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Sari Caste
A courageous voyage through destitution, intrigue and murder. Manasa is abandoned by the man she should marry. He marries her sister instead. Meanwhile Manasa finds herself pregnant with his child. She flees her Bengali village wondering where to go. Eventually, she finds herself wandering the streets of Calcutta. Without money or food, life is a daily struggle. Finally, she is taken on by a brothel. She is desperately unhappy until she meets a different sort of man. This man she marries in secret and together they plan her escape from the brothel. Murder, corruption, and intrigue threaten to swallow up the new life they attempt to establish in the beautiful hill country of Darjeeling.
258 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 30, 2001
9 people are currently reading
62 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Kirby
4 booksI live in the beautiful West Country with my husband and daughter. It's a very inspiring place to live with rolling hills and crystal clear rivers and streams. We have been here only five years but love the place, the people and the pace of life.
Although I'm now retired, I've worked in a number of jobs: secretary, shop assistant, negotiator in an estate agents, and a Relate counsellor. All of these have given me different perspectives on life and on people.
Writing has always been a passion for me. I started with short stories, poems and haikus and finally found myself writing a novel. It was exciting to see it grow and take shape. I had no idea where it would take me. I just followed the muse and did lots of research. Once I reached those magical words 'The End', I was overjoyed. Then the real work of editing and rewriting began. I enjoyed the whole experience and hope my readers will enjoy the result.
Both my books are about families, but very different ones. My first book, SARI CASTE, is set in Calcutta and Darjeeling. Nothing like Devon, I hear you say. True. Yet human beings everywhere have emotions, needs, desires and dreams. (More about this in the section on the novel.) This book is available from Amazon.
My second book, SEE THROUGH, is set somewhere in England, in a small town. Again, the novel is about a family at odds, but in this story the main character faces the unusual obstacle of becoming invisible!
Although I'm now retired, I've worked in a number of jobs: secretary, shop assistant, negotiator in an estate agents, and a Relate counsellor. All of these have given me different perspectives on life and on people.
Writing has always been a passion for me. I started with short stories, poems and haikus and finally found myself writing a novel. It was exciting to see it grow and take shape. I had no idea where it would take me. I just followed the muse and did lots of research. Once I reached those magical words 'The End', I was overjoyed. Then the real work of editing and rewriting began. I enjoyed the whole experience and hope my readers will enjoy the result.
Both my books are about families, but very different ones. My first book, SARI CASTE, is set in Calcutta and Darjeeling. Nothing like Devon, I hear you say. True. Yet human beings everywhere have emotions, needs, desires and dreams. (More about this in the section on the novel.) This book is available from Amazon.
My second book, SEE THROUGH, is set somewhere in England, in a small town. Again, the novel is about a family at odds, but in this story the main character faces the unusual obstacle of becoming invisible!
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
June 23, 2019
I can imagine why some people like this book. If you know nothing about India – and I can’t see too much evidence that the authors does – if you have no experience of the many wonderful books set in India by some of the world’s greatest writers, if you like superficial fairy-story nonsense then 'Sari Caste' might be right up your street. I thought it was rubbish.
The plot is not without potential. A young woman and her sister live with their mother and their alcoholic layabout father. Manasa is the third of four daughters and her prospects for marriage are poor. To her father, she and her sister are just a liability because he needs to find the money to pay dowries to get them husbands. At least Manasa is useful to him because she brings in a wage working at the local sari factory. When she falls in love with the factory owner’s son, she thinks her life will change. Her beau says they will be married, that he’ll make her happy and then promptly beds her. That’s OK, thinks Manasa, they will be together, where’s the harm in getting a head-start before the wedding? As every mother in every ‘love-em-and-leave-em’ novel would advise her daughter, if you put out without a ring on your finger you’ll be screwed both literally and metaphorically. Her lover surprises Manasa by then announcing that he’ll marry her younger sister, but of course it’s Manasa he really wants so they carry on seeing each other during her sister’s engagement. Manasa is left without a fiancé but with the obligation to carry on working to pay her sister’s dowry for her marriage to the man Manasa loves. Are your heart strings twanging yet?
When Manasa gives birth to her daughter in a field, she knows she has to leave the village. Had the child been a boy, perhaps Manasa’s mother could have passed it off as the son and heir her husband longed for. With just her mother’s best wishes and a couple of old gold bangles to fund her adventure, she takes her baby and flees to Calcutta to look for work. Of course Calcutta isn’t going to be a land of opportunity, a place filled with generous employers waiting for a girl who makes good saris. When she’s taken in by a charming man with money in his pockets, she probably shouldn’t be surprised to find he wants her to work in his brothel. Mona, the madam of the establishment is a nasty piece of work and subjects her girls and the many random children who live at the brothel to all sorts of abuse. Manasa puts up with a lot for the sake of her daughter but when her sister turns up, abandoned by Manasa’s ex-lover and with a dead son behind her, Manasa is determined to help her and to make a better future for her little family and a few of her friends.
As plots go, I think you’ll agree that it doesn’t sound too awful. The problem is that a half-decent plot won’t get you anywhere if all you can do is dress it up with clichés and cheesy similes. Let me give you a few examples of ones I noted down whilst cringing at their heavy handedness.
“My future was as insecure as feathers tossed about in a storm”
“He released me and I flopped to the floor like a bundle of rags”
“My future life would be lived like an enslaved insect in an ants nest”
Do you get my point? This is the writing of an over-emotional teenager who has overdosed on Mills and Boon.
They say that you should write about what you know (unless of course you’re into science fiction and then only alien abductees would qualify), about things that you have experienced but I can find nothing that would lead me to think that Catherine Kirby knows anything about Calcutta, about prostitution or about Indian society. At one stage she introduces two European girls who help Manasa and I briefly hoped that one of them would turn out to be the author and the story she was telling would be one she’d learned first-hand from a real live Manasa. I’ve read many autobiographies where the writing was clunky but I was willing to forgive it because the person’s story was too strong to resist but this is not an biography, it’s just third rate fiction.
Characters tend to be very black and white. They’re either good, poor, angelic people who drew a bad hand in the game of life, or they’re evil, manipulative monsters. The origins of the poor orphan children at the brothel are unclear and quite what Mona is doing when she arranges ‘marriages’ for these children is not entirely explained. Is she selling children to paedophiles or something even more complicated? If the brothel workers are supposed to be under her control, how come they go out to do the shopping and are not watched all the time? How are we supposed to believe that Manasa seems to have some kind of crush on Kalidas, the man who introduced her to the brothel?
There are a few nice touches. Manasa’s love interest is no classic cinema idol hunk but a crippled flower seller. There are plenty of examples of a rather rose-tinted ‘honour amongst the homeless and downtrodden’ that might give your over-stretched heart strings another little twang. Manasa’s ability to build her own substitute-family from the waifs and strays she finds around her is quite touching. When things start to get really hairy, the author seems more than happy to kill off handfuls of minor characters without a backward glance. It’s all really too silly to believe.
The plot is not without potential. A young woman and her sister live with their mother and their alcoholic layabout father. Manasa is the third of four daughters and her prospects for marriage are poor. To her father, she and her sister are just a liability because he needs to find the money to pay dowries to get them husbands. At least Manasa is useful to him because she brings in a wage working at the local sari factory. When she falls in love with the factory owner’s son, she thinks her life will change. Her beau says they will be married, that he’ll make her happy and then promptly beds her. That’s OK, thinks Manasa, they will be together, where’s the harm in getting a head-start before the wedding? As every mother in every ‘love-em-and-leave-em’ novel would advise her daughter, if you put out without a ring on your finger you’ll be screwed both literally and metaphorically. Her lover surprises Manasa by then announcing that he’ll marry her younger sister, but of course it’s Manasa he really wants so they carry on seeing each other during her sister’s engagement. Manasa is left without a fiancé but with the obligation to carry on working to pay her sister’s dowry for her marriage to the man Manasa loves. Are your heart strings twanging yet?
When Manasa gives birth to her daughter in a field, she knows she has to leave the village. Had the child been a boy, perhaps Manasa’s mother could have passed it off as the son and heir her husband longed for. With just her mother’s best wishes and a couple of old gold bangles to fund her adventure, she takes her baby and flees to Calcutta to look for work. Of course Calcutta isn’t going to be a land of opportunity, a place filled with generous employers waiting for a girl who makes good saris. When she’s taken in by a charming man with money in his pockets, she probably shouldn’t be surprised to find he wants her to work in his brothel. Mona, the madam of the establishment is a nasty piece of work and subjects her girls and the many random children who live at the brothel to all sorts of abuse. Manasa puts up with a lot for the sake of her daughter but when her sister turns up, abandoned by Manasa’s ex-lover and with a dead son behind her, Manasa is determined to help her and to make a better future for her little family and a few of her friends.
As plots go, I think you’ll agree that it doesn’t sound too awful. The problem is that a half-decent plot won’t get you anywhere if all you can do is dress it up with clichés and cheesy similes. Let me give you a few examples of ones I noted down whilst cringing at their heavy handedness.
“My future was as insecure as feathers tossed about in a storm”
“He released me and I flopped to the floor like a bundle of rags”
“My future life would be lived like an enslaved insect in an ants nest”
Do you get my point? This is the writing of an over-emotional teenager who has overdosed on Mills and Boon.
They say that you should write about what you know (unless of course you’re into science fiction and then only alien abductees would qualify), about things that you have experienced but I can find nothing that would lead me to think that Catherine Kirby knows anything about Calcutta, about prostitution or about Indian society. At one stage she introduces two European girls who help Manasa and I briefly hoped that one of them would turn out to be the author and the story she was telling would be one she’d learned first-hand from a real live Manasa. I’ve read many autobiographies where the writing was clunky but I was willing to forgive it because the person’s story was too strong to resist but this is not an biography, it’s just third rate fiction.
Characters tend to be very black and white. They’re either good, poor, angelic people who drew a bad hand in the game of life, or they’re evil, manipulative monsters. The origins of the poor orphan children at the brothel are unclear and quite what Mona is doing when she arranges ‘marriages’ for these children is not entirely explained. Is she selling children to paedophiles or something even more complicated? If the brothel workers are supposed to be under her control, how come they go out to do the shopping and are not watched all the time? How are we supposed to believe that Manasa seems to have some kind of crush on Kalidas, the man who introduced her to the brothel?
There are a few nice touches. Manasa’s love interest is no classic cinema idol hunk but a crippled flower seller. There are plenty of examples of a rather rose-tinted ‘honour amongst the homeless and downtrodden’ that might give your over-stretched heart strings another little twang. Manasa’s ability to build her own substitute-family from the waifs and strays she finds around her is quite touching. When things start to get really hairy, the author seems more than happy to kill off handfuls of minor characters without a backward glance. It’s all really too silly to believe.
September 12, 2012
Fantastic read; over too soon!
May 24, 2024
Story of being poor and female
This story is so close to women living in villages and shanty places. Like world over equality and discrimination is rife. Life is hard and rough. This story tells you greed breeds greed. I read it but didn't enjoy this story at all. My emotions were all over and not always with the main character at all. Sad.
This story is so close to women living in villages and shanty places. Like world over equality and discrimination is rife. Life is hard and rough. This story tells you greed breeds greed. I read it but didn't enjoy this story at all. My emotions were all over and not always with the main character at all. Sad.
October 16, 2017
Interesting story about women and their lives in a different culture.
August 14, 2013
This story is not in my usual genre preference, but the blurb sounded interesting so I decided to give it a try. I'm glad I did, because I loved it!
Manasa is a fantastic character! She is what I would call extremely independent, but lives in a traditional world where forced marriages are still practiced, and girls are seen as lower than dirt. I really liked her! She is feisty and determined.
I started reading this story and was completely captured within the first few sentences! I found myself swept up in a completely different culture. Manasa is a character that everyone can relate to, no matter what religion is practiced or background they come from. I think that religion and dogma have a lot to answer to! Just because I am a woman, I don't think that men are better than me. But there are several religions and traditions that preach that women are lower than men, and are meant to serve them and/or be treated worse than an animal. Granted, tradition has it's uses, but it's not flexible; This story brought that home to me. Manasa has to face some difficult decisions that I would balk at, but she takes them in stride. I admired her bravery in her decisions, but shuddered at what she had to do to survive. I loved meeting all the other characters, who had their own issues to deal with, but there are some really unsavoury characters that made me cringe and want to avoid them at all costs! This story is woven with the intricacy of one of Manasa's sari's. There is lots of different layers to this story, but above all, it's a testament to one woman's determination to give her daughter a family, and a chance for a better life.
Catherine Kirby has written an amazing story that is deeply touching and extremely believable. Her descriptions of the characters and environs brought this book to life. Although not particularly fast paced, the story flowed beautifully and kept me hooked until the last page! I am now looking forward to reading more of this author's work in the future.
Although not overly graphic, there are scenes of violence and abuse that may upset some readers. Therefore, I do not recommend this to younger readers or those of a nervous disposition. However, I do highly recommend this book if you are looking for a completely captivating read! - Lynn Worton
Manasa is a fantastic character! She is what I would call extremely independent, but lives in a traditional world where forced marriages are still practiced, and girls are seen as lower than dirt. I really liked her! She is feisty and determined.
I started reading this story and was completely captured within the first few sentences! I found myself swept up in a completely different culture. Manasa is a character that everyone can relate to, no matter what religion is practiced or background they come from. I think that religion and dogma have a lot to answer to! Just because I am a woman, I don't think that men are better than me. But there are several religions and traditions that preach that women are lower than men, and are meant to serve them and/or be treated worse than an animal. Granted, tradition has it's uses, but it's not flexible; This story brought that home to me. Manasa has to face some difficult decisions that I would balk at, but she takes them in stride. I admired her bravery in her decisions, but shuddered at what she had to do to survive. I loved meeting all the other characters, who had their own issues to deal with, but there are some really unsavoury characters that made me cringe and want to avoid them at all costs! This story is woven with the intricacy of one of Manasa's sari's. There is lots of different layers to this story, but above all, it's a testament to one woman's determination to give her daughter a family, and a chance for a better life.
Catherine Kirby has written an amazing story that is deeply touching and extremely believable. Her descriptions of the characters and environs brought this book to life. Although not particularly fast paced, the story flowed beautifully and kept me hooked until the last page! I am now looking forward to reading more of this author's work in the future.
Although not overly graphic, there are scenes of violence and abuse that may upset some readers. Therefore, I do not recommend this to younger readers or those of a nervous disposition. However, I do highly recommend this book if you are looking for a completely captivating read! - Lynn Worton
July 1, 2014
It took me a couple of chapters to get into this book but I am so glad I persevered with it because it turned out to be a fantastic read and one I would recommend to anyone.
At the start I felt the story was moving too quickly because important parts of the story seemed to be "glossed over" slightly but I soon realised that those elements of the story were really just setting the scene for the main event, so to speak, although it did mean that it took me a little longer to warm to the main character Manasa.
The main action of the book takes part in a Calcutta brothel and describes what a harsh lifestyle the working girls have there. Some of the events are really quite upsetting, the author pulls no punches and certainly does not glamourise the life of a prostitute in any way whatsoever.
The prose is beautiful, at times you are totally transported to Calcutta and can almost smell the spices and other fragrances of the market. The characters, on the whole, are very well thought out, maybe a touch stereotypical here and there, but good enough for you to either like or dislike each one. The only character that did irritate me at all was in fact Manasa who did some pretty stupid things early on in the book which were quite key to the plot, but who never actually questions her own behaviour until right at the end of the book. Even though she has a good heart and means well most of the time, some times she can be a total idiot and some of the other characters do have a tendency to sometimes just go along with whatever she wants. In her defence, when things go wrong for her, or people don't do what she would like, she doesn't spend time wallowing in self pity,she just shrugs it off, makes the most of a bad job and carries on as best she can.
The plot is well thought out and moves at a good pace, you never get bored with the action although it is not an easy read by any means. I look forward to reading more from the author.
At the start I felt the story was moving too quickly because important parts of the story seemed to be "glossed over" slightly but I soon realised that those elements of the story were really just setting the scene for the main event, so to speak, although it did mean that it took me a little longer to warm to the main character Manasa.
The main action of the book takes part in a Calcutta brothel and describes what a harsh lifestyle the working girls have there. Some of the events are really quite upsetting, the author pulls no punches and certainly does not glamourise the life of a prostitute in any way whatsoever.
The prose is beautiful, at times you are totally transported to Calcutta and can almost smell the spices and other fragrances of the market. The characters, on the whole, are very well thought out, maybe a touch stereotypical here and there, but good enough for you to either like or dislike each one. The only character that did irritate me at all was in fact Manasa who did some pretty stupid things early on in the book which were quite key to the plot, but who never actually questions her own behaviour until right at the end of the book. Even though she has a good heart and means well most of the time, some times she can be a total idiot and some of the other characters do have a tendency to sometimes just go along with whatever she wants. In her defence, when things go wrong for her, or people don't do what she would like, she doesn't spend time wallowing in self pity,she just shrugs it off, makes the most of a bad job and carries on as best she can.
The plot is well thought out and moves at a good pace, you never get bored with the action although it is not an easy read by any means. I look forward to reading more from the author.
February 27, 2014
Making a stand against those who seek to control her, Manasa leaves her home after giving birth in secret to the child of the man who promised to marry her and then forsakes her. Taking her baby daughter to Calcutta she is determined to provide for them both but the only option open to her is to sell the one thing she has left – herself. Manasa faces conflict in every type of relationship she has – family and personal – but despite it all she finds a way to keep herself and those she cares for together as one.
Manasa’s story is a difficult one to read at times. Some of the book is quite harrowing. However, I stuck through those parts and upon reaching the end was very glad I had. It is a powerfully emotive book with disturbing imagery on many levels. Some of the content must have been difficult to write but Catherine Kirby has done an excellent job of it and has produced a descriptive taste of Calcutta and the life of one Indian girl who despite poverty, hardship, abuse and loss came through with strength, fortitude and an open maternal heart to those around her whom she sees need to be cared for. Showing the huge gap between poverty and wealth which exists in parts of India, Catherine Kirby shows us what it means to be Sari Caste and the women who suffer by living with it day by day.
Thought provoking and a gripping read, this book is one which will stay with you for a long time.
Manasa’s story is a difficult one to read at times. Some of the book is quite harrowing. However, I stuck through those parts and upon reaching the end was very glad I had. It is a powerfully emotive book with disturbing imagery on many levels. Some of the content must have been difficult to write but Catherine Kirby has done an excellent job of it and has produced a descriptive taste of Calcutta and the life of one Indian girl who despite poverty, hardship, abuse and loss came through with strength, fortitude and an open maternal heart to those around her whom she sees need to be cared for. Showing the huge gap between poverty and wealth which exists in parts of India, Catherine Kirby shows us what it means to be Sari Caste and the women who suffer by living with it day by day.
Thought provoking and a gripping read, this book is one which will stay with you for a long time.
April 29, 2012
REVIEW by Peggy Randall_Martin
Read this book for yourself, your daughters and for every woman you know. You will never forget Manasa.
The story unfolds in present day Calcutta around a woman named Manasa. She is one of many children born to her parents, with whom she is counted as a daughter with no true identity of her own. Manasa’s escape from the everyday nothingness in her Bengali village and her innocent quest for a better life takes her on a dangerous, self-reliant journey into a dark and sinister world where trust and love are bought and sold. Along the way, Manasa must make snap decisions about the people she meets; all the while knowing that one mistaken judgment could kill any chance she has of survival and sink her into a soulless, gaping abyss from which there would be no return.
Manasa’s search for freedom shines a harsh and realistic light behind the many walls and dusty curtains that would otherwise disguise and block from the outside world the tragic lives of women who never found favor with their families or those who suffered the loss of that status for one reason or another. It is a way of life that is foreign to most, but this heart wrenching story quickly acquaints readers around the world with India’s Sari Caste.
Catherine Kirby
Read this book for yourself, your daughters and for every woman you know. You will never forget Manasa.
The story unfolds in present day Calcutta around a woman named Manasa. She is one of many children born to her parents, with whom she is counted as a daughter with no true identity of her own. Manasa’s escape from the everyday nothingness in her Bengali village and her innocent quest for a better life takes her on a dangerous, self-reliant journey into a dark and sinister world where trust and love are bought and sold. Along the way, Manasa must make snap decisions about the people she meets; all the while knowing that one mistaken judgment could kill any chance she has of survival and sink her into a soulless, gaping abyss from which there would be no return.
Manasa’s search for freedom shines a harsh and realistic light behind the many walls and dusty curtains that would otherwise disguise and block from the outside world the tragic lives of women who never found favor with their families or those who suffered the loss of that status for one reason or another. It is a way of life that is foreign to most, but this heart wrenching story quickly acquaints readers around the world with India’s Sari Caste.
Catherine Kirby
July 10, 2012
An Unforgettable Tale of India
Manasa lives with her family near Calcutta, the third of four daughters. Her father is a harsh tyrant, embittered by his lack of sons, who takes his revenge by abusing his long-suffering wife and humiliating his daughters. Manasa's only hope of escape is through marriage, but her hopes are dashed when her father arranges a marriage for his youngest daughter before her. In desperation she runs away to the city. But, intolerable as was her life at home, it is nothing compared to the horrors she finds waiting for her in Calcutta.
This is an exceptionally powerful and moving story, all the more emotive since it is based on real events. Ms Kirby is a wonderful storyteller and leads the reader with consummate skill into the steamy streets of Calcutta where obscene wealth rubs shoulders with the most abject poverty - and where everything is for sale.
I was gripped from the start as I followed Manasa into places I would never have dared to venture alone. Dreadful things happen in this story, but it is not all about misery and fear. It is about the courage and ingenuity of one young woman and, above all, the human capacity for love.
I shall not forget this story. It has the impact of some of the great epic dramas such as 'The Grapes of Wrath' and 'The Good Earth.' Ms Kirby is an author worth looking out for.
Manasa lives with her family near Calcutta, the third of four daughters. Her father is a harsh tyrant, embittered by his lack of sons, who takes his revenge by abusing his long-suffering wife and humiliating his daughters. Manasa's only hope of escape is through marriage, but her hopes are dashed when her father arranges a marriage for his youngest daughter before her. In desperation she runs away to the city. But, intolerable as was her life at home, it is nothing compared to the horrors she finds waiting for her in Calcutta.
This is an exceptionally powerful and moving story, all the more emotive since it is based on real events. Ms Kirby is a wonderful storyteller and leads the reader with consummate skill into the steamy streets of Calcutta where obscene wealth rubs shoulders with the most abject poverty - and where everything is for sale.
I was gripped from the start as I followed Manasa into places I would never have dared to venture alone. Dreadful things happen in this story, but it is not all about misery and fear. It is about the courage and ingenuity of one young woman and, above all, the human capacity for love.
I shall not forget this story. It has the impact of some of the great epic dramas such as 'The Grapes of Wrath' and 'The Good Earth.' Ms Kirby is an author worth looking out for.
November 28, 2017
Excellent, well written moving story.
Transported to India, Ms. Kirby takes us on a journey with a young Indian girl called Manasa. Deeply hurt by the way her father treats her, she falls prey to her own innocence and ends up in all sorts of trouble.
This has been so well written you can almost smell the slums and terrible conditions the very poor have to live in in the cities of India. And the storyline isn't far fetched either, it is happening today.
Manasa gets herself into some very difficult situations, some you can see coming and want to shout out a warning to her. She has to accept and learn to adapt with some horrors, others she escapes or is rescued from, but I didn't want to stop reading it until I found out how it all turns out for her in the end... the ending? Well, you can make up your own mind what you think of the ending once you've read it.
Transported to India, Ms. Kirby takes us on a journey with a young Indian girl called Manasa. Deeply hurt by the way her father treats her, she falls prey to her own innocence and ends up in all sorts of trouble.
This has been so well written you can almost smell the slums and terrible conditions the very poor have to live in in the cities of India. And the storyline isn't far fetched either, it is happening today.
Manasa gets herself into some very difficult situations, some you can see coming and want to shout out a warning to her. She has to accept and learn to adapt with some horrors, others she escapes or is rescued from, but I didn't want to stop reading it until I found out how it all turns out for her in the end... the ending? Well, you can make up your own mind what you think of the ending once you've read it.
March 11, 2012
This is an amazing book! The characters and their plights pull you in immediately and you come to care for them quickly. It's a journey of tragedy, heartache, hope, and family. Manasa is unwanted by her father for being a daughter in a culture that celebrates males. Because of her father's manipulation and her innocence, she's forced along a challenging and difficult path as a prostitute in a struggle to survive.
Beautifully written, you can taste, smell, and experience the harsh realities of India and it's culture in the colourful prose that jumps out of the page. The plot is fantastic and hooked me so much I couldn't put it down.
Beautifully written, you can taste, smell, and experience the harsh realities of India and it's culture in the colourful prose that jumps out of the page. The plot is fantastic and hooked me so much I couldn't put it down.
July 11, 2012
This is an emotional read that takes us into the deepest black heart of Calcutta. It is a dark tale about a girl whose naivity and innocence leads her into a life of degradation as a prostituteSari Caste. Her determination and courage help her to survive and escape. She does this not just for herself but also for her baby daughter and wider family, some of whom are orphans she has met along the way. The author has a deep knowledge of India. You can smell Calcutta from the page and see the colours of the bazaar. A recommended book if you want to delve into the Indian way of life. India simply mirrors the instincts of all us but the poverty there lays it bare.
October 5, 2014
An epic tale set in India and told with great skill by an author who clearly knows her subject.
Manasa is cast aside by her family for an unforgivable indiscretion and her life is sent on a downward spiral. But Manasa is strong and never gives up her fight to live a better life.
This book is for anyone who admires a strong female character and a story that pulls no punches, but is ultimately uplifting.
Skillfully written, the author possesses a skill that all good writers possess, namely she is able to hook you in and retain your interest. I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful read and could not offer a stronger recommendation to other readers.
Manasa is cast aside by her family for an unforgivable indiscretion and her life is sent on a downward spiral. But Manasa is strong and never gives up her fight to live a better life.
This book is for anyone who admires a strong female character and a story that pulls no punches, but is ultimately uplifting.
Skillfully written, the author possesses a skill that all good writers possess, namely she is able to hook you in and retain your interest. I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful read and could not offer a stronger recommendation to other readers.
February 17, 2015
Sari Caste has you gripped from the very first page. It is a moving, sometimes harrowing story, centred around the main character, Manasa, a young woman from an Indian village, whose sad life spirals into desperate poverty and prostitution. The story of her many struggles while trying to provide for her child in teeming Calcutta is raw with emotion and the reader is swept along on a tide of troubles, living the nightmare as it unfolds for Manasa. The characters are well drawn and Catherine Kirby weaves the story exceptionally well, with obvious knowledge of India and its customs. This is a story of betrayal, devotion, desperation, and ultimately love. A book I thoroughly recommend.
December 14, 2011
This novel is colourful and emotionally stimulating. Its location, in the crowded back streets of a vast Indian city, is unusual and informative (I know that crumbling old city and its astonishing cultural strata from many visits in the 50's and 60's.) The action, taking place in a brothel, is not that of a hum-drum domestic story but takes us into a world unknown to most - the hopes and dreams of exploited women - and the struggles for identity of one particularly heroic girl. I finished the book a few weeks ago and the rustle of saris still follow me.
August 21, 2013
Disturbing that these things actually still happen, even if this is a work of fiction. The pressure on indian women to bear sons is still prevalent in India. That women have to resort to prostitution to survive and the lives of innocent children in a country that has such string religious convictions is very contradictory. The story is told with such humanity and compassion for the central characters, flaws and all. You keep turning the pages wanting a happy ending for them and can guess at what is going to unfold, nevertheless, extremely absorbing!
May 10, 2013
A good story, but I didn't like the main character. I found her far too naive to be realistic. The book was also rather predictable. Mostly, I hated the incredible number of typos, grammatical errors, missed words and missed punctuation - seriously the editors and proofers should be fired! At the end of the day I enjoyed the read but it was not a literary wonder. I have read many other and better books about the trials of the Indian people. I was torn between 3 and 4 stars.
April 1, 2012
I found the story difficult to read and often times had to put the book down. This was only because Catherine did such a great job in her description of scenery, narrative voice and emotional pull, I rode the roller coaster of emotions with everyone in the book. Exciting, sad, and a tremendously good read.
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February 25, 2016kindle 258 India
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