how I was kept on the edge of my seat for the duration of the story. I was constantly wondering what was going to become of Uma, one of the main characters. Uma lives in India, continuously trying to make something of her life yet struggles for so many different reasons. I never knew when the next obstacle was going to present itself, nor did I know what that obstacle was going to be.
For example, I was shocked to see her two potential marriages fail. As Uma's siblings go on to live happy lives, she is left in the dust with nowhere to go. The plot only becomes more interesting when the story turns to the direction of Uma's brother, Arun.
This change in plot is exciting because this part of the story takes place in the United States instead of India. I enjoyed learning about the Indian culture in the first part of the story, but the part that is focused on Arun is very interestingly in Massachusetts.
Because Arun comes from India to go to school, I was intrigued by the culture shock that he experiences. I was interested in the adjustments that he has to make to adapt to this totally different lifestyle. Fasting Feasting is a fine showcase for the delicate, distinctive skills of Anita Desai Sunday Telegraph.
Related titles. The Lincoln Highway. The Man Who Died Twice. A Slow Fire Burning. Snow Country. The Promise. The Echo Chamber. Daisy Jones and The Six. Oh William! Great Circle. The Party Crasher. The Island of Missing Trees. The Paper Palace. Patton and Melanie, focusing on work, working out, and playing sports. Patton takes Arun shopping with her, insisting that he teach her how to go vegetarian. Meanwhile, Arun becomes disgusted with American excess.
He soon finds that Melani e, the daughter, is bulimic, and anxiously tries to find a way to tell the oblivious Mrs. Patton what is wrong. Meanwhile, one day in the grocery store, a cashier tells Mrs. Patton that she looks pregnant. Patton becomes obsessed with sun tanning, further neglecting her daughter. Toward the end of the summer, Arun and Melanie go with Mrs. Patton to a pond. Arun delightedly enjoys the feeling of escaping himself when swimming.
Later, while Mrs. Patton is sun bathing, Arun goes to look for Melanie, who has disappeared. He finds her half-conscious in a pile of her own vomit. Patton soon arrives, shocked at what she sees. Melanie enters into a rehabilitative institution, and Rod leaves for college.
Patton takes on a second job, and Mrs. Patton becomes interested in eastern spirituality. Arun receives a package carefully packed by Uma, but he gives the contents away to Mrs. Patton, and he leaves, returning to school at the University.
Fasting, Feasting. Plot Summary. Patton Mr. O'Henry Mother Agnes Mrs. Joshi Dr. Dutt Ayah Lakshmi.
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