Rating: 
Summary: not as good as "difficult daughters" , but worth u'r while
Review: "what the body remembers" is set around the period india's partition and revolves around the relationship between two wives of a rich landowner . this book magnificently captures the horror and bloodshed that plagued india in those days . even the clashing of various religious sentiments . the characterization is good . roop (the village girl who is frightened of remaining unmarried and shunned by society and is then finally married off to sardarji , the landowner) , satya (sardarji's furious first wife) , and sardarji (the man caught between the two women) all come to life in this tale of love , passion , hatred , jealousy , life and death . the relationship between roop and satya has been portrayed very well . the book is also extremely sentimental and emotinal , an outcry to the great losses that impoverished india during that dark period . not as good as "difficult daughters" , but worth u'r while , all the same .
Rating: 
Summary: 3 star!
Review: I came across this book quite by accident! I loved the cover.......and though one should not judge a book by its cover.....I was pleasently surprised.. for the most part...thought there were times where I had to skim past some rather dull momnets...but all in all....not a bad read.
Rating: 
Summary: Stylistic Weakness
Review: I think that this novel would have been greatly improved by reduction from 500 - plus pages to 300 or fewer. I appreciate that the author is trying to convey both the political background to the Partition, and the treatment of women in a patriarchal society, as well as telling the story of certain individuals. However, I often found the long-winded narrative tedious,and the references to a multitude of named characters highly confusing. Unlike many other Indian novels I've read, this one did not capture my imagination. Characters were not realized in depth, atmosphere was lacking, and plot was flat. It doesn't begin to compare with Arundhati Roy's "The God of Small Things", a novel that stayed in my mind for weeks.
Rating:
Summary: What The Body Remembers
Review: Ms. Baldwin's evocation of Punjab in the 1930's is so realistic one's throat becomes parched reading her brilliant prose. This novel is a story of the complicated interrelationships of Hindu, Sikh and Muslim families whose centuries-long guarded yet mostly peaceful co-existence is shattered by what is the violently-birthed beginning of the state of Pakistan. Ms. Baldwin's characters, particularly Satya, the first wife, and Roop-bi, the young, second, childbearing wife, are so real, one awakens surprised to find oneself not living near the cool storerooms of the mansions of the rich. As political intrigue, the tale also regales. The perilous journey thousands of families were made to take, based on religious differences (the state of Pakistan is Muslim) leaves the reader fearful for the protagonists lives as they pretend to be faithful servants of religions they've only observed. Satya, the Urdu-speaking barren first wife, is almost palpable. Her character would be played on American television by no less than Susan Lucci. She's Machiavellian to the core. She seethes with hatred when her husband brings home a teenage bride from a poor family to bear an heir. She plots revenge. How she obtains it is one of the most shocking and pitiful scenes in modern women's literature. Roop has her own secret to keep, which, if revealed, would make her "unmarriageable" and a permanent burden on her family. She is aware that her husband gives her his first wife's jewels as presents and that her sole reason for being brought into a feudally-bourgeoise existence is for the fruit of her loins. From my perspective, the men in this book almost don't count. They plan water irrigation systems, they hate each other's families, they rape and kill their perceived enemies, they are brutal and dense. The portraits of Satya and Roop-bi alone (and the peripheraly historical Ghandi, referred to by an endearing nickname) is worth spending the three days nonstop it will take you to read.
Rating: 
Summary: ShaunaJee, You are excellent
Review: On last Valentine Dat my grand-daughter presented me a book. I think it was the best gift I ever had. I could see myself and my family, all my childhood and youth,depicted there; my village, DORABADAL, is just 2/3 miles from Kuntrila and about 5/6 miles from Sohawa and about thrity miles from Rawalpindi. For me it was a most charming trip into the memory lane. I wish to kiss those fingures which put all that into words. If you ever visit Toronto please do give us, my wife and myslef, an opportunity of your company. My daughter who live in Paris, maried to a Frenchman, has already read the novel and was very much impressed. She teaches English there to the adult classes. doctors, engineers etc. If you find time please do visit my WebPage too at: <www.bindra.net> With greatest admiration, Pritpal Singh Bindra
Rating:
Summary: India at its best and worst
Review: Revolving around two wives and a rich land owner, this sprawling saga takes place during India's partition. Filled with the kind of color you'd expect, this well-written book is a tour-de-force of boundless emotion and intellect. Would als recommmend THE BARK OF THE DOGWOOD.
Rating:
Summary: What the Body Remembers
Review: Shauna Singh Baldwin writes the heart and soul of women who are restricted by their society simply because they were not born male. From the food they eat, ( more nutritious food is saved for the boys ) to the way they are made to feel about their worth in life, she captures their silent frustration. Western women can relate to them even while feeling tremendous relief at not having to live such restrictive lives.Roop and Satya are perfect examples of these women, both must adhere to male dominated tradition. Satya, the barren wife must endure her husband's marriage to a second "breeding " wife and is expected to welcome her as a sister. Roop is cheated out of the wedding ceremony that is her right, having a hurried, inexpensive one, and is told she must give her children to Satya to be raised as Satya's own. Each woman makes life harsh and painful for each other, Satya through deliberate cruelties to Roop; Roop simply by being alive and in the marriage bed formerly the domain of Satya. This is an excellent book for anyone who is interested in learning about Indian culture as known by a woman and a good book for the images of beauty and tragedies in lives lived in silent pain. Singh Baldwin is fair, though, because the men in her novel are also bound by certain restrictive traditions,though certainly not as harsh as their women. The men, though " superior " seemed to have more need of women than the women needed them. The interplay and destructive aspects of religions also was effective as a backdrop to the story. All in all, I found it to be an interesting read aand one that I picked up whenever I had a spare moment.Roop and Satya will remain in my mind for a long while.
Rating:
Summary: Borderline novel
Review: There many novels around that cover the same territory as this book: the bloodshed that surrounded Partition and the devastation wrought by the British upon India. There are many other books as well which discuss the experience of Indian women. This book is interesting because it deals with both of these subjects and from the perspective of two Sikh women. I have many Indian friends and know a little of Hindu and Moslem culture but of Sikhism I was ignorant and this novel has been a ssuperb introduction. The story focuses to a large extent upon the experiences of Satya and Roop, married to the same man. Both of their lives and their happiness are dependent on his and it is interesting to see how the two women manage to carve their own niches within this restriction. Major themes of this book are jealousy and fear. The fear of men, the fear of one's own body, the fear of strangers and of other religions. Jealousy and avarice too. The opening scene embodies all of these emotions as Satya inspects the young Roop, newly arrived at her husband's home wearing Satya's jewellry. It is a fantastically written introduction. However, despite his insensitivity and self-centredness, one of the wonderful things about this novel is observing the gradual transformation of Sardiji, a traditional and dominant male figure at the beginning of the novel into a thoughtful and generous one at the end. His political and personal journey is directly attributable to the influence, and destinies, of his wives. This book is not at all formulaic and is a worthy addition to the canon of modern Indian literature. I have read many of these books and, as recommended by another reviewer, this is the best novel about India I have read since A Suitable Boy.
Rating: 
Summary: disappointing ...
Review: Three attempts at reading this book have failed; it's hard to get beyond a certain point. It's undeniably clever (i.e., "read more of me, aren't I clever and academic"), and skipping forward beyond the point where I stopped, much diligent research is evident. However, for those of us who don't speak the language, it's annoying having to guess what the regional words lavishly interspersed throughout the text represent. The "voice" is too contrived -- the constant striving for clever effect is what spoiled it for me. I'm so disappointed since I personally enjoy the India of Ruth Prawar Jhabwala and Satjajit Ray, and had been looking so forward to this one.
Rating:
Summary: The Body Remembers Pain
Review: What the Body Remembers falls into the genre known among my friends and I as "awful/wonderful." "Awful/wonderful" books tell painful truths in such a compelling manner that the reader greedily ingests them, even aches for more. This book, with its no-holds-barred tale of the treatment of women in India, whether Muslim, Hindu or Sikh, can be painful to read--but it's impossible not to. Of all the novels I've read by and about Indian women's lives, What the Body Remembers was by far the most disturbing. And yet I was sorry to close it after reading the last page--it was throughly engrossing, and as fascinating in its way as Memoirs of a Geisha. I highly recommend it.
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