The Mistress of Spices: A Novel

I picked up this book after hearing that it would soon be adapted into a film starring Aishwarya Rai (as Tilo) and Dylan McDermott (as Doug aka Raven). Having recently 'discovered' India and Ms. Rai in the delicious film "Bride and Prejudice" and having just returned from a trip to San Francisco, I became intrigued by the plot of this book: an immortal Indian woman, Tilo, has the power to manipulate spices in order to help others. She keeps a shop in Oakland, CA, and administers the spices to those who ask for help. She is faced with a dilemma, however, when she meets the mysterious American, Raven...should she stay true to her purpose and remain immortal or give up everything for the man she loves? More than just a story of choices, sacrifice and love, several wonderful characters also populate this novel: - Haroun, the taxi driver who dreams of 'making it' big in America; - Geeta, the young woman who faces opposition and estrangement from her family when she falls in love with wrong man; - Geeta's grandfather, who at first opposes Geeta but later relents and tries to rebuild the relationships within his family; - Lalita who is trapped in a loveless marriage with her brute of a husband; - Jagjit, a promising young man who makes friends with the 'wrong crowd;' - Hameeda, a single mother who secretly yearns for love; ..and, of course, there is Tilo - a young woman trapped in the body of an elderly woman who has the power to help those around her. Her fate becomes entwined with Raven, a young man with a secret past and who is the only person who sees Tilo for what she really is. I breezed through this book and could hardly put it down. By the end I wished it would go on and on. Though the story does have a conclusion (and doesn't leave you hanging like other books), I just wanted Tilo's story to continue. Finishing it was like saying goodbye to an old friend. I applaud Ms. Divakaruni for creating such memorable and endearing characters and for effortlessly weaving fantasy and reality in one entertaining story. I highly recommend this book to romantics everywhere and I'm looking forward to seeing the finished film. I am optimistic that the talented Aishwarya Rai and Dylan McDermott will do justice to Ms. Divakaruni's fabulous prose.

What a joy to read this book. Tilo, the "Mistress of Spices", comes to America - Oakland, California - where she opens her own spice shop after completing an arduous apprenticeship on a remote, mysterious island. But Tilo is no ordinary woman. She's headstrong, rebellious AND a natural born mystic with incredible psychic powers. Ms. Divakaruni creates a world of sheer poetic magic where everything is bursting with life and nothing is as it seems. Even the spices are alive, their tiny voices both soothing and dominating Tilo. They demand her absolute loyalty which naturally drives Tilo crazy. Can you imagine having to explain yourself to a sack of sesame seeds? Then when a hansome stranger shows up Tilo has to choose: the seeds or the guy? I don't know. Those seeds look pretty tasty. I loved it. The story's warm, funny, and at times, heartbreaking.

The Mistress of Spices is written with a masterful mix of flights of fancy combined with everyday grittiness. The author, Chirtra Banerjee Divakaruni mixes her images with the same skill as an Indian housewife her special masala curry mix--unique, complex, and delicious. The story is a fable-like tale of a Mistress of Spices, a woman trained in the art of using the everyday spices of Indian cooking and Ayurvedic medicine to solve the spiritual crises of daily life; family troubles, heartbreak, loss. But the Mistress herself must conform to a rigid code of behavior that is in constant conflict with the passions that surround her. Tilo, the Mistress who plies her craft in a dusty, typically Indian grocery store in Oakland, CA, is empathetic with the passions she heals with her spices. Maybe too empathic--and the price she might have to pay is very high. The outcome of the novel is touching and the entire books is a wonderful movement from the mythic to the real. If you liked the novel Like Water for Chocolate, you will love this book.

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's book, The Mistress of Spices, is a luminous and heart rending excursion into the human spirit. A magical tale, twisting with threads spun from the purist colors of love and emotion, it delves deep into the place where true healing lives, and unfolds the most human of hearts. It is rare that a novel even approachs this end.

I bought this book because of the sheer fantasy and escapism I knew it would bring me - I wasn't disappointed; It was wonderful! I love the way the book reflects the shame of domestic abuse still felt by today's woman; the ostracism felt by a teenager; cross-cultural love; the older woman and a love that's meant to be. All this in a short book!The beauty of this book is that it manages to encompass so much with so few words! I've read this book so many times and I can't get tired of it! Why! If your imagination is as wild and fruitful as mine, you will be able to smell the herbs and spices in that little shop!Sheer escapism - fantasies exist to make them come alive! I believe!