Invisible Lives

Banerjee is quickly emerging as the Sophie Kinsella of Indian-spiced chick-lit. This book was so amazing that I bought it for all of my girlfriends and they're STILL raving to me about it. The book is a charming, sweet portrayal of the intersection between eastern and western culture. Lakshmi is a compelling character with the power to perceive the deepest desires of those around her - so she's great at her job helping to run her mother's sari shop. But her ability disappears just as she begins to fall for the hunk-tastic driver of a snobby Bollywood actress who comes into the shop one day. Eek, the plot is so fun and well-imagined that I can't do it justice here! Just grab the book and prepare for an awesome read. Invisible Lives has everything: mother-daughter relationships, romantic chemistry, magic, snobby celebrities, forbidden love, .... gah, I wish I could contain my love of this book in one measley review!

Luscious writing and sparkling tastes of Indian culture make this a terrific summer read. I loved the storyline, especially the magical and colorful saris that Lakshmi recommends for her clients. It reminded me of Chocolat!

INVISIBLE LIVES is a sweet and sort of predictable read in that chick-lit way, but the Indian and paranormal twists make it good fun and add a unique element to the more predictable parts of the story. Lakshmi Sen is a young Indian woman in Seattle with an odd ability to read people's emotions. She physically sees them (this is the supernatural part of the story but it is not addressed as supernatural--the story is not about explaining this ability), and this gives her a great advantage where she works in her mother's sari shop. Lakshmi's life is going along fairly smoothly. She has a good job, and her family has found a good Indian doctor for her to marry. The excitement that a Bollywood star brings to the shop, however, disrupts her life more than one would think. Whenever the star's handsome chauffeur is around, Lakshmi's special abilities that make her so good at finding the perfect sari for anyone, disappear. What's a girl to do? Lakshmi is a powerful and memorable character, and her story is a fun, fast-paced read. The story is quite well-written, and Lakshmi's extra abilities are approached very interestingly, as just a part of who she is rather than the entire story. It's an excellent book, but it does lack a bit of a spark. I'd still pick up more by Anjali Banerjee, and recommend this novel. Reviewed by: Jocelyn Pearce

Even though I am an American I love this genre of books. It is well written, tells a story of triumph over trouble and how those involved make it through thier lives. I wondered if the Bollywood star was somewhat modeled after Aish!

What an enjoyable read. For those who what a saucy romance this is not the book for you although I had a wonderful time trying to finish this book in three days. I would hate to be in the main characters' position. I could not for the life of me wait to see who she chose in the end so I sneaked a peak and still couldn't wait to read her story. What fun. This book was a wonderful comedy and everyone should take the time out to read it. I hope the author might some day make a movie out of this. I think it might could fall on the lines of a good TV Series!!!! Anjali Banerjee is a goddess at writing. I loved every minute of her book. Will look forward to the next one.