Shielding Her Modesty

by Sita Bhaskar

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 8188811343
• ISBN13: 9788188811342
• Release Date: February 2006
• Publisher: Frog Books
• Length: 135 Pages
• Weight: 0.20 lbs.

Customer Reviews

a wonderful collection

As an "American Mutt" I truly enjoy learning about other cultures through all forms of publishing. In Sita Bhaskar's collection of short stories, "Shielding Her Modesty," readers are in for a treat of Indian culture. It is an interesting examination of distinctions between Indian ways and American, and the combination of both in the Indo-American experience. What a delight! The fact that human emotion and habit abound in all cultures is clear throughout the book. One eight-year-old girl's enchantment with Barbie and her abundance of clothing is clearly an almost universally felt feeling. The fact that she works in a factory, packaging G.I. Joes while her brother boxes the Barbies, brings out the desire all the more. Reading about a young couple's grief over the death of their baby is something that is sure to touch many readers, but seeing it through the culture in which it is set, where a woman cannot officially enter a cemetery without her husband, makes the tale all the more poignant. Other tales include universal themes of getting married, rekindling love, admitting to feelings, lust, and death. All of them are told with delightful tidbits of Indian essence. This book is a wonderful collection of short stories. The settings are vibrant and alive, while the characters are enticing. Feel the silk sari, smell the aromas of delectable spices as they cook, and smile at the knowledge that it is a small world. Review by Heather Froeschl.

Little gems

Shielding Her Modesty contains a collection of short stories about modern life for various Indian men and women both in India and America or somewhere in between. Some are sad, some lighthearted. It is a short book, only 135 pages, but each page counts. Each little gem of a story gives special insight into the characters lives. My favorite story told the tale of a young man, living in America, who bought a ridiculously expensive engagement ring to take back to his, not yet known, bride in India. Ofcourse things don't go as planned for him... When I finished, I wanted more. I would love to read a full length novel by this new author. I highly recommend this book.

Wonderful read

This collection of stories was a joy to read. I found myself reading one story and cherishing it for a day before returning to the next. The characters are lush and real, leaving the reader with an intimate feel of the mix of emotions and desires that the stirring of cultures and traditions bring. The stories go well beyond being about cultural clashes. While the reader gains a deeper feel for cultural differences and the conflicts felt by the characters, the stories stand on their on as well written fiction. I look forward to Ms. Bhaskar's next writing venture.

Captivating Stories

Sita Bhaskar's writing style is quite captivating. The stories in "Shielding Her Modesty" are quite varied, spanning over life in India and the United states with the tones and themes varying from very light and comic to somber and heartbreaking. The stories I found most touching are "Your self storage" and "An umbrella over the grave". Both deal with loss; one the loss of hope and trust and another the loss of a child. The hurt, the grief and the loneliness are depicted with considerable skill in both stories. Sita uses great sensitivity and subtlety in laying open a wounded heart and winning the complete empathy of the reader. I am very much looking forward to more works from Sita Bhaskar and hope they will not be long in coming.

cross-cultural stories

Rebeccasreads highly recommends SHIELDING HER MODESTY as a collection of intricate & engrossing stories about the clash of cultures between India & America, sometimes heartbreaking & sometimes hilarious. Muruga is a billboard painter who can't read yet ponders the influences of painting luscious American women whose "intimate parts" he feels he must keep covered from the leers & jeers of the oglers far below on the street. Kaveri used to be an artist, back in Tanjavur. Six months ago, she'd told her mother she'd only marry a man with a PhD. Her aunt found one, in America. He comes to India, courts her & takes her back to Ann Arbor, Michigan where she tries to be a good wife, except Keshav doesn't want an Indian wife, nor Indian food, nor his apartment run the Indian way. Raksha's in a panic because her parents are coming all the way from Madras for her graduation in Wisconsin... except... she's had a live-in boyfriend & must now get rid of every telltale thing. Upon arrival her parents are confused about her lifestyle -- what is pizza? & how life is lived in an American college, & Raksha just can't seem to do anything right... The one I loved is The Bharati Doll -- young Parvati's older brother, Gopi, works in a toy factory. She yearns for one little pink shoe from the dolls he makes. Here the names of the dolls in America & in India vividly illuminates the chasm between cultures. Very well done!