Rating: 
Summary: A Culinary Delight!
Review: This book might as well be classified as culinary fiction. I was hungry for more with every flip of the page. Every word, every description, left me aching for more. The book comes alive with its vivid descriptions. I enjoyed reading it, however make sure you keep a snack or two on the side..it will make you hungry.
Banerjee is a masterpiece storyteller. Her characters leap from the pages and into your heart. If you read this, I would also recommend "Arranged Marriage" along side it.
Rating: 
Summary: One half of this book is worth it
Review: I recently re-read this book because I vaguely remembered liking it. I realize know why the feeling was a vague memory. The first half of the book is well-written and fabulistic in the best sense. The writing style fits the way the secondary characters and their experiences are introduced. Tilo's mythical story is also fascinating.But, with the introduction of the rich, handsome, exotic Raven, the story completely flounders. Tilo breaks many of the rules assigned to her. And the Old One and her return to the island are abandoned at the end without a second thought. I agree with a previous reviewer that it resembles a Harlequin novel. It made me want to throw the book across the room. A great first half, undermined by a flaccid 2nd half.
Rating: 
Summary: Very beautiful
Review: It took me a bit to get into The Mistress of Spices, which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5. The beginning just -- well -- begins and I admittedly got lost. But being a fan of Divakaruni, I knew that at some point, I would be glad I kept on reading, and truly I am. Divakaruni is at her most lyrical and poetic in The Mistress of Spices. And it's not only that -- she really makes you look at yourself and what you want in life. What's really important. The risks you need to take in life in order to be happy. This is what this book is about. Mixed in is a bit of fairy tale and fantasy, but underneath it all is just life. I would recommend this book to anyone, and tack on a bit of encouragement to get through those first few pages. After you're done reading, go back to the beginning and re-read them. You'll be glad you did.
Rating:
Summary: Spice Guide
Review: This book is entrancing and interesting for its spice lore and other lore of ancient (& current) India, told most evocatively. The only weak point I found was the love story of the main character, which I found to be less satisfying than the rest of her own story and those of the other characters that she follows. But the book more than makes up for it; that is about 15% of what is otherwise a real tapestry of the senses on paper, and a wealth of lessons on love and life.
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