Nectar in a Sieve | Nectar in a Sieve

At a glance:

Author: Kamala Markandaya
First Published: 1954
Type of Work: Realism
Time of Work: The early 1950’s
Setting: A tenant farm, a village, and a city somewhere in India
Principal Characters: Rukmani, Nathan, Kenny, Kali
Genres: Long fiction, Realism, Social realism
Subjects: 1950’s, Culture, Family or family life, Tradition, Class conflict, Colonialism, Love or romance, Race, Nature, Marriage, 1940’s, Rural or country life, Villages, 1930’s, Poverty or poor people, Farms, farmers, or farming, Faith, India or East Indian people, Small-town life, Lifestyles, Economic conditions, Hindus or Hinduism, Life, philosophy of, Modernization, Industrialization
Locales: India

It is not surprising, given the importance of village life in India, that Kamala Markandaya should have set her first novel in a primitive village, with peasants as her main characters. The admirable thing is that she crafted an international best-seller out of the story of a simple woman who never loses her faith in life or her love for her husband and children—despite her long, unceasing battle against nature, changing times, and dire poverty. The elemental plot is simple to follow and deeply moving.

Nectar in a Sieve | Nectar in a Sieve

At a glance:

The Novel

Join eNotes