Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining yet unorganized
Review: Entertaining yet Unorganized
While this novel?s collection of shorter stories within a greater novel was very entertaining, the stories themselves didn?t seem to center around a main lesson or theme that could be learned from its reading. The main character, of whom we never even learn the name, seems to also find the stories and encounters a source of entertainment, he never seems to get anything real out of them. He?s never been moved, nor does he ever change his ways because of something that he apparently thinks he?s learned. As for themes, there are themes within each story, but I didn?t really find a central theme that really connected the whole assortment together. On the other hand, the language used is beautiful and very descriptive. The stories make you feel like you?re there, witnessing all the events firsthand. Though the narrator didn?t learn much from each encounter, I?m sure that anyone reading it will. The narrator, actually, is one of the main problems I had with this book. He was so indifferent about everything that came to pass, and often acted like the times he spent with his mentor of sorts were an inconvenience. He acted as if he knew everything of the world, when in reality he had given it up too soon to know enough. In a nutshell, this is a wonderful story, if it?s being used for just that. But I don?t feel that it?s a very good novel to study, unless the topic is studying some common novel flaw.
Rating: 
Summary: An Enjoyable Reading Experience
Review: I enjoyed reading this book. Gita Mehta brilliantly portrayed the characters with vivid language, well suited for the setting. Each story brought new insights about life to the reader. I especially enjoyed the exciting depiction of the culture revolving around the Narmada River. The way Mehta describes it makes one feel as if one has been momentarily transported to the Narmada and can visualize the scene taking place right before one's eyes, an experience surely to please many readers. It was always exciting to continue on to a new chapter.
The title of the book is very suitable to the actual work. The daily life of the narrator is the sutra or "thread" that holds the short stories that comprise the novel together. However, I found that the narrator did not do much other than that for the work. He is a very static character, unmoved and not unresponsive to the stories of the people he meets. The fact that shorter stories do make up the novel also present good and bad points. Some of the stories such as the one about the Jain monk and Nitin Bose interested me, while others such as that of the courtesan's daughter did not interest me so much.
This enlightening and entertaining book will appeal to anyone who enjoys learning about other cultures and delights in learning. Because the book is comprised of several shorter stories, the atmosphere is constantly changing, providing a good variety of feelings and interests.
Rating:
Summary: Gita's Good
Review: "A River Sutra" is the third Gita Mehta book I've read. Previous to this I enjoyed "Karma Cola" and "Snakes and Ladders." As a non-fiction writer, Ms. Mehta is lean, sharp, caustic, and witty. She gets to the heart of the matter, and doesn't hold off on personal opinion. I didn't know what to expect from her fiction, but I was surprised. She seems like a different writer. A gentle side comes through "A River Sutra" that leaves you feeling deeply for the characters she's created. It's not that the stories are fluff, they're not; it is that she employs a lyricism that was unexpected. The river is the Narmada, one of the holiest in India; and, a sutra is both a thread, and a discourse that constantly unwinds. This aptly named book is a study of love, and another look at India - sometimes fanciful, sometimes frightening, but always warm hearted.
Rating:
Summary: Sparkling Words; Divided Attention
Review: Let's get three things out of the way...First, I'm a blond-haired, blue-eyed American guy who spent six months of my childhood in India; second, I'm a Bible-believing Christian (which means to some of you that I'm a close-minded bigot); third, I read this book on loan from a yoga-practicing friend of mine (which I hope indicates a willingness on my part to look at life through an other person's point of view, regardless of our differences)."A River Sutra" is a seamless story, weaving a number of accounts around the narrator's own experience to form a tapestry of life, spirituality, and relationships from an Eastern viewpoint. Mehta's writing sparkles. With a minimalist style, she manages to capture the atmosphere of the India I loved as a child. Her verbs and adjectives are aptly picked to evoke mystery and texture. While I don't agree with all the spiritual themes in the book, I thought Mehta explored ideas without pontificating. Yes, I believe certain truths are universal (this sort of admission makes many Bible-thumpers nervous). I believe that forgiveness, faithfulness, mercy, etc. are Godly principles that work whether you believe in Him or not. The very fact that they still work shows a measure of His love. Mehta brings out some of these truths eloquently. The only complaint I had was that the format--short stories strung together by one narrator--made it difficult for me to deeply sympathize or relate to any one particular character. By trying to say too many things, Mehta divided my interests and left me with a somewhat unsatisfied feeling at the conclusion. Overall, though, her beautiful way with words made me glad I'd spent the time and effort.
Rating: 
Summary: An enchanting little book. Beautifully written.
Review: This book is really a collection of enchanting stories all with an underlying mystical message--which is not always clear--which joins them together. It is therefore a mystical book and one which has some of the most beautiful prose writing I have read in the English language. Ms. Mehta obviously loves writing and her prose is so enchanting and graceful that it reads almost like poetry at times. A sheer joy.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Adventure
Review: I was completely entranced by this book. The story flowed like the river of its title. The descriptive style of the author brought the stories to life. I feel as though I saw a movie instead of reading a book. I can't wait to read more of this author's work.
Rating: 
Summary: Dull
Review: What has happened to this author's sparkle? Mehta's first book, Karma Cola was amusing, this novel on the other hand, is deathly dull.
Rating:
Summary: A River Sutra...where lives converge
Review: Gita Mehta's "A River Sutra" came highly recommendedby a friend and I'm grateful for it 'cos I found it a delightful andenjoyable read. The River Narmada is the perfect metaphor for Mehta's representation of the rich complexities of spiritual and mythical life throughout the ages. The narrator, a retired bureaucrat, begins his journey of discovery into the soul of his country by the holy river where he encounters a myriad of colourful characters and situations altogether unfamiliar to him. By taking refuge up at the rest house, he seeks escape from life but realises finally that he has "chosen the wrong place to flee the world" because "too many lives converge on the banks of the River Narmada". Fittingly, his awakening takes place by the holy river, which in Mehta's words "is an unbroken record of the human race". The main message seems to be that conscious escape from life is self defeating. Meaning flows from life, without which all search for spiritual fulfillment is fruitless. Food for thought. Mehta's language is beautifully poetic and lyrical but never obscure. Like many Indian writers, she too dabbles a little in magical realism which only adds colour to the enchanting stories spilling out of the river. A truly delightful novel. END
Rating:
Summary: You read it over and over again and you want more....
Review: I had to buy this book for my Asian literature class at the university. But when the quarter had come to its end, I did not want to sell it (which is what I do with so many other books). This book took my breath away, while I was reading it for the first time, and it still does, because I re-read it at least once a month. If I don't have time to read it all or when I feel down, I just open up any passage at random and read couple of sentences. The beauty of River Sutra is very much in the hands of its author, Gita Mehta, I must say. I have read many books about India (books, where India has been a subject of a fiction, as it is in this case), but River Sutra is not just another book that shows India in a hopelessly romantic way. At first, it may seem as such, because the author does employ magical realism and romanticism in her work. However, if you read it more than once, you will start feeling the power of the narration in a completely different way... You will realize that it is not JUST A ROMANTIC FICTION about oh-so-romantic country... For me, reading this book, in itself, sounds like a mantra (subject, touched on in the book, by the way). Stylistically, Mehta rises to the level of incomparable "1000 and 1 nights" and I have not seen too many contemporary Eastern authors being able to do that. But, what's even more amazing is, that she also manages to bring her work to a modern and a very universal perspective. I hope Mehta keeps writing, and I also hope that one day I have a full collection of her works!
Rating:
Summary: It will change you... if you are ripe
Review: This was its impact on me: half-way through the book I was booking my tickets. For Amarkantak: the origin of river Narmada! It took some doing but then the book had quickened me so much there was no stopping. To me its a first book for anyone wanting to know what binds Indians to their soil. How can a land steeped in poverty, problems, calamities and viciousness have any merit. Gita Mehta takes you to a centre that is still, eternal and rejuvenating. Sure, India has many centres but the one she points to is without religious mumbo-jumbo, needs no affirmations nor any effort - just get there and look around. At least I did! This review is in fact a tribute to a book that deeply influenced me. And I have already bought 2 extra copies to give away! Wish it were cheaper, i would shower them like confetti! Am I hyperbolic/euphoric? You bet, I am!
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