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The Sleeping Dictionary Sujata Massey Books

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The Sleeping Dictionary Sujata Massey Books

There was much to appreciate about this novel, including the overall quality of the writing and the interesting setting. My main complaint is that the plot relied too heavily on chance encounters and long drawn-out misunderstandings. The heroine, while mostly likeable, at times seemed unbelievably naive, and at other times she was presented as emotionally intuitive and wise. Because of this her character felt contrived and inconsistent.

This was an early book by Sujata Massey, and I believe her skill has improved with time and practice. Her novella "The Ayah's Tale" is excellent...mature, well paced, and compelling. While "The Sleeping Dictionary" did not reach the same level, I still enjoyed learning more about this period of time in India's history, and I will certainly try more books by this author.


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The Sleeping Dictionary Sujata Massey Books Reviews

Sujata Massey just keeps getting better and better. I enjoyed her mystery novels set in Japan, but her historical literary fiction is far richer and more emotionally engaging. The Sleeping Dictionary was an moving page-turner.
This is the first of Sujata Massey's books that I've read. I ordered it to see how I liked her writing style and her plot to determine if I wanted to order books in her Rei Shimura series. I wasn't disappointed. Before I finished "The Sleeping Dictionary", I'd placed an order for her first two mystery novels. This is an excellent book. The story is well thought out, the research excellent, the main character likeable, the writing top notch. There are twists and turns that keep your attention throughout the span of the book. I've always been fascinated with India. Some of my very favorite books are about India. I'm fascinated with its culture and that of other countries in the Far East. I've lived in the Far East and count people from many of these cultures as my friends. I look forward to reading more of Sujata Massey's work. She's a very fine writer. I'm happy I discovered her.
I purchased this book on , after seeing the author speak at a local library event and i must say it was one of my best purchases of the year.

This book was masterful storytelling at it's best! From the first few pages you immediately become invested in the young protagonist's journey. Her fears become your fears, her pain touches your heart to the point that you feel it too. The strength of this young lady as she comes of age and grows into adulthood during a tumultuous time when India was fighting for their independence from British rule is unparalleled. The characters are authentic, and the beauty of the written word and the genuineness of the heart is executed exquisitely by the author. The beauty of India, resonates throughout the pages of this book, and it opens your eyes to the richness of its culture as well as the resilience of the Indian people to fight for the country that they love so dearly.
I didn't think this was as good as "Widows of Malabar Hill' but I still enjoyed it and all the information about India's battle for Independence as well as the main character's struggle from a naive girl from the countryside through the ending of personal independence. I never like to discuss the plot that much as I want it to unfold for the next reader. I like this more and more and the book progressed.
I enjoyed the portraits of the heroine going through different transformations the village girl to the servant to the prostitute to the library clerk...The novel seemed like a picaresque novel from the point of view of an Indian woman sort of a mash-up of The Little Princess with Vanity Fair. The Pom to Sara to Pamela to Kamala roller coaster starts to become unbelievable towards the end, as the author doesn't spend as much time with the hero's transformation from colonialist to open hearted husband, but I got the message of how power inequalities distort relationships.
Wonderful, world view-expanding read. I started it this week and almost didn't get Thanksgiving meal cooked and other work done because it was so absorbing. Sujata Massey is an excellent writer, and this is a new kind of work from her. She has attempted an historical novel of great complexity, and she delivers it with characterization and a story line that bring human perspective to larger events. I expected to like the book--and now I want to learn more about the setting and politics of the time depicted. The characters are memorable, and I care about them. I leave the book wanting to think more about history and women's lives--in very genuine ways. The story of Pom/Sarah/Kamala has parallels with many women's experiences to this day, but this view of the struggle for Indian independence and a woman's life is memorable. Highly recommended!
When Pom, also called Didi, was ten years old, she lived with her family in Johlpur, a village destroyed in a 1930 cyclone. Pom wasn’t in the village when the storm struck. As a member of one of the lowest castes, Pom’s future wasn’t bright, but after the cyclone, it was non-existent. Without family or friends, Pom survives and the story begins.

Pom, now called by the Christian name Sarah, becomes a servant in a boarding school, where she learns English, literacy, and basic manners. Pom reconnects with a former acquaintance and becomes her amanuensis, writing letters to her friend’s fiancee. Pom becomes so invested in the process, she falls in love with the boy and internalizes his desire for India’s independence from England. And then life takes another turn.

In 1935 Pom is fifteen years old, going by the name Pamela, conversing with men, and plying the trade of the sleeping dictionary until the wheel of life turns again.

Pamela, now Kamala, reaches Calcutta in 1938 where she is embroiled in the Indian struggle for freedom and works for an English civil servant whom she more than admires. More a personal coming-of-age story than a saga of Indian Independence, Massey’s tale is well-researched, engagingly written, and compelling.
There was much to appreciate about this novel, including the overall quality of the writing and the interesting setting. My main complaint is that the plot relied too heavily on chance encounters and long drawn-out misunderstandings. The heroine, while mostly likeable, at times seemed unbelievably naive, and at other times she was presented as emotionally intuitive and wise. Because of this her character felt contrived and inconsistent.

This was an early book by Sujata Massey, and I believe her skill has improved with time and practice. Her novella "The Ayah's Tale" is excellent...mature, well paced, and compelling. While "The Sleeping Dictionary" did not reach the same level, I still enjoyed learning more about this period of time in India's history, and I will certainly try more books by this author.