Jump to content

Book of Rachel

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Book of Rachel
First edition
AuthorEsther David
LanguageEnglish
Genrefiction
Published2007
PublisherPenguin India
Publication placeIndia
Media typeHardcover
Pages280
ISBN978-0143444534

Book of Rachel is a work of fiction authored by Esther David. The book won India's Sahitya Akademi Award in the year 2010.[1]

Plot

[edit]

The main protagonist of the book is an old Jewish widow named Rachel from Bene Israel community who tries to preserve Jewish culinary art[2] and simultaneously tries to protect a local synagogue from local land mafia.

Reception

[edit]

In her review, Geeta Doctor wrote for India Today "To most people it would consist one portion of R. K. Narayan [and] a dash of sentimentality from Tagore's Kabuliwallah."[3]

Deeptha Achar, Professor at the Department of English, Faculty of Arts, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda wrote "...the book is more ambitious. It not only portrays the community [Bene Israel] from within but also examines the pushes and pulls, economic, cultural, which impinge upon it."[4]

Awards

[edit]

References.

[edit]
  1. ^ Alaka, Sahani (13 January 2019). "It's a balancing act to retain the Jewish ethos in a multicultural country like India: Esther David". The Indian Express. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  2. ^ Kashi, Anita Rao. "The surprising landscape of Indian Jewish food". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  3. ^ Doctor, Geeta (20 March 2006). "Book review of Esther David's 'The Book of Rachel'". India Today. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  4. ^ "Portraying A Vanishing Community". The Book Review, Monthly Review of Important Books. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  5. ^ "Sahitya Akademi Awards". sahitya-akademi.gov.in. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  6. ^ "Indian Jews live a very secretive life: Esther David on writing a book on Indian Jews' recipes 'Bene Appetit' - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 23 April 2022.