Rating: 
Summary: Not a classic, but has merit
Review: Several points about this work:
- Not the best written piece I've read, but quick and well done none the less
- First generation Indians/Asians or foreign-born Indians/Asians will be able to relate very well to this book, perhaps much better than Americans can
- Good if you fall into the late 20s-early 30s demographic, semi-affluent, like wine and good friends
Rating:
Summary: Very Good Portrayl of South Asian- American Life
Review: Anyone who feels torn between modern, american culture and their traditional family ethnic roots will appreciate this book. Lahiri writes with a beautiful rhythm that really brings out the sentiment of her characters and the times that they are living in. The main character, Gogol, grows up resigned to attending the parties and cultural events of his parents and their friends without much interest. As young adult, this polite indifference turns to almost complete avoidance of his family and their Bengali lifestyle as he admires the lifestyle of his stylish Manhattan girlfriend's family. After the death of his father, Gogol no longer wants to avoid his family, but his resistance to include his girlfriend in this shift of attention creates more conflict than the relationship can handel. His subsequent marraige to a Bengali woman looks like it may be the answer, but there are still conflicts he did not forsee, as there often are in life.
The reader also sees the shift in his parents perspective. When Gogol is seeing his first American girlfriend in college, his parents fully disapprove, but by the end of the book, Gogols sister, Sonia is engaged to a Jewish-American man. His mother believes that Sonia will be very happy in her marraige, and fully gives her blessing.
The Russian name "Gogol" perhaps is representative of the fact that the main character never feels fully American nor Bengali - like his name, but is otherwise a feature of the book that doesn't really hold much interest for me. I'm not sure why the author chose to make it such a central feature.
Overall a great read. I'm looking forward to her next book!
Rating: 
Summary: Resonated with me.
Review: I can understand a lot of the critiques of this book. In a lot of ways, it's much clumsier than the Interpreter of Maladies, but what I thoroughly loved was the subtle dichotomy between second generation "outside selves" in Nikhil and the "inside self" in Gogol. She uses the two names to create the two different personalities that children of NRIs often create to deal with the world. We become more "Indian" at home and more "American" away. She accurately portrays the guilt and the questioning in creating this duality. The feeling of whether we do justice to one side or another. I agree with the critics who say it jumped around in Gogol's life, too much, but I think her ideas ended up being well expressed.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome Read!
Review: I think that The Namesake is an awesome book. I couldn't put it down and read it in two days. I have since reread it again discovering little details that I missed in the first read. It was said by another reviewer that the novel lacked conflict. This is not true in my opinion. The conflict is an internal one as Gogol tries to define who he is in this world with one foot planted in the US and the other in India. It's about his struggle with his name Gogol and how he detests it so much that he changes it to Nikhil and goes on to create a life as Nikhil, but to his family he will always be Gogol. It's about both defying tradition and also embracing it as well.
Rating:
Summary: good book
Review: An easy read.Well written,I enjoyed it alot more than Interpreter of Maladies.
Rating:
Summary: a subtle, intelligent, fabulous book
Review: This is a worthy follow up to the amazing "Interpreter of Maladies" collection. Jhumpa Lahiri is a first-rate writer, with an incredible command of her craft and her material. I'm awed.
Rating:
Summary: An enjoyable read but just slightly lacking
Review: I must agree with the reviewers who said there is not much to the story - it's true but the writing is so good and the characters so real and well shown that you keep reading anyway. I definitely enjoyed reading it.
Rating: 
Summary: Good read
Review: The Namesake is a wonderful book. I enjoyed the brief lesson on Indian culture and the plight of the torn main character between 2 cultures. It almost makes you jealous to not be so diverse in your upbringing or beliefs. The main characters are all flawed and very real. It was nice to read from the inside looking out rather than the opposite as most of us do.
Rating: 
Summary: I just realized - I HATED THIS BOOK TOO!
Review: I read this book a while ago. I resisted for a long time, because my parents are Bengali, but my upbringing had no resemblance to the people in this book, at least based on the blurbs I'd read prior to torturing myself. 1. The pretension was unbearable. Please.....give us something interesting. Why not talk about the diaspora? What of the many Indians (Bengalis, non-Bengalis) who actually *STRUGGLE* a little in America? Gawd. Get creative, I say. What about the inter-Indian fighting? What about how Bengalis treat Bangladeshis badly? What about social problems that arise after living in the US, and addressing them in a *real* way (maybe Gogol's mom should have gone to a therapist, or left her husband...you know, things like that to create some powerful statements in the characters). This book was a freaking bore and kinda lifeless, uninspired. 2. About the pretension - annoying references, name-dropping BS. Get out of NYC and live in the world for a change. Not everyone runs around to country houses and fancy grocery stores (Dean and Deluca? Try Safeway) GET REAL. 3. Did I mention the pretentious flavor of this book? ICK! AND I AM BENGALI!!! 4. The only redeeming qualities were the death of his father, nicely done, and his mother's pregnancy (truthfully told, maybe IA's mom's have the same story, with variation). The rest, the life of Gogol, was a waste. Or maybe that was her point? What a bummer that would be.....
Rating:
Summary: Boring....
Review: I read this book after I read Interpretation of Maladies, hoping it would be just as good. To my disappointment, it was very dry and boring. There is no plot to the book. It's about a character named Gogal who is born and raised in the US. Honestly, if you have read one of such novels, you've read them all. So I wouldn't waste my time on it - there is nothing new and you'll probably skip over a lot of pages.
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