One Amazing Thing, by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni – Book Review
One Amazing Thing, by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni opens with a young woman sitting in an Indian passport and visa office in an unidentified city in the United States (my guess is somewhere in California), observing the employees and the other varied strangers seeking travel visas to India. An older couple with marital problems, an ex-soldier tormented by his demons, an angry and militant youth, a perky granddaughter with her decades silent grandmother, employees of the visa office who are flirting with having an affair…each of them, along with their youthful observer, have a story. When an earthquake leaves them trapped underground with diminishing expectations of rescue and few resources to sustain them each is tasked with revealing just one amazing thing they have experienced in life.
Have you ever had the experience of being so totally into a novel that you only come up for air to wonder what other books the author has written, and how fast you can get your hands on more? *Nods.* Yup. I felt that way about Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s book One Amazing Thing. I had to reassure myself with a quickie google search to certain that there were indeed more of her books out there just waiting to be read and enjoyed. Whew! There are 14 more!
One of the great joys of this book is the way that Divakaruni is able to develop the characters so completely through the little ways they interact with each other and how they handle themselves in the aftermath of the earthquake. The characters were varied and I initially reacted to each of them differently as a reader, much the way they had different opinions of each other as they are sitting in the waiting room, and later on after it is clear that a catastrophe has occurred. Some of them I liked immediately, some I didn’t like right of the bat- but warmed to, and others I never liked but understood and rooted for nonetheless.
I love the method that Divakaruni used for exposition of each of the characters and why they were in the passport office in the first place. It’s easily read on the book jacket, but I am glad that I didn’t look at it until after I read the book and the story was able to unfold and I enjoyed each surprise. This book is all about relationships to the burdens of the past that we carry and how they sneak up on us and affect our every day decision making in ways that we often don’t examine. One Amazing Thing is a beautiful book that illustrates perfectly that if we had any inkling of each others experiences, we would approach each other with more compassion and understanding, if not in friendship and love.
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47 Responses to “One Amazing Thing, by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni – Book Review”
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I can’t wait to read this one! It sounds the like the perfect book for my taste
Great seeing you yesterday! Thank goodness we left yesterday, with the snowstorm today.
mari´s last blog ..Review: Dream House
Yes! You made it out of here just in time, even though you got caught in Milwaukee. I hope you make it home safely and soon.
I had this book on my radar but hadn’t heard any bloggers’ opinions yet. Well now I know and I’m ordering it from the library asap. I had no idea she had so many other books. I hope I like her work too, I love finding a new author I like. Thanks for a great review Nicole.
Sandra´s last blog ..Library Loot
I hope you do enjoy it! I am always so excited to run across an author whose work I enjoyed as much as I enjoyed hers.
I really liked her novel Mistress of Spices, and this premise sounds awesome to me. Adding it to my wish list!
Lenore´s last blog ..Book Review: The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness
I will have to look for that one. I love the title.
I liked this one a lot as well. I agree that they always seem to give out too much info of the covers and jackets. Great review Nicole.
diane´s last blog ..Waiting on Wednesday – The Heights
Doesn’t it just make you mad with all the info they give it. Most times I only read the barest hints of the first sentences and just get a book if I read the first few pages and like the writing style. I like to have the experience of the book unfolding.
Want!
That is all.
Jen – Devourer of Books´s last blog ..The Postmistress – Book Review
That is perfectly understandable. Get it this month!
I’ve heard nothing but good about this one!
Sheri´s last blog ..Book Review: Crazy Aunt Purl’s Home Is Where The Wine Is by Laurie Perry
I think it would be hard not to. I loved it!
That’s really exciting! I love books that completely suck you in so much! Feels like you’ve been away on a trip when you finish them.
Allie´s last blog ..Things that make me happy
Definitely! I didn’t feel like I was sitting at home reading the book. I felt like I was right there in the middle of things.
I’m getting aggravated with these publisher’s blurbs that give everything away. I’ll be sure not to read the jacket on this book. Great review!
Kathy´s last blog ..Our Life in France – banking, money and numbers
More and more I am just reading a few sentences of the blurb and then a few pages of the first chapter to get a feel for whether I want to read something. I really like discovering and experiencing the book on my own.
Wow! This sounds like an awesome book and this is the first I have heard of it. Thanks for the review!
Jo-Jo´s last blog ..Wondrous Words Wednesday-Feb. 10
I hope you enjoy it if you end up picking this one up!
This one has very quickly made it up to the top of my list. Great review!
Sandy´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday – Lake Eola #2
It’s definitely a worthwhile book to have on the top of your list. I am so glad that I went ahead and read it.
How wonderful to find a book and new to you author that grabs you in such a way! I will definitely keep an eye out for this one!
Amused´s last blog ..Not My Cup of Slim Fast
I know! Don’t you love that? It will be fun to dip into her work as I have more time.
This is one author I really need to read! And this book sounds great to me too! And this is not the 1st time, the jacket gives away too much! But I am more irked by jackets that giv a wrong impression!
veens´s last blog ..Attracted to Oranges!
The wrong impression is very annoying too. I have read some books that were probably okay books but they were just not what I was looking for and nothing like how they were described on the cover. False advertising hurts everyone.
Great review – I’m excited about this author and this story, in particular.
Kristi´s last blog ..Guilt
Kristi, it is a great story. I was very moved by it. I hope you like it if you pick it up.
The premise of this one intrigues me. I’m glad you enjoyed it so much. I’ll have to add it to my list.
Stacy´s last blog ..The Sister, by Poppy Adams
I’m so glad that I read it having only the vaguest idea of what the plot was. It was lovely to watch it unfold.
Nicole, I loved this review. You have piqued my interest, thank you.
Glad to do it!
Sounds like a great read for the South Asian Author challenge
Serena (Savvy Verse & Wit)´s last blog ..Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen and Ben Winters
It is a great read for that, and it’s not that long either! It’s just right.
Cool. I’ll have to consider that since I am doing that challenge.
Serena (Savvy Verse & Wit)´s last blog ..Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen and Ben Winters
I just wrote my review of this one. This is one of the best books I’ve read this year. Wonderfully written.
Serena´s last blog ..One Amazing Thing by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
What a beautiful review, Nicole! Not that that surprises me. I have Divakumari’s first book (I think) the Palace of Illusions, and I want to read that before her newer books, but now I think I need to put her higher on my list! Thanks for such a great peek into this book.
Aarti´s last blog ..With Reverent Hands: Magician, by Raymond E. Feist
I think you have the right idea. I might go back now and start with her first one. It will be fun to see if she started out writing like that or if and how she has developed over time.
This sounds like a lovely read! I’ll have to see if my library has it; I’ve been wearing out my holds request button lately, it seems!
I think this one is one of the first really memorable reads of the year. Words by Heart by Ouida Sebestyn was amazing too.
I think we need an extra day in the week just for reading. Otherwise, I’m never going to get to all of the books that I want to read!
softdrink´s last blog ..Please welcome…
Now you know that if we had an extra day just to read, we would be greedy and say that we needed even more days!
ARGHHHH. Drat you BLOB — but I can buy the book in March.
Beth F´s last blog ..Guest Post: Philipp Meyer (American Rust)
At least you can by in March. I am seriously thinking about my decision to extend BLOB through March. I need relief.
I am reading this book currently.
Esme´s last blog ..Weekend Cat Blogging: One Happy Kitty
I hope that you are enjoying it. I really loved it as you can see!
Thank you Nicole for this very perceptive and beautifully written review. I am so glad you enjoyed the book & recommended it. I enjoyed the great discussion on this page. If you are interested in seeing how I came up with the idea, take a look at: http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2010-01-19-chitra19_ST_N.htm
Thank you for the beautiful journey. I am looking forward to more!