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| Unaccustomed Earth | 
 enlarge | Author: Jhumpa Lahiri
Publisher: Knopf Canada
Category: Book
Buy New: $27.99
New (5) Used (11) from $17.79
Avg. Customer Rating:  117 reviews
Sales Rank: 1473051
Format: Import
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 8.7 x 6 x 1.3
ISBN: 0676979343
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780676979343
ASIN: 0676979343
Publication Date: April 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: NEW
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| Customer Reviews:
 Deja Vu Anybody? April 29, 2008
26 out of 38 found this review helpful
Don't get me wrong--I think Jhumpa Lahiri has a way with words and telling stories as was evident in her first book, Interpreter of Maladies. Interpreter was like a breath of fresh air with short stories that truly helped a reader transcend to human reaches of pain, joy, disappointment, hope and many other emotions. I think that the writer is great at short stories, horrid at the long novel (I was tremendously let down with The Namesake) but needs to change up the formula.
I was excited that Jhumpa Lahiri was coming out with a book of short stories again but upon reading the first few stories, I was nothing short of crestfallen. Although the stories themselves are not written badly, I am getting really tired of the same old formula she's using. It seems like almost every one of her stories revolves around Boston, involves an American-born Indian struggling with either their own culture or a family member, and of course involves Indian parents and their struggle coming to America. OK I get it already!
These stories didn't provide any new insight, I felt, that she didn't already communicate to me with Interpreter of Maladies. I ended up getting really bored and tired of her always leaving stories hanging with no resolution in sight. Some of the stories almost seemed pointless (the last one in the book is a prime example) to even write. After writing about having such emotion and turning around and completely ignoring that emotion just to have the character regret seems so tiresome, trite and overdone in her books.
The writer is obviously talented and I am not knocking on her ability to write mellifluously--however her stories need a breath of fresh air so I don't feel like I'm reading the same story that has been slightly altered 10X.
 A little disappointed April 11, 2008
21 out of 27 found this review helpful
As much as I admire Ms. Lahiri for her remarkable writing skills, I was disappointed with her new book. I've been a big fan of hers ever since I read 'The Interpreter of Maladies' but as I was reading 'The Namesake' and 'Unaccustomed Earth' over the past few years I could not help but feeling that her subject matters are very limited and characters are always the same. She seems to find the stories only from her own family and the range of her experiences is very narrow. It is still enjoyable to read her writings but it would be nice to read about something else, beyond her own family history (that is, stories about London-born, Americanized, Ivy-league educated young people of the Bengali origins)
Unaccustomed praise April 26, 2008
14 out of 17 found this review helpful
Lahiri is a skilled storyteller. Her detailed descriptions and choreography of characters across time and place demonstrate her writing talent. At the same time, her frequent failure to develop characters we grow attached to - historically often the hallmark of great storytellers and writers - makes me question where her accolades originate from. Though, it's not as if there is no potential. I read 'Interpreter' when it first came out and was impressed. However, at that time the Indian immigrant story was a new genre, and Lahiri was a strong cut above the rest. Following the wave of the recycled 'immigrant struggle' story, I bypassed her first novel, 'Namesake', altogether and from what I heard I didn't miss much. I turned to this, her newest book, after some convincing. Unaccustomed earth was good enough to make hard to put down but still left me wanting.
I was left wondering why such a strong writer does not wish to, by her third book, use her ability to evoke emotion through her characters' personal relationships to also evoke a sense of familiarity among readers whose principal interactions are with people other than ivy-league graduates, upper class whites, white collar professionals, and globe trotters? This would bother me less, since Lahiri is probably fully concious of her character choices, if the media did not cast Lahiri as the authority on the Indian-American experience. The experience is so much larger than that which Lahiri portrays (including among Bengalis), yet her non-immigrant audience almost co-opts her writing to represent what they are comfortable with. None of the political ugliness that non-immigrant America needs to contend with is unearthed in Lahiri's work.
Strong stories in the book include 'Hell-Heaven' (which also appeared in the New Yorker around 2002) and 'Only Goodness'. 'A Choice of Accomodations' and 'Nobody's Business' much less so. The best part of this book comes in part two, the 'Hema and Kaushik' trilogy. This second part reveals what Lahiri is capable of. Her writing strength is on display here, as is her ability to build bonds between characters and readers. She connects readers to not only the immigrant experience, but complex personal emotions and contemporary events and phenomena that have shaped both immigrants' and non-immigrants' lives. It also has a stronger ending than many of the other stories in the book. Her accomplishment here leaves me wondering why she sacrifices so much in some of her other stories. The media's focus on her work actually does her harm in the end. It sets up unrealistic expectations for an otherwise solid writer. If Lahiri were to write an entire novel that captured the range of ability, emotions, and relevance as the 'Hema and Kaushik' trilogy, she could then righfully claim all that she has already been afforded.
same old song.... April 25, 2008
13 out of 17 found this review helpful
From the first few words of Jhumpa's stunning first story, you know you are reading her.....the style is simple but very much hers.
I particularly loved the title story, and feel its her best yet. On the whole I liked this better than "Interpreter..."
I agree with one of the other reviewers however. As an Indian who moved here in the 90s, I'm stuck between the two generations of Indians (always refered to as Bengalis in her book...Bengalis happen to be from India but are known for a slight strain of chauvinsim, shall we say) she describes. I've adopted most of the ways of people who live here and still have ties to my home in India. I still can relate to their stories however. I just wish she would depart every once in a while and populate her stories with people who are slightly different. Maybe Indians with Blue Collar jobs or Gay Indians or whatever else. Jhumpa, you've lived here long enough to have been touched by people who didn't go to Harvard or Columbia, didn't grow up in affluent Boston suburbs and don't have perfect careers (but silent personal struggles)...
Its like I'm hearing variations of the same (albeit beautiful) song over and over again.
 Characters and dialog that sing with life! April 2, 2008
11 out of 16 found this review helpful
Having read Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies and The Namesake (movie tie-in edition), I was very much looking forward to "Unaccustomed Earth". And was especially excited to receive an advance copy a few weeks ago! In this collection of short stories the author again shows her ability to portray characters and produce dialog that sing with life. I especially liked the title story of this collection. Lahiri describes a father/daughter relationship with clarity and truth. Though I come from a different culture it brought back some memories of my relationship with my own father. The second half of the book is a novella of sorts divided into three sections that tells the story of a young man and woman who are brought together years later after meeting as children. I don't want to give anything away but my tissue box was almost empty when I finished this one! Lahiri has the gift of letting her characters tell the story, and I think that is why I enjoy her writing. If you're a fan of well drawn characters and realistic dialog also check out "Misfits Country".
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