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| Plot Summary of Sister India |
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" For over two decades, American Madame Natraja managed the small guesthouse Saraswati. When she lived in segregated Nevus, North Carolina in the 1950s, people knew the three hundred pound plus woman as Estelle. A
scandal forced Estelle to leave town and she kept moving until she settled in India's holiest of cities, Varanasi.
Her adopted home city has racial problems too as violence periodically erupts between the Hindus and Muslims. When someone murders a Muslim near Saraswati, the city leaders impose a strict curfew with no one allowed to
leave their homes. The guesthouse visitors see a side of India they never expected to observe and learn how precious life truly is. Madame Natraja never veers from her set course until a friend vanishes.
The Lonely Planet tour guidebook lists the main protagonist as a "one woman blend of East and West". That is a very insightful look at Madame Natraja, who understands her western roots even as she embraces aspects of eastern culture. The story line is intriguing and complex, as Peggy Payne has written an intense novel with many layers of interpretation available to the reader. "
Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Sister India |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- depressed
Time/era of story
- 1980's-1999
Culture clash?
- visiting a culture in other country
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Outside culture (society)
- Indian (Ghandi, not Sitting Bull)
Ethnic/regional/gender life
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- secretary
Eccentric/Mental
Yes
Eccentric:
- obsessed
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- healthy but a geeky weakling
Main Adversary
Identity:
- none
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 6 (an above average amount)
Asia/Pacific
Yes
Asian country:
- India
City?
Yes
City:
- dirty, grimy (like New York)
Style
Person
- rotating 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
Unusual Style:
- a lot of flashback and forwards
- a lot of stream of consciousness
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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