Darjeeling

i love this book, it has a mixture of both the American/Canadian and Indian culture. Both sisters in this book are very intelligent. They share the same culture as women of India, but they are from different worlds. One sister is adventurous living in Canada, and the other sister is very accomplished living in New York...an amazing book!

The author explores the soul of two sisters in this wise and witty novel. Her descriptions alone would have made it. I recommend reading this novel with a good cup of tea.

Fast paced, good descriptions of scenery, tea business, manhattan immigrant life and food, food..food. I like Kirschner's writing more for food descriptions than anything else and this is no exception. In general the storyline is more like a hindi movie - two women for one man and a benevolent 'thakur ma' and an angry dad and so on. But credit should be given to the author for portraying women - particularly immigrant women's dilemmas with clarity and respect. The ending also speaks for the same thing, both women doing what they believe in and letting the men know and get what they deserve!

Wonderful and powerful book. Even if you had never been to Darjeeling, or to India, for that matter, it gives you an unexplained sensation of melancholy, as if the place belonged to your ancestry. It even made me run for the Internet to know more about Darjeeling and the tea business. A real lesson in geography and tea-tasting!Apart from the obvious mastery of the language in descriptions, the story is an ode to self-growth and sufficiency, both for men and women. As in reality, love is not a bed of roses. Instead, real love is the ability to love oneself first, then the other. This can be seen when Aloka simulates being Parveen; she fell in love with her first, then discovered that she loved Jahar just as well.It is a book I greatly recommend for all those who enjoy an intricate story without the classical happy ending.

This is a thoroughly captivating and insightful book that takes the reader to the beautiful mountain town of Darjeeling and to an intriguing family that owns a tea plantation. There are issues of love, displacement,and self-renewal all told through a lyrical voice. The story and the characters stay with you. This is Kirchner's best work by far.