Rating: 
Summary: I Really Wished for More
Review: Based on my reading of Lahiri's fine short story collection that won the Pulitzer Prize, I expected a complex, nuanced novel which would deliver closely observed and clear writing. I was ready for a real treat.
Instead, I got a kind of automatic writing of a drawn out short story. At first, the book opens very well with descriptions of a birth and an awful train wreck that changes the course of Gogol's father's life. I thought I was in for something brilliant. But then the plot, if one can call it that, drags and drags. The writing becomes antiseptic, mistaking minute observation for literature, and losing its overall passion and reason for being. I had to fight through much of this book, skipping pointless passages, and enduring elaborate descriptions of Gogol's lovers, their clothes and hairstyles, their shoes, their parents, and their parents' homes. All for what?
Then, when Gogol must confront his father's death, we see him acting like a zombie, wretching, breaking up with his girlfriend, but never getting to anything that moves us. His mother's reaction to her husband's death seems inauthentic. And in fact, much in this novel is just that. After a while, I just didn't care about the characters.
The real problem is that Lahiri is a short story writer who tried to stretch a short story into a novel, but didn't have the substance in the original idea to bring it off.
I'm frankly disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: What's in a Name?
Review: How does a writer follow up a Pulitzer Prize-winning debut? Jhumpa Lahiri, who at the age of 32 was awarded the coveted literary prize for her masterful story collection, Interpreter of Maladies, once again marvels readers with smooth and elegant prose in her novel, The Namesake. Lahiri clearly illustrates what it is to live an entire life in America, but still feel a bit out of place at times. Her stunning images of the elaborate feasts, the traditional clothing, and the ceremonial rites of the Indian culture make The Namesake a very rewarding and worthwhile reading experience.
Rating: 
Summary: Unfortunately or fortunately...
Review: Unfortunately or fortunately for Ms. Lahiri, her debut "Interpreter of Maladies" has set a very high standard & high expectations from the readers. "The Namesake" is a quiet story about a South Asian immigrant family from Calcutta. This narrative is reflective & observant. The author's exploratory style captures feelings & social insight. However it fails to highlight the subtleties which made her first novel unique. If you could read this novel without expectations, it will prove to be a pleasant read.
Rating:
Summary: Much hyped and pretentious
Review: After reading Lahiris first book I had lot of expectations about his book. And I read some rave reviews about this book as well. As an Indian immigrant living in the US and watching a few recetn movies about Asian Indians I found this book just stating the obvious. Narration of evey day life of second generation Indians and their parents. The book except for soem few occasions never goes inside the tribulations of characters. And the book becomes shallow and at some other places pretentious. I agree there are some good chapters in this book. And that is the reason I think Lahiri is a good short story writer and her language is refreshing.
For a refreshingly simple and a highly enjoyable book I would recommend Monica Ali's Brick Lane which is short listed for the Booker prize this year.(It is a story of Asian immigrants in Britian similiar to this book)
Rating: 
Summary: Nothing short of brilliant!!!
Review: When Jhumpa Lahiri wrote 'Interpreter of Maladies' I thought it was a really good book. Did it deserve the Pulitzer...probably not in my opinion. However with this book, Jhumpa has more than convinced me that she is a Pulitzer deserving author.
This book is brilliant. The character of Gogol is beautifully brought out in this book. Waiting for her next book.
Rating:
Summary: For lovers of literature
Review: I've heard it said that this is a book about the immigrant experience in America. Perhaps so; I cannot speak personally on that matter. To me, however, this is a much broader and more universal story. The author examines every child's desire to conform in all things, to reject his parent's values, to carve a life separate from family expectations; and to find love. It's a story of finding one's way in the world.
I've heard that the book is depressing; I could not disagree more. How can we not be inspired by Ashima's ability to adapt to her life circumstances and develop into a strong woman with many friends? How can we not be hopeful that Gogol is learning from his past mistakes and has an opportunity to find happiness? And who doesn't feel uplifted by Ashoke who followed his dream and comes to believe that he had been blessed with two miracles in his lifetime? A reader who's spirit is not comforted by this story might be better satisfied with a nice little romance novel and a box of chocolates.
As for the author's talents; you may believe every positive comment you encounter.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Brilliant, I'm Guessing
Review: Jhumpoa Lahiri's mesmerizing "The Namesake" takes us on a wondrous journey into the life of Gogol, a confused emigre' attempting to find his place in this
world. Along the way, we are treated to Lahiri's hypnotic storytelling technique. Lahiri's brilliant telling of this "non-story", or what other less-astute readers would refer to as "a boring story", sweeps the reader into the dizzying cacaphony of breaking hearts and unfulfilled dreams which is life itself. We follow poor, neurotic little Gogol, as he wages an eternal, unneccessary battle with his ill-fated name. We witness Gogol
courting an ambitious high-caste Indian girl only to have the relationship dissolved upon learning that she is incapable of producing a decent chapati. We see Gogol being fixed up with a sweet, homemaking Bengali girl by his over-bearing mother. Other characters such as the magical Night Shyamalan and the cherubic Deepak Chopra play important roles in Gogol's evolution, while still others like the bumbling shop-owners Sirajul and Mujibir are introduced for mere narrarrative effect. What does one mean by narrarrative effect? I do not know. "The Namesake" presents Gogol's journey not so much as a delineated biography, but rather as a social and spiritual trek through which the reader also is prodded to explore his own self-awareness and to find his own spiritual bearings. I have not read a single word of it, but I must say that "The Namesake" pulses with life.
Again, I feel I must remind everyone, I have no intention of ever reading this book. That stuff about the chapati and Night Shyamalan and everything is pure guesswork. The book may be something entirely different than what I have described above. But I highly recommend it. Did I mention that The Namesake , at
its core, celebrates the triumph of the human spirit?
Rating:
Summary: a good book but doesn't meet expectations
Review: After the smashing "Interpreter of Maladies," I was waiting with great eagerness for Lahiri's novel. I started "The Namesake" with a lot of enjoyment, but my enthusiasm flagged as I read on. She captures certain details extremely well, and particular characters in the book are very engaging. The main character is not one of them, unfortunately (in fact, he becomes a bit tiresome by the end). Having lived in NY, New Haven, and Boston and having visited Calcutta, all of which are locations in the book, I can say that she really only brings NY alive (though her descriptions of the New England lakeside are also very evocative). However, by the end of the book, her examination of being of two cultures yet not fully in either becomes a bit old hat. Despite some delightful details, there isn't really anything new in this book that hasn't been said before, and said well, by either Lahiri herself or other writers. Nonetheless, it's worth reading, and I'm still eagerly awaiting her next work. I still think she's terrific--maybe the short story is simply her best genre.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Amazing!
Review: I've always been fond of Indian writing. Everything from Rushdie to Narayan to Naipaul has actively captured my interest. However, it is this book which has finally incorporated EVERYTHING I love in Indian literature (immigration to America, family significance, the role of fate/chance, and the simple idea of one's namesake). Ms. Lahiri has captured all of this beautifully. This is the best book I've read in 3 years and is one for which I KNOW I will read again (hopefully sooner than later). Her sentences flow from one to the other. I couldn't imagine editing her work as it would disrupt the smooth, unwavering flow of the narrative. Lahiri's use of tragedy was remarkable. She'd simply interject a sentence regarding a character's death, and then show the reaction of the other characters--rather than build up an overly melodramatic death scene. Incredibly powerful. It's almost a shame that Lahiri has won the Pulitzer already--as this book would certainly have been a contender this year.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing, Bland, and Stereotypical
Review: I am stunned by all the hype and the positive reviews in the media and on Amazon about this book. Lahiri's 'wanna be' New Yorker sparse style doesn't work. In fact, it plods and burdens the narrative in such a way that the characters themselves (not just the author) become self conscious. The story is typical and hackneyed. Husband and wife move to Cambridge, MA from India. Wife struggles with domesticity and change. Husband aspires to new beginnings. They have a son, Gogol. Son grows up confused, grapples with strange Russian name. The American backdrop pulls son in two different directions. And so on. The indirect, non-emotive style fails us throughout the novel. We begin to suspect that there isn't a layer beneath the surface. There is no bubbling turbulence, the hallmark of masters of sparsity. We never really know the characters or their feelings. They flit in and out of their material world, and we are denied entry to their emotional or mental states. Many Indian writers have already dealt with the immigrant experience, lyrically, beautifully, and innovatively. This is not new anymore. It is over done! Writers of the diaspora are now so beyond this subject area that they have either started writing about a generation born and brought up here, comfortable with their Indianness or having forsaken it altogether (eg. Salman Rushdie, Bharati Mukerjee etc.) or they have given themselves the liberty and the permission to write freely about an Indian or South Asian perspective, set solely and completely in those spaces. Read Amitav Ghosh, Rohinton Mistry etc. Lahiri is the creation of an MFA program, and Houghton Mifflin's ridiculous marketing and advertising budget. Don't waste your time or money on this book. There is a body of work out there worthy of the basic theme of immigrant literature.
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