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REVIEWS
Malladi's skills as a writer are a fluent style, as
useful for exposition as for capturing the voices of her characters,
and her ability to focus on a topic and a region so clearly that she
really does convey something of their feel.
- Claire
Hopley,
The Harvard Post
[Amulya Malladi] uses simple, direct prose to paint
fascinating pictures of people and places and allows them to come to
life without being either subservient to them or patronising....If
you come from the India she writes about, Malladi's fine treatment
of the subject will bind you in a happy complicity. If you are
interested in reading about India, the novel will reward you,
without seeking much effort in return.
- Bhawesh
Mishra, The
Straits Times (Singapore)
A thoughtful read which effectively evokes the
"feel" of India and gives an insight into a family's dynamics and
the turmoil of a modern Indian woman.
- Jacqui
Pulford, The
Wales Argus
Food is a tasty metaphor these day for delving into
familial and cultural angst. In this latest dish, Priya returns to
India after seven years in the United States to tell her family
about her engagement to a non-Indian. But she finds her family's
cooking up a surprise dish of their own. Add dashes of other family
drama, and you've got one spicy dish.
- Carol
Taylor, The Dallas Morning News
The Mango Season is an insight into the
workings of families and their rituals, customs and hierarchies. It
is also the age-old story of whether one should follow one's heart
or walk on the true and tried path of tradition.
- Ali
Hussain, Indie Magazine
Priya has spent the last seven years studying in the
US. When she returns to India, during the mango harvest, she
realises that her feelings about home have altered forever. (4
stars)
-Woman's
Own
A powerful and evocative book that explores what
happens when two cultures collide.
-She
Magazine
Amulya Malladi takes you on a trip to stickier
climates and even stickier situations in The Mango Season.
-Prima
Magazine
[The Mango Season] is a gentle, attractive novel
with a great atmospheric feeling of India and its customs.
Beautifully written.
-Tim Manderson (Special Selection), Publishing News
A lush, beautifully written novel of contemporary
India...it has a "Monsoon Wedding" feel: a glorious celebration of
life and love.
--The
Bookseller
Unputdownable...Malladi's novel is fun and romantic, offering a
lively snapshot of South Indian family life, not to mention some
truly winning ways with mangoes. It may also be deemed an essential
text for mothers and daughters everywhere. A...rewarding read for
ladies of all ages.
-Sally
Butcher, Bertram Books
Like the strong and unconventional Anjali in A Breath of Fresh
Air, Amulya Malladi in her second novel provides us with yet
another female character who fights her own battles and emerges
scathed but victorious...Well-written with balanced portions of
traditional tugs and contemporary needs, conviction and concern,
The Mango Season is a work of soul searching, decision making,
and strength building. Malladi’s second novel stacks up as a winner
for women and a winner for readers.
-Jeanne
E. Fredriksen, India Currents
Amulya Malladi lays India out like a living picture
before her readers. The smells curl out through the spine of the
book, the tastes leave our throats burning with an unknown spice.
The heat causes sweat to run down our backs, the curious sounds
block the more familiar ones of cars and traffic from our ears.
-Leah
Stecher, Santa Monica Mirror
Malladi...create[s]...a tale of the irrefutable
power of love, [and] also...provides insights into the battle
between a culture that has existed for hundreds of years and the
influence of the western world. It is truly one of the best books
that I have read this summer.
-Sofia
H. Ngirutang, Times Record News
Amulya Malladi captures...the predicament of
non-resident Indians who are torn between the two cultures of their
native and adopted countries. The Mango Season is...the
age-old story of whether one should follow one’s heart or walk on
the true and tried path of tradition.
-Sonia
Chopra, Curled Up With a Good Book
The vibrant color and intricate Indian pattern of
the book jacket instantly drew me into an equally beautiful story.
--Alexandra Fix, Women's Lifestyle Magazine
The Mango Season is an informative as well as
entertaining novel filled with interesting situations that highlight
the rules of marriage and the importance of the institution in
Indian society.
--Wevonneda
Minis,
The Post and Courier
The Mango Season chugs along...on rapid-fire
dialog and Malladi does a good job here as well. She is an author
who says it like it is and hints at larger societal failings with
the scantest of dialog. Watching Priya seesaw between her Indian and
her American sides, between her independent and her needy sides...we
realize that we are not alone in our battles. This comfort is The
Mango Season’s biggest joy.
--Poornima
Apte, DesiJournal.com
The Mango Season is one woman's attempt to
reconcile a traditional past with a modern future, while striking a
balance between the two.
--NewsIndia-Times
A young woman returns to her home in India after a
seven-year absence and has a difficult time telling her family about
her non-Indian fiancé. The story is an...entertaining...read about
an extended family with dysfunctions.
--Terry Hong, AsianWeek
The Mango Season touches on a very human
conflict with delicacy and humor. Miss Malladi makes Priya's
ambivalence understandable and powerful. She resolves it well and
with tongue-in-cheek wit...[This] is a lovely novel, filled with the
small details and sensual evocations of life in India without
neglecting the claustrophobic aspect of that life. The tug in
Priya's heart is genuine.
--Corinna
Lother,
The Washington Times
The Mango Season is a well-developed
narrative with Indian family life fully fleshed out. Malladi
masterly portrays the psychological push and pull of tensions and
conflicts. [The] characters are well drawn and the clash of cultures
portrayed are not only authentic, but heartbreaking, as well.
--Michelle Reale, LokVani.com
The Mango Season is a panorama of Indian
tradition...a dramatic portrait of a modern woman's anguish over her
inability to blend her two worlds. The story is told with beautiful
word pictures. Malladi's imagery makes one thirst for a juicy
topping of HAPPINESS to end the story.
--Judy Gigstad, BookReporter.com
[This] story of a woman's struggle with love and
family tradition...is lush with detail and emotion.
--Woman's
Day Magazine
The Mango Season is a fast, compelling read
that speaks to all of us who have dared to break from the norm.
--Heart
and Soul Magazine
Teens will identify with the family dynamics
portrayed here, but those from foreign cultures will be most
affected by this story of love and family.
--Molly Connally, School Library Journal
In this passionately told story...Priya's
frustration, her family's desires, and the heat during the mango
season are all well conveyed. The result is a fascinating look at
contemporary India.
--Lisa Rohrbaugh, Library Journal
Malladi submerges the
reader in fascinating cultural traditions and rich foods garnished
with saucy humor.
--Elsa Gaztambide, Booklist
Nicely seasoned: The
spice of atmosphere and geography livens up a family saga and gives
a fresh twist to a typical coming-of-age tale.
--Kirkus
Reviews
Malladi succeeds in
giving a vivid sensory impression of the south of India, its foods
and climate and customs.
--Publisher's
Weekly
With humor and grace,
Amulya Malladi has constructed a family story in which the heroine
must make the difficult choice between the traditional and the
modern. Malladi is a writer of great promise.
--Bharti
Kirchner, author of
Darjeeling and Pastries: A Novel of Desserts and
Discoveries
Amulya Malladi has the ability to
get so close to ordinary life that her words effortlessly transform
themselves into art with pitch perfect prose fed by an observant eye
and a warm heart. She has caught the triumphs and defeats of her
characters so fully that we see the world in miniature and ourselves
at every skillful turn. Malladi is a born storyteller with an
expansive and satisfying vision of the meaning of love.
--Laura
Pedersen, author of Beginner's Luck |
