What do you think?
Rate this book
Nectar in a Sieve
In a small village in India, a simple peasant woman recalls her life as a child bride, a farmer's wife, and a devoted mother amidst fights to meet changing times, poverty, and disaster. This is the very moving story of a woman in India whose whole life was a gallant and persistent battle to care for those she loved. Markandaya's first published novel, Nectar in a Sieve, was a bestseller and cited as an American Library Association Notable Book in 1955. Its depiction of rural India and the suffering of its poor made it popular in the West.
104 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1954
293 people are currently reading
6543 people want to read
About the author
Kamala Markandaya
19 books113 followersPseudonym used by Kamala Purnaiya Taylor, an Indian novelist and journalist. A native of Mysore, India, Markandaya was a graduate of Madras University, and afterward published several short stories in Indian newspapers. After India declared its independence, Markandaya moved to Britain, though she still labeled herself an Indian expatriate long afterward.
Known for writing about culture clash between Indian urban and rural societies, Markandaya's first published novel, Nectar in a Sieve, was a bestseller and cited as an American Library Association Notable Book in 1955. Other novels include Some Inner Fury (1955), A Silence of Desire (1960), Possession (1963), A Handful of Rice (1966), The Nowhere Man (1972), Two Virgins (1973), The Golden Honeycomb (1977), and Pleasure City (1982/1983).
Kamala Markandaya belonged to that pioneering group of Indian women writers who made their mark not just through their subject matter, but also through their fluid, polished literary style. Nectar in a Sieve was her first published work, and its depiction of rural India and the suffering of farmers made it popular in the West. This was followed by other fiction that dramatized the Quit India movement in 1942, the clash between East and West and the tragedy that resulted from it, or the problems facing ordinary middle-class Indians—making a living, finding inner peace, coping with modern technology and its effects on the poor.
Known for writing about culture clash between Indian urban and rural societies, Markandaya's first published novel, Nectar in a Sieve, was a bestseller and cited as an American Library Association Notable Book in 1955. Other novels include Some Inner Fury (1955), A Silence of Desire (1960), Possession (1963), A Handful of Rice (1966), The Nowhere Man (1972), Two Virgins (1973), The Golden Honeycomb (1977), and Pleasure City (1982/1983).
Kamala Markandaya belonged to that pioneering group of Indian women writers who made their mark not just through their subject matter, but also through their fluid, polished literary style. Nectar in a Sieve was her first published work, and its depiction of rural India and the suffering of farmers made it popular in the West. This was followed by other fiction that dramatized the Quit India movement in 1942, the clash between East and West and the tragedy that resulted from it, or the problems facing ordinary middle-class Indians—making a living, finding inner peace, coping with modern technology and its effects on the poor.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,105 reviews
March 16, 2019
The hardship of life in rural India written in 1954. As I read it I wondered how much things have changed in those 65 years? And I suspect the answer may be “not much other than cell phones, and motor scooters instead of donkey carts.” Hopefully there are more social services and people don’t die as often from starvation.
The main character is a woman who has the bad luck of being born a fourth daughter (so no dowry left) and she’s kind of plain looking, so she can’t hope for much in the way of a marriage partner. But she does marry, not to a farmer who owns land, but to one who rents land. There is no way out, so that means they are condemned to a life of poverty living in a two-room thatch and mud hut. But even one of those rooms is mainly used for storage of the rice and corn that they grow.
They are always at the mercy of nature: floods, droughts, insects, wind storms. “Nature is like a wild animal that you have trained to work for you. So long as you are vigilant and walk warily with thought and care, so long will it give you its aid; but look away for an instant, be heedless or forgetful, and it has you by the throat.”
The outcomes of such natural events are not just hard times – it’s starvation for a season. During these times their daughter turns to prostitution to get money to buy food for a dying younger brother. The daughter who became a prostitute had married but was ‘returned’ to the family as barren. A brother is killed by guards while breaking in to rob a factory. There’s a particularly poignant scene of the mother going nightly to the stored bag of rice and re-arranging the piles of grain to see if they will last 24 days or 30 days.
Two themes in the story portend change. This totally rural area is experiencing some growth due to the construction of a tannery. It brings outside money - and outsiders – into the area. The other is that the main character becomes friends with a British doctor who returns on and off to the area, eventually building a clinic. But he’s not riding a white horse; he’s a classic Ugly European who spares no words in telling her that she and her people are ignorant and superstitious. They struggle to understand each other’s worlds.
Another consistent theme through the story was the love that the couple had for each other that sustained them through all these hardships. As their old age approaches you can see the story headed toward “It’s Been an Incredibly Hard but Wonderful Life.” But no.
I thought it was a good read that gave a good and somewhat detailed sense of these rural lives; simple things like how they had a treat of fish each year after they drained the rice paddies. It is simple but eloquent writing, fitting the topic.
The title comes from Coleridge:
“Work without hope draws nectar in a sieve,
And hope without an object cannot live.”
The author (1924-2004) was an upper-class Indian woman who was a journalist and wrote a half-dozen novels, of which Nectar, her first, is by far the best-known. She married an Englishman and moved to England.
Photo of Indian peasants, 1946, from 2.bp.blogspot.com
Photo of Indian mud and thatch hut from alamy.com
Photo of the author from Goodreads
The main character is a woman who has the bad luck of being born a fourth daughter (so no dowry left) and she’s kind of plain looking, so she can’t hope for much in the way of a marriage partner. But she does marry, not to a farmer who owns land, but to one who rents land. There is no way out, so that means they are condemned to a life of poverty living in a two-room thatch and mud hut. But even one of those rooms is mainly used for storage of the rice and corn that they grow.
They are always at the mercy of nature: floods, droughts, insects, wind storms. “Nature is like a wild animal that you have trained to work for you. So long as you are vigilant and walk warily with thought and care, so long will it give you its aid; but look away for an instant, be heedless or forgetful, and it has you by the throat.”
The outcomes of such natural events are not just hard times – it’s starvation for a season. During these times their daughter turns to prostitution to get money to buy food for a dying younger brother. The daughter who became a prostitute had married but was ‘returned’ to the family as barren. A brother is killed by guards while breaking in to rob a factory. There’s a particularly poignant scene of the mother going nightly to the stored bag of rice and re-arranging the piles of grain to see if they will last 24 days or 30 days.
Two themes in the story portend change. This totally rural area is experiencing some growth due to the construction of a tannery. It brings outside money - and outsiders – into the area. The other is that the main character becomes friends with a British doctor who returns on and off to the area, eventually building a clinic. But he’s not riding a white horse; he’s a classic Ugly European who spares no words in telling her that she and her people are ignorant and superstitious. They struggle to understand each other’s worlds.
Another consistent theme through the story was the love that the couple had for each other that sustained them through all these hardships. As their old age approaches you can see the story headed toward “It’s Been an Incredibly Hard but Wonderful Life.” But no.
I thought it was a good read that gave a good and somewhat detailed sense of these rural lives; simple things like how they had a treat of fish each year after they drained the rice paddies. It is simple but eloquent writing, fitting the topic.
The title comes from Coleridge:
“Work without hope draws nectar in a sieve,
And hope without an object cannot live.”
The author (1924-2004) was an upper-class Indian woman who was a journalist and wrote a half-dozen novels, of which Nectar, her first, is by far the best-known. She married an Englishman and moved to England.
Photo of Indian peasants, 1946, from 2.bp.blogspot.com
Photo of Indian mud and thatch hut from alamy.com
Photo of the author from Goodreads
June 30, 2020
This year, I resolved to read more books by Indian authors as I don't do it much. I'm so glad that I picked up this book because it is a hidden gem. It's poignantly rich and despairing writing left a mark on me.
Set in the rural area of post-colonial South India, "Nectar in a Sieve" is a story about Rukhmani, an old woman who reminiscences about her life. At the age of 12, she gets married to a tenant farmer. We follow her journey as she struggles to eke out a living on land amid threats of droughts, heavy monsoon, and starvation.
To say this book was beautiful would be an understatement. In the beginning, the writing has a childlike innocence and wonder as Rukhmani begins her new life. But as her life gets tough, it gets subdued by a melancholy voice that is trying its best to survive but is helpless against the odds.
This book accurately captures the essence of a farmer's life, showing the trials and tribulations they face while living from hand to mouth and sometimes starving till the next season. It also shows the patriarchal traditions still alive like child marriage, dowry, desire for sons. I don't think much has changed since then in that regard.
There's another character, a white doctor who helps these people but constantly chides them for being submissive. But we see that those who fight back suffer and lose what they already had. It shows the powerlessness of the poor against the rich. When one has limited means, the only thought that takes precedence is how to survive and we see this by the way the characters bend in the circumstances.
All in all, this is a must-read novel.
P.S. If you read this edition, please don't read the intro because it gives away a lot of spoilers!
P.P.S. I joined bookstagram just a few months ago so I'd really appreciate it if you checked it out! :D
Instagram
Set in the rural area of post-colonial South India, "Nectar in a Sieve" is a story about Rukhmani, an old woman who reminiscences about her life. At the age of 12, she gets married to a tenant farmer. We follow her journey as she struggles to eke out a living on land amid threats of droughts, heavy monsoon, and starvation.
To say this book was beautiful would be an understatement. In the beginning, the writing has a childlike innocence and wonder as Rukhmani begins her new life. But as her life gets tough, it gets subdued by a melancholy voice that is trying its best to survive but is helpless against the odds.
This book accurately captures the essence of a farmer's life, showing the trials and tribulations they face while living from hand to mouth and sometimes starving till the next season. It also shows the patriarchal traditions still alive like child marriage, dowry, desire for sons. I don't think much has changed since then in that regard.
There's another character, a white doctor who helps these people but constantly chides them for being submissive. But we see that those who fight back suffer and lose what they already had. It shows the powerlessness of the poor against the rich. When one has limited means, the only thought that takes precedence is how to survive and we see this by the way the characters bend in the circumstances.
All in all, this is a must-read novel.
P.S. If you read this edition, please don't read the intro because it gives away a lot of spoilers!
P.P.S. I joined bookstagram just a few months ago so I'd really appreciate it if you checked it out! :D
October 18, 2016
“There is no greatness where there is not simplicity, goodness, and truth.”
----Leo Tolstoy
Kamala Purnaiya Taylor, a.k.a, Kamala Markandaya, the late Indian internationally bestselling author, had penned a terrific yet extremely honest tale of a woman's struggling yet endearing life right after India's independence in her book, Nectar in a Sieve which marks as a pioneering book in Indian literature, that outlines the importance of a woman's simplicity, her sacrifices, her unconditional love for her family, her dying desires, her struggles during the times of poverty and her intelligence in rural India.
Synopsis:
This beautiful and eloquent story tells of a simple peasant woman in a primitive village in India whose whole life was a gallant and persistent battle to care for those she loved.
Married as a child bride to a tenant farmer she had never seen, she worked side by side in the field with her husband to wrest a living from land that was ravaged by droughts, monsoons, and insects. With remarkable fortitude and courage, she sought to meet changing times and fight poverty and disaster. She saw one of her infants die from starvation, her daughter become a prostitute, and her sons leave the land for jobs which she distrusted. And somehow, she survived...
Rukmani, a very young girl, is married off to a simple peasant, Nathan, from a village miles and miles away from the village where she was born, by her father, who is a reputed village headman. Rukmani who came from a modest and affluent lifestyle is expected to follow with her newly married husband to his village and into his simple world with limited means. Rukmani soon adjusts and adapts with her new lifestyle as a village farmer's wife, by helping her husband in sowing the rice seeds, watering and other necessary farming activities while handling and managing the household singlehandedly. Unfortunately as time passes by, Rukmani is left childless as she is expected to give birth to a handful of sons who will finally help in the farming business alongside with her husband. As a result, Rukmani consults a Western doctor, Kenny, with modern world ideals, who finally helps her to give birth to a daughter and four sons. Despite the increase of so many feeding mouths, Nathan and Rukmani somehow manages to feed their sons and daughter, give a fulfilling life, even they are challenged all the way with poverty, drought and flood, sacrifice their farm and fight lots of battles, and through out the whole journey, Rukmani stands tall and strong shoulder-to-shoulder with her husband until the very end.
There are so many stories that highlight an India's life right after the independence but only a few stand out, just like, Nectar in a Sieve is one such ground breaking classic Indian literature that brings out the basic and simple life of a farmer somewhere rural in South India. Centralizing poverty as the main theme of the book, the author had depicted the life of a village woman despite whose sadness knew no limit, she had a fulfilling and satisfying family life with limited happiness and extreme challenges all through out her way. The author has made her readers feel nostalgia through the pages of this compelling yet heart touching story of a woman as a little girl, as a daughter, as a wife, as a mother and as a friend as she survives her life alongside her husband and children.
The author has captured the backdrop of a post-Independent India strikingly as she gracefully painted the rough and brown yet dull landscape of an Indian village, lush with rice paddy fields and the blooming flora here and there, the dust from the red stone roads, the grayish river, the hard cracked soil, the mud huts, the narrow-minded and illiterate village folks, the superstitions, the child's cry, the staple food, and the sweat of the hard working villagers. Each and every details about the background image will let the readers to time travel back and forth from that era to the modern times and that will force them to reflect back on the changes. The author had also highlighted the socio political, cultural norms and beliefs followed back in that era which is in a stark contrast to present day's rules and beliefs.
The author's writing style is extremely significant rich with emotions and wisdom embedded deep into the core of the story line. The readers, be them international or Indian, will find the book easy to comprehend with even the story is written by the author is a very simple and easy to understand English language. The narrative is heartfelt and articulate and the readers will find losing themselves into the sad undertone of the character's voices. The pace if the book is swift and moderate even the story is rich with so many evocative descriptions that will help the readers to not only feel the story but also to visually imagine the scenes right before their eyes.
The characters reflect the hardships toiled by the Indian farmers and their family through their honest and realistic demeanor strikingly. The main character of Rukmani is pleasingly portrayed that the Indian readers can easily contemplated with her plain looks, not so sharp wit, an enduring and patient woman, a hard working mother, a loyal and devoted wife and an obedient daughter. Rukmani infers poignancy and sympathy through her painful journey of life in India, how motherhood and marital life changes the life of this once innocent and sweet little girl is equally heart breaking yet enlightening enough to keep the readers glued to the pages of this book till the very end. the supporting characters are well developed and extremely enriching enough to keep the readers interested about the way their life unfolds through the main story line.
In a nutshell, this is a must read Indian book that every Indian readers must not only possess in their bookshelves but must also possess in the very deep of their souls.
Verdict: Satisfying and poignant till the very end.
----Leo Tolstoy
Kamala Purnaiya Taylor, a.k.a, Kamala Markandaya, the late Indian internationally bestselling author, had penned a terrific yet extremely honest tale of a woman's struggling yet endearing life right after India's independence in her book, Nectar in a Sieve which marks as a pioneering book in Indian literature, that outlines the importance of a woman's simplicity, her sacrifices, her unconditional love for her family, her dying desires, her struggles during the times of poverty and her intelligence in rural India.
Synopsis:
This beautiful and eloquent story tells of a simple peasant woman in a primitive village in India whose whole life was a gallant and persistent battle to care for those she loved.
Married as a child bride to a tenant farmer she had never seen, she worked side by side in the field with her husband to wrest a living from land that was ravaged by droughts, monsoons, and insects. With remarkable fortitude and courage, she sought to meet changing times and fight poverty and disaster. She saw one of her infants die from starvation, her daughter become a prostitute, and her sons leave the land for jobs which she distrusted. And somehow, she survived...
Rukmani, a very young girl, is married off to a simple peasant, Nathan, from a village miles and miles away from the village where she was born, by her father, who is a reputed village headman. Rukmani who came from a modest and affluent lifestyle is expected to follow with her newly married husband to his village and into his simple world with limited means. Rukmani soon adjusts and adapts with her new lifestyle as a village farmer's wife, by helping her husband in sowing the rice seeds, watering and other necessary farming activities while handling and managing the household singlehandedly. Unfortunately as time passes by, Rukmani is left childless as she is expected to give birth to a handful of sons who will finally help in the farming business alongside with her husband. As a result, Rukmani consults a Western doctor, Kenny, with modern world ideals, who finally helps her to give birth to a daughter and four sons. Despite the increase of so many feeding mouths, Nathan and Rukmani somehow manages to feed their sons and daughter, give a fulfilling life, even they are challenged all the way with poverty, drought and flood, sacrifice their farm and fight lots of battles, and through out the whole journey, Rukmani stands tall and strong shoulder-to-shoulder with her husband until the very end.
There are so many stories that highlight an India's life right after the independence but only a few stand out, just like, Nectar in a Sieve is one such ground breaking classic Indian literature that brings out the basic and simple life of a farmer somewhere rural in South India. Centralizing poverty as the main theme of the book, the author had depicted the life of a village woman despite whose sadness knew no limit, she had a fulfilling and satisfying family life with limited happiness and extreme challenges all through out her way. The author has made her readers feel nostalgia through the pages of this compelling yet heart touching story of a woman as a little girl, as a daughter, as a wife, as a mother and as a friend as she survives her life alongside her husband and children.
The author has captured the backdrop of a post-Independent India strikingly as she gracefully painted the rough and brown yet dull landscape of an Indian village, lush with rice paddy fields and the blooming flora here and there, the dust from the red stone roads, the grayish river, the hard cracked soil, the mud huts, the narrow-minded and illiterate village folks, the superstitions, the child's cry, the staple food, and the sweat of the hard working villagers. Each and every details about the background image will let the readers to time travel back and forth from that era to the modern times and that will force them to reflect back on the changes. The author had also highlighted the socio political, cultural norms and beliefs followed back in that era which is in a stark contrast to present day's rules and beliefs.
The author's writing style is extremely significant rich with emotions and wisdom embedded deep into the core of the story line. The readers, be them international or Indian, will find the book easy to comprehend with even the story is written by the author is a very simple and easy to understand English language. The narrative is heartfelt and articulate and the readers will find losing themselves into the sad undertone of the character's voices. The pace if the book is swift and moderate even the story is rich with so many evocative descriptions that will help the readers to not only feel the story but also to visually imagine the scenes right before their eyes.
The characters reflect the hardships toiled by the Indian farmers and their family through their honest and realistic demeanor strikingly. The main character of Rukmani is pleasingly portrayed that the Indian readers can easily contemplated with her plain looks, not so sharp wit, an enduring and patient woman, a hard working mother, a loyal and devoted wife and an obedient daughter. Rukmani infers poignancy and sympathy through her painful journey of life in India, how motherhood and marital life changes the life of this once innocent and sweet little girl is equally heart breaking yet enlightening enough to keep the readers glued to the pages of this book till the very end. the supporting characters are well developed and extremely enriching enough to keep the readers interested about the way their life unfolds through the main story line.
In a nutshell, this is a must read Indian book that every Indian readers must not only possess in their bookshelves but must also possess in the very deep of their souls.
Verdict: Satisfying and poignant till the very end.
November 10, 2024
At its heart, Nectar in a Sieve is a story about suffering and our response to it. The protagonist is an aging Indian woman looking back over her long life and reflecting on her fate as well as her choices. Much that happened to her, she had no say in. She was a child bride of an arranged marriage. In some respects, Providence was kind to her; in many others cruel.
But it would spoil the book to tell Rukmani’s tale before you read it. You need to experience it through her own sparse prose narrative. If you get this particular edition of the book do not read the introduction by Indira Ganesan until after you’ve finished the book. Although excellent, it contains many spoilers. Instead check out the historical context in the study guide here which will give you sufficient background to proceed well.
Like all people who live off the land, it is a journey of ups and downs, joys and woes. Very soon into the book, what becomes obvious is that it doesn’t matter so much what happens to Rukmani or her family. What counts is to endure.
Near the end of the book when an Englishman who has helped Rukmani time and again chastises her for refusing to cry out in pain, hear her thoughts:
Nectar in a Sieve is a haunting story of the sweetness of life running out as quickly as its title.
****
dedicated to my partner in reading this, Melissa
Revised: 31 October 2023
But it would spoil the book to tell Rukmani’s tale before you read it. You need to experience it through her own sparse prose narrative. If you get this particular edition of the book do not read the introduction by Indira Ganesan until after you’ve finished the book. Although excellent, it contains many spoilers. Instead check out the historical context in the study guide here which will give you sufficient background to proceed well.
Like all people who live off the land, it is a journey of ups and downs, joys and woes. Very soon into the book, what becomes obvious is that it doesn’t matter so much what happens to Rukmani or her family. What counts is to endure.
Near the end of the book when an Englishman who has helped Rukmani time and again chastises her for refusing to cry out in pain, hear her thoughts:
‘Well, and what if we gave in to our troubles at every step! We would be pitiable creatures indeed to be so weak, for is not man’s spirit given to him to rise above his misfortunes? As for our wants, they are many and unfilled, for who is so rich or compassionate to supply them? Want is our companion from birth to death, familiar as the seasons of the earth, varying only in degree. What profit to bewail that which has always been and cannot change?’Rukmani was a survivor; she knew the secret of life was to endure—patiently, quietly, lovingly.
Nectar in a Sieve is a haunting story of the sweetness of life running out as quickly as its title.
****
dedicated to my partner in reading this, Melissa
Revised: 31 October 2023
November 26, 2008
Oh, man, talk about grimsville!! I think I'll just run along now and lay my head on that old railroad track!
These characters are just born to suffer and endure and work their tails off and all for what? Nothing, because they get screwed every time they start to get some hope back. Screwed either by Mother Nature or by their fellow human beings. Imagine seeing your child die from starvation and feeling relieved because you won't have to watch him suffer anymore!
Grimmest of all is that there are people all over the world right now living similar lives.
These characters are just born to suffer and endure and work their tails off and all for what? Nothing, because they get screwed every time they start to get some hope back. Screwed either by Mother Nature or by their fellow human beings. Imagine seeing your child die from starvation and feeling relieved because you won't have to watch him suffer anymore!
Grimmest of all is that there are people all over the world right now living similar lives.
November 7, 2018
'Sometimes at night I think that my husband is with me again, coming gently through the mists, and we are tranquil together," begins Rukmani as she takes the reader into her life, the rare ups and several downs of it as she reminisces the years following her marriage to Nathan, a poor tenant farmer. The aura of this book is that of gloom and depression, they are depressed when they do not have children, they are upset when they have too many children to feed and the reader is upset because life is so unfair for this couple. Markandaya's poignant novel captures the hardships faced by farmers in post-colonial India where everything they hold dear, is being eventually lost.
The concept of 'time' and the 'lateness' of events is beautiful explored. Sometimes, things fail to happen when needed and are just a bit too late to provide any value. I highly recommend this book to any And every reader!
The concept of 'time' and the 'lateness' of events is beautiful explored. Sometimes, things fail to happen when needed and are just a bit too late to provide any value. I highly recommend this book to any And every reader!
December 10, 2011
Beautiful and touching, Nectar in a Sieve follows a young Rukmani who is married to Nathan, a tenant farmer, when she is only twelve. The marriage, of course, is arranged. The story focuses on the growth of her family and the struggles a tenant farmer and his family must face in a developing India.
I had one minor issue with this book...that is that there wasn't more.
The story should be depressing because the family has to scrape by to survive. And I mean really scrape by...with very little extra ever coming their way. They lose children to death and circumstance. They live through monsoon and drought while they work the land for thirty years. But because the book is only around 180 pages, I felt like I did not get to know the characters as well as I would have liked. Their only daughter, for example, has a sad but fascinating story of her own, and I would have liked to see more of it. Several of her sons move away...far away and we don't hear anything more about them. Of course, neither did Rukmani, which was perhaps common for a woman in her situation, but I wanted to know how their lives turned out.
In any case, a story that should have been depressing was touching. They never really had a break, but I felt like they were happy in their own way. They learned to accept their hardships and never lost sight of their humanity in spite of those hardships. Mostly, they took joy in loving and forgiving each other.
The prose is beautiful. And that is probably what made this novel for me. Some writers are gifted with language in a way that sings to you. I wish I had half Markandaya's skill with words. And perhaps that is another reason I wanted more. I wanted to listen to her voice for just a little bit longer. As it is, this is going to stay with me for a long time.
I had one minor issue with this book...that is that there wasn't more.
The story should be depressing because the family has to scrape by to survive. And I mean really scrape by...with very little extra ever coming their way. They lose children to death and circumstance. They live through monsoon and drought while they work the land for thirty years. But because the book is only around 180 pages, I felt like I did not get to know the characters as well as I would have liked. Their only daughter, for example, has a sad but fascinating story of her own, and I would have liked to see more of it. Several of her sons move away...far away and we don't hear anything more about them. Of course, neither did Rukmani, which was perhaps common for a woman in her situation, but I wanted to know how their lives turned out.
In any case, a story that should have been depressing was touching. They never really had a break, but I felt like they were happy in their own way. They learned to accept their hardships and never lost sight of their humanity in spite of those hardships. Mostly, they took joy in loving and forgiving each other.
The prose is beautiful. And that is probably what made this novel for me. Some writers are gifted with language in a way that sings to you. I wish I had half Markandaya's skill with words. And perhaps that is another reason I wanted more. I wanted to listen to her voice for just a little bit longer. As it is, this is going to stay with me for a long time.
February 17, 2024
I know many people read this book during their school years, but I somehow missed this one. The description is accurate: “In a small village in India, a simple peasant woman recalls her life as a child bride, a farmer's wife, and a devoted mother amidst fights to meet changing times, poverty, and disaster.” Published in 1954, it is the story of a tenant farming family living an arduous life in rural India. It begins with protagonist Rukhmani as an older woman looking back on her life.
This story depicts the hardships experienced by the rural poor. It portrays the slim line between survival and starvation, particularly weather-related perils, especially drought and floods, which ruin the crops. Both times of scarcity and times of plenty are described. The people generally accept their plight with stoicism.
Social changes are occurring, and conflicts arise when this traditional agrarian society encounters the forces of modernization. A tannery arrives in town and changes the economics and the lives of the inhabitants. A British doctor comes and goes, trying to help but not quite understanding the culture of the people he is attempting to help. Toward the end, it shifts to a city at a time when Rukmani and her husband must leave their village. One particularly touching scene occurs when they share what little they have with a person who has even less.
There is a lot of sadness in this novel. It is often a life-or-death struggle to keep from starving, but it also includes much love and perseverance. Women’s issues are emphasized, such as child marriage, patriarchy, fertility, and sacrifice. The writing is elegant in its minimalistic style. Rukmani and her family face many misfortunes and challenges. Their lives are filled with the uncertainties of mother nature, tragedies, betrayals, and upheaval, yet they struggle on, and still retain a modicum of hope. It is hard to say I “enjoyed” a book with so much sadness and hardship, but I appreciated it and can see why it is considered a classic.
This story depicts the hardships experienced by the rural poor. It portrays the slim line between survival and starvation, particularly weather-related perils, especially drought and floods, which ruin the crops. Both times of scarcity and times of plenty are described. The people generally accept their plight with stoicism.
Social changes are occurring, and conflicts arise when this traditional agrarian society encounters the forces of modernization. A tannery arrives in town and changes the economics and the lives of the inhabitants. A British doctor comes and goes, trying to help but not quite understanding the culture of the people he is attempting to help. Toward the end, it shifts to a city at a time when Rukmani and her husband must leave their village. One particularly touching scene occurs when they share what little they have with a person who has even less.
There is a lot of sadness in this novel. It is often a life-or-death struggle to keep from starving, but it also includes much love and perseverance. Women’s issues are emphasized, such as child marriage, patriarchy, fertility, and sacrifice. The writing is elegant in its minimalistic style. Rukmani and her family face many misfortunes and challenges. Their lives are filled with the uncertainties of mother nature, tragedies, betrayals, and upheaval, yet they struggle on, and still retain a modicum of hope. It is hard to say I “enjoyed” a book with so much sadness and hardship, but I appreciated it and can see why it is considered a classic.
July 14, 2018
"Work without hope draws nectar in a sieve,
and hope without an object cannot live."
Coleridge
Written in 1954 this million-copy bestseller with a afterward by Thrity Umrigar is the story of Rukmani a very young girl whose father marries her off to Nathan an unknown farmer in rural India. Reminiscent of Pearl S Buck's The Good Earth in its theme featuring a strong woman who spends her life battling adversity and poverty while trying to best care for the ones she loves.
Cited as a favorite book by my friend Sharon , a retired English teacher who " knows her stuff."
4 stars
and hope without an object cannot live."
Coleridge
Written in 1954 this million-copy bestseller with a afterward by Thrity Umrigar is the story of Rukmani a very young girl whose father marries her off to Nathan an unknown farmer in rural India. Reminiscent of Pearl S Buck's The Good Earth in its theme featuring a strong woman who spends her life battling adversity and poverty while trying to best care for the ones she loves.
Cited as a favorite book by my friend Sharon , a retired English teacher who " knows her stuff."
4 stars
October 11, 2019
Really, really, really depressing. But at least it's short!
February 20, 2023
It was nice to read this Indian modern classic roughly 70 years after it was first published. I had trouble placing it chronologically because while the synopsis says newly Independent India, the narrative is surprisingly opaque. It lends to the timelessness of rural struggle but also raises many questions about voice and intended audiences. The prose is not ostentatious but can be quite evocative.
August 29, 2018
The story is compelling and full of interesting details, but I couldn't help feeling there was something unreal and stilted about it. Strangely enough, the section set in the city seemed more felt and was more believable to me, although it was filled with unexpected and strange turns of events.
March 2, 2026
Work without Hope draws nectar in a sieve,- Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
And Hope without an object cannot live.
This is a tale of unending misery, lighted by a slim ray of hope towards the very end.
This is the story of Rukmani, the wife of a tenant farmer in South India, just after independence. The life of the peasant in India is subject to the whims and fancies of the fickle monsoon, and also that of the landlord. They live and procreate in perpetual poverty which they accept as their lot. Sons are seen as assets, and daughters as burdens. Women who cannot conceive, and those who cannot bear sons, are seen as cursed. They have no hopes for the future; their existence is hand to mouth.
Rukmani and her husband Nathan are eking out their existence in this bleak scenario. Nathan's dream is to put enough money by to buy his own land in future,while Rukmani dreams only of bright futures for her children - a good marriage for her daughter, and her five sons working along with her husband as their life becomes a pastoral idyll. But sadly, everything falls apart due to vagaries of the monsoon, alternatively parching and flooding the fields, and they are left in penury.
There is also the tanning factory coming up in the village, and more and more people (including Rukamani's two elder sons) go to work there. Capitalism, even more heartless than feudalism, slowly start eating up the country. And the old ways of life are changed for ever, slowly dismantling the world of Nathan and Rukmani. The only bright spot in the entire narrative is Kenny the Englishman, working selflessly for the villagers of his adopted country.
I would have enjoyed this book much more had I read it during my youth. The tone is starkly realistic, and there is no sugarcoating of the bitter truths. Ms. Markandeya was a pioneer of Indian authors writing in English; she influenced a lot of others, as Shashi Tharoor says in the blurb. But her way of storytelling is all "tell, not show",which is terribly dated.
However, the following passage stayed with me:
NOT IN THE TOWN, WHERE ALL THAT WAS NATURAL HAD LONG BEEN SACRIFICED, but on its outskirts, one could still see the passing of the seasons. For in the town there were the crowds, and streets battened down upon the earth, and the filth that men had put upon it; and one walked with care for what might lie beneath one's feet or threaten from before or behind; and in this preoccupation forgot to look at the sun or the stars, or even to observe they had changed their setting in the sky: and knew nothing of the passage of time save in dry frenzy, by looking at a clock. But for us, who lived by the green, quiet fields, perilously close though these were to the town, nature still gave its muted message. Each passing day, each week, each month, left its sign, clear and unmistakable.One asks: even after sending rockets to the moon and Mars, has anything changed in India for the peasant? Reading about the spate of farmer suicides every year, one thinks not...
August 29, 2016
One should go over the epigraph "Work without hope draws nectar in a sieve, And hope without an object cannot live". Each page in this book depicts the sufferings faced by a family (let's say a group of people, a village or surrounding as a whole). Each character in this book suffers a lot. One would have guessed it from the title. The story evolves around Rukmani. Rukmani is portrayed as a simple traditional Indian woman. Nathan, Rukmani's husband is a farmer. The age-old ethics followed by Indian women and Unreliable livelihood confronted by farmers are depicted well. The couple leads a very simple life with an ultimate purpose of survival alone. Constantly we get to think this couple is just born to suffer. The book describes how the couple tackles them all. This leaves the couple without any particular goal than survival. One can easily predict the plot which is more certainly an additional hardship piled up over the existing. Still the author turns the plot optimistic making the people around the main characters suffer more than them. (Yes no one leads a happy life or say a normal life). So anyone who completes this book will be left upset. But that's not how i felt. This book conveys two messages. (Yes kind of a moral book)
Firstly, The book portrays how any worst hardship can bring in hope. When people are desperate they will be forced to hope on God or some invisible force (or even better on ourselves). That's when things turn back again to normal. When our mind is exhausted of thinking negatively we will be forced to think positive.
Next message, Any work should be objective-driven. Else we will be at same state or worse left behind. Simply stating set some higher-valued goals or you will regret later.
A Few After Thoughts:
A question from this book which made me think a lot. "Do you think spiritual grace comes from being in want, or from suffering?" Let's state the question this way. Which drives you to the solution or your needs? Being in want or suffering? Both of them are driving forces. Because suffering boosts up our state of being in want. When we hope to achieve our need with all our heart we can.
Firstly, The book portrays how any worst hardship can bring in hope. When people are desperate they will be forced to hope on God or some invisible force (or even better on ourselves). That's when things turn back again to normal. When our mind is exhausted of thinking negatively we will be forced to think positive.
Next message, Any work should be objective-driven. Else we will be at same state or worse left behind. Simply stating set some higher-valued goals or you will regret later.
A Few After Thoughts:
A question from this book which made me think a lot. "Do you think spiritual grace comes from being in want, or from suffering?" Let's state the question this way. Which drives you to the solution or your needs? Being in want or suffering? Both of them are driving forces. Because suffering boosts up our state of being in want. When we hope to achieve our need with all our heart we can.
July 5, 2020
This novel is about a poor Indian couple who struggle to provide for their growing family. The story began with 12 year old Rukmani marrying Nathan, a poor farmer. Rukmani's father was an important man in his village, but one who did not have the money for a dowry for his youngest daughter. Nevertheless Rukmani was lucky that Nathan was an industrious and strong young man. Both of the young people would need strength and perseverance because many difficult times came along throughout their lives.
After quickly giving birth to a daughter, Rukmani had to wait seven long years for another baby. Rukmani eventually met a white doctor who helped her with her fertility issue and, in time, six sons were born in fairly rapid succession. As tenant farmers who needed abundant crops to feed their family and to pay their landlord, years of drought or flood were devastating and meant a struggle to survive. Rukmani and Nathan don't always make the best choices, but their fight to survive is a compelling story. There are a couple of side issues with the doctor and with a troublesome neighbor that hint at issues that were somewhat ambiguous to me, which detracted from the story but those are small problems.
Reading this story of simple survival was just what I needed right now. Life has been so uncertain and crazy this year with the pandemic. But even as difficult as this year has been so far in my country, I have not ever seen a starving, skeletal person sitting by the road and I don't expect to anytime soon. Right now we have people in the US who think wearing a mask in public and not being able to drink with friends in a bar is a sacrifice. This book shows sacrifice in a way that we can't comprehend. Reading this made me reflect on the tremendous advantages and privilege I have regardless of how bad my life seems at times.
Thanks to Brina for suggesting this book for my classic bingo challenge. It was definitely worth reading.
After quickly giving birth to a daughter, Rukmani had to wait seven long years for another baby. Rukmani eventually met a white doctor who helped her with her fertility issue and, in time, six sons were born in fairly rapid succession. As tenant farmers who needed abundant crops to feed their family and to pay their landlord, years of drought or flood were devastating and meant a struggle to survive. Rukmani and Nathan don't always make the best choices, but their fight to survive is a compelling story. There are a couple of side issues with the doctor and with a troublesome neighbor that hint at issues that were somewhat ambiguous to me, which detracted from the story but those are small problems.
Reading this story of simple survival was just what I needed right now. Life has been so uncertain and crazy this year with the pandemic. But even as difficult as this year has been so far in my country, I have not ever seen a starving, skeletal person sitting by the road and I don't expect to anytime soon. Right now we have people in the US who think wearing a mask in public and not being able to drink with friends in a bar is a sacrifice. This book shows sacrifice in a way that we can't comprehend. Reading this made me reflect on the tremendous advantages and privilege I have regardless of how bad my life seems at times.
Thanks to Brina for suggesting this book for my classic bingo challenge. It was definitely worth reading.
March 27, 2016
This book was basically the diary of the main character, Rukmani. From the get go the emotions were raw and real. This is a very realistic story that follows the life of Rukmani and her struggles throughout it. Anyone who likes autobiographies would enjoy reading this book.
November 21, 2010
Meh. Whatever. The husband dies. Who cares. He cheated on her a zillion years ago and I won't forgive him. The End.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 24, 2008
I just finished reading the novel, Nectar in a Sieve written by Kamala Markandaya. The author, born in the highest caste in India but lived mainly in England, writes about the tale of a family's struggles with poverty and globalization. Being Markandaya's first published novel, Nectar in a Sieve is a worldwide best-seller and has been translated into seventy languages. Markandaya takes us to rural India set in mid-1900's, with the reflection of main character, Rukumani, taking the reader from her early marriage to old age; with the constant companionship of poverty all along the way.
I found it quite shocking the desparate measures people are driven to just to stay alive. It makes me feel lucky and thankful that my life is constantly filled with panic and worry about feeding my family. The culture change was also very interesting and I liked being able to see the world from a completely different way of life, and I thought the way of life displayed in the book were a nice opposition from something I'm used to. The characters' way of life, view and povertt really opened my eyes and the change in perspective was refreshing.
The weaknesses I found in the novel would include the absolutely depressing theme to the entire novel. Certainly not a "feel good" story, I constantly found myself cringing and thinking how the characters' lives could possibly get worse, and they did. I started to get the feeling that this could be somewhat exaggerated to back the author's point that globalization was negative to the poor. But perhaps that was the only way to make her point. Something that the author could do to make it better was to lift the mood-just a couple of times. After done reading that night's assignment, I found that the reading would leave me in a very sad, depressed mood.
Although Nectar in a Sieve brought a cool perspective on culture to the table, I felt that the chain of extremely negative events made me not even want to continue as I helplessly watched as the characters' lives lead to absolutely nothing. Every sacrifice and the days on end of empty stomachs and the seemingly never ending veil of death threading throughout the novel could not come remotely close to countering the negatives of the novel that made the novel somewhat unenjoyable.
I found it quite shocking the desparate measures people are driven to just to stay alive. It makes me feel lucky and thankful that my life is constantly filled with panic and worry about feeding my family. The culture change was also very interesting and I liked being able to see the world from a completely different way of life, and I thought the way of life displayed in the book were a nice opposition from something I'm used to. The characters' way of life, view and povertt really opened my eyes and the change in perspective was refreshing.
The weaknesses I found in the novel would include the absolutely depressing theme to the entire novel. Certainly not a "feel good" story, I constantly found myself cringing and thinking how the characters' lives could possibly get worse, and they did. I started to get the feeling that this could be somewhat exaggerated to back the author's point that globalization was negative to the poor. But perhaps that was the only way to make her point. Something that the author could do to make it better was to lift the mood-just a couple of times. After done reading that night's assignment, I found that the reading would leave me in a very sad, depressed mood.
Although Nectar in a Sieve brought a cool perspective on culture to the table, I felt that the chain of extremely negative events made me not even want to continue as I helplessly watched as the characters' lives lead to absolutely nothing. Every sacrifice and the days on end of empty stomachs and the seemingly never ending veil of death threading throughout the novel could not come remotely close to countering the negatives of the novel that made the novel somewhat unenjoyable.
August 5, 2020
Ciò che mi ha colpito maggiormente sono stati i contrasti fra vecchio e nuovo, fra la vita contadina e il progresso industriale, fra una mentalità fatta allo stesso tempo di rassegnazione e speranza riscontrabile in Rukumani e la rabbia intraprendente del dottor Kenny.
September 3, 2025
I have wanted to read this author for a long time now and I really liked her prose in this book.
Set in rural South India just after independence, it tells the story of Rukmani and her family. Beginning with her marriage as a child bride to a tenant farmer with very little means, Rukmani's life takes a very difficult turn after a relatively easy childhood as the daughter of the village chief.
Only her husband Nathan's love and care provide her solace in a life filled with want and hardship. The difficulties of sustaining a family through farming are eloquently portrayed. The dependence on fickle nature for a healthy crop, followed by the unscrupulous nature of the merchants who buy it makes for an untenable existence. Added to this is the payment they are required to make to the owner of the land they live on and many times they are left with virtually nothing. As the family grows, the couple struggle even for basic necessities and stay afloat only because of their own determination and the rare glimpses of good fortune that come their way. However the building of a tannery nearby increases their suffering and they aren't immune to the tragedy and loss that follows its wake.
The narration is in first person by Rukmani and that was something I found very interesting, because it demonstrated her agency and initiative in providing for her family. Being a woman at the time was not easy, especially in the rural areas and in her situation and so her reasoning capacity and resolve were refreshing to see. She has a strange acquaintance with an English doctor,Kennington, who helps her and the other villagers in many ways. This character seemed to represent the colonial white saviour mentality and I felt the book could have done without him!
The author has presented a very realistic perspective of a rural family and the way in which industrialization, land grabbing and other such developments affected them negatively, forcing them to look for alternate means of survival, while reluctant to give up the only life they have ever known. The moments of happiness that shine through are all the more poignant because of the various indignities they are subjected to. Rukmani's understanding of and reflections about human nature, poverty, death and also hope and family are unexpectedly profound.
It is a sad yet compelling read.
Set in rural South India just after independence, it tells the story of Rukmani and her family. Beginning with her marriage as a child bride to a tenant farmer with very little means, Rukmani's life takes a very difficult turn after a relatively easy childhood as the daughter of the village chief.
Only her husband Nathan's love and care provide her solace in a life filled with want and hardship. The difficulties of sustaining a family through farming are eloquently portrayed. The dependence on fickle nature for a healthy crop, followed by the unscrupulous nature of the merchants who buy it makes for an untenable existence. Added to this is the payment they are required to make to the owner of the land they live on and many times they are left with virtually nothing. As the family grows, the couple struggle even for basic necessities and stay afloat only because of their own determination and the rare glimpses of good fortune that come their way. However the building of a tannery nearby increases their suffering and they aren't immune to the tragedy and loss that follows its wake.
The narration is in first person by Rukmani and that was something I found very interesting, because it demonstrated her agency and initiative in providing for her family. Being a woman at the time was not easy, especially in the rural areas and in her situation and so her reasoning capacity and resolve were refreshing to see. She has a strange acquaintance with an English doctor,Kennington, who helps her and the other villagers in many ways. This character seemed to represent the colonial white saviour mentality and I felt the book could have done without him!
The author has presented a very realistic perspective of a rural family and the way in which industrialization, land grabbing and other such developments affected them negatively, forcing them to look for alternate means of survival, while reluctant to give up the only life they have ever known. The moments of happiness that shine through are all the more poignant because of the various indignities they are subjected to. Rukmani's understanding of and reflections about human nature, poverty, death and also hope and family are unexpectedly profound.
It is a sad yet compelling read.
January 10, 2010
readingformysanity.blogspot.com
Set in rural India at the dawning of a new age, Kamala Markandaya's Nectar in a Sieve tells the story of one woman's quest for happiness and peace amidst heartache and hardship. Despite attempts to ignore comparisons, one is indelibly reminded of Pearl S. Buck's classic The Good Earth. The heroine, Rukmani, is a sort of female Wang Lung, who narrates the rise and fall of her family as India grows and changes around them.
The story begins with Rukmani remembering her past, already advanced and age and living without her husband and sons. She begins her tale with the day she came to her husband's village; leaving her life of relative privilege behind at the age of twelve to become the wife of a poor tenant farmer. The book ebbs and flows, following the seasons of planting and harvest, rising and falling between plenty and famine. Markandaya as Rukmani speaks with a simplicity and an economy of words that is elegant and at times poignant. Despite the struggle that life throws at the family, there is an undying sense of optimism that is simultaneously endearing and heartrending. It is a story of struggle, but also of joy in the simplicities of life, as the characters are happiest when our most mundane needs of sustenance and companionship are met.
But the story is not only the biography of a family, it is also a commentary on the realities of change and the impact of modernization. It displays the futile struggle to preserve our connection to the land and each other as the world becomes ever more industrialized. Markandaya uses the construction of a modern tannery in the small village to explore the impact of modernity on a way of life that has remained constant for centuries. As time stretches on, the reach of the tannery (and the city that grows up around it) spiderwebs into the lives of every character, forever changing their course in life.
Through the character of Kenny, a western doctor who floats in and out of the story, Markandaya also produces a commentary on the social condition of the suffering in this world; painting a picture of the suffering Indian spirit, which accepts their plight and burden, refusing to cry out for help. Kenny is often seen as cold and frustrated, but the reader is to understand that he struggles to comprehend the complacency of the villagers, and their unwillingness to protest the destitution that runs rampant around them.
At only 186 pages, Markandaya's novel leaves a mark that far outstretches it's paucity. Though, at times, the novel can seem to be a litany of struggle and hardship, the characters' reactions and reflections give insight into the human condition. Though the words of the title never appear in the novel itself, the reader has little difficulty understanding their meaning once the book is finished. Like nectar in a sieve, the sweetness of life is fleeting. We must cup it with both hands, and take solace and joy in each and every drop we are afforded in this life.
Set in rural India at the dawning of a new age, Kamala Markandaya's Nectar in a Sieve tells the story of one woman's quest for happiness and peace amidst heartache and hardship. Despite attempts to ignore comparisons, one is indelibly reminded of Pearl S. Buck's classic The Good Earth. The heroine, Rukmani, is a sort of female Wang Lung, who narrates the rise and fall of her family as India grows and changes around them.
The story begins with Rukmani remembering her past, already advanced and age and living without her husband and sons. She begins her tale with the day she came to her husband's village; leaving her life of relative privilege behind at the age of twelve to become the wife of a poor tenant farmer. The book ebbs and flows, following the seasons of planting and harvest, rising and falling between plenty and famine. Markandaya as Rukmani speaks with a simplicity and an economy of words that is elegant and at times poignant. Despite the struggle that life throws at the family, there is an undying sense of optimism that is simultaneously endearing and heartrending. It is a story of struggle, but also of joy in the simplicities of life, as the characters are happiest when our most mundane needs of sustenance and companionship are met.
But the story is not only the biography of a family, it is also a commentary on the realities of change and the impact of modernization. It displays the futile struggle to preserve our connection to the land and each other as the world becomes ever more industrialized. Markandaya uses the construction of a modern tannery in the small village to explore the impact of modernity on a way of life that has remained constant for centuries. As time stretches on, the reach of the tannery (and the city that grows up around it) spiderwebs into the lives of every character, forever changing their course in life.
Through the character of Kenny, a western doctor who floats in and out of the story, Markandaya also produces a commentary on the social condition of the suffering in this world; painting a picture of the suffering Indian spirit, which accepts their plight and burden, refusing to cry out for help. Kenny is often seen as cold and frustrated, but the reader is to understand that he struggles to comprehend the complacency of the villagers, and their unwillingness to protest the destitution that runs rampant around them.
At only 186 pages, Markandaya's novel leaves a mark that far outstretches it's paucity. Though, at times, the novel can seem to be a litany of struggle and hardship, the characters' reactions and reflections give insight into the human condition. Though the words of the title never appear in the novel itself, the reader has little difficulty understanding their meaning once the book is finished. Like nectar in a sieve, the sweetness of life is fleeting. We must cup it with both hands, and take solace and joy in each and every drop we are afforded in this life.
July 7, 2017
Nectar in a sieve isn't a story but collection of memories of days past and present. Set in a village in southern India, this is story of a woman and the hardships she faces with her family when the country is in the brink of industrialization and stepping out of decades of colonialism. Markandaya times the novel in this time of change in a community that solely thrives on outcome of monsoon season. The dichotomy isn't played to its strength with narration never taking into the contrasting nature of the changing society as it plays to the protagonists disadvantage, for she loses her sons to the cities' alluring charms.
The conflict that this novel tries to work around is a recurring theme in Indian literature of this age. The divide between rural and urban was vast and it is still evident in today's wealth and infrastructure divide. There is a slight resistance by the protagonist's family against urbanization and in retrospect, it wasn't unwarranted. The society as a whole fails these rural communities that has no infrastructure to fall back on as they rely completely on a successful monsoon. And when that fails, the immediate outcome is poverty, displacement and eventual dissolution of self in the throngs of many. This is exactly what happens to the protagonist and her family as well. It has been more than seventy years since this novel came out yet the stories seem fresh as the struggles of the farmers are real and still relevant. Markandaya exposes the culture of child marriage, dowry, zamindari system (leasing land for farming) and lack of education in poverty stricken areas.
Its been more than seventy years since this novel came out but the story is still fresh and relevant to this day and age. Markandaya's prose is a treat to read and the grief that accompanies it is genuine.
The conflict that this novel tries to work around is a recurring theme in Indian literature of this age. The divide between rural and urban was vast and it is still evident in today's wealth and infrastructure divide. There is a slight resistance by the protagonist's family against urbanization and in retrospect, it wasn't unwarranted. The society as a whole fails these rural communities that has no infrastructure to fall back on as they rely completely on a successful monsoon. And when that fails, the immediate outcome is poverty, displacement and eventual dissolution of self in the throngs of many. This is exactly what happens to the protagonist and her family as well. It has been more than seventy years since this novel came out yet the stories seem fresh as the struggles of the farmers are real and still relevant. Markandaya exposes the culture of child marriage, dowry, zamindari system (leasing land for farming) and lack of education in poverty stricken areas.
Its been more than seventy years since this novel came out but the story is still fresh and relevant to this day and age. Markandaya's prose is a treat to read and the grief that accompanies it is genuine.
September 16, 2016
This was required reading for me in high school. I just adored it. So well written, powerful and emotional. It is still one of my favorite books after all these years. I consider it a must read.
February 13, 2020
Another Penguin Modern Classic! I read this as a sort of companion piece to Things Fall Apart. Two novellas about the men and women of the Third World. While Things Fall Apart was set in a time just before colonization, Nectar is set just after the departure of the colonizers, though colonization and independence are barely mentioned in this book. I wonder if some scholar has already written a thesis comparing and contrasting these two works, given the common ground they share. Nectar does not equal Things Fall Apart in its power and lyricism though its quiet power is felt best in its closing pages.
While women barely played any role in TFA - the usual case with literature from most underdeveloped countries - Nectar gives a rare and refreshing insight into the lives of rural women in poor countries. Even now in 2020, when I think about Tamil (and, to an extent, Indian English) literature, it continues to be dominated by men. Male authors writing well-formed men and awfully clichéd women, never suspending the male gaze. Even when women write or when women are written about, it happens to be mostly about those from the cities, and rural women are virtually nowhere to be seen or heard. So when this little novel was published in 1954, it must have been groundbreaking.
The rhythm and rituals of rural life are captured well, and all the subtle details seem to have been recorded with precision. I loved the flow of the story and the unwavering calm of the narrator's voice. It was especially refreshing to read the perspectives of a woman of her time. The geographies are not really mentioned in the story and I was wondering if the story took place in TN or Karnataka, though the states didn't exist when this book was written. This gave the book a sort of timeless placeless atmosphere that I liked. All the names were very Tamil, but in the end the characters seem to travel to Mysore (which is not named again, but Chamundi Hill is), and this has left me curious about pre-independence history of the southern states.
Though I love the concept of this book and am glad that this book exists, I cannot admit to loving it wholeheartedly. In fact, I was indifferent while reading most of the book, and I only began to like it in the second part when I started warming up to the elderly couple. The story did not really engage me in the beginning, and I was holding on to it encouraged only by its length. The descriptions aren't exactly lyrical, and the whole book can be said to be very ordinary. Some of the characters are memorable despite there being too many of them. The novel verges on the edges of misery porn, and might as well have been titled A Series of Unfortunate Events. But I know that this was (and is) the stark reality of life in India and whatever is depicted is totally within the bounds of possibility. Though the nuances of everyday life don't escape Markandaya's observation, this book subscribes to the naive notion that village life is the very form of bliss and completely ignores the reality of castes in Indian villages.
All these issues notwithstanding, Nectar manages to leave behind a touching, bittersweet aftertaste, thanks largely to its emotional warmth and affecting humanity.
While women barely played any role in TFA - the usual case with literature from most underdeveloped countries - Nectar gives a rare and refreshing insight into the lives of rural women in poor countries. Even now in 2020, when I think about Tamil (and, to an extent, Indian English) literature, it continues to be dominated by men. Male authors writing well-formed men and awfully clichéd women, never suspending the male gaze. Even when women write or when women are written about, it happens to be mostly about those from the cities, and rural women are virtually nowhere to be seen or heard. So when this little novel was published in 1954, it must have been groundbreaking.
The rhythm and rituals of rural life are captured well, and all the subtle details seem to have been recorded with precision. I loved the flow of the story and the unwavering calm of the narrator's voice. It was especially refreshing to read the perspectives of a woman of her time. The geographies are not really mentioned in the story and I was wondering if the story took place in TN or Karnataka, though the states didn't exist when this book was written. This gave the book a sort of timeless placeless atmosphere that I liked. All the names were very Tamil, but in the end the characters seem to travel to Mysore (which is not named again, but Chamundi Hill is), and this has left me curious about pre-independence history of the southern states.
Though I love the concept of this book and am glad that this book exists, I cannot admit to loving it wholeheartedly. In fact, I was indifferent while reading most of the book, and I only began to like it in the second part when I started warming up to the elderly couple. The story did not really engage me in the beginning, and I was holding on to it encouraged only by its length. The descriptions aren't exactly lyrical, and the whole book can be said to be very ordinary. Some of the characters are memorable despite there being too many of them. The novel verges on the edges of misery porn, and might as well have been titled A Series of Unfortunate Events. But I know that this was (and is) the stark reality of life in India and whatever is depicted is totally within the bounds of possibility. Though the nuances of everyday life don't escape Markandaya's observation, this book subscribes to the naive notion that village life is the very form of bliss and completely ignores the reality of castes in Indian villages.
All these issues notwithstanding, Nectar manages to leave behind a touching, bittersweet aftertaste, thanks largely to its emotional warmth and affecting humanity.
February 4, 2019
4.5 stars
Nectar in a Sieve is a short but powerful portrait of the fragility of life as an Indian farmer and the importance of family and love. The narrator, Rukmani, begins the novel as a young woman who has an arranged but love filled marriage with Nathan who rents a piece of land that sustains them. As the years go by and children are born, the line between surviving and thriving is thin and drought or excessive rain can ruin a year’s work in a few days. The absolute importance of the rice they grow is continually emphasized yet the inability to own their own land makes them constantly vulnerable to being evicted from their only means of sustaining themselves.
There is a white doctor called Kenny who comes through the village every so often who will help when he can, he is a strange man who appears to despise the people he is treating while at the same time going begging for money from the wealthy so he can build a hospital. Everyone in the novel, strangers and friends, are doing what they can to get by and to make things better and on occasion morality has to be forgotten in order for this to happen.
This is a sad novel and deals with a subject that we can see, from the countless stories of Indian farmer suicides every day, hasn’t changed much since it was written yet it is also one filled with love and an element of hope with some beautiful writing that hooked me from the very first paragraph;
‘Sometimes at night I think that my husband is with me again, coming gently through the mists, and we are tranquil together. Then morning comes, the wavering grey turns to gold, there is a stirring within as the sleepers awake, and he softly departs.’
Some Favorite Lines
‘Nature is like a wild animal that you have trained to work for you. So long as you are vigilant and walk warily with thought and care, so long will it give you its aid; but look away for an instant, be heedless or forgetful, and it has you by the throat.’
‘I took the paddy from him and parted the grass and there within its protective husk lay the rice-grain, just big enough to see, white perfect, and holding in itself our lives.’
‘For where shall a man turn who has no money? Where can he go? Wide, wide world, but as narrow as the coins in your hand. Like a tethered goat, so far and no farther. Only money can make the rope stretch, only money.’
‘The memories of that night are hard and bright within me like a diamond, and the fires that flash from it have strange powers. Some are blue and wrap me gently in their glow, or green and soothing like oxen eyes in the night; but there are others, yellow and red, that sear me with intensity. When this happens I call to the mists and they come, like clouds that cover the sun. But the fires themselves are always there, they will never be extinguished until my life itself is done.’
Nectar in a Sieve is a short but powerful portrait of the fragility of life as an Indian farmer and the importance of family and love. The narrator, Rukmani, begins the novel as a young woman who has an arranged but love filled marriage with Nathan who rents a piece of land that sustains them. As the years go by and children are born, the line between surviving and thriving is thin and drought or excessive rain can ruin a year’s work in a few days. The absolute importance of the rice they grow is continually emphasized yet the inability to own their own land makes them constantly vulnerable to being evicted from their only means of sustaining themselves.
There is a white doctor called Kenny who comes through the village every so often who will help when he can, he is a strange man who appears to despise the people he is treating while at the same time going begging for money from the wealthy so he can build a hospital. Everyone in the novel, strangers and friends, are doing what they can to get by and to make things better and on occasion morality has to be forgotten in order for this to happen.
This is a sad novel and deals with a subject that we can see, from the countless stories of Indian farmer suicides every day, hasn’t changed much since it was written yet it is also one filled with love and an element of hope with some beautiful writing that hooked me from the very first paragraph;
‘Sometimes at night I think that my husband is with me again, coming gently through the mists, and we are tranquil together. Then morning comes, the wavering grey turns to gold, there is a stirring within as the sleepers awake, and he softly departs.’
Some Favorite Lines
‘Nature is like a wild animal that you have trained to work for you. So long as you are vigilant and walk warily with thought and care, so long will it give you its aid; but look away for an instant, be heedless or forgetful, and it has you by the throat.’
‘I took the paddy from him and parted the grass and there within its protective husk lay the rice-grain, just big enough to see, white perfect, and holding in itself our lives.’
‘For where shall a man turn who has no money? Where can he go? Wide, wide world, but as narrow as the coins in your hand. Like a tethered goat, so far and no farther. Only money can make the rope stretch, only money.’
‘The memories of that night are hard and bright within me like a diamond, and the fires that flash from it have strange powers. Some are blue and wrap me gently in their glow, or green and soothing like oxen eyes in the night; but there are others, yellow and red, that sear me with intensity. When this happens I call to the mists and they come, like clouds that cover the sun. But the fires themselves are always there, they will never be extinguished until my life itself is done.’
March 26, 2008
Nectar in a Sieve, written by Kamala Markandaya, is a wonderful novel that lets the reader peek inside the heart of Indian culture. Markandaya, the author of A Handful of Rice and
Some Inner Fury, is actually named Kamala Purnaiya Taylor; she was raised in Mysore, India but she later moved to Britain after India declared its independence. Nectar in a Sieve follows the life of an average lower-class Indian, looking at the effects of globalization and the conflict between traditional and rural India. The narrator is Rukmani, who is married to a tenant farmer named Nathan. Their family’s main goal for each day is to survive. The book has negative event followed by negative event into a catastrophic break down at the end. Markandaya simply takes the problems of India (drought, monsoon, loss of tradition) and applies them to her fictional characters.
The effect of globalization and modernization on the readers was very dramatic and interesting. It was also fascinating to see the extreme differences between life in the United States and life in India. Indians have many more problems to deal with than we do, including unpredictable monsoons and droughts, a large class of starving farmers when the weather is poor, and chaos in their cities. There is so much organization in American life that we get used to it, but India has very unorganized cities and villages, and it was very fascinating to read about. Also, the Indian views and culture was clearly seen through the events that the characters experienced and their thoughts and feelings, and it was wonderful to learn about it.
The novel was very extreme in some parts, and it was a pretty depressing read. When you think it couldn’t get any worse, another tragedy comes along. This is not necessarily a weakness, but it gets a little mundane after a while. Markandaya could have mixed in more positive events to have a larger contrast, and to prevent the reader from getting eventually numb to the pain the characters go through. Also, the book could drag at some parts of the story, and I lost interest in some parts. She could have shortened some of the excessive discussion of topics already covered. She had long descriptions that could have been more concise.
Overall, I consider Nectar in a Sieve to be a pretty good book. It was not one of my favorites, but I was interested through most of it. It was enjoyable to see the Indian culture through the eyes of one experiencing it herself. It is a wonderful novel for anyone who enjoys learning of elements of other cultures.
Some Inner Fury, is actually named Kamala Purnaiya Taylor; she was raised in Mysore, India but she later moved to Britain after India declared its independence. Nectar in a Sieve follows the life of an average lower-class Indian, looking at the effects of globalization and the conflict between traditional and rural India. The narrator is Rukmani, who is married to a tenant farmer named Nathan. Their family’s main goal for each day is to survive. The book has negative event followed by negative event into a catastrophic break down at the end. Markandaya simply takes the problems of India (drought, monsoon, loss of tradition) and applies them to her fictional characters.
The effect of globalization and modernization on the readers was very dramatic and interesting. It was also fascinating to see the extreme differences between life in the United States and life in India. Indians have many more problems to deal with than we do, including unpredictable monsoons and droughts, a large class of starving farmers when the weather is poor, and chaos in their cities. There is so much organization in American life that we get used to it, but India has very unorganized cities and villages, and it was very fascinating to read about. Also, the Indian views and culture was clearly seen through the events that the characters experienced and their thoughts and feelings, and it was wonderful to learn about it.
The novel was very extreme in some parts, and it was a pretty depressing read. When you think it couldn’t get any worse, another tragedy comes along. This is not necessarily a weakness, but it gets a little mundane after a while. Markandaya could have mixed in more positive events to have a larger contrast, and to prevent the reader from getting eventually numb to the pain the characters go through. Also, the book could drag at some parts of the story, and I lost interest in some parts. She could have shortened some of the excessive discussion of topics already covered. She had long descriptions that could have been more concise.
Overall, I consider Nectar in a Sieve to be a pretty good book. It was not one of my favorites, but I was interested through most of it. It was enjoyable to see the Indian culture through the eyes of one experiencing it herself. It is a wonderful novel for anyone who enjoys learning of elements of other cultures.
December 27, 2018
Are you happy with life but really wish you could despair for humanity and grapple with unending loss that makes a desolation of human existence? Read this book.
If you asked me to sum up the moral of the story, I would glibly reply "mo' babies mo' problems" and seriously this short novel offers a painful iteration of what any specialist in international women's rights knows. Although the language definitely rings of an author who spent way more time reading English literature than planting rice in a village in India, what she does successfully do is portray the ebbs and flows of poverty and the unending loop of achieving just enough to sustain oneself, only to lose it through a larger family, acts of God, colonialism, and other massive economic forces that purport the greater good while trampling across the lives of the most vulnerable. The futile and hopeless journey is enough to send the reader hunting for those last few pills of Prozac that might still be hiding in the bathroom cabinet.
The character of Kenny, who portrays the white savior in this narrative, is so weirdly constructed that I don't think I have anything to say about him, other than every page with him on it is terrible and I cringed with every line he spoke. I'm not sure that's what Markandaya intended, but I'm honestly not sure what she intended through his narrative, so have little to offer.
Other than that unfortunate character, every other person on the pages is real, is tragic, is beautiful, is flawed and joyful. That is part of the visceral experience of this book; you truly believe each one of these people lives and breathes and is suffering through the events found herein. I even found the portrayal of Kunthi, although harsh through the eyes of the narrator, overall rather sympathetic. At all times there is an underlying understanding embedded within the text that everyone is doing what they must, that starvation clouds morality, that one is only as good as their ability to survive. Despite an otherwise stilted tone and high language that rings false in the mouth of an illiterate rice farmer, the beauty of the writing lies in its willingness to show the characters as they are...or as they would be if all the circumstances were true. Which, I am sad to say, I have every reason to believe they are. This is less fiction than an amalgam of factual narratives. It is not for the faint of heart to read, but rather for those ready to encounter the rawness of poverty of the cycles of despair it brings.
If you asked me to sum up the moral of the story, I would glibly reply "mo' babies mo' problems" and seriously this short novel offers a painful iteration of what any specialist in international women's rights knows. Although the language definitely rings of an author who spent way more time reading English literature than planting rice in a village in India, what she does successfully do is portray the ebbs and flows of poverty and the unending loop of achieving just enough to sustain oneself, only to lose it through a larger family, acts of God, colonialism, and other massive economic forces that purport the greater good while trampling across the lives of the most vulnerable. The futile and hopeless journey is enough to send the reader hunting for those last few pills of Prozac that might still be hiding in the bathroom cabinet.
The character of Kenny, who portrays the white savior in this narrative, is so weirdly constructed that I don't think I have anything to say about him, other than every page with him on it is terrible and I cringed with every line he spoke. I'm not sure that's what Markandaya intended, but I'm honestly not sure what she intended through his narrative, so have little to offer.
Other than that unfortunate character, every other person on the pages is real, is tragic, is beautiful, is flawed and joyful. That is part of the visceral experience of this book; you truly believe each one of these people lives and breathes and is suffering through the events found herein. I even found the portrayal of Kunthi, although harsh through the eyes of the narrator, overall rather sympathetic. At all times there is an underlying understanding embedded within the text that everyone is doing what they must, that starvation clouds morality, that one is only as good as their ability to survive. Despite an otherwise stilted tone and high language that rings false in the mouth of an illiterate rice farmer, the beauty of the writing lies in its willingness to show the characters as they are...or as they would be if all the circumstances were true. Which, I am sad to say, I have every reason to believe they are. This is less fiction than an amalgam of factual narratives. It is not for the faint of heart to read, but rather for those ready to encounter the rawness of poverty of the cycles of despair it brings.
December 1, 2018
I really loved this book. It's told with empathy as we follow a young girl married off to a poor farmer, and the joys and sorrows they experience as the world around them changes. It is a story that challenges the virtues and ambitions of the modern urban society, and takes a deep look at the impact on people who don't really have a say in the direction the world is moving in. To us, constant change in technology, free markets means increased opportunities, to them, it means loss of livelihood and certainty.
But it was the early part of the book that really had an impact on me - impossible to believe that such a simple life, devoid of ambition could mean happiness, and yet the characters are really happy - you could argue that the happiness came from ignorance, but maybe everyone's happiness does.
But it was the early part of the book that really had an impact on me - impossible to believe that such a simple life, devoid of ambition could mean happiness, and yet the characters are really happy - you could argue that the happiness came from ignorance, but maybe everyone's happiness does.
December 20, 2019
The main thing that caused me take one star away was that the prose became too bombastic at parts. It became like a bad translation rather than a book written originally in English, which I believe it is. If it is indeed a translation, I will change this review as soon as I find out that it is so :D
Anyway, apart from these occasional slips, it has a fascinating though of course very sad story and is easy to read. There were some plot lines that one wanted to be developed further, and now that I think of it, I guess it’s better that the author has refrained from doing so, otherwise Rukmani would have lost centrality in her life story.
The ending was rather abrupt though, I must say.
Anyway, apart from these occasional slips, it has a fascinating though of course very sad story and is easy to read. There were some plot lines that one wanted to be developed further, and now that I think of it, I guess it’s better that the author has refrained from doing so, otherwise Rukmani would have lost centrality in her life story.
The ending was rather abrupt though, I must say.
May 5, 2011
See my review on my book blog: http://quirkyreader.livejournal.com/2...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,105 reviews