An American Brat

The Crow Eaters is an extraordinary tale of very ordinary people. A fast moving and engaging story is full of humour and life. Bapsi Sidhwa has a magical tendency of writing fiction and creating very emphatic characters. The Crow Eaters is the story of a Parsee family that moves to the bustling city of Lahore. Lahore is also called the "Paris of the East" and has always served as one of the most historical cities in South Asia. Founded by a Hindu god Ram and later becoming the central part of the great Moughal Empire and the seat of the governor in the British Raj, Lahore quickly absorbed the Junglewallas in its stride. The story take twists and turns and goes from one generation to the other. The descriptions are as solid as a rock and the pace and humour make a perfect combination to transform the story in a magical tale of love, relations and experiences of a parsee family in the British India. It's a must to read...

Bapsi Sidhwa has now become one of the best writers in English language from Pakitsan. Her books have been loved in Great Britain and United States. "An American Brat" is just another one of her classics. Starting in Lahore: One of the most historic and beautiful cities of South Asia the book moves to United States. The story revolves around a Parsee religion girl and her life. The story highlights the political instability in Pakistan and takes place in the time when Bhutto govt. was overthrown by martial law that imposed Islam on every citizen. To avoid another religion's effects on the girl she was sent to America... and as its said "Someone somewhere is made for you," the girl finds her soulmate in America and gets married to a non-parsee boy and the news becomes a shock for the family in Pakistan because unlike America, religion is an issue in South Asia... The book is just stunning and i highly recomend you to read it... to see, how a simple girl moves to "gimme coke" from "May I have a Coca-Cola?"

Bapsi Sidhwa is an author of rare sensitivity. Most of her work deals with life in the Parsi community . She, being a Parsi herself, provides an interesting insight into the actions and reactions of a minority caught between predominantly muslim and hindu societies in India and Pakistan. Her controversial and well known novel on partition, Cracking India (called the Ice-candy Man in India) is one such tour de force.Crow Eaters is slightly different. Although here the story is centered around a middle class Parsi family, the novel does not have an overly political tone . Much of the novel is filled with interesting incidents in the life of the protogonists. Many of the incidents are comic witha touch of tragedy in them . This is the kind of writing Bapsi is known for and this book is a prime example of her art. Bapsi Sidhwa along with Rohinton Mistry(Such a long journey) is one of the very few authors who have written about the Parsis; a small but prominent culture in the Indian society. This book exemplifies that form of writing .

Yet again, Bapsi Sidhwa has delivered another great novel. I have not read the Crow Eaters, yet, but now I am eager to read it. As a Pakistani girl who's grown up in the States, I enjoyed Bapsi Sidhwa's depiction of the effect of the western society has on Feroza, transforming her from a simple and scared young girl into an independent young women who is able to make her own decisions.

The title refers to the Parsees of India -- descendants of Persian immigrants, renowned for their generosity and good citizenship, as well as their lovable eccentricities, which include their gift for talking nineteen to the dozen, chattering away like crows. The novel itself, hilarious and touching in turn, traces the history of one family in the early part of this century. Based partly on Sidhwa's own in-laws, drawing on scandals from real life, the book succeeds in painting life in the Parsee community, as well as that community's quest for an indentity in the British Raj. Sidhwa's strengths lie not so much in the language she uses (deceptively simple), but in the way she juxtaposes incidents and characters. Among the unforgettable cast, the patriarch Faredun Junglewala, and his nemesis -- his very own mother-in-law, the one and only Jerbanoo. Their thorny relationship, and the plots they devise for each other's benefit, will have the reader doubling over with laughter. In the end, however, the importance of family ties comes through in a way that is both touching and amusing. Highly recommended.