Of Marriageable Age

By: Sharon Maas

Narrated by: Anne Flosnik

Length: 18 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

A spellbinding story of forbidden love. Three continents, three decades, three very disparate lives: Savitri, intuitive and charismatic, grows up among the servants of a pre-war English household in Madras. But the traditional customs of her Brahmin family clash against English upper-class prejudice, threatening her love for the privileged son of the house.

Nataraj, raised as the son of an idealistic doctor in rural South India, finds life in London heady, with girls and grass easily available... until he is summoned back home to face raw reality.

Saroj, her fire hidden by outward reserve, comes of age in Guyana, South America. When her strict, orthodox Hindu father goes one step too far, she finally rebels against him and even against her gentle, apparently docile Ma. But Ma harbors a deep secret, one that binds these three disparate lives and hurtles them toward a truth that could destroy their world.

©2000 Sharon Maas (P)2015 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A vast canvas of memorable characters across a kaleidoscope of cultures.... Her epic story feels like an authentic reflection of a world full of sadness, joy and surprise." ( The Observer)

Good

Good story but I found it hard to follow. It ends very nicely. I would recommend to people that are interested in different cultures.

Generational Journey

The narrator's voice is quite distinct and was always the first thing I noticed before the words. Her accents and gender voices were great and I always knew who was talking which was vital because this story had a lot of plot twists.
I loved it!

Excellent story, writing ok

I really enjoyed the twists and turns of this book. The author needs a little more experience so the writing does not sometime read like a "B"movie. Lots of historical background I am going to enjoy researching.

Wow. What a tough life for many of these woman

So brilliantly written. Reader terrific. Truly enjoyed!!! Complex story, intelligently written and taking place in different countries over a span of 100 years. Be warned, you won't stop listening and it requires concentration!!!

Good book, terrible narrator.

The narrator sounds like she has a speech impediment, or something in her mouth. It was terribly distracting.

Decent story. Terrible narrator.

I enjoy learning about foreign lands and cultures in my fiction, and this certainly did not disappoint in that regard. However, Maas's narrative style has far more "telling" than " showing". It dragged, with long sections of narration that begged for some action or dialogue. I stuck with it to the end, and there was a satisfying (if somewhat too tidy) twist and resolution.
The real problem was the reader. Her whispery, garbled speech was so awful, I almost returned the book after the first half hour of listening. She sounds like she has marbles in her mouth. I would recommend reading the book rather than listening to the audio book if you are interested in the story.

Loved it, and hated it!

Wow! That is pretty much the extent of my reaction to this piece. Fascinating and frustrating, love it and hate it. A feminist's absolute nightmare, and yet a cultural treasure. It's amazing how much there is to learn about the world, and how different people's beliefs and traditions vary from ethnic group to ethnic group and within those groups. Cultures within cultures without degrading them by calling them SUB-groups. I don't think people can even begin to understand the magnitude and absolute definition of the word "diversity". However, it is through cultural pieces such as this one, even when it is a historical fiction narrative, that I grow as an individual and a global citizen. Works like this one make me abhor the term "tolerance" ever so slightly more, as I view it as having a despicable definition. What we need is "understanding" and "acceptance" to begin to alleviate the world's cultural bigotry, not "tolerance". Let's replace that term with one like: "respect". That sounds more like a great beginning!

Beautifully descriptive and a wonderful story

Beautifully descriptive and a wonderful story, terrible narration though. I had to 'tune' myself out to the narrator and focus on the story which meant it took a little while for me to engage with it, but when I did I was hooked. I loved this book - a wonderful blend of romance, history and culture. I was drawn into the story, the characters and how their lives were eventually intertwined. I loved the descriptions, taking you to India, it's sights and smells, occasionally a little overdone but overall beautiful. I was able to engage with all the characters, even the less pleasant ones and wanted to keep listening to find out more about them. A joy.

EXCELLENT IN EVERY WAY

Loved the narrator, really made me think different characters were talking. The story was epic! So good!

Terrible Narration

I loved the story but the narration was awful to the point of distraction. It was most unsuited for this story. Being a native Tamil speaker, it was v painful for me to hear the names and words mangled beyond recognition. It took away the pleasure of the story that much.