Hello Ladies!
Spring is here. We’ve been having a lot more wonderful outdoor time. The kids have been in desperate need of it after spending the winter trapped inside. As we think of spring, all the trees in my yard are becoming full of leaves and my azaleas are blooming happily. I so needed the color to return! But this makes me think of our next book, The Tree Bride.
Spring is here. We’ve been having a lot more wonderful outdoor time. The kids have been in desperate need of it after spending the winter trapped inside. As we think of spring, all the trees in my yard are becoming full of leaves and my azaleas are blooming happily. I so needed the color to return! But this makes me think of our next book, The Tree Bride.
Our story will cross between the past and the present as we follow two women named Tara: the one who marries a tree and her great-great niece who bears her name. We will follow as Tara Lata, our tree bride, becomes a freedom fighter and we will see how Tara Lata’s life influences Tara Chatterjee’s life.
This book is a sequel to a book called
“Desirable Daughters”. Hopefully we will not be missing anything from
not having read the first one. Going along, some questions we may want
to think about:
Do we feel Tara Chatterjee finds the connection to her past that she is looking for as she dives into Tara Lata’s story?
Do we think Tara Lata’s marriage to a tree limits her future or makes it limitless?
Which Tara did you most identify with?
Much love to you both!
Do we feel Tara Chatterjee finds the connection to her past that she is looking for as she dives into Tara Lata’s story?
Do we think Tara Lata’s marriage to a tree limits her future or makes it limitless?
Which Tara did you most identify with?
Much love to you both!
Hello Ladies
ReplyDeleteHope all is well with you and your families. We’re doing fine here though, outside the family circle, the election is both wearing and depressing. Still the sun’s shining and the garden looks a treat.
To answer your thoughtful questions, Katie, I didn’t feel I missed anything by not having read ‘Desirable Daughters’. I’d like to read it now, though. Without question, Tara Chatterjee finds a connection to her past, and those connections certainly help explain much of Tara’s present. And Tara Lata’s marriage to a tree was inspired: very unusual and wonderful man, her father. I realise being hanged in a cell was not a good way to go, but she certainly had a life of fulfillment. She’d have lived a very domestically orientated life otherwise. That could have ben fulfilling, too, but one has the impression she’d have been bored.
I have to say, I’m still not clear why Abbas Sattar Hai, Sameena’s great-grandson, wanted to kill Tara Chatterjee. She’d taken what he regarded as his family home? Tara Lata’s father insulted Hai’s great, great grandfather? A couple of family trees, maybe a history of the house ownership, would have helped. Maybe not reading just before going to sleep would have helped even more. However, it’s a detail. The book was brilliant.
The movements between times and personalities really kept one’s attention. The sections on Vertie Treadwell, Jack Snow’s young life and his journey to India, Tara and Coughlin’s meeting, were so detailed . . . took you right into those times. Incredible amount of research must have been done for this. Not sure why the title is The Tree Bride. Jack Snow/John Mist seems to be the central character, and the central concern that the past is not past. As I said, the intricacies of the relationships between the characters in the modern era (‘Just us five little Indians’) confused me a little. It would have been an easier read if the book had ended with John Mist’s death, perhaps linked to his murder of Todd-Nugent. There again, the important point that the past informs the present, that in fact nothing is past, would not have been made anything like as well. And how true that point is – look how empire building informs British culture, and so many other cultures, today.
I won’t get on to that. Suffice it to say, I really enjoyed this. Great evocation of so many times and places, absorbing characters, interesting considerations - including alternative truths: marvellous. Thank you.
Hello Ladies,
ReplyDeleteFirstly an apology for my lateness, secondly and nothing whatsoever to do with our wonderful story this month - We have bought a kayak !!!!!!!.
Oh my, how much fun is it you ask?
So much fun !! We have about one hundred charted islands in our river system here and many protected inlets with ocean access. Needless to say, we are having a ball pouring over maps and plotting treks and heading off into the blissful peace and quiet.
Now, onto our story, thank you Katie for suggesting this one I have really enjoyed it.
I feel Tara Chatterjee really found connection with her past and not only with the Tree Bride which I believe she already felt, perhaps this relationship was expanded more in Desirable Daughters [a must read for me now], but also an understanding how those who lived with and were important to her ancestors affected her history.
As to which Tara I identified with most I would have to say Tara Chatterjee. I actually don’t feel like I really got to know Tara Lata all that well. I feel the other characters where so much more developed, again perhaps by reading Desirable Daughters this would be remedied. I liked Tara Chaterjee and enjoyed hearing her present day story and the struggles she faces. San Fransisco is also one of my favourite cities so I love stories set there.
There was so much history to be learnt in this story and much of it unknown to me. The struggles of the Indian people under the oppressive foreign regime was so sadly not a new story to tell. It is so depressing that we as a species just never seem to learn from our mistakes and collectively continue to harm each other whether by actions or inactions.
Tara Lata’s marriage to a tree was a blessing for her I feel. It allowed her to educate herself and help her people unencumbered by the traditional marriages of the time. The contrasting stories of her tree marriage, the marriages of her fellow countrywomen and the English brides that arrived in India was interesting. I feel Tara Lata certainly got the best deal out of all the women!
Thank you Katie for introducing this wonderful author to us. I will definitely be reading more of her work.
I have a couple of suggestions for our list.
The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver
All The Missing Girls by Megan Miranda
Please let me know what you think.
I hope the weather is warming up for you both and things are going well with your families.
I am hesitant to mention the state of your nations, a little too upsetting for all of us I feel. My thoughts are with you both as we ride out this insanity.
All my love, Nancy
Hello to you both! Forgive me for being so late. A stomach virus took hold of the Chong household and I was incapacitated for a bit. I hope you are doing better than me. How exciting your kayaking adventures sound Nancy! Sue, I completely commiserate with the lousy political situation. I am trying to focus on the more pleasant things. The kids just keep getting bigger and bigger. Benjamin just finished his first year of school. He did so well. Lillian is increasing her vocabulary on a daily basis. She is a very communicative little girl. Franklin is my amazing handyman; fixing and sprucing up the house. He has also been my savior during this terrible stomach illness. As for the Tree Bride, it was not what I expected. I’m glad you both enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteFirst I was surprised at how little we actually heard or read about Tara Lata. I expected us to follow her and hear her narrate to us. I thought that we would be hearing the story of an inspirational freedom fighter. Some real “girl power” if you will. This did not happen so it makes me wonder why Mukherejee chose to name her novel after this minor character and not after any other. Most particularly why did the title not connect to John Mist more? What a wonderful tale of swashbuckling on the high seas! It was like reading Treasure Island again. The lack of Tara Lata in this novel voids all of the questions I suggested in my opinion.
I also had great disappointment in Tara Chatterjee. Mukherejee tries to lure us in with an explosion setting off the novel and then I felt that she let us down. I felt the attempt to connect Chatterjee and Hai was a bit weak and halfhearted. The ending was also a bit vague. Is Hai gone forever or will make a third attempt on Chatterjee’s life? Maybe reading Desirable Daughters would have cleared things up.
On the whole I really thought the story should have been about John Mist. Loved every minute of his adventures! Again I’m glad you both loved the novel. I enjoyed it too just not for the characters I had thought I would.
Much love to you both!
Hello Ladies
ReplyDeleteI really admire you, Nancy. I'd be terrified in a kayak - but clearly the only way to view such splendidly isolated waterways. Amazing journeys to look forward to. Enjoy!
Glad you're feeling better, Katie. Where would we be without our fantastic husbands?
Leaving that question hanging, I'd like to recommend two books, too:
Ross Raisin: The Natural
Sebastian Barry: Days Without End
We've read one of Sebastian Barry's before, and I think this one I'm recommending is set in WW1, which we've read lots about. So, if you wish to protest, ladies, I'll look for something else. Heaven knows there's lots out there.
I also think that both books deal with homosexuality, which is a real coincidence, recognised only as I wrote this e-mail. So, you might want to protest that, too. And even if both are acceptable, it might be good to have them a few months apart.
Our election results have restored in me some faith in my fellow countrymen, but what a mess we're in now. I'd be surprised if we don't have another election within a year, right in the middle of Brexit negotiations, if they ever get started. Given I don't want us to leave at all, political paralysis may be a blessing in disguise.
We do live in interesting times, ladies.
Much love to you both
Sue
Hello Ladies,
ReplyDeleteSue, your book suggestions sound interesting I look forward to reading them.
I hope Jay’s knee is all healed by now, recovery time seems to take a bit longer these days.
Katie glad to hear the family has recovered from its tummy troubles. When the children start school it seems to open up the flood gates for bugs to be brought home!
I enjoyed your photo’s of all Franklins work around the house.
Gotta love a handy man!!
Ivars has been busy planting some new fruit trees. We now have an Avocado, a Mandarin, a Blueberry bush and a Papaya to add to our orchard. I know I’ll be waiting a while for the Avocado, but I’m looking forward to harvesting the rest in a couple of years.
We have torrential rain here at the moment and predicted for the next week, so we are all cooped up inside trying to not send each other crazy. Great reading weather !!
love to you both,
Nancy