In the Convent of Little Flowers

by Indu Sundaresan

Book Overview

Now in paperback, internationally bestselling author Indu Sundaresan presents a poignant collection of contemporary short stories about the challenges and consequences faced by women in Indian life... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416586091
• ISBN13: 9781416586098
• Release Date: December 2008
• Publisher: Atria Books
• Length: 216 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.8" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Wonderful vignettes - haunting and well crafted

The mark of a good book to me is how much you end up thinking about it (positively, of course) after you're finished reading. I read this book a few months ago and the stories still haunt me. Each one was centered around a very specific theme like the ancient tradition of sati or treatment of the elderly in modern India. Sundaresan is a master story teller because every story made you want to learn more without leaving you feeling unsatisfied. Her other novels are wonderful reads as well and fir more in the historical fiction genre but she is clearly adept at the short story as well. This is a wonderful collection and will be hard to put down.

In the Convent of Little Flowers Review

"IN THE CONVENT of LITTLE FLOWERS" (Atria Books; ISBN: 978-1-4165-8609-8) is a compilation of impressively elegant short stories by Indu Sundaresan. She skillfully with utmost confidence takes the reader on a journey to the ancient culture, the unique diversity of India- its age old traditional rituals while at the same time making the reader question them and ponder over their hold on its inhabitants. The readers are introduced to compelling array of characters that are unforgettable, each is a portrait painted adeptly and even with their flaws and complexities are treated with respect by the author. The characters are struggling under the weight of thousands of years of ingrained beliefs and teachings on class, caste and sexuality- as it challenges their today's modern view, hopes and dreams. Thus the foregoing conflict within themselves and for their place in the 21st century India which influenced by western modernity cannot totally accept the age old practices or let go of their sway on them. All the nine stories in this collection explore the intricacies of relationships between friends, neighbors, sisters, husband-wife, grandparents and children-societal ties; their deep roots, their connections to past. It is interesting to note that the names of characters that people these pages are also taken from the Indian mythological legends with consequences in present day. In "Shelter of Rain," Padma, the American raised Indian adoptee prepares to meet her guardian nun from the orphanage 'Convent of Little Flowers'. Indu's evocative prose effectively opens our hearts to the conflict going on in the protagonist's mind and heart. "Three and Half Seconds" story about unforgettable characters of Meha and Chander. Meha during the evening of her life reflects on the devastating consequences of giving in to their child's every want and turning a blind eye to the early warning sign. This story may be the most disturbing as the reader can identify with the helplessness of society-neighbors bound by belief of non interference. "Fire" is a powerful story of obsessive destructive love; the power of money and the name of tradition to silence all wrongdoings. Payal, makes the most difficult journey to her childhood home to confront these issues. "The Key Club" is formed when the eight richest, powerful men of Chennai realize that there is something which their wealth cannot give them. Sundaresan cleverly weaves in the story the main character Ram's longing for his best friend's wife who was the college sweetheart he left as she was not up to his financial stature...was of lower class. "Bedside Dreams" is a tale of heart break of a loving couple who are sent to the retirement home by their 12 sons. The narrator of this story Kamal's wife wonders if things would have been different if their eldest daughter had lived. Indu Sundaresan impressively drives home the point when the narrator says "We had fought, at one time, so long ago, for our co

A must read for novella fans!

I was thrilled to have the opportunity to review Indu Sundaresan's new book In the Convent of Little Flowers. She writes her new book with the same prose and sincerity that I have come to attribute her with. I have been hooked from the time of The Twentieth Wife, one of her earlier novels, and was looking forward to her latest work, and Ms. Sundaresan delivers again! In this wonderful collection of nine short stories we are introduced to a variety of modern-day and mythical characters that range from being inextricably entrenched in age-old Indian traditions and ancient beliefs, to the other extreme of nonconformist Indians. I found it interesting that Ms. Sundaresan drew from real life experiences and discussions in writing these stories. All authors are inspired by various means, but when the basis of a story has true life ties it makes for a more intriguing read. First we meet an orphan, adopted by an American couple, who as an adult living in Seattle receives a letter from the nun that runs the orphanage revealing that she is her Aunt, and that her biological Mother lies dying surrounded by her husband and legitimate children. The story of four and half seconds unravels in a unique manner, and is by far my favourite; it is the poignant tale of an elderly couple who take desperate measures in dealing with the mistreatment of an ungrateful son. In the story of a sati, we feel the desperation of a man who attempts to stop the burning alive of a young widowed girl on the funeral pyre of her husband. Then there's the one of two married women with strong attractions toward one another, who are compelled to leave their respective marriages for a life together in a society that even today does not openly condone homosexuality. In keeping with the unorthodox theme is the tale of a swingers club, in which a group of married socialite couples agree to meet up regularly and swap partners for the night in a posh hotel. With each story Ms. Sundaresan is able to engage her reader almost immediately and unfold an entirely different idea within a short span of pages. In some cases I was left wanting more. This book comes highly recommended!

From S. Krishna's Books

I am a huge fan of Indu Sundaresan's work. She has written three historical fiction novels; two are about Empress Nur Jahan (The Twentieth Wife and The Feast of Roses) and one is set in India during World War II and the Indian independence movement (The Splendor of Silence). All three are wonderfully written novels that any fan of historical fiction should pick up immediately. When I heard that Ms. Sundaresan had a short story collection coming out, I eagerly sought the chance to obtain a review copy and was thrilled to receive one. I didn't know what to expect, but I knew that they would be amazing stories. And I was right; the stories are very different from her historical fiction work, but they evoke the same emotion within the reader. The stories in In the Convent of Little Flowers are simply written and utterly beautiful. Some are very emotional; others are horrific (after reading the story about a son who is abusive to his mother and father, I called my own parents immediately, in tears). Each has its own quality that recommends itself to the reader. As such, there is not one bad story among them, not one lesser tale. That is quite a feat for an author, to write stories of such depth and magnitude that they are all equally moving. All of the stories are about Indians. The majority of them are set in India, though not all. There are classic stories that people of any culture can relate to, stories about love lost between a husband and wife. But there are also stories that are appalling, that make the reader want to weep - the tale of bride burning is one of these. Each story has its own force that propels it forward. Not once did I want to put down the book, to move onto something else. Usually, I read other novels between the breaks in short stories. That wasn't the case with In the Convent of Little Flowers; I just wanted to continue with the stories, to see what Sundaresan would come up with next. With many of the stories, I wanted more. I would love to see some of them fleshed out as full novels, especially the tale of Padma and her feelings about the truth of her adoption. I highly recommend all of Indu Sundaresan's work, and In the Convent of Little Flowers is no exception. It is a beautiful and moving set of short stories that I think anyone would enjoy. Thank you to Ms. Sundaresan and her publicist for sending me a copy of this book to review.

In the Convent of Little Flowers

Indu Sunderesan's new book, "In the Convent of Little Flowers," is a collection of short stories set in a more contemporary time than her previous works. Set mostly in India, the stories touch on topics still somewhat taboo to mention or acknowledge in Indian society. The writing style is so vivid, it makes you feel as if you are a part of the story and you end up thinking about the events long after you have put the book away. I would recommend this book unreservedly and look forward to her next one.