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Anju and SudhaSeries

This series delves into the profound bonds of family and the intricate tapestry of life in India. It follows the intertwined destinies of two young women, connected by an unbreakable tie from birth. The narratives explore themes of love, loss, and resilience against the backdrop of traditional societal expectations, including arranged marriages. Each installment offers insight into the strength of female friendship and the journey of self-discovery in a world in transition.

Sister of My Heart
The Vine of Desire

Recommended Reading Order

  1. 1

    Sister of My Heart

    • 355 pages
    • 13 hours of reading
    4.0(18607)Add rating

    Born in a big old Calcutta house on the same night, the wild, tragic night their fathers were both mysteriously lost, Sudha and Anju are cousins. Closer even than sisters, they share clothes, possessions, worries, dreams - and three mothers, who preside over the matriarchal Chatterjee household. But when Sudha discovers a terrible secret about their past, their mutual loyalty is sorely tested. A family crisis forces the mothers to start the serious business of arranging the girls' marriages, and the inseparable pair are torn apart. Sudha moves to her new family'as home in rural Bengal, while Anju joins her immigrant husband in California. But nothing has prepared them for the pain, aswell as the joy, that each will have to face in her new life. Rooted in Indian folklore and steeped in the mysticism of ancient tales, this bright, jewel-like novel shines its light on the bonds of family, on love and loss, against the realities of traditional arranged marriages, and the adjustments needed for modern life.

    Sister of My Heart
  2. 2

    The Vine of Desire

    • 352 pages
    • 13 hours of reading
    3.5(3624)Add rating

    m ZZ-UNEDITED-TWUK THE VINE OF DESIRE is the story of Anju and Sudha, two young women far from Calcutta, the city of their childhood, and who after a year of living separate lives are rekindling their friendship in America. The deep-seated love they feel for each other provides the support each of them needs. It gives Anju the strength to pick up the pieces of her life after a miscarriage, and Sudha the confidence to make a life for herself and her baby daughter, Dayita - without her husband. The unlikely relationships they form with men and women in the world outside the immigrant Indian community as well as their families in India profoundly transform them, forcing them to question the central assumptions of their lives, especially when they must confront the deeply passionate feelings that Anju's husband has for Sudha. THE VINE OF DESIRE is a novel of extraordinary depth and sensitivity. Through the eyes of people caught in the clash of cultures, Divakaruni reveals the rewards and the perils of breaking free from the past and the complicated, often contradictory emotions that shape the passage to independence.

    The Vine of Desire