Rating: 
Summary: Lovely and Simple
Review: Ever since reading "Interpreter of Maladies," I have been waiting to hear from Jhumpa Lahiri again. This book did not disappoint. The story is simple. An Indian couple, new to America, have two children, Gogol and Sonia. Gogol gets his name from a Russian writer, and the unusual moniker is a perpetual embarrassment to him. Not realizing the personal meaning behind his namesake, he changes his name to Nikhil when he enters college. But the name does not completely leave him, as he realizes throughout the novel. "The Namesake" is a story of an Indian-American and the identity and family conflicts that accompany that heritage. Lahiri is one of the most elegant writers working today. Her prose is remarkably simple and clear, yet manages to convey meanings and emotions with startling impact. Her descriptions of Gogol and his father walking on Cape Cod and of Gogol and his wife eating their first anniversary dinner are some of the best scenes in this book, tersely delivered but at the same time deeply touching. Lahiri's descriptions ("He feels a pleasant ache at his temples, and a sudden gratitude for the day and where it has brought him") are remarkably insightful, and capable of twisting a reader's heart. This is one of the few novels I have read (not for school) that I found myself highlighting passages and repeating sentences in my head throughout the day. I hope I don't have to wait another 4 years for Lahiri's next novel.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent debut novel
Review: First I must say that I waited very impatiently for Lahiri to write a follow up to 'Interpreter of Maldies', her Pulitzer Prize winning collection of short stories. That is one of my favorite books, so I was eager to see what she would do next. That level of expectation usually only serves to hurt a book, but 'The Namesake' is up to the task. Lahiri masterfully weaves a compelling story that doesn't fall into the trap that most short story writers get into when they write a full novel (inevitably most seem drawn out and boring, as if the writer is simply trying to fill the pages). The beautiful prose draws you into the story of Gogol, the son of immigrants from India named after the Russian author. 'The Namesake' is about the gap between Gogol and his family -- he born into America and wanting to fit in with our society, his parents unable to let go of the land they knew and the customs they grew up with. Gogol spends his life distancing himself from them and their ways, somewhat desperately trying to assimilate himself to the American way of life. It is a very relatable, very real story that feels close to the reader's heart and is true to life. This is all thanks to Jhumpa Lahiri, an author with a unique understanding of complex human emotions and an incredible ability to convey them to the reader. 'The Namesake' made the wait from her last book worth the while, and leaves you impatient for her next book all over again.
Rating:
Summary: A quiet unassuming look at real people
Review: I'm not sure why I picked this book up to read, but I'm so glad I did. The author provided a wonderful insightful look at new immigrants to this country and the tug between generations pulling it together with the conflict Gogol has with his name. I know very little about the East Indian culture, but I do know something about how sons and daughters can look at the world in an entirely different light than parents. The lack of understanding and the lack of communication between the parents and Gogal is not specific to East Indians; it is universal. In short, I loved this book because I grew to love the people in spite of their shortcomings
Rating: 
Summary: A Big Disappointment
Review: Jhumpa Lahiri's "The Namesake" contains some wonderful prose, excellent description, and her characterizations are generally good. Sadly, there is little else to compliment. For a writer who recently won the Pulitzer Prize, it is surprising that Lahiri fails on the most basic level of any story: there is no real conflict in "The Namesake." The only attempt at conflict is the main character's occasional problems with his first name, "Gogol." (Gogol's father decides to name his son after the Russian author, Nikolai Gogol.) This is hardly enough of a conflict to carry a 300 page novel. Besides his first name, Gogol's only experiences with adversity are the death of his father, which Lahiri fails to explore with any detail, and the break up of a relationship. (Poor Gogol finds himself a new girlfriend a chapter later.) While Lahiri tends to know her characters well, she does very little with Gogol's only sister, Sonia. We barely know her. Gogol's father dies suddenly mid-way through the novel, but Lahiri doesn't use this life altering event to add any significance to the novel. The reader will find very little story here. As a writer, Jhumpa Lahiri is simply capable of much more.
Rating: 
Summary: "Out of Gogol's overcoat"
Review: With her 1999 collection of short stories, INTERPRETER OF MALADIES, Pulitzer-Prize winning writer, Jhumpa Lahiri, proved her talent for storytelling and keen eye for detail. She demonstrates those same abilities again in her poignant first novel, THE NAMESAKE. Lahiri's book follows the thirty-two year journey of its protagonost, Gogol Ganguli, from his birth to Bengali-American parents in 1968, to a transitional moment in his life in 2000, and ultimately to his self-acceptance. Along the way, and always at odds with Indian-American culture, Lahiri's character changes the given name he hates from Gogol to Nikhil, suffers the death of his academic father, studies architecture at Yale and Columbia, marries Moushumi, an American-Bengali woman, and then encounters divorce. The point of Lahiri's compelling novel is not so much about the significance of one's name--"There's no such thing as a perfect name," Gogol recognizes at one point in his life (p. 145)--as it is about attempting to accept, interpret, and comprehend the events in our lives that shape us into who we are (p. 187). Although short in length, Lahiri serves up much food for thought in THE NAMESAKE. G. Merritt
Rating:
Summary: A MUST READ: Here's Why.
Review: The Namesake follows the life of Gogol Ganguli, an American of Indian descent. The book goes chronologically from his parent's early life in India to Gogol in his mid- thirties. The narrative has no strictly plotted, artificial set-up; it is merely Gogol's life as he lives it as a person caught between cultures. The title refers to Gogol's name, which plagues him so much in his early life that he officially changes it to Nikhil during college. The Russian writer Gogol is Gogol Ganguli's father's favorite writer, and he gives Gogol this name as his "family" name. Traditionally, Indian people have "good names," for public use, and "family names" that are used among close family members. Due to some confusion in school, Gogol's "good name" isn't used and he is referred to as Gogol by everybody. This is one of the first and most significant ways that American culture thwarts the Ganguli's efforts to raise their son with some connection to his Indian heritage. Gogol's name is a constant source of misery for him. Like him, it is neither American nor Indian; it is a perfect representation of the "otherness" that Gogol feels throughout his life. Gogol's desire to remake himself, to escape himself, is a constant theme in the book. Gogol's struggle between his Indian heritage and American lifestyles is another main focus of Lahiri's story. Gogol is confronted with several different life choices, usually in the form of girlfriend's from different cultural backgrounds, and how they clash with his family's view of how life should be lived and what has ultimate importance. Gogol is torn between wanting to shed and wanting to hold his Indian heritage, and Lahiri's best writing comes in these times when Gogol is confronted with ways of life that either attract or repel him. One of my favorite sections of the book is when Gogol is dating a woman named Maxine who comes from a very wealthy, very WASPy family. Lahiri's descriptions of the homes, clothing, food, and everyday activities of the family give us a fully-fleshed out view of their lifestyle, and help us to understand how their casually glamorous, but ultimately shallow lifestyle is so alluring. The Namesake is not a book that makes any claims about the superiority of one country or culture over the other. Lahiri gives us both the good and bad of Indian and American life, and clearly shows why American openness of emotion and ability to choose one's own profession and mate can appeal to a person from the more reserved and traditional Indian culture. The most engaging thing about this book is the great sympathy and understanding Lahiri has for all of her characters. One of the most complicated characters in the novel is Gogol's wife Moushumi, who by the end of the story has wrecked their marriage with an affair. Lahiri shows us her dissatisfaction with Indian life, and her regret about her marriage and the academic success she has given up for it. Lahiri does not seem to judge Moushumi's actions as either bad or good, but as yet another result of the conflicted feelings of Indian-American children.
I would recommend this novel to anyone interested in the idea of cultural "otherness." Lahiri's writing is probably not to everyone's taste, but she does have a fresh and sympathetic voice. Pick up a copy! Another interesting Amazon quick pick: The Losers Club by Richard Perez
Rating:
Summary: Subtle Yet Searing Portrayal of an Immigrant Family
Review: I first came across Jhumpa Lahiri when I heard one of the haunting stories from "Interpreter of Maladies" read on NPR's short story program. A friend of mine who is an high school English teacher alerted me when "The Namesake" was released and I read it eagerly. I absolutely couldn't put it down. The prose is exquisite and the story is compelling, to me, a naturalized citizen (from the Caribbean). There are at least three different, interwoven storylines: the adaptation and assimilation of the Bengali parents and their children to "America"; the first generation-second generation immigrant conflict between the Bengali parents and the Bengali-American kids; and a coming-of-age story of Gogol Ganguli. Each thread is related to the other two (obviously) and Lahiri does an amazing job of subtly emphasizing each particular thread at different points while not allowing any single thread to dominate the novel. All the characters (even the "minor" characters) are so vividly drawn (with the curious exception of Gogol's sister) that they stay with you long after you have finished reading "The Namesake."
Rating:
Summary: Richly Rewarding
Review: Let me start by saying that I purchased the audiobook of The Namesake which I "read" over a thirteen hour drive. I enjoyed it immensely. I found the story refreshingly void of conniving or over-arching plot twists, and I was engaged by Jhumpa Lahiri's storytelling -- at once simple, elegant, straight-forward and rich.
Rating:
Summary: Faultless Prose, But Lacks Momentum
Review: While Lahiri has received a great deal of praise, I can't help but feel that this novel suffers from a bit of gravity. A young man's struggle to embrace his ethnicity is symbolized by the eventual dismissal of his given name--Gogol--a name meaningfully chosen by his father (though the import is lost on Gogol). Throughout the course of his early life and into adulthood, Gogol is portrayed as an aloof, somewhat cold character. He lacks passion and his relationships suffer. I suppose we are to feel that Gogol's difficulties are a direct result of his self-loathing, which stems from a battle with his own heritage. Still, Lahiri's writing is seamless and direct. I also enjoyed "Interpreter of Maladies" and look forward to her next novel.
Rating:
Summary: A man without a country
Review: One of the themes of this book--a man without a place, trapped between two or more worlds--is one that never seems to get old, especially in today's changing world with its globalization, terrorism, changing demographics, and socio-economic problems. Hence, the recent success for Jhumpa Lahiri's novel, THE NAMESAKE. And while this theme is nothing new (McCrae used it in his Bark of the Dogwood as did numerous others) Lahiri's masterful writing brings this idea to an entirely new level. Colorful characters and settings, along with expert pacing make this a one-of-a-kind read. Highly recommended.
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