Rating: 
Summary: It's not the best but it's still good.
Review: I was looking forward to reading this after I read her first book. But I was disappointed when I finished the book. Lahiri's so good at developing and describing her characters. That it almost felt like I grew up with them. But in the quest to develop her characters, she somehow forgot to develop her story. I'm still at a loss on what the story is all about really since Lahiri had a tendency to scatter it around. But it is a good book nonetheless. Her characters are so well-developed that they all felt like real people to me. For me that was the saving grace for this book. If you like books that have well-developed characters or you're a fan of Lahiri, then read this. It's not for everyone but it's still a good read.
Rating: 
Summary: Good
Review: A nice sophomore effort from Lahiri. She fashioned a well thought out, engaging yarn this time. Gogol Ganguli's family certainly has some similar qualities to my own (being a second-generation Indian myself). As mentioned in previous reviews, I felt that the lack of other cultures in the story, combined with some overtly stereotypical behavior from Gogol's family, hindered a full enjoyment of the book. Still, it was certainly well written and, at points, moving.
Rating: 
Summary: well-written but depressing
Review: As nearly everyone else agrees, Ms. Lahiri's powers of description are pretty good. However I get so tired of reading about first and second-generation immigrants only interacting with Americans of European descent--as if the other cultures of this nation don't even exist. Where are the Hispanic, Black or (other)Asian friends/encounters? Or is she trying to say that's all who they crave interaction with outside of their own culture? I also detect a thread of self-loathing in some of the characters (the Indian girlfriend who is proud that some people think she is French, for example). I found this book profoundly disappointing and even depressing, and did not especially like the character of Gogol. I did however feel for his mother, giving birth to a child in a new country, far from family and her own culture. Ms. Lahiri described her emotions very well. On the whole this book is well-written but avoid it if you don't like a depressing or somewhat self-loathing tone in a novel.
Rating:
Summary: Recommended to Lahiri Fans
Review: Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake did not disappoint. True, I believed her Interpreter of Maladies was an extraordinary work, and I was eager to see if she could sustain such brilliance throughout a singular story. The quick answer is that she does not. But that doesn't make this a bad book -- just not an especially memorable one. Because the synopsis of the story is mentioned in most of the other reviews, I won't dwell on it here. There are numerous Induan writers out there today and this book probably suffered a bit in comparison to all (...) But I can't sell Lahiri short. She's a marvelous writer and I believe most people will enjoy her book
Rating: 
Summary: a disappointment
Review: I loved Interpreter of Maladies but felt that Lahiri was unable to grow into the novel format. Though beautifully written in parts, the novel does not hold together as a whole. None of the characters are fully developed and some of the recurring themes (like Gogol's name) become formulaic and trite. Also, as a northeasterner who has lived in all the cities where Gogol lives I felt her constant references to specific locations was a shorthand that would date her book. Finally, I must say that I know people who fit into the yuppie/urban hip NYC milleu that she depicts and liked them even less in the book.
Rating:
Summary: Lovely, But No Masterpiece
Review: Jhumpa Lahiri has a particular talent for describing the textures of life both inner and outer - the Gangulis of the "The Namesake" come alive through vivid descriptions of their home, their food, and their quiet, unspoken feelings of alienation from the world of clashing cultures they inhabit. These details are rendered in lovely, deliberate prose, and the book is a pleasant one for curling up on the couch on a particularly lazy afternoon. Lahiri has a distinctive voice - no small accomplishment - and she is a very talented writer, but not yet a great one. "The Namesake" - like "Interpreter of Maladies", Lahiri's slightly better short-story collection - is very good, but lacks the passion that makes good works great. The Gangulis are well-drawn, multi-dimensional characters; they just need a dose of passion to bring them to life. Lahiri's writing describes, it narrates, but it lacks vibrancy and any hint of danger. When it becomes less inhibited, it will be truly great.
Rating:
Summary: A star or two more, if expectations weren't so high
Review: Perhaps Lahiri's talents are more suited to the short story. The origin and continuing tale of how Gogol both got and related to his name is beautifully formed. The ending is particularly moving. Likewise, the evolution of this family as a whole is convincing and touching. However, I didn't find a single individual character, including Gogol, to be compelling. They were often more defined by their immigrant status than any aspect of self-invention. A certain determinism seemed to drive their actions. Add that to a preponderance of list-like details, especially in the realm of food, and, for me, The Namesake was ultimately disappointing.
Rating: 
Summary: Youth Remembered..
Review: The initial bit about Gogol growing up in America with his American lifestyle and outlook in life in stark contrast to his parent's inherent traditionalism can be identified with by a lot of NRI kids. I think it's something we've all gone through and a very well-written story that brings that to mind is extremely moving. I guess it is only fitting that I give the book a perfect 5! Definately a great read!
Rating:
Summary: Better written as three short stories
Review: The book can easily be divided into three or four short stories rather than having it be one story. The book is divided into sections--- the parents, Gogol life through school, his adult unmarried life and then finally his work and search for mate. Although Gogol is the character who is the main focus of the book, at the end there is an attempt to narrate the story from his wife's perspective. I was convinced that Ms. Lahiri should have written several short stories rather than write it as a novel. My brother and I were born in India and raised in the US and so some of the themes she raises are familiar. However, I was convinced that she knew and understood what she was writing about when she relayed Gogol's story to us. After reading her first book of short stories, this book was truly disappointing.
Rating:
Summary: Read the first half
Review: Lahiri's novel is a good read, at least the first half. Her command of the language and the extra work she had to do in researching '70s and '80's America with Bengali context is really remarkable. The first half beautifully portrays the trials and tribulations first generation immigrants go through. Later on as the story progresses, Lahiri looses track of the characters and then it becomes pages and pages of mostly meaningless chatter. It is difficult to understand what Gogol really is running away from (apart from his name and hating large Bengali parties with food- what is that he does not like?). The story dwells too much on Mouse (and her bizarre world) and does not do any credit for Gogol's sister Sonia who is banished from the novel very easily. I just wish that Lahiri had a little more grasp on the second half which would have made this a novel a must read for immigrant kids.
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