Readers' Comments for WHERE EARTH MEETS WATER
In March, a select group of readers who participated in one of our One to Watch contests won copies of WHERE EARTH MEETS WATER by Pia Padukone. Take a look at some of the readers' comments to give you more insight into this book.
Debbie K., of Cypress, TX
First I must say this is not the type of novel I normally read so it took me a little while to get into it. Once I did though, I pretty much got into it. That is until he found the letter from his parents, which I felt was way too long and could have definitely been shorter. I'm not sure if the author was looking for space filler or not, but that's the impression I got. As such I skimmed the majority if it.
After that, the book just went downhill for me. It just wasn't all that interesting any longer.
It was good character development and you really came to like them, but the story just got kind of bogged down for me. I did finish it, but not with the gusto I normally have for reading.
Sorry it wasn't a better one, I really feel for the authors who put so much time into their work and hate giving negative reviews, so I always try to look for some positive. Oh, and I rated it three stars.
Karen S., of Phoenix AZ
First please let me thank you for the advanced copy of WHERE EARTH MEETS WATER by Pia Padukone to read. I'm very sorry to have to tell you that I just could not get into this book. I have therefore passed it along to a friend of mine from the Book Club I run.
Krystyna G., of Milton, MA
I found this book to be a little confusing as far as timing of events, places etc, and it took me a while to organize these in my mind. Once I did this, I thought the story was somewhat interesting and enjoyed learning about the main characters. I also liked learning about the Indian culture. I would rate this book three stars as it was not really a page turner for me and I did struggle to finish it. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this book.
Sharron C., of Norcross GA
I recently received an ARC of WHERE EARTH MEETS WATER. The story presented a lot of potential and plot twists but failed to deliver. Karom felt he tested fate since his family was killed in Bhopal and the rest were later killed in the Christmas day tsunami. Where there should have been a lot of emotion, it just didn't come across. I particularly like Gita's grandmother. She has the potential to help Karom, as did Gita, his girlfriend but she failed to deliver.
Judie W., of Lake Orion, MI
An intricate story of love and loss and how one person’s loss can affect so many others. This story was spellbinding as characters lives, stories and emotions intersected at so many levels. We survivors never fully understand the losses of others. I really loved this book and will recommend and share it with my friends. I am still under its spell.
Sandi W., of East Moline, IL
This is the story of abandonment, the loss of family, living alone while surrounded by others and the journey of learning to live, told through flashbacks, family and friends.
Karom has lost his family, not once, but twice. The story tells us how Karom has carried this burden and how he was able to release it, with the help of friends, a secret letter, his girlfriend and a trip to India.
At times the story was confusing, trying to correlate names. When you are introduced to a character under one name, than later read of that same character under another name, it took me awhile to make the proper placement. It may have been the flashbacks that created this.
My favorite character was Lloyd and how he worked through his feelings and his friendship with Karom.
I have a couple of friends who seek out stories of different cultures. I believe that either of these friends would really enjoy this book, since it not only speaks of universal loss and redemption, but also allows a peek into the Indian culture.
Coral H., of Omak, WA
I just finished reading this book. I would not have picked this one if it was on the shelf. After continuing reading I found it more interesting. I liked reading about a different country. I would probably rate the book at about 3, but still glad I read it. Thank you for sending it to me.
Mary Jane K., of Farwell, MN
The writing was haunting and beautiful. I could feel both the joy and heartbreak of the major characters. My only minor complaint I have with the writing is the book had a bit of a choppy feel to it because of how the story was told, jumping around from character to character and not in a linear timeline. Once I figured out the "format" it was fine.
Character development was good, but I would have like to have had more depth to all of them. I wanted to know more about events and past events just touched upon. I think this book could have been expanded even more than it was from the short story it was originally to be. Karom and Lloyds' relationship had too many blank areas and unanswered questions. I would have liked to have heard more about Kamini.
My impressions of the book are that this is about love, loss, and finding redemption in unlikely places. I would recommend this book to book clubs and all of my friends who are readers. I will be lending this book to a good friend and recommending it to my book club.
Thank you for sending me this book. I look forward to more books from Pia Padukone.
Andria P., of Midland, MI
Karoom Seth had led an interesting life in that he has survived at least two world catastrophes, a tsunami in India and the World Trade Center collapse. To say he suffers from survivor's guilt is correct; it has all but consumed him. His girlfriend Gita and his buddy Lloyd have gone to heroic lengths to try and help him,but to no avail. Gita has a plan to take him to India to make connections with his remaining relatives. She thinks that because of his Indian heritage, the Indian viewpoint may help him come to terms with his situation.
While this novel deals primarily with Karoom and his relationships with the people closest to him, the differences in the way Indian people view the world is much different than the American one, and, indeed, the way transplants from India to the United States, differ from their ancestors.
The author has chosen to divide the book into chapters headed by a single name of a character and the events that take place are not dealt with chronologically. This format works fairly well as the plot is a character driven one, though often the reader knows more than the character at any given time.
WHERE THE EARTH MEETS WATER should make an excellent choice for a book club discussion as there are many topics to be considered from the personal relationships of the main characters to the differences in cultural outlook in dealing with problems. Often in book clubs members differ in their tastes, and this novel could be enjoyed from several different perspectives.
Mary T., of Estero, FL
I was so excited to win WHERE THE EARTH MEETS WATER. After traveling to India and falling in love with its smells, cultures and peoples, I began to read a lot of Indian literature; this author ranks itself alongside Amitov Ghosh and Rohinton Mistry.
I loved the author's writing style, going back and forth with people, events and time. The issue of identity is a huge one in our culture. In our global world, many of us have to develop an identity. The author preformed this beautifully. I would highly recommend this to literature lovers. The book gave me a wonderful insight into the mind of a person becoming “who he is.”
Linda S., of Broomall, PA
I just finished reading WHERE EARTH MEETS WATER, a book that I was very fortunate to have won. I loved it. The writing format was wonderful, a mixture of each character's personal narratives, letters from a diary, short stories written by one of the characters and flashbacks. It made it quite absorbing.
The main character's life mimicked that of the author's, whereby he missed tragedy twice, begging the question as to why he was spared. The novel is very thought-provoking and each character is engaging and pivotal to the story, showing us how love, wisdom and unconditional support sustain us and make our lives worthwhile.
I would recommend this book to anyone regardless of age, nationality or gender. Although the author and majority of characters are of Indian decent, this is a book with a universal message and would be enjoyed by anyone. It is a book that makes you ponder the meaning of life, fate and love. A beautiful book and a terrific debut novel.
Alison D., of Clermont, FL
I was lucky enough to have won this book to read, what a great story. This is the authors first novel and I already look forward to more of her writing.
This book revolves mainly around four characters, Karom, Gita, Lloyd, and Kamini, each of whom becomes a pivotal part of Karom's life, and are swept up into his obsession that fate has singled him out for invincibility. The author states in an interview, that she had also gone through quite a few near misses in her life, which made this story and its theme all the more intriguing, stating that those events made her recognize “how accidental, how coincidental life can be.”
This novel is set in both the USA and India, with most of the characters, being Indian or of Indian descent.
It is to me the study of the delicate nature of friendships, the act of belonging to a place/family, the unspoken words that are felt and heard. Fascinating characters each with an interesting story behind them. This was a wonderful story that will keep me thinking about the little and big things that affect our lives.