Play Audiobook Sample
Interpreter of Maladies Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(4.00) - 68,725 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize. Navigating between the Indian traditions they've inherited and the baffling new world, the characters in Jhumpa Lahiri's elegant, touching stories seek love beyond the barriers of cultures and generations.
In A Temporary Matter, published in the New Yorker, a young Indian-American couple faces the heartbreak of a stillborn birth, while their Boston neighborhood copes with a nightly blackout. In the title story, an interpreter guides an American family through the India of their ancestors and hears an astonishing confession.
Lahiri writes with deft cultural insight reminiscent of Anita Desai and a nuanced depth that recalls Mavis Gallant.
Download and start listening now!
"I really enjoyed this work as a break from all the experimental stuff I read. Lahiri captures the Indian culture in a way that is accessible to people who long for culture but don't really have a sense of it (like me, who has never been on a plane). The relationships between women and men (arranged marriages usually) were interesting; men who put up with flighty women, women who fall in love with married men, couples married after a few days together who aren't sure if they'll like each other but learn to fall in love. I was really excited about this book because my new friend is a progressive woman from India (funny enough, she's married to a man from Tennessee) and I wanted more insight into the culture. Lahiri provides that in a way that digs into another's life rather than pouring in as many facts in a conspicuous fashion."
— Melanie (4 out of 5 stars)
Awards
-
Winner of the 2000 PEN/Ernest Hemingway Foundation Award
-
Winner of the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
-
Selected for the Barnes & Noble Discover Award
-
Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum Prize for First Fiction
-
A New York Public Library Staff Pick of Favorite Books of the Last 125 Years
Interpreter of Maladies Listener Reviews
-
—
zacqueline powell, 4/21/2020
-
" Very intriguing stories which CAN be re-read. "
— Chandani, 2/8/2014 -
" It was an okay book of short stories that I read for my Postmodern literature class. "
— Jana, 1/28/2014 -
" I wanted to like this book more than I did. That being said, I did enjoy the last few stories more than the first ones. And is it weird that my favorite parts of this book were the detailed descriptions of the Indian food they cooked at some point in every story? It sounded so delicious! "
— Afton, 1/25/2014 -
" Devoured it, although I shouldn't be surprised that I enjoyed a book by Lahiri so much. Her stories are so engaging and heartbreaking with a realism that continually intrigues me. "
— Cherylin, 1/24/2014 -
" A beautiful expression of short stories about being a first-generation Indian in America. "
— Nikkiharsh, 1/21/2014 -
" I thought this book bespoke magic and longing in equal measure "
— Erika, 1/20/2014 -
" The stories stay with you; they are powerful personal anecdotes, and you feel like you have heard them from close friends. Beautiful storytelling. "
— Meghan, 1/16/2014 -
" A beautiful collection. The title story is especially complex and arresting. "
— Tricia, 1/13/2014 -
" disappointing. finished reading it years after i started and was saddened to realize how much i'd changed in the interim; the stories seemed less lush, more trivial, less realistic, more trite. c'est triste. "
— carolime, 1/11/2014 -
" Beautifully written, made me tear up. "
— Ariel, 12/17/2013 -
" Stunningly beautiful stories of immigrants from India finding their way. "
— Doug, 12/7/2013 -
" A splendid collection. Lahiri's characters are fully realized, her language simple. I was invested completely in the lives of the people in the stories. She's one of those people who can tell a complex story in 20 pages that other, lesser novelists can't do in 200. Fully deserving of the Pulitzer. "
— Chaitra, 11/21/2013 -
" The good thing about Jhumpa Lahiri's stories are that they are woven around the routine, normal lives of people - i.e., you relate to them at first glance. That, along with crispness and simplicity of language makes it a good read for those times when you cannot concentrate on fiction. "
— Sushma, 11/19/2013 -
" Beautifully written short stories woven together with a general theme of fear, change, and hope. My favorite was the first one! "
— Noreen, 10/19/2013 -
" Have enjoyed it, but not as special as I would expect a Pulitzer prize winner would be. Enjoyable nevertheless and a fairly quick read. Don't have any favourite story, I've actually forgotten them already. "
— Tineke, 8/20/2013 -
" What do you say about a writer who has won the Pulitzer award .. the book is a touch to the heart ! "
— Santoshkrishna, 8/17/2013 -
" I'd previously read "The Namesake", which I found absorbing and powerful. "Interpreter......", although interesting, did not hold up well against that novel. "
— Jessica, 8/16/2013 -
" These short stories are beautifully written, after each one I wanted more. "
— Bethany, 7/23/2013 -
" The first chapter is kind of slow but i liked it.The second chapter is better.I can't wait ti finish this book. "
— 3, 4/8/2013 -
" One of the best collections of short stories I've read in a while. Lahiri's writing is both surprising and enveloping. A really lovely collection of work. "
— Tricia, 4/4/2013 -
" Incredible collection of short stories. I recommend all of her books. "
— Jeremy, 2/15/2013 -
" I enjoyed some of these stories more than others. Overall I liked The Namesake better. "
— Ryl, 2/7/2013 -
" "As ordinary as it all appears, there are times when it is beyond my imagination." Pretty much sums up Lahiri's writing: ordinary yet profound at the same time. Some of the stories are hits, some are misses, but when she hits, the effect lasts a lifetime. "
— Joey, 8/24/2012 -
" Amazing! These short stories are spectacular. One of these books I'll gladly hang on to for a re-read in the future. "
— Katharina, 5/30/2012 -
" Great collection of stories exploring the heart's subterfuges and underground wanderings--not consistently as great as The Namesake, but well worth the read. (9 out of 10). "
— Samuel, 1/30/2012 -
" I despise short stories. Why did I read this, I'm still not sure. It is a good book and very well written, just not my cup of tea. If you enjoy short stories, you'll love this book! "
— Kari, 1/21/2012 -
" I loved this book; so straightforward, so simple, so beautiful. "
— Jeffrey, 12/3/2011 -
" I really liked all the short stories but one, and were disappointed when they were over. The author has such a strong voice that shines through with all her characters. "
— Havah, 7/17/2011 -
" It's okay. I'm probably biased because I'm South Asian and can recognize classical stories or parables or whatever that she lifted some of the plots from. "
— Huma, 5/15/2011 -
" A very subtle book that becomes less so as you think about it. It is a good reminder that every person who moves to the U.S. has their own story and left behind loved ones and traditions and beliefs that brought them comfort. <br/> "
— Jen, 5/12/2011 -
" I didn't understand all of them at first but after I read The Namesake, I got used to her style and then enjoyed the stories. "
— Deepti, 5/12/2011 -
" Lahiri also in my top five authors. Simple writing and details that paint the scene, the characters, and the dynamics perfectly. "
— Heather, 5/9/2011 -
" It's been years since I read this book, but I remember being amazed at the descriptive details and the character development, and it's one of the few books stored on my bedside tables/bookshelves. In fact, I used excerpts as examples for my creative writing classes. "
— Shauna, 5/6/2011 -
" There is something melancholy in the way that Jhumpa Lahiri writes that appeals to me. She also does an amazing job of capturing life as an Indian American. "
— Pallavi, 5/5/2011 -
" I liked it although it is not for everybody. Poignant stories of Indians who have resettled in Canada and the USA. Explores the boundaries of the two cultures becoming blurred. Subtle and ironic. "
— Anne, 5/5/2011 -
" Amazing book. Perfect for a rainy day when you might be feeling particularly depressed or lonely. The writing is beautiful, the characters are honest, and the stories... well, it's really good. read it! "
— Rachel, 5/2/2011 -
" Great collection of short stories! I don't usually like short stories at all but these ones were really good. "
— Jessica, 4/30/2011 -
" I assumed I was done with the Indian fiction diaspora, but, this gift from a friend changed my mine. Great short story collection by a talented author. "
— Shama, 4/28/2011
About Jhumpa Lahiri
Jhumpa Lahiri is a London-born American author of numerous works of fiction and nonfiction who has won more than a dozen awards and medals, including the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her debut short-story collection, Interpreter of Maladies. Among her other honors are the PEN/Hemingway Award, the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award, the Premio Gregor von Rezzori, the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature, the Premio Internazionale Viareggio-Versilia, the Addison Metcalf Award, and a National Humanities Medal. She is a professor of creative writing at Princeton University.
About Matilda Novak
Matilda Novak has been involved in nearly every facet of voice-over for twenty-five years. She is honored to be one of those for whom professional audiobook narration began under the direction of Bob Deyan. She grew up in a trilingual household and enjoys using accents in her work. A trained actor, she holds a masters degree in communication from Regent University and has been a member of the Actor’s Co-op Theater Company in Hollywood.