-
“The Namesake
is that rare thing: an intimate, closely observed family portrait that
effortlessly and discreetly unfolds to disclose a capacious social vision…In
chronicling more than three decades in the Gangulis’ lives, Ms. Lahiri has not
only given us a wonderfully intimate and knowing family portrait, she has also
taken the haunting chamber music of her first collection of stories and
reorchestrated its themes of exile and identity to create a symphonic work, a
debut novel that is as assured and eloquent as the work of a longtime master of
the craft.”
— New York Times
-
“This is a fine novel
from a superb writer…In the end, this quiet book makes a very large statement
about courage, determination, and above all, the majestic ability of the human
animal to endure and prosper.”
— Washington Post
-
“Lahiri’s writing is
assured and patient, inspiring immediate confidence that we are in trustworthy
hands. Lahiri beautifully conveys the émigré’s disorientation, nostalgia, and
yearning for tastes, smells, and customs left behind.”
— Los Angeles Times Book Review
-
“Poignant…A novel of
exquisite and subtle tension, spanning two generations and continents and a
plethora of emotional compromises in between…The Namesake is a story of guilt and liberation; it speaks to the
universal struggle to extricate ourselves from the past—from family and
obligation and the curse of history.”
— Boston Globe
-
“A moving first novel…Lahiri
writes beautifully controlled prose.”
— San Francisco Chronicle
-
“Memorable fiction…Lahiri’s
gift is for shrewd insight into character done up in elegantly understated
prose…Astringent and clear-eyed in thought, vivid in its portraiture, attuned
to American particulars and universal yearnings.”
— Newsday
-
“Extraordinary…An
insightful and descriptive take on family, tradition, and self-acceptance…Jhumpa
Lahiri is an accomplished novelist of the first rank.”
— San Diego Union-Tribune
-
“The Namesake…confirms what her first book suggested—that she’s a
writer of uncommon grace and sympathy.”
— San Jose Mercury News
-
“The Namesake does such a remarkable job of depicting the importance
of family and how people cope in unfamiliar terrain that it is one of the best
works of fiction published this year.”
— Seattle Times
-
“Achingly artful,
Lahiri’s first novel showcases her prodigious gifts.”
— Baltimore Sun
-
“A book to savor, certainly
one of the best of the year, and further proof that this immensely talented
writer’s prizewinning ways are far from over.”
— Atlanta Journal-Constitution
-
“A poignant,
beautifully crafted tale of culture shock…Reading it, anyone will understand
how it feels to be a cultural outsider.”
— Fort Worth Morning Star-Telegram
-
“Emotionally charged
and deeply poignant, Lahiri’s tale provides panoramic views of her characters’
lives.”
— Philadelphia Inquirer
-
“An enjoyably
old-fashioned novel…written in clear, quietly elegant prose…A gifted
storyteller, Lahiri has proven her literary mettle.”
— Raleigh News and Observer
-
“The Namesake is a quietly moving first novel…Intensely absorbing…Locates
the universality in precisely evoked individuality.”
— Columbus Dispatch
-
“Lahiri’s multiple
gifts for storytelling, character development, and delicately precise imagery
result in a rare and wonderful tale.”
— Orlando Sentinel
-
“Against all that is
irrational and inevitable about life, Lahiri posits the timeless, borderless
eloquence and permanence of great writing.”
— Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
-
“Sparingly beautiful
prose…Lahiri’s novel ultimately dramatizes a common experience shared by all
people: the search for identity.”
— Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
-
“Lahiri’s style in
this novel, as in her short fiction, is graceful and beautiful.”
— San Antonio Express-News
-
“Hugely appealing…Gracefully
written and filled with well-observed details, Lahiri’s novel—like her hero—manages
to bridge two very different societies and to give us the absolute best of
both.”
— People
-
“This eagerly
anticipated debut novel deftly expands on Lahiri’s signature themes of love,
solitude, and cultural disorientation.”
— Harper’s Bazaar
-
“Lahiri’s graceful
first novel more than fulfills the promise of her Pulitzer-winning story
collection…The exquisitely detailed saga of the Ganguli family…becomes the
classic story of American immigration and assimilation.”
— Entertainment Weekly
-
“Lahiri handles issues
of assimilation and belonging with her trademark mix of quiet observation and
heartbreaking honesty.”
— Elle