The Hindi-Bindi Club by Monica Pradhan

Synopsis from http://www.goodreads.com/

For decades they have remained close, sharing treasured recipes, honored customs, and the challenges of women shaped by ancient ways yet living modern lives. They are the Hindi-Bindi Club, a nickname given by their American daughters to the mothers who left India to start anew—daughters now grown and facing struggles of their own.

For Kiran, Preity, and Rani, adulthood bears the indelible stamp of their upbringing, from the ways they tweak their mothers’ cooking to suit their Western lifestyles to the ways they reject their mothers’ most fervent beliefs. Now, bearing the disappointments and successes of their chosen paths, these daughters are drawn inexorably home.

Kiran, divorced, will seek a new beginning—this time requesting the aid of an ancient tradition she once dismissed. Preity will confront an old heartbreak—and a hidden shame. And Rani will face her demons as an artist and a wife. All will question whether they have the courage of the Hindi-Bindi Club, to hold on to their dreams—or to create new ones.

An elegant tapestry of East and West, peppered with food and ceremony, wisdom and sensuality, this luminous novel breathes new life into timeless themes.

My Comments

I find that this book is strangely echos Amy Tan's Joy Luck Club. In that book, there were mothers highlighting their experience and the daughters highlighting their personal life as an immigrant in America.

However, I find that some characters in the book were given a lot of space and time while character like  Uma Basu McGuinness and Meenal were not given enough space.

It's really interesting to read about the Indian culture and history. The author did a good job in describing the rivalry between the Muslim religion and the Hindus. I didn't know there was a holocaust. The only one that I knew of was the Jews by Hitler.  I learnt something new here .

I think with more practice and experience, one of these days the author can be the next Amy Tan.