Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful And Recomended
Review: A beautiful book on relationships and culture.
An expressive and enjoyable read. A journey
to experience.
Rating: 
Summary: the namesake
Review: i gave up after the first 100 pages.lahiri should stick to the short story genre. the characters in the novel are bland and never come alive. after 1/3 of the book I really didn't care whether the protagonist liked his name or not. He is an unbelievable bore.
a reader from massachusetts
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing first novel
Review: I was a huge fan of Jhumpa Lahiri's collection of short stories, "Interpreter of Maladies," which I found complex, with words, characters and ideas woven together like a rich tapestry. I couldn't wait to read her first novel. I'm sorry to report that I was very disappointed with "The Namesake." It is almost impossible to have any feeling for the main character, Gogol since Lahiri's distant, emotionless description of his life is simply boring. There is really no narrative pull to the story, nothing much happens -- Lahiri describes Gogol's uneventful life with little interest or enthusiasm.
The main point of the novel is Gogol's difficulty coming to terms with his parent's Indian heritage (I found the parents characters much more interesting and compelling than Gogol) and his life as a first generation Indian in the United States. His unhappiness with his unique name in some ways reflects his ambivalence about his dual heritage (and his lack of understanding of both.) All and all, the novel is a trememdous snooze. I found myself scanning pages near the end, just to finish it.
I hope that having gotten this (maybe somewhat autobiographical?) novel out of her system, Lahiri can now be free to let her imagination and wonderful writing skills go wild.
Rating: 
Summary: Good book, but somewhat too long
Review: Jhumpa Lahiri, - This is a depressing novel; almost well written, but depressing nonetheless. It should have been subtitled "The worst things that can happen to you if you emigrate". It permeates your consciousness especially if you identify with the protagonists Ashima and Ashoke who left their homeland to strike out a life in the US. That they succeeded is vastly overshadowed by the events that happen to them when their kids grow. About 2/3rd of the book is dedicated to Gogol, the namesake. Gogol is Ashima and Ashoke's first born. Despite the attempts -- or maybe because of them -- of the first generation immigrant parents to inculcate the native culture in their offsprings, things inevitably go wrong. The father faces an untimely death, the son faces growing up and fitting in two cultures, neither of which can lay a claim on him completely. The mother faces life without a husband and grown children who have their own agendas. The ending is somewhat contrived and long overdue. The novel appears to be stretched out at the end; an end that was not quite fruitful. Compared to her first book consisting of short stories (Interpreter of Maladies) of Indian diaspora, this book appears somewhat cumbersome and overdone. I liked her first offering much better.
Rating:
Summary: "There's no such thing as a perfect name"
Review: After reading an interview with Jhumpa Lahiri in the current issue of Book Magazine I quickly pre-ordered a copy of her debut novel, THE NAMESAKE. Because I enjoyed other books geared towards the lived experiences of individuals from India I was sure I would enjoy it. Overall, I wasn't disappointed. Lahiri's prose is certainly admirable as I constantly found myself getting lost in her words.
At the center of THE NAMESAKE is Gogol, a second generation Bengali-American growing up in New England. His intended good name given by his great grandmother is somehow lost in the mail between Calcutta and Boston and as a result his pet name, Gogol, becomes his good name. But Gogol hates his name, especially when he discovers that he is named after a Russian writer who has lived a failed life. The NAMESAKE follows the life of Gogol and his feelings towards his name as he strives to find his true identity on the cultural bridge between Calcutta and Boston. THE NAMESAKE is a good, but not great, book. The premise adds much light to the unique Bengali culture, although I found the final section to be somewhat dull and drawn out.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Read for Children of Indian Immigrants
Review: If you've every wondered if others feel like you, this is a book to read. You will identify with the characters, whose thoughts and feelings are vividly expressed by Jhumpa Lahiri. However, it should be relegated specifically for those who have pushed themselves beyond the confines of the lives their parents have built, as main character does within this book. Well written, simple story.
Rating: 
Summary: Average not worth the hype
Review: Lahiri's simple and sparse prose worked beautifully with her collection of short stories "The Interpreter of Maladies," but lacked the energy necessary to sustain a reader's interest in the longer form of the novel. The third-person narrative was too bland, and I felt that it was too hard to feel anything for the characters or experience the meaning of the novel. Overall, the book was very mediocre.
Rating:
Summary: My review of the Namesake
Review: I enjoyed The Namesake very much. Jhumpa Lahiri writes with such detail in a rather short novel just under 300 pages. The significance of names, the process of making a life in the United States after living in India, and trying to preserve the native Indian culture are just some of the important and interesting themes in this book. The main character in the novel is a young man named Gogol. The book covers Gogol's life from birth to age 32. Gogol gets into romantic relationships and out of them very quickly. I think this pattern of people falling in and out of love is something not only myself but others can relate to. Gogol is named after the Russian writer Nikolai Gogol whom his father admires very much. The reason his son is named Gogol is because when his father survives a bad train accident, he is holding a page of the author by the same name which helps him get rescued. This is a very emotional moment told in the first pages of this book It really hooked and sparked my interest in the powerful way Jhumpa Lahiri writes. I enjoyed reading the transformation Gogol's mother Ashima makes. She is a young, scared, jobless, dependent woman at the beginning of the novel. She becomes a strong, self reliant, employed woman at the end of the book.
I loved the names of the characters the author uses in this novel. Each Indian name in this novel has a interesting meaning to it. I loved reading about the different names in this book. Ashoke, Gogol's father's name means he who transcends grief. Gogol mother is named Ashima which means limitless without borders. Gogol takes a formal name when he starts school. He is named Nikhil which means he who is entire, emcompassing all. The author describes an India where people boil rice and shampoo their hair on the sidewalk. Commuters in India. threaten to committ suicide by jumping from buses and trams too. The Namesake is a very entertaining book by a talented writer.
Rating:
Summary: Family ties bridge culture and assimilation
Review: The newlywed Ganguli's arrive in America in 1967, beset with conflicting expectations and dreams. Calcutta-born Ashima and Ashoke Ganguli embrace their new life together in America. They approach each new task with considerable courage; however, as Ashoke grows more comfortable by the day in his work, his young wife is tormented by a terrible homesickness for her extended family. Pregnant, Ashima is lethargic and lonely, anticipating only the letters received from Calcutta, news and gossip from favorite relatives. Once she gives birth, however, Ashima is able to focus more on the requirements of everyday life, her son's demands requiring her attention. Informed that they must provide a first name for the birth certificate, the young couple is forced to forego Bengali custom, which would allow them to choose a formal name when the child is older. Nonplussed, Ashoke submits the name Gogol, never meant for use as the child's public name. Ashoke makes this choice impulsively, based on the Russian writer Nikolai Gogol, who inspired Ashoke in a very personal manner as a young man. The Ganguli's fit readily into an academic community, where they eventually establish a network of Bengali friends, gathering for holidays and special occasions common to their traditions. Unfortunately, Gogol, a well-mannered and dutiful boy, detests his name, although helpless to change it until he reaches maturity. Gogol and the other second-generation Bengali children become progressively more Americanized, never really participating wholeheartedly in the family gatherings or visits to Calcutta. Still, following a number of relationship experiences, Gogol's perspective changes and he matures into a man who values his family of origin. Gogol's story is actually a simple one, as lived by many multi-cultural citizens of America. The human complaints and complications stem from the dichotomy Gogol endures for most of his early years, but the strength of the writing is in Lahiri's exquisite attention to detail. These people are not strangers; they are our neighbors, friends and fellow workers, whose lives are fraught with indecision and constant change. With enviable ease, Lahiri illuminates the intimate traits that are so appealing and familiar to us all. The Namesake overflows with the subtle grace and dignity of a family forced to make peace with their divided loyalties. Lahiri delves into the heart of the Indian experience, the difficult and tedious adjustments and the inevitable pain of separation. Lahiri's compelling prose flows beautifully into each character's definition. The temperament of the Calcutta-born Ganguli's is brilliantly portrayed, the couple tied to their Indian roots, customs and rituals. From their difficult immigrant experience to Gogol's continuous struggle for comfort in his own skin, the reader is privy to the intricate process of assimilation and the comforting ties of tradition. Affection is generously transferred from one generation to another in The Namesake. Confronted with culture shock and a yearning for acceptance, the novel's focus is familiar territory: the power of family in any land. Luan Gaines/2003.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointingly bland...
Review: Of all the professional reviews I have read so far, I think only Kirkus got it right; The Namesake is disappointingly bland. It seems to me that Lahiri wrote a very long and detailed short story which I happened to think is her best medium. After finishing the book, I asked myself "what's the point of the book." There are lots of cliches about immigrant experiences in America, and Lahiri's calm and drama-less tones made seem this book very long. In the end, I didn't really care about any of the characters. Overall, this book like so many hyped books, is overly praised.
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