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Title:	Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing, The
Authors:	Jacob, Mira
Genre:	Fiction
Pages:	498
Year:	2014
Publisher:	Bloomsbury
Language:	English
Description:	Tamil Nadu, India and Albuqueque, New Mexico may only be separated by plane journey, but they are worlds apart for the Eapen family, brain surgeon Thomas, wife Kamala and children Akhil and Amina, who are pursuing the American dream. Of course their new life of freedom and opportunity is not without its own challenges and just like any other family they will have their own dark times to contend with. Spanning three decades and told from Amina's perspective this is a complex family saga. With its sharp dialogue and likeable characters, including the warm supporting cast of the Christian Indian community, this absorbing story perfectly captures the migrant experience and the messy business of family life.
Categories:	Fiction, Big reads, Culture/Ethnic/Racial, Grief/loss, Relationships, Social commentary/perspectives, India, America, 2017 Titles, Small font

Reviews

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By: MTCOOK 001		2022-02-08 10:14:43

Highly enjoyable.

By: HAMIL 003		2022-01-31 15:15:20

Most members of the group found the decade time shifts a problem initially, but those who persisted were pleased they did so, and found the book an absorbing read. All the characters were well drawn and the extensive dialogue ( a stand-out feature) was fascinating - the humorous exchanges particularly appreciated. We hope that her second book is not 10 years in the writing! We found the notes particularly helpful.

By: SOUTH 001		2022-01-31 15:10:26

We all loved this book; quite profound writing regarding human relationships, especially close family relationships. We had an amazing discussion without using the written questions.

By: ROTO 003		2022-01-31 15:07:57

We all enjoyed this book with its complexities of immigrant families, and all the guilt encompassed by this action!

By: WELL 168		2022-01-31 15:06:03

Mixed feelings, but on the whole the group enjoyed it. Good insight into the lives of first generation immigrants.

By: CHCH 113		2022-01-31 15:04:42

Despite the length of the book, everyone found it easy to read and all read it. We had a very animated discussion about the way the storyline developed, and appreciated the rich and varied characters. Kamala (mother) was a favourite, and her pithy and dramatic one-liners provided much of the humour - humour that was appreciated as it lightened the sadder parts of the story.

By: CHCH 361		2019-03-13 11:47:13

A wonderful story. Easy to read once you have the characters' names sorted. Definitely recommended.

By: WELL 016		2019-03-13 11:44:11

Everyone thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Lots of discussion. Most thought well of the character Kamala. Much discussion had about Thomas, especially that high achievers tend to focus on their work to the detriment of family life. 2 members likened this to the title - 'Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing'. Lovely writing style. All loved the humour which lightened the story.

By: CROMW 005		2019-03-13 11:40:39

A very good read. Enjoyed.

By: AUCK 172		2018-08-29 13:33:42

Not recommended reading by the majority of the group. No plot to speak of, and too long.

By: DUNED 015		2018-08-29 13:31:41

Those of us who read this book loved it - the dialogue especially. The characters felt real to us , and because we are a group in which life experiences are many and varied, we found the stories and events believable...

By: TAUR 016		2018-08-29 13:27:48

We loved it. The author somehow managed with extraordinary adroitness to make a story entertaining and amusing without diminishing in any way the poignancy of the tale. Clever narrative construction; credible, WONDERFUL characters and brilliant expression combine to make this a book to buy for our own personal libraries. This is a book you re-read.

By: HAST 007		2018-08-29 13:23:51

A great read, engaging and loved by all who read the book.

By: WHAKA 011		2017-12-20 10:01:48

Outstanding novel- we loved it. Our best book for 2017.