The Lowland

Very enjoyable and interesting.

There is something about her writing that makes even the ordinary details of people's occasionally mundane lives seem so fascinating.

So fucking good. Beautifully written, Lahiri tells a great story without getting in the way.
I'm not usually a fan of switching POVs and big time jumps in novels, but she handles it with grace. Making connections between times and people without slapping you in the face with it.

A great read. Emotionally affecting without getting maudlin.

Also it started out all man-centric, but oh, what a red herring that was.

I slammed through this novel very quickly, and 10 years or so later after reading and loving The Namesake, I remember how much I love Jhumpa Lahiri's lovely and lilting use of language. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even the heart-wrenching whole of it.

I enjoyed this book but didn't love it. I found the constant changes between characters and time periods interrupted my immersion in the story. I wish there was more explanation about Gauri''s behavior because what was provided was disjointed and almost an afterthought.

She is such a great story teller! I was immediately immersed in the story of Udayan and his sad demise, Subash and the eternal attempt to fit in, Guari and her unhappiness... Less typical in terms of smells and tastes and scenes, focused on family and feelings.

Distinctly different from her usual immigrant experiential narrative. Of course, it still retains the cultural shifts but she has approached the immigrant experience more of freeing up from the shackles of the characters homeland. The Naxalite narrative may raise some hackles in terms of accuracy but it's merely the background strife that tears the family apart. It can easily be any other political upheaval in India that we don't seem to lack.

Jhumpa Lahiri's books have this tendency of making you poignant while and after you're done reading but somehow you seem to come back to her books; perhaps we do enjoy being sad

I'm a bit confused by the book blurb, since this story is just as much a story about an entire family as it is about “two brothers”; that said, no blurb could really cover the ground that this book covers. Full of poignant looks into several different lives, tracing how a serious tragedy can play out for over forty years (for better and for worse), it's difficult to not reflect on one's own life in comparison to the lives lived in the book.

The writing is straightforward, almost to a fault–usually I enjoy a bit more wordplay, but for this story it works just fine, laying out these lives like points on a map.

I've been curious about Jhumpa Lahiri for some time, but the urgency with which I desired to read her works had been dulled repeatedly by negative comments. Often, I'd hear a fantastic review of one of her books, only to be followed by an extremely negative one. Overrated was the word I have heard most often. Though I was still curious, I put her off repeatedly. Hoping to read all the selections in this year's Man Booker Prize shortlist forced me to finally give Lahiri a try. Thank you, Man Booker judges, for prompting me to finally read the works of a wonderful writer.

The Lowland is a fabulous family drama. Lahiri writes with a beauty and intimacy that I soaked up. The story made several turns and surprise stops that I hadn't expected, and this kept me intrigued. The Lowland isn't one of those books I will likely always remember and cherish, but while reading it, I was so absorbed that I nearly forgot I was reading a book.

The Lowland is a fabulous novel, and while there were characters, scenes, and moments that I thought could've been pared down some to allow the work to breathe, these were relatively minor. Overall, The Lowland is wonderfully paced and peopled, and the beauty of the journey is certainly worth the effort.

After hearing all of the amazing reviews on NPR and elsewhere, I expected more. As always, the writing was exquisite, but I didn't feel that it ever moved beyond an accounting of the character's lives. I had read that it was gripping and suspenseful (even noted on the dust jacket), but I disagree. The character's lack of emotion when recalling the pivotal moment of the story made it read more like a historical essay. Enjoyable, but definitely not my favorite book by her.