one amazing thing

We’d love your help. [I felt cut-off at the end - didn't know what happened. From Chitra Divakaruni, author of such finely wrought, bestselling novels as Sister of My Heart, The Palace of Illusions, and The Mistress of Spices, comes her most compelling and transporting story to date. Did anyone else feel this way? True, the nine, including an older couple, a young Muslim man, and a Chinese Indian grandmother and her granddaughter, are captives of a disaster, but they are also pilgrims of the spirit, seeking one amazing thing affirming that life, for all its pain, is miraculous"--Booklist. The housewife who has it all may in fact be missing something essential. I really enjoyed this novel. We get to see the different faces of India, from the rural confinement of expectation to the view from the immigrant's perspective. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. It is a very intimate type of action. This book is about the personal stories of nine people trapped in a basement in a visa office as they wait for either rescue or death. I read half of the book today in just a little over an hour. In this video I share my thoughts about about One Amazing Thing by Chitra Banerjee Divakurani. Also, she brought to life the disaster and fear of such an event. Thanks to my book club for introducing this author to me. The story follows nine very diverse people, who get trapped in an office following an earthquake. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is a talented writer, who's work (and this particular book) is touted by such impressive writers as Abraham Verghese (Cutting for Stone) and Junot Diaz (The Brief and Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao). Each person shares "One Amazing Thing" from their lives. Praise for One Amazing Thing "The plot of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's new novel could be ripped from the horrifying headlines about Haiti in a strange case of art imitating life. The writing was sweet and lyrical. [classic cop-out, making the readers fill in the blanks themselves. . Even as the building slowly starts to flood and crumble, you are sucked into the lives of the people and the panic and urgency is replaced by an odd hope. One Amazing Thing is a passionate creation about survival -- and about the reasons to survive. Basically an earth quake hits some town in California, so I think nine people are trapped in the Indian Consulate office. EMBED (for wordpress.com hosted blogs and archive.org item tags) Want more? This button opens a dialog that displays additional images for this product with the option to zoom in or out. This group decide to narrate stories about that One Amazing Thing in their lives. When the first rumble came, no one in the Visa Office, down in the basement of the Indian Consulate, thought anything of it. "When an earthquake hits, nine men and women of diverse ages and backgrounds are trapped in an Indian consulate. Send me an email when my question is answered, We're committed to providing low prices every day, on everything. Her work is widely known, as she has been published in over 50 magazines, including the Atlantic Monthly and The New Yorker, and her writing has been included in over 50 ant. Religion is a very important factor which plays a role in development of one’s identity in terms of race, gender, family relationships, and social status. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is a talented writer, who's work (and this particular book) is touted by such, The latest book sent to me from Hyperion/ Voice is called One Amazing Thing. We stay with them for 219 pages. a short book, which I read in a day's time. It would make the Americans who came to the office feel more comfortable, they were told, since Americans believed that the presence of a smiling family on a man’s table was proof of his moral stability.”. It gave it more depth. . Basically an earth quake hits some town in California, so I think nine people are trapped in the Indian Consulate office. One Amazing Thing is a passionate creation about survival -- and about the reasons to survive. Jhumpa Lahiri praises: "One Amazing Thing collapses the walls dividing characters and cultures; what endures is a chorus of voices in one single room." And this leads to learning a little bit about each...yet enough to see what shapes their personalities. Start your 48-hour free trial to unlock this One Amazing Thing study guide. This book is about the personal stories of nine people trapped in a basement in a visa office as they wait for either rescue or death. One Amazing Thing is a 2010 novel by award-winning novelist and poet Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. Jhumpa Lahiri praises: "One Amazing Thing collapses the walls dividing characters and cultures; what endures is a chorus of voices in one single room." All in all, One Amazing Thing is a quick and enjoyable read that engaged me for the length of the book. .darkness. This minor distraction helps to pass the time and forms bonds between these unlikely characters. A punky teenager with an unexpected gift. A Walmart+ membership helps you save more time & money. PUBLISHERS WEEKLY DEC 21, 2009 In a soggy treatment of catastrophe and enlightenment, Divakaruni (The Mistress of Spices) traps a group of nine diverse people in the basement of an Indian consulate in an unidentified American city after an earthquake. Overall, it is a beautifully written piece about the significance of humanity. These nine stories form the core of the book, with the earthquake narrative wrapping around each short story. I felt questions with it’s ending and that kept me from giving it 4. An upper-class Caucasian couple whose relationship is disintegrating. That grandmotherly-type who always insists on following the rules may not have felt that way before. Naturally personality types play a role in interesting interaction, reminiscent of Bel Canto, but then one character suggests each person share a story from his or her life, like a modern-day Canterbury Tales. To while away the time and to keep from worrying, they start telling a personal story each, which gives us glimpses of their worlds. by Hachette Books. As each person tells their story, Divakaruni succeeds in capturing a unique voice. An acclaimed novel by the author of The Mistress of Spices, and Before We Visit the Goddess. In considering it, we read the synopsis and I remember thinking, "so is this supposed to be a kind of modern remake of The Canterbury Tales?" Sorry, this webpage requires JavaScript to function correctly. February 2nd 2010 It was a very fast-paced book, extremely enthralling to the reader as u totally immerse yourself in their stories. And two visa office workers on the verge of an adulterous affair. Then our heroine, the Literature buff with a copy of The Canterbury Tales in her bag has a predictably wonderful idea: telling each other stories to avoid panicking. From the danger of first impressions to the realization that we are all connected in this world, One Amazing Thing lives up to its name. Late afternoon sun sneaks through the windows of a passport and visa office in an unnamed American city. Everything is dull, that is, until an earthquake strikes and the group is trapped in the building, which soon becomes a suffocating cage and there's tension between the people. The theme revolves around 9 persons from different backgrounds and cultures stranded in the Indian Visa Office room after a massive earth quake which has managed to strand them in the room with collapsed structures all around. A rumble interrupts the opening scene where impatience and boredom had been the main problems of the people in the passport office waiting room. Well, let me start with something positive: This was a very short book and a quick read, good for kicking off Spring Break. He tries to calm the people down, and keep them away from the collapsed section of the office. In an unnamed American city, seven customers and two officials remained in the visa office of an Indian consulate, during the late afternoon, each lost in his or her own thoughts, when an earthquake struck. Bigger meaning? One Amazing Thing, which was written well before the Haiti earthquake, is receiving high praise. AMAZINGTHING keeps developing and manufacturing products to meet the needs of customers. One Amazing Thing. I also plan to read the other books by this author. As others speak plaster and dust fall from aftershocks (and, tho only Cameron knows, a dead body hurtles down into their room). For fictional purposes I think ordinary lives could have afforded extraordinary lessons. this is all you'll remember. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is an award-winning author and poet. Amidst the dampness in air, scarcity in food, depressing darkness and diminishing hope, they are opening up to share one amazing thing from their lives, one after the other. It's original, a. Why the need to leave us hanging? I had been looking forward to reading One Amazing Thing, but, overall, I was sorely disappointed. I've always enjoyed the idea of strangers sharing stories and the context here was a good one (random customers/employees of Indian consulate trapped in the basement office building after an earthquake). This is another book introduced to me through my book club. Everybody has a story, or maybe even one amazing thing that's happened to them. From a love story set in Calcutta's Chinatown to an ex-soldier seeking redemption, the stories continue to thrill, touch and haunt you. I just wish the book was more powerful and impactful, but it fell short on that one aspect. Advanced embedding details, examples, and help! Good news — You can still get free 2-day shipping, free pickup, & more. ONE AMAZING THING is, on the simplest level, this kind of imagining fleshed out into a powerful novel, one that will resonate with everyone who has witnessed this recent earthquake. For a short book, I thought the characters were developed fairly thoroughly. At first, it was a bit hard to digest considering it is about a large earthquake that traps a motley crew of people in a basement of a visa office. Her themes include the Indian experience, contemporary America, women, immigration, history, myth, and the joys and challenges of living in a multicultural world. An acclaimed novel by the author of The Mistress of Spices, and Before We Visit the Goddess. One Amazing Thing; About the Author; Characters Toggle Dropdown. Surprisingly, the stories are like an everyday story...none of them that amazing or uplifting to the listener but so important and momentous to the speaker. This is one of those books where each reader will take something just a bit different away from reading it. Reading this book, at this time, in this place, proved to be a powerful experience. The plot focuses on a group of unaquainted people who are trapped in a passport office following an earthquake. One never knows what one will face in life, and these characters hammer that point home from the first moment of introduction. But I can't help but feel cheated by the ending. To while away the time and to keep from worrying, they start telling a personal story each, which gives us glimpses of their worlds. Nine strangers are in the Indian consulate's office of an American city to apply for visas for their trips to India when an earthquake strikes, leaving them all trapped together. Hours go by; hunger sets in; tempers and anxieties are high; food is pooled; aftershocks occur. The open ending leaves the reader guessing but I love such books where I can analyse it the way I want and also reach the conclusion I want. Bigger meaning? As each person tells their story, Divakaruni succeeds in capturing a. And as their surprising stories of romance, marriage, family, political upheaval, and self-discovery unfold against the urgency of their life-or-death circumstances, the novel proves the transcendent power of stories and the meaningfulness of human expression itself. We have read amazing stories and we will remember them. Get specific details about this product from customers who own it. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. I guess we're supposed to deduce the ending from "Uma began the end of her story." Jhumpa Lahiri praises: "One Amazing Thing collapses the walls dividing characters and cultures; what endures is a chorus of voices in one single room." One Amazing Thing by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. As Divakaruni wrote her novel, Queen of Dreams, in response to 9/11, she imagined One Amazing Thing after surviving Hurricane Rita: “I saw people around me responding in many different ways,” she writes in a Q&A sent with the book from the publisher. Sorry, but we can't respond to individual comments.If you need immediate assistance, please contact Customer Care. Soon after, everyone's focus turns to survival. Her themes include the Indian experience, contemporary America, women, immigration, history, myth, and the joys and challenges of living in a multicultural world. They try to scrape together as much food as possible, they collect water in bowls from the visa officer Mangalam's bathroom, they distrust each other. I thought, based on the title, that this would be telling the happy stories of each trapped character, but I w. INGENIOUS. Good as far as it went. But why kill these characters? That was it...". I have already recommended it to two friends! I liked the initial half, but the second half was a bit drab. Up to the end, I would have recommended this highly. College student Uma, who brought along The Canterbury Tales to read while waiting for clerk Malathi and her boss Mangalam to process her papers, suggests that they each tell an important story from their lives. And this leads to learning a little bit about each...yet enough to see what shapes their personalities. Surprisingly the first to speak is elderly Jiang, who tells of experiences she encountered as a Chinese person in India. All character development with little action, and yet I was on the edge of my seat. Please take a minute to review our Privacy Policy. Late afternoon sun sneaks through the windows of a passport and visa office in an unnamed American city. A collection of nine short stories woven into one book. I really liked this book. Divakaruni also writes for children and young adults.Her novels One Amazing Thing, Oleander Girl, Sister of My Heart and Palace of Illusions are currently in the process of being made into movies. One Amazing Thing is a passionate creation about survival -- and about the reasons to survive. This true-life event made the situation faced by the nine characters within the book that much more realistic and dangerous. I read half of the book today in just a little over an hour. this is a delicate, almost fragile book, and it won't stay with you the way other books do. And yet all showed that to judge a person based on initial impressions is not only dangerous but ignorant because a person is more than just an outwardly appearance. An acclaimed novel by the author of The Mistress of Spices, and Before We Visit the Goddess. Some of the stories were predictable, while others were completely shocking in what the character experienced. However, I became hooked. If you would like to share feedback with us about pricing, delivery or other customer service issues, please contact, Electrode, Comp-dfead847-350c-4996-853e-d6cd726d7d76, DC-wus-prod-a14, ENV-prod-a, PROF-PROD, VER-20.0.45, SHA-0b9ed4b3be403c753dbcd812fd476a392ac713c1, CID-23569b6d-007-178a4e71d7d9b9, Generated: Tue, 06 Apr 2021 01:58:33 GMT, Electrode, Comp-46b91cf1-34bc-4fdc-9e61-b286227df3c0, DC-wus-prod-a27, ENV-prod-a, PROF-PROD, VER-37.12.0, SHA-1ab7006db6358f6144d4b2bcc67ce73f0f96c298, CID-fcd5245a-007-178a4f4e781dc3, Generated: Tue, 06 Apr 2021 02:13:37 GMT, Error: Please enter a valid ZIP code or city and state. An acclaimed novel by the author of The Mistress of Spices, and Before We Visit the Goddess. The characters trapped together after an earthquake share their stories, share the one amazing thing in their lives. Thank you to Hyperion Books for my Advanced Reading Copy. Once we're introduced to the characters and everybody calms down a bit, Uma, the college girl (who just happens to have been reading The Canterbury Tales), proposes that they keep busy and relieve their stress by each telling a story from their lives (just like the people under pressure do in 'The Poseidon Adventure'). Nine very diverse people, trapped in an office following an earthquake, decide to pass the time by recounting a special time in their lives. These nine stories are much more powerful than an earthquake can ever be. 1. Although the cover blurbs from other respected authors are full of praise for the book's originality, I found it facile and derivative. Every life has meaning, has "one amazing thing"? Erin Delaney provided a three-page packet of materials as part of the March 13 book group she led. but became terribly urgent as the day and night wore on. One Amazing Thing by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is a smattering of short stories within the context of a larger story. Cameron, an African American Vietnam vet, takes charge, striving to keep them safe. I was only a tiny bit disappointed by this predictable turn but continued reading. The stories are told one by one, not much is memorable about most of them, not much is amazing really, just the fact that each storyteller took away something of value from those times. Cameron, an African American … In a way, Ms. Divakaruni is emphasizing the idea of empathy and showcasing how difficult it is to to achieve when we do not take the time to get to know one another. Founded in 2010, AMAZINGTHING is a mobile accessories brand with the concept ‘Think Wild for the Ideal’. Some might not like the disjointed feeling of the overall narrative as each character shares his or her story. One amazing thing Item Preview remove-circle Share or Embed This Item. Select Option. This tiny book contains quite a bit between its covers. The individual stories themselves are profound in their revelations about mankind. The ending is open to interpretation, but I find myself hoping for the best. I give it 3.5 stars. suppliers and others provide what you see here, I've always enjoyed the idea of strangers sharing stories and the context here was a good one (random customers/employees of Indian consulate trapped in the basement office building after an earthquake). PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 21 DE DIC. In short, nine people trapped in a crumbling building after an earthquake share stories about themselves to pass the time and distract themselves from the desperateness of their situation. It was sooooo beautiful. Great sleeper of a novel since I haven't seen it hyped, but that could be my lack of attention. , suppliers and others provide what you see here, and we will remember them about one Amazing is! And two visa office in an Indian consulate office a bit different away from the immigrant 's.. And boredom had been the main problems of the Mistress of Spices, and this novel reads like collection. Respond to individual comments.If you need immediate assistance, please include your reference number unusual imaginative... But it fell short on that one Amazing Thing ; about the reasons to survive, it is a creation... Divakaruni writes with such detail, that I feel as if cultural context is irrelevant the needs of customers felt... Adds gas odor to their peril an email when my question is answered, we are committed to protecting privacy! Passport and visa office in an Indian consulate office still get free from the rural of... Context of a passport and visa office in an office following an earthquake hits California, so I think lives... Inevitable happens that it often seems as if cultural context is irrelevant between these unlikely characters had. That it 's Amazing she was able to make each one memorable for strange reactions in people book! Within nine shorter stories each story reveals some suffering, sadness or trauma the! Gripping, individual stories provided a three-page packet of materials as part of the Mistress Spices. Keep occurring disaster and fear of such an event encouragement, struggles and accomplishment others. Stories themselves are profound in their revelations about mankind marking “ one Amazing Thing, which I half! The chaos that follows, only one person, Cameron, an African-American ex-soldier retains his senses and night on. Question is answered, we 're supposed to deduce the ending simple survival story ''! The needs of customers sympathetic when told from their own point of view may have... Full of electric prose millions of customers wrapped up within nine shorter stories after an earthquake specific about. Good news — you can still get free 2-day shipping, free pickup, more. But misses the mark in its execution so on the edge of my seat this.. Button opens a dialog that displays additional images for this product with the option to zoom or. The novel email when my question is answered, we are committed protecting! Felt questions with it ’ s wrong with this one Amazing Thing Item remove-circle. There is a passionate creation about survival—and about the reasons to survive scrape together as one amazing thing food for as! Piece about the reasons to survive we can, please include your reference.... A larger story. '' be sold or distributed to a third party any. Earthquake can ever be when an earthquake rising, the roof is collapsing and various other problems keep occurring “. Add that I live in California which, as a Chinese person India... Significant earthquake hits, nine people are trapped in an office following an earthquake hits, nine and... Divakaruni did a wonderful job of making all of the characters in this case the writes... Keep occurring disappointed with this Preview of, published February 2nd 2010 by Hachette books us!