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Unaccustomed Earth: Stories (Vintage Contemporaries) |  | Author: Jhumpa Lahiri
Publisher: Vintage
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
Buy Used: $3.39
as of 3/10/2010 06:25 CST details
You Save: $11.61 (77%)
New (69) Used (123) Collectible (1) from $3.39
Seller: Erie Book Emporium
Rating:  206 reviews
Sales Rank: 2026
Media: Paperback
Edition: Reprint
Pages: 352
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.8
ISBN: 0307278255
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780307278258
ASIN: 0307278255
Publication Date: April 7, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | ISBN13: 9780307278258 | | • | Condition: NEW | | • | Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark. |
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Product Description
These eight stories by beloved and bestselling author Jhumpa Lahiri take us from Cambridge and Seattle to India and Thailand, as they explore the secrets at the heart of family life. Here they enter the worlds of sisters and brothers, fathers and mothers, daughters and sons, friends and lovers. Rich with the signature gifts that have established Jhumpa Lahiri as one of our most essential writers, Unaccustomed Earth exquisitely renders the most intricate workings of the heart and mind.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 206
 Glistening Prose February 6, 2010
Nancy A. Gaston (Vancouver, WA, USA)
Mark Twain is reported to have said that the difference between the right word and the almost-right word is like the difference between a fire and a firefly. Jhumpa Lahiri has a knack for getting it right, and her prose practically glistens on the page. Her stories are not particularly uplifting or inspiring, but they seem real--real stories of flawed and struggling human beings who are also trying to get it right. Each story in the collection stands alone, but we meet some of the same people again and again, just as we do in real life, and see their lives unforld--sometimes with promise, sometimes with despair. Whatever happens to them, they will live on in my memory.
The Stories of Life January 29, 2010
Jerry Sanchez (New York)
Lahiri's short stories are incredibly well written and draw me in every time I begin reading one. I am not Bengali, but find myself relating to her stroies as the son and son-in-law to foreign-raised parents. Lahiri's characters are always well developed for such short stories and her dialogue is real. This is why I read her books. I tend to agree with other reviews, however, that the backdrop of each story and character seems to be repetitive - second generation Bengalis with parents who immigrated from Calcutta end up at top colleges and universities in the northeast on the high hopes of their parents. But perhaps this is what she knows from her own life. I particularly enjoyed the three intertwined stories of Hema and Kaushik at the end of this book as I could relate to some of their experiences. Overall, I enjoyed this book and respect Lahiri's talent. Her stories are full of the emotional ups and downs of life. But, by the end of the book, I was ready to read of non-Bengali characters.
 a 5 dollar book sold for 15 January 21, 2010
Christopher P. Taylor (VA, USA)
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
having skimmed the reviews, it occurs to me that i think people have a difficult time making a distinction between a book that speaks to them and the actual writing style of an author. when i review a book i usually ask myself, have i seen this before, is the writing style interesting, and most of all was it worth the full jacket price?
i read for entertainment and education. i like to let my dollar speak for me.
i'm not a particular fan of her writing style. it seems to accentuate the inane too much.
when that happens, i'm tempted to think there's a reason for it (a literary device at play); when it happens too often it becomes a "snore fest". one amazon reviewer says, "she tries to elicit an emotional response and it comes off as contrived" - and that about hits it just right.
the author really goes out of the way to say something without saying anything. it happens on a consistent basis, nearly ever other paragraph. maybe that's a cultural reference or technique i'm missing out on, but it's frustrating to read.
i think writing about the immigrant experience is a worthy literary venture. particularly social pressures for a first generation child (the first kid from another culture born in the US) from a particular ethnicity having to straddle the demands of non-native parents and with a native lifestyle.
that theme is a bit over done - there are tons of books that cover this theme that do a better job. so, in some respects, the themes are predictable and a rehash of themes i've seen in other media.
placing an accent on the specific cultural differences and demands of a Bengali in America is why i'm reading it. that is the value this book could add to the table. i think the praise for this book is a bit too high. we've all read this type of fare before and we've all seen it in movies.
it's an alright read. over-hyped and a bit dry but, alright. not worth 15 dollars, more like 5.
first class writer January 15, 2010
Linda C. Combs
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
her writing is not at all "wordy" or "flowery" - it is clear, concise, beautiful - she paints an exquisite picture and lures you along to the very end.
 Interesting at first, but then all the LONG stories tend to blend together January 11, 2010
C. Arnold (Seattle, WA, USA)
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
I initially enjoyed the first few stories in the book, both because they were something different, as well as getting a first glimpse into mixed Indian-American culture.
But as other reviewers have noted, the stories eventually seem to all sound the same, and by the end I couldn't wait to be done with this book.
I was further disappointed because most of the characters are miserable (to various degrees), and two of the tragic endings rely on completely implausible circumstances -- the resolutions come across as lazy, since the reader can imagine plausible circumstances that could have yielded the same results.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 206
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