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    Oleander Girl: A Novel
    Oleander Girl: A Novel
    Oleander Girl: A Novel
    Audiobook11 hours

    Oleander Girl: A Novel

    Written by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

    Narrated by Sneha Mathan

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    A sweeping, suspenseful coming-of-age tale from Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, the beloved bestselling author hailed by Abraham Verghese as a “gifted storyteller” and by People magazine as a “skilled cartographer of the heart.”

    Beloved bestselling author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni has been hailed by Abraham Verghese as a “gifted storyteller” and by People magazine as a “skilled cartographer of the heart.” Now, Divakaruni returns with her most gripping novel yet, a sweeping, suspenseful coming-of-age tale about a young woman who leaves India for America on a search that will transform her life.

    THOUGH SHE WAS ORPHANED AT BIRTH, the wild and headstrong Korobi Roy has enjoyed a privileged childhood with her adoring grandparents, spending her first seventeen years sheltered in a beautiful, crumbling old mansion in Kolkata. But despite all that her grandparents have done for her, she is troubled by the silence that surrounds the circumstances of her parents’ death and clings fiercely to her only inheritance from them: the love note she found, years ago, hidden in a book of poetry that had belonged to her mother. As she grows, Korobi dreams of one day finding a love as powerful as her parents’, and it seems her wish has finally come true when she meets the charming Rajat, the only son of a high-profile business family.

    Shortly after their engagement, however, a sudden heart attack kills Korobi’s grandfather, revealing serious financial problems and a devastating secret about Korobi’s past. Shattered by this discovery and by her grandparents’ betrayal, Korobi decides to undertake a courageous search across post-9/11 America to find her true identity. Her dramatic, often startling journey will ultimately thrust her into the most difficult decision of her life.

     With flawless narrative instinct and a boundless sympathy for her irrepressible characters, in Oleander Girl Divakaruni brings us a perfect treat of a novel— moving, wise, and unforgettable. As The Wall Street Journal raves, “Divakaruni emphasizes the cathartic force of storytelling with sumptuous prose. . . . She defies categorization.”
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateMar 19, 2013
    ISBN9781442359024
    Author

    Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

    Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is an award-winning and bestselling author, poet, activist, and teacher of writing. Her work has been published in over 50 magazines, including the Atlantic Monthly and The New Yorker, and her writing has been included in over 50 anthologies, including The Best American Short Stories, the O. Henry Prize Stories, and the Pushcart Prize Anthology. Her books have been translated into 29 languages, including Dutch, Hebrew, Bengali, Russian, and Japanese; many have been used for campus-wide and city-wide reads. Several have been made into films and plays. She lives in Houston, where she teaches Creative Writing at the University of Houston.

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    Reviews for Oleander Girl

    4/5

    114 ratings19 reviews

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    • 5/5
      A very interesting story, well written and often leaves you wanting to know what happens next. Narrated in the absolutely beautiful voice of Sneha Mathan, a very talented narrator.
    • 3/5
      I had read The Mistress of Spices so I was excited to come across this book. The book was interesting but the revelation of the father was a bit disappointing as if the author ran out of ideas so she went for shock value. Unfortunately, the shock value served to exploit painful racial wounds. Race porn.. porn exploits sexuality and this book exploits the wounds of racism.
    • 3/5
      Interesting Indian customs and great perspective of an intelligent woman character.
    • 4/5
      I could not put this book down, because it kept my interest all the way. This has not happened to me in a long while, which means I really enjoyed this book ( it’s story, plus the way it was read).
    • 4/5
      Indian traditions and modernity are strong themes in this novel along with love, trust and respect. The author writes so well and these themes come out in any easy to read and easy to enjoy novel. There are many couples in this novel and many levels of class and religion as well. beautifully written with lots of twists and turns that kept me enjoying this book to the last page.
    • 4/5
      A combination of family saga and coming of age Romance 'Oleander Girl' is an entertaining and thought provoking read. Set in India, the story is full of lovely details, the reader can visualise and almost taste India.Korobi Roy, an orphan brought up by her grandparents discovers, on the eve of her engagement, that what she has believed to be the facts of her life are not actually true. Naturally she wants to find out and nearly loses everything.Well written and a pleasant easy read with interesting characters and a thought provoking look at cultural and religious problems in India as experienced by ordinary people.
    • 4/5
      An enjoyable and sometimes tense read. The setting is mostly India revealing some of the old customs and beliefs that are probably still held in many areas today. The ups and downs in the story seemed true to life to me. Which of us walks a narrow road without incidents, temptations, errors, and all the rest? I liked that the characters were flawed but had solid reasons for what they did, mostly good intentions, despite what trouble they found themselves in. I dislike the title intensely. It's too flippant for the story line.

      The author inserted so many details that embroider the story and the people in it. Loved the grandma and chauffeur and Pia. The array of characters was good. Events were believable and just what happens in life -- some good, some bad, some surprising, some predictable. A very good read and an author to watch.

    • 3/5
      There was a lot I liked about this book. I only wished Divakaruni had tried to do less and made more of the great parts.
    • 5/5
      As someone who has been fortunate enough to become wonderful friends, through work, with IT professionals from the south of India, as well as having been to that lovely area, I find Indian novels to be like settling into a comfy armchair to relax and rest. Many of them center around generational differences and those who leave India but never quite assimilate and remain homesick forever.This novel is set in Kolkata and features Korobi, a teenager raised by her grandparents, and her fiancé Rajat, the son of wealthy art gallery owners. Both are shadowed by their pasts - Korobi by the death of her parents, and Rajat's obsession with his former girlfriend Sonia, a possessive vixen.Many twists and turns erupt, paths converge and split, elders die and business partners cheat and steal. The writing is fine and Divakaruni has a fascinating story to tell. Her characters are fallible humans, not cyphers, which is what we hope for when we commit to a novel.
    • 5/5
      I adored this novel for the story, the setting and the beautiful descriptions. But my favourite element was the rich cast of characters, especially minor characters like Asif, the fiercely loyal chauffeur.

      Perhaps the pacing made me think too much weight was given to the early part of the novel, and not enough to the journey/discovery Korobi then undertakes, but this is a minor observation.

      As an aside, I listened to the audio book version and the narrator's voice is absolutely beautiful. She did a wonderful job with wonderful material.

      I will absolutely be seeking out Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's other work.
    • 3/5
      This was much more interesting from a cultural anthropology perspective than it was from a reader's perspective. The story of a traditional Indian girl searching for her American father was a nice hook, with the big surprise being who that turns out to be. The Hindu versus Muslim worker politics, caste issues, traditional Hindu customs, and the nudge of modernity keep the momentum going. Although it gets a bit cliched in parts, the author redeems herself somewhat with the not so cliche ending. Definitely not as captivating as her other work that we read, "The Mistress of Spices."
    • 5/5
      If you’re a regular follower of my reviews, you know that I have a special place in my heart for India. I’m intrigued by Indian culture and jump at the chance to read most any novel set in India or with Indian characters. Oleander Girl did not disappoint.One of the conflicts Korobi faces is the clash between her traditional family and her fiancé Rajat’s modern family. Korobi is caught in the middle, not sure where she fits in. Most of the Indian books I’ve read in the past focus on traditional Indian culture so I enjoyed learning what modern Indian culture and life is all about. I found it interesting that what is considered modern is not that modern compared to life in America. Marriage to a suitable boy or girl is still very much a part of that life. The class system is entrenched in modern life as well, although not the extent that it is with the traditionalists. And of course there is still tension between Muslims and Hindus.The driving conflict of the story is Korobi’s desire to find her roots and her trip to America to do that. It is still considered taboo in India for an unmarried women to travel by herself, especially to somewhere so far away. This book is not a thriller but even so the author does a fantastic job of building suspense. There are several incidences of huge misunderstandings and tension between various people that could end up having devastating outcomes if not resolved. I had knots in my stomach through most of this book, hoping that these situations could be overcome. There are also a few twists that stunned meThe author’s prose was beautiful as well. Her use of metaphors was brilliant. I found myself rereading passages I as I went, amazed by the creativity of the author’s descriptions. The author weaves a couple of mystical elements in that were believable and in keeping with the story.This is the first book I’ve read by Ms. Divakaruni but she has several previous novels that I can’t wait to get my hands on. I loved this book and highly recommend it.
    • 3/5
      An Indian soap opera best characterizes the kind of book this novel is. The characters are all fully realized but who they are what happens to them -- with the exception of the faithful chauffeur -- is not memorable. If you like your bundles neatly tied up and delivered to you, this is your kind of novel. If you like your reading to be more ambiguous than wrapped up and played upon a larger stage of human and societal complexity that derives from internal layers rather than from external incident, you will find this novel mundane.[Oleander Girl] is not a bad novel, but its richness is sugary with no after taste other than sweetness. Meaty, chewable, and requiring some period after consumption for digestion it is not. Sometimes a light read, like a light meal, is what's called for. Take this book to the beach.
    • 3/5
      Orphaned at birth, Korobi Roy has been raised by her loving grandparents. She has cherished a love letter her mother composed to her father and has wondered if she would ever share that deep a love. She seems to have found someone very special but on the Eve of her engagement, her grandfather suffers a heart attack and dies. Upon his death, Korobi discovers that her grandfather had lied about her father. She discovers that he is still alive and living in America. She sets out to find him.
    • 5/5
      This was a Good Reads first reads win.

      It's really, at heart, chick-lit with a fragrance of saffron and rosewater, but it is not bad because of it; we have romance and mystery, a ghost and an unfinished letter, unfinished connections, East/West contrasts.
      I did not totally believe in the love between our lovely Oleander Girl and her intended, but..I wish them well. And it is a nicely written, diverting tale (inexplicably reminding me of the work of Rosamund Pilcher, actually--just substitute countries and fragrances; we have the same longing and family complications and attention to sensory detail).
    • 4/5
      Loved the character of Korobi, her relationship with her grandparents reminded me of the relationship I had with mine. Her impending marriage to Rajat, I though a mistake from the beginning and I did not too much care for him, though I did love the character of his mother. Loved reading about the culture and customs of India, the strife between those who want to keep things the old way and those who embrace the new. Really rooted for Korobi, on her travels, physically and mentally and hoped things would turn out the way she wanted them. This is a good read, a comfort read, a good book to curl up with on these cold days in the Midwest. This author is getting better and better, and I look forward to reading her next endeavor.
    • 4/5
      Oleander Girl started off slow, but it improved. I didn't entirely buy into Korobi and Rajat's romance to begin with. It seemed very Tess of the d'Urbervilles-ish, with Rajat especially loving Korobi in part because of the environment and heritage from which he thought she came. We saw in Hardy that this doesn't work out well, but Divakaruni's novel is not Hardy's, so things turn out a bit differently in this case. At other times, the story seemed very cliche. Girl goes off right before marriage in a version of the quest to "find herself," has some hitches in her relationship that still need to be worked out (but then who doesn't?), and on her journey meets an attractive guy of similar age with whom she has some 'chemistry.' It seems like one can see everything coming, but Divakaruni's book is, again, her own, and so I'll go ahead and tell you that the ending is not quite so cliche as expected.Despite a rather slow beginning, the progress of the novel soon became gripping as secrets were revealed and important details of both the past and the present emerged. If I was going to have to leave off reading soon, I found myself compelled to skip ahead and see what happened. It helped that the novel alternated viewpoints between Korobi, her family, her in-laws, and others, making this not only Korobi's story, but also that of several other major characters. This added a great deal of depth to the novel, as it allowed for the exploration of other prominent figures as well as an exploration of multiple features of modern Indian society. Disclaimer: I received this book through GoodReads First Look in exchange for an honest review.
    • 4/5
      This book was a wonderful story highlighting a young woman, Korobi, who suddenly finds herself in some unique circumstances following her grandfathers death. Korobi has always been highly sheltered and begins to uncover secrets which she finds to be quite devastating given het cultural upbringing. I did not know much about the Indian culture before reading this book. I found the nuances to be refreshing and interesting. While the things Korobi finds so completely shocking for her culture, they would be fairly well accepted culturally in the U.S. Korobi must go on a personal journey to discover herself and make decisions about her future. At the same time, all of her loved ones including her fiancees family are going through their own significant issues. I enjoyed reading the story from her eyes and loved the story telling. The author has a wonderful narrative style that I fully enjoyed and want to read more of her works!Reader received a complimentary copy from the publisher through Good Reads First Reads.
    • 3/5
      The novel begins with a mystical moment that will take the reader on Korobi’s difficult journey in search of her heritage. Her mother died in childbirth, and she was subsequently raised by her grandparents. On the evening before her official engagement to her true love, Rajat, she has a dream and a vision about her mother whom she has never met. On the evening of the celebration, a tragedy occurs which alters her views on her future and her past.Although the characters were described in a somewhat believable way, they were not always likeable. The story, at times, felt somewhat contrived, and even a bit trite for me, with events occurring serendipitously and unrealistically simply to move the plot along. There was something about the way the main character behaved, with uncharacteristic selfishness and immaturity, which made her less believable.Many of the characters also seemed too one dimensional, making decisions which did not seem rational. The author did capture the superstitious environment and the difference in the expectations and treatment of different classes of people, even if I was not always convinced that the character would have behaved in such a foolhardy way in reality.For someone with the spunk to go off on her own, half a continent away, the main character, Korobi, should have been more worldly wise and/or streetwise to be credible. She was woefully naïve and childish for someone who had the courage to leave her family and the only way of life she knew, behind, in order to search for her background which was a total enigma for which she had very few clues. She seemed somewhat flighty and very selfish, too trusting and very stubborn. She was not easy for me to like. Then there was her sweetheart, Rajat, who was also childish and extremely headstrong. He was too easily persuaded by friends to do foolish things.Although Korobi and Rajat were both more privileged than average citizens, they seemed poorly educated in the ways of the rest of the world. The working people did not trust their employers and showed more loyalty to their particular religious sect than to their employer. The employers and upper classes did not trust those beneath them and often failed to give them the benefit of the doubt, as they should have, which caused unnecessary crises to occur. Often unfounded suspicions ruled the day for all the characters.In addition, some of the words were unfamiliar and I wished that the author had included some kind of a translation or explanatory statement after using them so I would have an idea what it was she was describing. However, this was an Advanced Reading Copy, so perhaps the final edition will hold more clarification.The book does expose the clash of cultures and brings antiquity face to face with modernity through the description of the character’s loyalties and day to day life, both in India and abroad. Superstitions and arrogance often forced them into making wise and/or unwise decisions which seemed too easily changed and/or rectified at the conclusion of the novel.I expected the book to be a bit more detailed and realistic than it was. I did not get the feeling that the book was describing a genuine Indian experience as I did when reading Behind the Beautiful Forevers, by Katherine Boo, which placed me right into the heart of her story. However, that was non-fiction and this was fiction, so perhaps that accounts for the lack of authenticity I felt. For me, the book would be best suited for reading while on vacation or at the beach. It is a light read, easy to digest. It might also be suitable for book discussions since there are many societal issues and ills to digest and think about. It is about friendship and love, as well, between unlikely suspects! My advice is to relax and enjoy it without having any expectations.