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Sharmila's Book
Longing for a connection to her Indian heritage, Americanborn Sharmila Sen agrees to an arranged marriage, but her trip to India forces her to confront her doubts about her distant intended husband, controlling motherinlaw, and a sinister mystery surrounding the death of her fiancT's first wife. By the author of Shiva Dancing. Reprint.
400 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
About the author
Bharti Kirchner
20 books41 followersBharti Kirchner is the author of eleven books—seven critically acclaimed novels and four cookbooks and hundreds of short pieces for magazines and newspapers. A recent novel, Goddess of Fire, was shortlisted for the Nancy Pearl Award.
Her earlier novels include Tulip Season, Pastries: A Novel of Desserts and Discoveries, Darjeeling, Sharmila’s Book, and Shiva Dancing.
Bharti has written for Food & Wine, Vegetarian Times, Writer’s Digest, The Writer, Fitness Plus, Northwest Travel, and The Seattle Times. Her essays have appeared in eleven anthologies.
Bharti has won a VCCA (Virginia Center for Creative Arts) Fellowship, a City Artist’s Project award, two Seattle Arts Commission literature grants, two Artist Trust literature grants, two 4Culture grants and has twice been a Fellow of Jack Straw Productions. She has been honored as a Living Pioneer Asian American Author. She is a popular speaker at writer’s conferences nationwide.
Her earlier novels include Tulip Season, Pastries: A Novel of Desserts and Discoveries, Darjeeling, Sharmila’s Book, and Shiva Dancing.
Bharti has written for Food & Wine, Vegetarian Times, Writer’s Digest, The Writer, Fitness Plus, Northwest Travel, and The Seattle Times. Her essays have appeared in eleven anthologies.
Bharti has won a VCCA (Virginia Center for Creative Arts) Fellowship, a City Artist’s Project award, two Seattle Arts Commission literature grants, two Artist Trust literature grants, two 4Culture grants and has twice been a Fellow of Jack Straw Productions. She has been honored as a Living Pioneer Asian American Author. She is a popular speaker at writer’s conferences nationwide.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 10, 2025
As I read these reviews, I cannot help but find myself torn. As an avid reader who had departed from the love of words for quite a few years due to high school, I find myself reading this as my first book at Uni. Maybe its my overzealous enthusiasm but the story was truly one that I loved following. Yes, at times was it a bit abrupt? I don’t contest with those that agree. But, overlooking the over-explaination of customs and characters while under-developing relationships-especially towards the end (no spoilers)- I found the read to be very enjoyable. I found myself in Sharmila's shoes. Though I am first generation American, I lived part of my life in India finding familiarity in the descriptions of Delhi and Purani Delhi, and the well-explained customs of the patriarchal society, feigning modernity and change while clinging to those beliefs.
Simply put, the story was one that intrigued me. I liked reading more about Sharmila, found myself growing the same suspicions as her of the Koshala's and finding myself falling ever more in love with India and those that represent its authenticity, like Prem's family.
I do wish she had explored the ending more, diving into the future possibilities in Sharmila's future while playing out the dynamic of true love and customs/traditions when it came to living in modernity. I do wonder, in the aftermath of my reading, where does Sharmila's future take her? Though ambiguous in most novels, I feel as though I would have had a better idea, had the author been more explicit in her narrating.
Nonetheless, I do admire the work and effort it takes to write a novel, especially with such caliber and attention to detail, for which I admire Bharti.
I would rate this novel a 3.8/5. Recommend each to try and read this, it fascinates and brings a different level of meaning to each individual depending on your immersed experience in juggling the Indian and American culture.
Simply put, the story was one that intrigued me. I liked reading more about Sharmila, found myself growing the same suspicions as her of the Koshala's and finding myself falling ever more in love with India and those that represent its authenticity, like Prem's family.
I do wish she had explored the ending more, diving into the future possibilities in Sharmila's future while playing out the dynamic of true love and customs/traditions when it came to living in modernity. I do wonder, in the aftermath of my reading, where does Sharmila's future take her? Though ambiguous in most novels, I feel as though I would have had a better idea, had the author been more explicit in her narrating.
Nonetheless, I do admire the work and effort it takes to write a novel, especially with such caliber and attention to detail, for which I admire Bharti.
I would rate this novel a 3.8/5. Recommend each to try and read this, it fascinates and brings a different level of meaning to each individual depending on your immersed experience in juggling the Indian and American culture.
October 28, 2025
Sharmila's book is a good read - interesting, has a bit of suspense and got a lot of details about characters, surroundings. If you are from India, you can actually imagine all the characters vividly in your mind as you read along. The domineering, sari- clad Mrs. Khosla, , the handsome bridegroom to be Raj who can literally charm the clothes off the women he meets and the hardworking and confident Prem, and last but not the least the energetic and exploring Sharmila who optimistically makes a decision to marry a man whom she has never met. That was a little hard to believe. Once she reaches India, she is understandably excited about meeting the man she is going to marry and see the city where she is going to spend the rest of her life. During the first few days, she gets engrossed in touring all of Delhi with Prem who is working for the Khosla family as their chauffeur. They develop an instant friendship which gradually borders on stronger feelings. Sharmila tries her best to settle in the groom's home, befriends his sister, goes along with her mother-in-law, but something doesn't click. She senses that something is not right. But her mother reminds her that it takes time, arranged marriages bring love slowly.
Towards the end, she discovers a few secrets of the Khosla family which make it impossible for her to form a bond with Raj.
I think it takes a lot of bravado to marry somebody whom you have never met. But nobody knows either how much time you should take before making the big decision. You have to rely on your own heart and mind.
Towards the end, she discovers a few secrets of the Khosla family which make it impossible for her to form a bond with Raj.
I think it takes a lot of bravado to marry somebody whom you have never met. But nobody knows either how much time you should take before making the big decision. You have to rely on your own heart and mind.
August 29, 2019
It was a good story, but i wish she went in more depth about Prem and Sharmila's love story..
August 5, 2024
Quick read.
March 23, 2018
Ugh. After reading Bharti Kirchner's illuminating book, Sharmila's Book, I was left with the strange sensation of having swallowed an insect that flapped its wings in my brain, rap rap rap, tap tap tap, and I was left screaming with a dire brain disorder. Ugh. Rare this year that I have come across as bad a book as Sharmila's Book.
I am not usually this scathing. I am a lazy writer myself, who understands the pain of writing - but after reading this book, I understood the pain of reading too. The pain of reading something that should never have graced a respected publisher's desk. For the record, Sharmila's Book, imaginatively named as it is, (all sarcasm included in this post), recites the drama, heartbreak, and musings of Sharmila, an Indian American, who abruptly decides that she would enter an arranged marriage with Raj, a widower. Ah, I can't narrate this plot even. I get that same insect fluttering disorder when I do. So forgive me readers, Amazon succinctly sums it up here.
Luckily, I picked up the book at a throwaway price of around $1, while its original price was $15. I understand now why it was marked so low. Those booksellers were surely throwing it away. Bharti Kirchner might be good at cooking, and writing cook books but Sharmila's Book is like a bad recipe that has gone horribly wrong. The characters were half-baked, the plot a mashed potpourri that would confound anyone with tiring metaphors pretending to be the salad that graced the plot. In the end, a burnt, mangled, congealed mess is what Sharmila's Book turns out to be. Avoid. Please.
I am not usually this scathing. I am a lazy writer myself, who understands the pain of writing - but after reading this book, I understood the pain of reading too. The pain of reading something that should never have graced a respected publisher's desk. For the record, Sharmila's Book, imaginatively named as it is, (all sarcasm included in this post), recites the drama, heartbreak, and musings of Sharmila, an Indian American, who abruptly decides that she would enter an arranged marriage with Raj, a widower. Ah, I can't narrate this plot even. I get that same insect fluttering disorder when I do. So forgive me readers, Amazon succinctly sums it up here.
Luckily, I picked up the book at a throwaway price of around $1, while its original price was $15. I understand now why it was marked so low. Those booksellers were surely throwing it away. Bharti Kirchner might be good at cooking, and writing cook books but Sharmila's Book is like a bad recipe that has gone horribly wrong. The characters were half-baked, the plot a mashed potpourri that would confound anyone with tiring metaphors pretending to be the salad that graced the plot. In the end, a burnt, mangled, congealed mess is what Sharmila's Book turns out to be. Avoid. Please.
June 11, 2007
Sharmila is a character caught between her heritage and her life--one foot in India and one solidly in her Chicago career. Fed up to the proverbial "here" with the American dating game, she surrenders the question of marriage to tradition and asks her parents to find her a suitable match.
I almost didn't care what the plot was--Kirchner has done a stunning job of portraying the balancing act that is a multicultural identity. The tension between family expectations and American independence, between tradition and innovation, between love and good sense has hundreds of stories to tell, and Kirchner finds a robust selection in the twists and folds of her story line.
I almost didn't care what the plot was--Kirchner has done a stunning job of portraying the balancing act that is a multicultural identity. The tension between family expectations and American independence, between tradition and innovation, between love and good sense has hundreds of stories to tell, and Kirchner finds a robust selection in the twists and folds of her story line.
July 18, 2011
The beginning two thirds of the book were really slow. There are some good insights here and there about India and about the changes happening so quickly. I think the ending is abrupt and sometimes the characters aren't as fully convincing or as fully as they could be. Would Prem really support his wife over his mother? I was not convinced. The betrayals from Sharmila's mother and from her cousin Mistoo were shocking. I did like that the author did not simplify the problems that Neelu would have to face-her dilemma seemed most realistic.
A minor quibble-the typeface bothered me-seemed cheap and a bit hard to read.
A minor quibble-the typeface bothered me-seemed cheap and a bit hard to read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 14, 2011
A friend of mine from India lent me this book. I was fully expecting it to be as maturely written as one by Monica Ali or Jhumpa Lahiri but I was terribly letdown. The book is predictable, the characters unbelievable. The writer spends a great deal of our time educating us about Indian culture, the scenery of New Delhi, so that we feel we move from fiction to nonfiction. The book is almost childish.
September 18, 2016
JUST FINALLY FINISHED READING SHARMILA'S BOOK BY AUTHOR BHARTI KIRCHNER (PLUME 1999) AND IT TOOK ME A WHOLE YEAR TO DO SO, NOT BECAUSE OF THE PREDICTABLE PLOT AND ALREADY GETTING FULL CONFIRMATION OF MY VIBRANT INDIAN CULTURE, BUT BECAUSE SHARMILA'S BOOK IS MY OWN PERSONAL STORY (AFTER THE WEDDING) AND THANK GOD I DIDN'T END UP LIKE ROOPA...WHICH MEANS I'M MORE LIKE THE MAIN PROTAGONIST SHARMILA SEN. (HUGE SIGH OF RELIEF!!!)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 21, 2007
Most of the Indian books I've read are written from a teenager's perspective, so this book was a pleasant shift for me. Kirchner turns phrases beautifully and brings out aspects of her characters that you wouldn't expect. There was much tension in the book around decision making, from arranged marriage to deciding what you're willing to compromise in your life.
August 22, 2009
I could sometimes hear the plot machinery creaking, but mostly enjoyed this book - following Sharmila from Chicago to Delhi in pursuit of happiness through an arranged marriage. Lots of FOOD in this book, which I appreciated, as well as a mild murder mystery along with the love story. Really good August book.
January 5, 2011
I loved the vivid descriptions of Indian life and customs but found several aspects of the plot to be rather far-fetched. Of the many books I've read about Indian women and family life, this is a rarity in that it's about a current generation rather than a couple of generations ago, which I found refreshing.
August 27, 2008
The descriptions of India are intense; the author writes poetically about the sights, smells and sounds of Delhi. The story is less interesting; the foreshadowing is as subtle as a 2x4 across the head.
September 4, 2007
I really enjoyed reading this book. It took so many exciting twists and turns.
March 19, 2008
another great Indian subcontinent novel!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews