Ashima, and particularly ashoke,the parents of the title character, gogollater called nikhilare depicted stereotypically as a couple born in india that choose to come to america in the 1970s. The namesake is a novel of selfdiscovery that is an emotional journey its readers will not soon forget. India is a huge country, and bengal is just one part of it. Sep 16, 2003 girlfriend number three is an ultrasophisticated indian academic with as little interest in bengali culture as gogol. The namesake short story, by willa cather the namesake, childrens book by c. Because a letter from ashimas grandmother containing gogols good name is lost in the mail, gogol is legally given the pet name gogol after the russian author whose book saved ashokes life. Jhumpa lahiris quietly dazzling new novel, the namesake, is that rare thing. Hopelessly devoted bibliophile the novel shapes up to be one of the best contemporary reads i have ever read. So when the book talks about bengali traditions, bengali language, and bengali people, just remember that theyre from bengal. Mar 09, 2007 the namesake, adapted from jhumpa lahiris popular novel, conveys a palpable sense of people as living, breathing creatures who are far more complex than their words might indicate. Jhumpa lahiri expands her pulitzer prizewinning short stories of indian assimilation into her lovely first novel, the namesake. The namesake is the story of a boy brought up indian in america. In the namesake, lahiri enriches the themes that made her collection an international bestseller.
Hopscotching across 25 years, it begins when newlyweds ashoke and ashima ganguli emigrate to cambridge, mass. Jun 16, 2016 a woodcut from a 1669 pamphlet called the flying serpent or strange news out of essex. Jack reappeared in the scarecrow 2009 but hes been kinda quiet ever since. In the case of the namesake, though not exactly like the book, mira nairs film is still a faithful representation of jhumpa lahiris novel. The namesake by jhumpa lahiri about the namesake video of jhumpa lahiri questions for discussion a conversation with jhumpa lahiri about the author for further reading about the namesake major national bestseller best book of the year. William and harry have a secret stepsister but theres a good reason why shes kept hidden duration. Cassie dewells been taking a monthly retainer from bozeman attorney rachel mitchell for investigations of one sort and another, but she really.
The namesake is the story of the ganguli family whose move from calcutta to new york evokes a lifelong balancing act to meld to a new world without. The namesake, adapted from jhumpa lahiris popular novel, conveys a palpable sense of people as living, breathing creatures who are. Sportsthemed magical fantasy values teamwork, character. Though i know there was a crossover or two with harry bosch. Two weeks before her due date, pregnant ashima ganguli is cooking when her water breaks. The namesake tells a story that is the story of all immigrant groups in america. Ashima ganguli, nearly nine months pregnant, is preparing a makeshift version of a popular indian snack, for which she has an insatiable craving. Her husband ashoke, had a scrape with death in a train accident 7 years earlier and believes that the book he was reading the overcoat by nicolai gogol was a lucky charm which saved him. With jhumpa lahiri being a pulitzer prize winner, one would fear that her books might be painfully tough and complex. Swirl of cool magical ideas has mermaids, sea monsters, too. Lahiris prose describes well the struggle of both first and second generation immigrants who are caught between two worlds, yet her narrative failed to draw me into the emotional struggle of her characters. The lowland, by jhumpa lahiri jhumpa lahiris new novel, the lowland, is on the long list for the national book award and the shortlist for the man booker. His favorite story in the book was the last, the overcoat, and that was the one ashoke had begun to reread as the train pulled out of howrah station late in the evening with a prolonged and deafening shriek, away from his parents and his six younger brothers and sisters, all of whom had come to see him off and had huddled until the last. The namesake by jhumpa lahiri plot summary litcharts.
Ashima and ashoke ganguli arrive in america at the end of the 1960s, shortly after their arranged marriage in calcutta, in order for ashoke to finish his engineering degree at mit. It explores many of the same emotional and cultural themes as her pulitzer prize winning short story collection interpreter of maladies. Ashoke reflects on how lucky this boy isthe baby receives the present of a book from a bengali friend. The namesake, a 2006 drama film, based on the novel. Soon their son is born, in the foreign environment of the american hospital. Jan 16, 2004 the namesake by jhumpa lahiri 304pp, flamingo.
Take a boy, born in the late 1960s to indian parents living in the american suburbs, far from their native calcutta. There is a movie too which stars irrfan khan and tabu which isnt bad either, though reading the book would always be recommended. Did the namesake allow you to think of america in a new way. The ending finds the namesake alone, about to read the russian gogol for the first time. I know this book and specially the author, doenst need any introduction here amongst this elite group of readers. Like most immigrant narratives, the story includes deaths, births, marriages, breakups, and other important milestones that mark a familys history. It explores many of the same emotional and cultural themes as her pulitzer prizewinning short story collection interpreter of maladies. The namesake is the story of two generations of the gangulis, a family of indian immigrants to the united states. We first met journalist jack mcevoy in the poet published in 1996, one of the first books i read by michael connelly. The namesake speaks to the universal struggle to extricate ourselves from the past. This is jhumpa lahiris achievement in her fantastically readable, warm and profound first novel.
A flight attendant since college, cassie, now nearing 40, has a penchant for drinking to the blackout point and sleeping with strange men. And when the namesake refers to bengalis, its being more specific that using the term indian. The namesake is the story of the ganguli family whose move from calcutta to new york evokes a lifelong balancing act to meld to a new world without forgetting the old. Fundamentally, the book and the film both deal with the same topic of displacement and the creation of identity and the film is, for the most part, true to the narrative of the novel.
Naval history and the fiftyyear fight to exonerate an innocent man in new york journal of books. The namesake, jhumpa lahiri the namesake 2003 is the first novel by american author jhumpa lahiri. Readers guide for the namesake published by houghton. The namesake is a novel by jhumpa lahiri in which young gogol struggles to reconcile his beliefs with those of his traditional, bengalese parents. It has been said that all modern russian literature came out of gogols overcoat. In august 1968, ashoke and ashima ganguli welcome their brand new baby boy into the world. Here again lahiri displays her deft touch for the perfect detail the fleeting moment, the turn of phrase. Namesake is the first novel written by jhumpa lahiri whose debut collection of short stories, interpreter of maladies, won the pulitzer prize in.
Vibrant, gentle origin story shows wonder woman as tween. The namesake follows the ganguli family through its journey from calcutta to cambridge to the boston suburbs. The namesake, by jhumpa lahiri sensitive, honest portrayal of loss in the story of the ganguli family posted on march 15, 20 by liz matsushita blog writer, sevenponds. May 22, 2014 william and harry have a secret stepsister but theres a good reason why shes kept hidden duration.
The namesake 2003 is the first novel by american author jhumpa lahiri. In quiet yet compelling prose, jhumpa lahiri portrays the temperaments of the calcuttaborn parents, ashima and ashoke ganguli, a pair tied to their indian roots, customs and rituals. Beautifully written, with vivid depictions of characters and settings that feel true and authentic. Ashoke is forwardthinking, ready to enter into american culture if.
The namesake overflows with the subtle grace and dignity of a family forced to make peace with their divided loyalties to india and america. If you are looking for a way to better understand and help you connect to your family and cultural then the namesake by jhumpa lahiri is the book for you. Find books like the namesake from the worlds largest community of readers. The last third of the book drags a little and didnt sustain my attention the way the rest of the book did. A woodcut from a 1669 pamphlet called the flying serpent or strange news out of essex. The namesake by jhumpa lahiri about the book in the namesake, lahiri enriches the themes that made her pulitzer prizewinning collection the interpreter of maladies an international bestseller. Lahiri does a wonderful job of giving you a well thought out and organized story of a young boy named gogol who grows up into a man while searching for his identity and dealing with family. So i started using a better camera and its so good. This is the type of book that keeps you reading, especially if you enjoy dark humor.
Girlfriend number three is an ultrasophisticated indian academic with as little interest in bengali culture as gogol. The namesake by jhumpa lahiri book club discussion. The namesake is the story of an immigrant bengali family living in the us the gangulies. Readers guide for the namesake published by houghton mifflin. The film was produced by indian, american and japanese studios. Do you agree that america is a real presence in the namesake. One of the most anticipated books of the year, lahiris first novel after 1999s pulitzer prizewinning interpreter of maladies amounts to less than the sum of its parts. The creator of wyoming fish and game warden joe pickett wolf pack, 2019, etc. When her grandmother learned of ashimas pregnancy, she was particularly thrilled at the prospect of naming the familys first sahib. Character list cliffsnotes study guides book summaries.
I n sarah perrys second novel, 1890s london is mad about the sciences, especially palaeontology. The namesake cliffsnotes study guides book summaries. Ive actually got very vivid memories of reading the poet which is rare given i read a lot of books that are quite similar. Only in order to be released from their hospital in cambridge, massachusetts, they must break with bengali custom and give their son an official name on that pesky birth certificate. Parents of great daring arriving with dreams, children growing up in a way that makes them almost strangers, the old culture merging with the new. Jhumpa lahiris interpreter of maladies established this young wri.
The namesake is a 2006 englishlanguage drama film directed by mira nair and written by sooni taraporevala based on the novel the namesake by jhumpa lahiri. Lahiri more than fulfills the promise of her auspicious. The namesake by jhumpa lahiri read online on bookmate. Gogolnikhil ganguli the son of ashoke and ashima ganguli, gogol is born in boston.
The film was released in the united states on 9 march 2007, following screenings at film festivals in. Ashoke reflects on how lucky this boy isthe baby receives the present of a. She uses onion, spices, rice krispies, and planters peanuts, but cannot. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in the namesake, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. New york times, usa today, entertainment weekly, newsday, san jose mercury news. Born to bengali emigre parents and newly arrived in the united states from london, she had to grapple early with questions of identity, and the impact of this is palpable in. Overview national endowment for the arts creative writing fellow jhumpa lahiri is known publicly by her nickname because her kindergarten teacher deemed it easier to pronounce than her proper name, nilanjana sudeshna. Seattle this second book lahiris pace and accent are unmistakable.
Books similar to the namesake meet your next favorite book. The closest intimacy they share before their wedding is when ashima steps briefly, secretly, into ashokes shoes. A namesake is a person or thing named after someone or something else namesake may also refer to. A disappointingly bland followup to a stellar story collection.
Interpreter of maladies, 1999 focuses on the divide between indian immigrants and their americanized children. It stars tabu, irrfan khan, kal penn and sahira nair. Goodreads members who liked the namesake also liked. Ashoke is forwardthinking, ready to enter into american culture if not fully at least with an open mind. One of the most anticipated books of the year, lahiris first novel after 1999s pulitzer prizewinning interpreter of maladies amounts to less t. A timeless, classic story of identity, family, and selfdiscovery. As it begins, ashoke ganguli and his pregnant young wife ashima are living in cambridge while he does research at. Mar, 2018 cassandra bowden, like her namesake, the prophetess who is never believed, has problems. Parents need to know that the namesake is a mature drama about two generations of a bengali family living in new york is a great movie to watch with your teens. The marriage of ashima and ashoke is arranged by their families.
Jhumpa lahiris first novel, the namesake, begins with a recipe. Marie claire pulitzer prizewinner jhumpa lahiri weaves an intricate story of the cultural assimilation of an indian family in america. The namesake is smooth and elegant and a quick read, but somewhat unsatisfying. Her husband, ashoke ganguli, takes her to the hospital by taxi, and she is placed in a room with three other women. And so ashima and ashoke have agreed to put off the decision of what to name the baby until a letter comes. Sep 16, 2003 the namesake follows the ganguli family through its journey from calcutta to cambridge to the boston suburbs. A portrait of the film based on the novel by jhumpa lahiri mira nair, director, jhumpa lahiri, based on a book by newmarket press. Gogol ganguli regrets his parents decision of giving him his humiliating name ever since he was born. In her small apartment kitchen in cambridge, massachusetts, ashima ganguli is mixing together rice krispies, peanuts, diced onion, salt, lemon juice and chili peppers in a humble approximation of a. Steven parlatos the namesake totally knocked me off my feet.
The action takes place in and around boston and new york between 1968 and 2000. It was originally a novel published in the new yorker and was later expanded to a fulllength novel. When ashima ganguli becomes pregnant with her first child she has only lived in america for a short time and is still getting used to the unusual culture. A namesake is a person or thing named after someone or something else.
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