The Girl in the Garden

By: Kamala Nair

Narrated by: Anitha Gandhi

Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

The redemptive journey of a young woman unsure of her engagement, who revisits in memory the events of one scorching childhood summer, when her beautiful yet troubled mother spirits her away from her home to an Indian village untouched by time. There, she discovers in the jungle behind her ancestral house a spellbinding garden that harbors a terrifying secret.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©2011 Kamala Nair (P)2011 Hachette Audio

Good Book

the story is very compelling and engaging...with some good twists and turns. I did turn the speed to .9 instead of 1.0. It made is easier grasp all of the story.

One of my new favorite books

I found this book while I was looking for a book that I thought would be similar to Night Tiger or Ghost Bride. The Girl in the Garden ended up being magical in a different way than those two books. However, I ended up loving this book too. I will say that it is a sad story and I usually don't like too much sadness in a book but overall the story was so amazing, and I loved the ending.

Whatever You Do...Stay Out of the Jungle

An entertaining book that transports the listener to India through the eyes of Rakhee Singh (pronounced Rocky) as she recalls a pivotal trip in her youth to her parents homeland; a journey that has many parallels to The Secret Garden. Outwardly, it is obvious to the reader that there are problems with her parents marriage -- a gentle father that puts in too many hours at his medical job, and a nervous, depressed mother that suffers silently. In India, Rakhee finds a different life with cousins, aunts, uncles, that live in the same home, and a land very different from Minnesota, USA -- and a walled garden in a jungle she has been forbidden from (the usual "beware of snakes and tigers" scare tactic), but of course, Rakhee is adventurous.
This trip becomes both an outer and inner journey as Rakhee scales the wall and finds the "horrid" secret. You know what happens when deep dark generational secrets get out of the closet; a chain of dark sad events are set in motion.

The description is lovely, mostly about the vegetation, food, and daily activites, but I didn't feel as immersed in the foreign country as I have with some other reads about India, most likely because it is all described by a ten yr. old; and it takes quite a bit of stretching probability to buy in to this tale--but that's what makes fiction so entertaining isn't it?...the ghost "yekshi" stories, the forbidden jungles, the secret walls, the arranged marriages and creepy uncles...the "it just so happened that..."

Engaging and enjoyable -- it reminded me a bit of Kate Morton's The Forgotten Garden, in a more exotic location and a much darker outcome as the secrets unravel. The narration is done well, and Anitha Gandhi does an admirable job of becoming Rakhee and the several Indian characters.

Satus, Caste and Beauty

Her parents DO love her but poor bespectled short Rakhee Singh is lonely! All her blue eyed blond school mates exclude her from play. Her brilliant father, a physician, is so involved with his work that he barely has time for her. Her clinically depressed mother just doesn't have the capacity to care for her daughter except in a very peripheral way.

A trip from MN to her parents' native southern India the summer she is 10, turning 11, introduces her to at least a few cousins she can bond with.

She experiences a whole new world completely different from her home in Minnesota. And she stumbles upon a 'skeleton in the closet' of her family, a secret not meant to be discovered. Rather than ignore this mysterious situation, she gets in and faces the unknown and uncovers something scarey and shameful, yet fulfilling to Rakhee in some way.

You'll find many insights into Indian life, culture, music, myths, attitudes toward females, clothing,marriage customs, food, flora, fauna, snakes and especially superstitions beliefs. Rakhee becomes overwhelmed with the feeling that her mother may not want to return to America. She believes that her mom loves another man, someone her mom has known all her life.
Watch how status, caste, economic privilege and physical beauty play their part in the family dynamic.
Even if this book is a fiction, it could easily have been real.
See how this one summer's experiences detrimentally affects the next decade of her like as she tries to form a relationship with a young man who wants to marry her. It will take another trip to India to soothe her soul.

I really enjoyed this book.

What did you love best about The Girl in the Garden?

This book held my interest and I couldn't wait to hear more! I also enjoyed the way the narrator changed her accent for different characters. Great first novel, Kamala!!!

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Girl in the Garden?

I don't want to spoil it, so I will just say Gitanjali

Which character – as performed by Anitha Gandhi – was your favorite?

All of them

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

I never would have chosen this book on my own. It was recommended by a member of one of my Book Clubs. I'm glad to have read it.

Interesting story with surprising twists

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, it was an interesting story that has many well developed characters. It lends itself easily to book club discussions and thought provoking questions. The author engages the reader at the outset of the story and holds your imagination and attention all the way until the end. There were several surprising twists that provided for an interesting plot line. I'm a picky reader and I enjoyed this novel quite a bit.

Have you listened to any of Anitha Gandhi’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not but she did an excellent job narrating the story.

Very unexpected

What did you love best about The Girl in the Garden?

The book was very well written. There wasn't many twists and turns, but since the book is told from the point of view of a child the entire story is her trying to piece together information piece by piece since everyone is trying to protect her from the truth.

What other book might you compare The Girl in the Garden to and why?

Hands down, this is an adults version of "The Secret Garden"

Which scene was your favorite?

When Rahkee first discovers the garden