Nectar in a Sieve (Signet Classics) by Kamala Markandaya Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Nectar in a Sieve (Signet Classics)
Book Review: Outstanding Symbolism
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a wonder look at mid-20th century Indian culture, family structure, and how Westernism influences a changing society. The wreath on the door is a symbol of Ruku's future life; the tannery, a symbol of the present western invasion; and the bullocks, working together, a symbol of Ruku and Nathan's marriage. A thought-provocing read!
Book Review: Mediocre
Summary: 3 Stars
This novel wasn't very great. The characters were forced and the story-line hardly captivating. It was a quick read - fast-paced and could've been structured in a much better way. The themes were clear-cut and frankly, there are better works than this that say the same thing although in a richer fashion.
Read Pearl S. Buck's "THE GOOD EARTH" instead.
Book Review: Really Good Book
Summary: 4 Stars
Nectar In a Sieve is a really good book with a lot of symbolism, and would be very interesting for someone interested in learning of other cultures. I really enjoyed it, and am very glad that I bought it, because I plan to let many of my friends read it!Book Review: Down here with the rest of us
Summary: 4 Stars
Read Nectar in a Sieve and understand what life is like at the bottom of the heap, with the "have nots" struggling for a handful of rice to get through another day. Struggling to raise children and grow crops on land they don't own, in a community whose traditions and character are on the brink of extermination by big-business. Read this book and take up the fight for social justice, job creation, and land reform. If anything, read to understand and feel how lesser fortunate people in this world of ours have lived, and continue to live.
Though Necatar in a Sieve takes place in India and is about a rural family there, its themes are universally applicable, especially in these modern days of globalization and gentrification. Kamala Markandaya died in May of 2004 and it seems that the American press mostly ignored her passing, which is a shame because she is definitely a pioneer of a burgeoning Indo-European line of authors. Nectar in a Sieve has been on the reading list of many a high-school & college for decades now, and thus highly influential for thousands of American & European students past and present. And that's how I first came upon this little gem, in a college course on Eastern Religions, just before I visited India for myself. Though written/published in the early 1950's, I thought this book well crafted and insightful. I was better prepared for my own experiences of Southern India, feeling just a little wiser about life and the people I met there. Markandaya tells this story of the peasants Rukmani and her husband Nathan in a heart-felt, straight-forward manner with many picturesque passages creating an aura of beauty amidst hardship. Her love of the land is reflected in Rukmani & Nathan's joys growing rice and vegetables, raising children, and in their interactions with colorful characters from nearby villages. There are also vivid depictions of hunger, misfortune, anger, loss and sadness, which underly the harsh realities of this "fictional" novel.
Although Kamala Markandaya was from India's Brahmin/upper-class and became an ex-pat in London, she certainly spent time around India's agrarian peoples and was obviously affected by their plight (she has written nine other novels dealing with similar subjects). As a novel, Nectar in a Sieve has a lyrical, romantic quality to it, which may account for its initial popularity here in the States, however, reading it in the 1990's and again more recently, I find it poignant and interesting. If there's any passage which sums up this novel, it may be the following:
". . . We have no money. My husband can till and sow and reap with skill, but here there is no land. I can weave and spin, or plait matting, but there is no money for spindle, cotton or fibre. For where shall a man turn who has no money? Where can he go? Wide, wide world, but as narrow as the coins in your hand. Like a tethered goat, so far and not farther. Only money can make the rope stretch, only money." - Ch. XXVII
And anyone who chastizes the author for emphasizing "money" here, probably has their head in the clouds (not to mention, a full stomach, and some property to boot) and is missing the point. This novel is about hope, and the hope that is necessary for people to strive for a better, more secure life, ONLY achieved through gainful employment and a stable income in a capitalist world. Where these opportunities don't exist, or barely exist, you will have thousands of Rukmanis, Nathans, Selvams, Pulis, etc. begging in your towns and cities. And thankfully, there will be other "Kamala Markandayas" to document their stories for those who are willing to open their eyes to the world around them.
Book Review: One woman's journey
Summary: 5 Stars
Nectar in A Sieve was originally published in 1954, seven years after India's independence from Britain and the economic and social upheavals that resulted. This context is in the story through the construction of a tannery and hospital and the changes they bring. The story follows Rukmani from her traditional marriage through the birth of her children and grandchildren. Tied to the land, Rukmani and her family suffer drought and bad weather and obligations to their landlord. She learns to "Bend like the grass, that you do not break," and survive injustices and devastations. An eloquently written deeply human story, simply and beautifully told.