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Sister of My Heart  By  cover art

Sister of My Heart

By: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Narrated by: Julia Whelan
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Publisher's summary

From the award-winning author of Mistress of Spices, the best-selling novel about the extraordinary bond between two women, and the family secrets and romantic jealousies that threaten to tear them apart.

Anju is the daughter of an upper-caste Calcutta family of distinction. Her cousin Sudha is the daughter of the black sheep of that same family. Sudha is startlingly beautiful; Anju is not. Despite those differences, since the day on which the two girls were born, the same day their fathers died - mysteriously and violently - Sudha and Anju have been sisters of the heart. Bonded in ways even their mothers cannot comprehend, the two girls grow into womanhood as if their fates as well as their hearts were merged.

But when Sudha learns a dark family secret, that connection is shattered. For the first time in their lives, the girls know what it is to feel suspicion and distrust. Urged into arranged marriages, Sudha and Anju's lives take opposite turns. Sudha becomes the dutiful daughter-in-law of a rigid small-town household. Anju goes to America with her new husband and learns to live her own life of secrets. When tragedy strikes each of them, however, they discover that despite distance and marriage, they have only each other to turn to.

Set in the two worlds of San Francisco and India, this exceptionally moving novel tells a story at once familiar and exotic, seducing listeners from the first minute with the lush prose we have come to expect from Divakaruni. Sister of My Heart is a novel destined to become as widely beloved as it is acclaimed.

©1999 Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (P)2012 Tantor

Critic reviews

"An inspired and imaginative raconteur, Divakaruni is sure to engender comparisons with Arundhati Roy ( The God of Small Things), but Divakaruni's novel stands in its own right as a compelling read." ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about Sister of My Heart

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

I enjoyed reading this book much more

I read this book many years ago - it actually still sits on my bedside table. The story of Sudha and Anju is one of love, secrets, heartbreak and ultimately family. The story and characters of the girls will stay with you, even after you have finished reading it. I have always enjoyed Divakaruni's style of writing. The words are beautiful, the scenes she sets are beautiful even many of the characters she writes are beautiful, even when they are ugly. There is a follow up book to this one called The Vine of Desire. If you enjoyed this book, you might want to pick up that book - Anju and Sudha are adults now, but there's still never a dull moment - especially when one's husband is attracted to the other.
Now for why I couldn't give this audio book full stars:
Lisette Lecat has spoiled me for listening to stories about characters from other countries. Her delivery of the accents are flawless and honest. Julia Whelan reads well, but she sounds just like me, and this accent is NOT for this book. I wish someone would have considered it. I mean, Im sure they considered it - what would people who buy this book want to hear - what would they spend their money on? This may be the voice that many people would appreciate, but this is not the voice I wanted to hear - not for this book.
Why not Sarita Choudhury? Why not Frieda Pinto? Why not Sarita and Frieda together?
The performance really made this book difficult for me to listen to. Nothing genuine - not even pretend.
Disappointing about to me. I loved reading this book, I just really hated hearing it.
I understand, that these feelings are mine alone. I still recommend this book - the story is good, and Divakaruni is a brilliant writer.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars
  • PS
  • 12-30-20

Do Not listen to this book, read it

The narration is so terrible that you cannot concentrate on the story. Could the producers have not auditioned a narrator who could pronounce basic bengali words without butchering the the beautiful language completely? Especially in a story which is so heavy on many bengali words! How was the writer OK with such a crap narration of her piece of work beats me. DO NOT listen to this book, read it instead, because the story is quite good. I would give zero stars to the performance if I could, but alas amazon doesn't allow me to do that.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A Story Betrayed in the Telling

The nararator insulted the author, embarrassed hetself, disrespected the reader. I ground my teeth with the horrible, continual mispronunciations of EVERY Indian language name, word, and phrase. I was constantly tense so that the great writing was difficult to attend to as in other books by this author. Disappointment! Get a native reader NOWand re-record tgis classic.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing story and performance

Thank you so much for this amazing book.

The book was woven with Chitra Banerjees usual unfailing, understanding of the human heart and she has again created real and complex characters.
The protagonists are utterly real to me, as if they are people I’ve known and my heart opened and closed throughout the book with their joys and sorrows as they came.
I love her understanding of the human condition with her focus on what women, even today, endure.

Read this book! You won’t regret it

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I Love the bond between the two main characters!!!

I loved the story overall. I enjoyed the relationship between the two cousins/sisters and the stories that began in their childhood and progressed into their adult lives. I listened to this book in one week because I kept listening whenever I had a chance. At times I was saying out loud to the characters “yes!!”” Or “noooo!!!” “GOOD for you!” I got invested in their decisions! Thats the sign of a good book in my opinion! I cared about them and what happened with them both! I also enjoy all the descriptions of their lives growing up in India and the stories, practices and beliefs that were/are common in India some decades ago. I enjoyed the performer’s work as well. She read with such emotion when appropriate and changed her voice to help listeners follow who was talking. I highly recommend this book!!!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it

This story is beautifully told and hard to put down. Excellent. I highly recommend it.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Slow start

Characters were likable and fairly well developed. Although the ending was not a surprise it was well-done. Some parts moved slowly and others I wish were longer.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Best story ever

This author is amazing. Two books I’ve ‘read’ so far by the author and I’ve really enjoyed them both.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Enjoyed the story but not the narration.

The story is engaging. I enjoyed it very much. Need Someone native to India to narrate. Initially I thought I couldn’t listen to the book because narration wasn’t suitable. I’m glad I pushed through because the book is very good.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful Book

Loved the story. Loved the performance. Perhaps the native words could have been spoken by a native speaker.

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