Desirable Daughters

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Desirable Daughters
BharatiMukherjee DesirableDaughters.jpg
First edition cover
Author Bharati Mukherjee
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreHistorical novel
Publisher Hyperion / Theia
Publication date
March 2002
Media typePrint (hardback & paperback)
Pages310 pp (hardback edition) & 320 pp (paperback edition)
ISBN 0-7868-6598-9 (hardback edition) & ISBN   0-7868-8515-7 (paperback edition)
OCLC 47927759
813/.54 21
LC Class PR9499.3.M77 D47 2002
Preceded by Leave It to Me  
Followed by The Tree Bride  

Desirable Daughters (2002) is the first in a trilogy of novels by Bharati Mukherjee which includes The Tree Bride (2004), followed by Miss New India (2011). The book was originally published by Hyperion / Theia. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Contents

Plot

The novel is told from the point of view of the protagonist, Tara Bhattacharjee, the youngest of three desirable Bengali sisters. The three hail from a prosperous and urbane Calcutta family and are "raised according to the genteel social conventions and hallowed domestic traditions of India." [2]

Tara compares her life and the life of her family, past and present, with a direct ancestor named Tara Lata. The modern Tara says about her ancient ancestor, "Tara Lata Gangooly had turned the tragedy of her husband's death and a lifetime's virginity into a model of selfless saintliness." [2]

However, the modern Tara sees her life as perhaps the opposite of selflessness. She moved with her husband to Silicon Valley. Then, Tara jettisoned the mores, ethics and beliefs of her upbringing. She is divorced, has a live-in boyfriend, and retains custody of her completely acculturated son.

In contrast, the oldest sister, Padma, has become the perfect representative of the expatriate, ardently retaining her Indian identity in New Jersey. Parvati, the middle sister, has stayed in India and leads an affluent family lifestyle. She believes in the traditional Indian values with which she was raised. She begs Tara not to let herself become Americanized.

Hence, the novel explores the themes of identity, culture, and family. It is a story about the challenges of living between and the ways of relating to two vastly different cultures.

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References

  1. Maxey, Ruth (2019). "Chapter 6: Novels for the Twenty-First Century: Desirable Daughters, The Tree Bride, and Miss New India". Understanding Bharati Mukherjee. University of South Carolina Press. pp. 97–108. doi:10.2307/j.ctvgs0bhh.10. ISBN   9781643360003. JSTOR   j.ctvgs0bhh.10. S2CID   242252200.
  2. 1 2 3 Siegel, Lee (April 28, 2002). "Passages". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  3. Newman, Judie (2020). "Priority Narratives". Contemporary Fictions. Vol. 12. Modern Humanities Research Association. pp. 231–238. doi:10.2307/j.ctv1wsgrb1.22. ISBN   9781781883297. JSTOR   j.ctv1wsgrb1.22. S2CID   242342290.
  4. Ruta, Suzanne (2002). "Fairytale Princesses". The Women's Review of Books. 19 (10/11): 12. doi:10.2307/4023878. JSTOR   4023878.
  5. Agarwal, Ramlal (2003). "Reviewed work: Desirable Daughters, Bharati Mukherjee". World Literature Today. 77 (3/4): 86–87. doi:10.2307/40158203. JSTOR   40158203.

Publication history