Desirable Daughters: Summary and book reviews of Desirable Daughters by Bharati Mukherjee, plus links to an excerpt from Desirable Daughters and a biography of Bharati Mukherjee.

From one of our most respected writers of fiction comes a stirring novel of three women, two continents, and a perilous journey from the old world to the new. At the heart of this remarkable new novel by the award-winning author of The Middleman and Other Stories and Jasmine are issues of culture, identity, and familial loyalty. Comparable to The Joy Luck Club in its honest portrayal of the American immigrant experience, Desirable Daughters follows the diverging paths taken by three Calcutta-born sisters as they come of age in a changing world. Tara, Padma, and Parvati were born into a wealthy Brahmin family presided over by their doting father and his traditionalist mother. Intelligent and artistic, the girls are nevertheless constrained by a society with little regard for women. Their subsequent rebellion will lead them in different directions, to different continents, and through different circumstances that strain yet ultimately strengthen their relationship. Moving effortlessly between generations, Mukherjee weaves together fascinating stories of the sisters' ancestors, their childhood memories, and dramatic scenes from India's history.

Media Reviews

Elle Magazine Evocative, richly layered sixth novel.   Time Out, NY Its real drama lies in the way the three sisters reconcile themselves to clashing values   USA Today Lyrical and insightful, sharing observations about family that apply to almost all cultures.   Publishers Weekly It should take nothing away from the achievements of new young writers of South Asian origin to state that Mukherjee eclipses all of them in her new novel, the highlight of her career to date.   Booklist - Donna Seaman Entertaining and intelligent, Mukherjee's graceful novel explores the continuum between tradition and change as it chips away at superficialities to reach the core of human experience.   Library Journal - Joanna M. Burkhardt, Mukherjee's writing is rich, deep, and compelling, and her characters are well rounded and believable.   Kirkus A nice hybrid, combining the suspense of a good thriller with the atmosphere and texture of a family epic. William Kennedy A beautifully written family story of the eternal pull of ancient Indian tradition on even the most contemporary of lives. Robert Olen Butler Mukherjee is writing achingly compassionate, ravishingly beautiful, absolutely essential books. And Desirable Daughters is one of her best. Russell Banks Desirable Daughters, with its broadband vision of history and geography, is [Mukherjee's] finest novel so far.

Recent Reader Reviews

Rated of 5 by Carla
Desirable Daughters book review
This book just was not that good. The plot was very well developed. Also, ending was very much a let-down. The only thing I found enjoyable about this book is that it went into some detail about Indian culture and idiology, which I must admit is...   Read More

Review (not rated) by Ayesha
It had two interesting elements but it focuses more on the duller one. There is not any good character development and so the events that take place do not have an impact on the reader. I felt like the author attempts to make the story suspenseful...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Anonymous
Truthfully, the book was ok. I didn't think that it was all that great. The plot was ok but i kinda thought the whole gang thing was stupid. It was surprising but it didn't fit into the rest of the novel. One thing that I did like about it though...   Read More

Rated of 5 by jean sheridan
A cool blend of Bay Area lifestyle and Indian sensibility. It bogs down in the New York scenes, but picks up for an unexpected flashy finale.

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