Bitter sweets

Written by Roopa Farooki

Narrated by Tania Rodrigues

In 1950s Bengal, Henna Rub, a precocious, wayward teenager, brings off a brilliant marriage to a wealthy romantic, Ricky Karim, trapping him with a web of lies that she has spun with her wheeler-dealer father. And so on his wedding night, believing himself married to an educated, sonnet-reading, tennis-playing soul mate, Ricky is horrified to discover that his new bride is in fact a lazy, illiterate, shopkeeper's daughter. As Ricky and Henna uneasily tolerate their loveless marriage, the way is paved for a future of double-lives and complicit deception - an unspoken family tradition that is inherited by their daughter Shona. But two decades later, with her own children grown, it is Shona who is forced to discover unpalatable truths about her loved ones...

• Language: English
• Publisher: W. F. Howes Ltd
• Release date: Sep 1, 2007
• ISBN: 9781407407647

Roopa Farooki

Roopa Farooki was born in Pakistan, and brought up in London. She is the author of the Double Detective mystery series and is an NHS doctor.

Reviews for Bitter sweets

[alynnk_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I started and finished Bitter Sweets by Roopa Farooki in one night. I really, really wanted to like this book. I picked it up at the store because the blurb on the back cover sounded intriguing, but the content of the book was not what I expected at all. The story focuses mainly on Shona, the product of a relationship built on lies. Shona's father was tricked into marrying her mother, and Shona's mother spends her entire life manipulating people. Shona herself elopes to London with an 'unsuitable' boy and starts a life there with her husband, telling little white lies along the way. In the meantime, her father begins working in London and begins to lead a double life, further complicating things with more deception. Things eventually come to a head and all of the worlds collide shortly before a series of ridiculous and unbelievable happy endings.I think Roopa Farooki certainly has the potential to be a good writer. This novel, though, could have been so much more. The characters lacked any kind of depth, and I found myself wanting to know more about them but being disappointed. The story is sweet but not nearly substantial enough -- good for a quick fluffy read, but not much more.

[jshillingford_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

First, I have to admit that this isn't normally the type of book I read. But, I'm open to new things and decided to try it as part of the Vine Program. Farooki's debut novel is a family drama with emphasis on the drama. This book is reminiscent of the work of Amy Tan, or Colleen Mccullough's "Thorn Birds," though not even close to that calibur of writing. However, it has potential. The novel opens with Henna Rub agreeing to her father's scheme to snare a rich husband. She's a bright girl, but lazy, who refuses to go to school and can't even read. Their plan works, but her new husband (and the reader) is horrified to discover his bride is not 17, but only 13! This elaborate lie lays the foundation for Henna's family for years to come. Her daughter Shona will be the one to re-evaluate her own life and see the web of deceit for what it is. The path of revelation is filled with laughable incidents and sometimes unbelievable dialog. Farooki's writing is simple and clean, but the story comes off like a soap opera, albeit with Pakistani/Bangladeshi characters. Less descriminating fans may find in Farooki a new author to enjoy. However, if you are not already a fan of this genre, then "Bitter Sweets" is not the book to convert you. Try "The Joy Luck Club" or "The Kitchen God's Wife" instead.

[wanderlustlover_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I really wanted to love this book more than I ended up loving this book. It reminded me much of Jhumpa Lahiri’s works (whom I wrote my master thesis on the collective works of), but I found it lacking in refinement that I think some time and more writing will help this author flourish brilliant with in the future.I very much love that it was a general tale, told across multiple families for playing with postcolonial themes, and I’ll be keeping an eye on this author in the future.

[asawyer_21 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I got this book as an Advance Reader's Edition - requested as the author was compared to Jhumpa Lahiri. After reading it, I don't think this comparison is very appropriate. The writing styles are very different. This book is very readable and pleasant, though not necessarily engrossing. Roopa Farooki has written a light, breezy book that, rather than capture the detail and emotion of a particular time or character, covers decades within a few pages. The book's theme, the lasting effects of untruths and deceit, are hammered home with multiple instances snowballing together. Three generations of a family, all learning from their parents to hide the unpleasantness of their lives, eventually collide. This story covers almost too many of typical familial tensions: infidelity, cultural boundaries, ... (not to give it all away). Many of these story lines evolve fairly transparently removing the surprise of the anticipated "twists". The one similarity that I found with Lahiri's work is that while this story is about an Indian family, the theme is universal. This may be (in Farooki's book) because the cultural aspects are handled rather lightly given the breadth (both time and topical) vs. depth of the story.Overall, I enjoyed the book as a light beach/airplane read (fortunately that's where I was), but wouldn't recommend it as a "must read" book.

[clara53_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A disappointment. While I rather liked the author's fourth novel ("Half Life") - to the extent that it got me curious and made me go back to read her debut work - I was disappointed in "Bitter Sweets". To me, it seemed as if this book was written by another person. Strange as it may seem, in this book the plot is much better than the writing itself. So I rather struggled through the novel, losing interest. On the other hand, if we think of writing as a process of gaining experience and getting better, in my humble opinion this is what is happening with this author: the fourth novel being much better than the first. Thus, I am not discouraged and will probably look for R.Farooki's 2nd and 3rd novels.

[fluffyblue_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The book started off quite slowly, and it felt like it was going to be a chore to read. However, as is often the case, once I'd got about a third of the way through the book I started to really get into it and struggled to put it down. The story is well woven together and is about deception and its consequences. It was actually very thought-provoking.

[msjoanna · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A surprisingly good first novel. The author explores the role of family secrets and deception in the lives of her characters, as well as the common theme of children repeating the patterns of their parents. The characters in this book aren't fully realized and their lives intersect and replicate in ways that are slightly too contrived and convenient. Nonetheless, the book was highly readable and enjoyable and managed to wrap up the tale in a relatively satisfying way without falling too deeply into the trap of writing an epilogue that describes everything that happens to the characters for the next two decades. This strikes me as an author to watch -- I wouldn't rush to recommend this book, but the author definitely shows promise.

[lorena_lynn · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was disappointed in the first few chapters of Bitter Sweets. Blowing through some forty years of family history, it read like a failed attempt to imitate a Salman Rushdie style multi-generational family saga (think Midnight's Children). I was tempted to put the book down and stop reading, but I'm glad I didn't. Once the action moved from Bangladesh and Pakistan to England, it felt as if the author finally came into her own, especially in the depictions of the two teenage sons. I also found myself annoyed with the ending, everything ended up being wrapped up much too neatly, with a giant bow on top. Overall however, I felt Bitter Sweets showed some definite promise, and was an enjoyable, engaging read.

[jesssh · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Farooki presents a unique balance of the light-hearted and elements of a soap opera in this epic tale that centers on the damage that can be done through deception. This story won't be for everyone and I personally prefer some other books I have read that evoke a similar story or themes (such as Jhumpa Lahiri's work), but it is worth a try for someone seeking something with a little family-focused weight that's not "heavy."

[ellengryphon · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

If, as Keats says, 'Beauty is truth, truth beauty - that is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know,' then the world created by Roopa Farooki is ugly. The plot hinges upon a series of lies told told by and to family members, and how those lies seep into the characters' very core. While the plot was interesting, much of it was, well, unbelievable. This was a LibraryThing Early reviewers book that I put off reading for months. I never really connected with it, but appreciated the glimpses into Indian, Pakistani and Bengali culture.

[dianaleez · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

While we may all be guilty of a few convenient lies, this is the story of a family who seems to smooth their way through life with numerous Biggies. The result, of course, is a tangled web. And watching them fall apart gives the reader a certain macabre satisfaction. That said, the majority of the characters are likeable, the author's style is fluid and easy to read, and the outcome is satisfying.

[blakefraina · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Roopa Farooki’s delightful confection of a book tells the story of three generations of a family of deceivers. Despite their many peccadilloes – sloth, dishonesty, infidelity and bigamy chief among them – Farooki has created a colourful and loveable bunch of characters that are a complete joy to get to know. The novel starts with the marriage, under false pretenses, of Henna Rub, an underaged Bengladeshi shopkeeper’s daughter, into the established landowning family of Ricky-Rashid and ends (some fifty years later) with an extended family gathering in a London park for a performance by her grandson’s rock band. In between these two events we follow the family of Henna and her erstwhile husband to London where their only daughter, Shona, elopes in a “love marriage” to Parvez, a penniless Pakistani. Shona and Parvez give birth to twin sons – timid, bookish Omar and rakish, womanizing Sharif. These six characters spend the entire novel deceiving one another and, just as often, themselves, in their quest for fulfillment. While the book has no shortage of light moments, it’s essentially a drama and, as such, I was surprised at how deceptively light and easy it is to read. It has a touch of Moliere about it, with its myriad misshaps, misunderstandings and just misses. As they say, Oh what a tangled web we weave...It’s one of those rare books that I couldn’t wait to get back to each night, to see what twists the story would take. The author lets the reader see into the thoughts of all the main characters, jumping from person to person, often within one scene. The technique is effective in creating tension, since the reader always knows when two characters are at cross purposes. This comes particularly useful in a story about a group of liars. But it also creates empathy. Even the least likeable characters are allowed to tell their side of the story and Farooki trusts her readers to formulate their own judgments about them. Even the lazy, narcissistic Henna.My only complaint is that the resolution happens too suddenly and all seems a bit too pat. Almost as if Farooki ran out of steam. I found the story so enjoyable, the writing style so effortless and breezy and the characters so appealing, which probably explains my disappointment that the whole thing ended a tad too abruptly. All in all, a sparkling debut. I will definitely check out her future work.

[bbexlibris · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A tale of a family who's only facts are interwoven with deceit and false pretensions. Starting out with the lies told in order to become an actress, the grandmother in this story filles her lips with words that are not true in order to capture he ticket out of the country. Once this one ancestor allows lies to be such a central aspect of her life, she not only impacts her own life, but the life of her deceived husband and passes it on in different forms to the generations that follow. A history of falseness is all that the future generations have to live up to. Love, loss, change and growth are themes of Roopa Farooki's Bitter Sweets novel. A family's story through three generations of learned deception and what it takes to break free from the expectation to cover-up and pretend-- to lie.No matter how much lying the characters are doing to eachother, the truth stood stronger and spoke louder than any lie. This was a great interesting, fun read and was so good. I have read some reviews that said it was superficial, I don't agree. I felt the author did an excellent work with her characters, settings and working in beautiful and timeless themes. This is the story of an Indian family, that is split between two nations but could be the story of so many as the daily lives they lead are very easy to relate to. I did enjoy this book throughly.Roopa Farooki brings up questions of love, true love and arraigned marriages, however in this book truth is the strongest theme. Where would your family be without truth? She brings up and interesting concept, that truth can sometimes be told at the expense of hurting our loved one only to selfishly clear our own conscience. I loved reading Bitter Sweets, it was interesting to see how things took place.What do you think? Is it truth at all costs or does it depend? It seems to me that truth may hurt for an instant, but mending is on its way....while lies form a web of guilt and pain that smothers love. What are your thoughts? Farooki portrays the Indian culture as valuing appearance over honesty, I would say the same is true in many parts of America (if not all). What do you think, does our culture value appearance over truth? Which wins here politeness or honesty?

[neverwithoutabook · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An interesting book, not so much for it's look at Pakistani & Indian culture, as it is an exploration of the way in which human beings lie to and deceive each other and the consequences that can occur. This was not a difficult book to read and did hold my attention throughout. I had thought about halfway through that I 'knew' the ending but then there was a twist or two to the story. This is a story of three generations of a family and the ties that keep them together. A story of keeping up appearances even when we are aware that everything is not quite what it appears to be. It is also a story of discovery in which the characters learn not only of the secrets each are hiding from each other, but also of the ones they hide from themselves. I enjoyed this first novel by Roopa Farooki, and would definitely be interested in reading her future work. Bitter Sweets is colourful and full of characters one can both like and dislike. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys light reading.

[ladydzura · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I started and finished Bitter Sweets by Roopa Farooki in one night. I really, really wanted to like this book. I picked it up at the store because the blurb on the back cover sounded intriguing, but the content of the book was not what I expected at all. The story focuses mainly on Shona, the product of a relationship built on lies. Shona's father was tricked into marrying her mother, and Shona's mother spends her entire life manipulating people. Shona herself elopes to London with an 'unsuitable' boy and starts a life there with her husband, telling little white lies along the way. In the meantime, her father begins working in London and begins to lead a double life, further complicating things with more deception. Things eventually come to a head and all of the worlds collide shortly before a series of ridiculous and unbelievable happy endings.I think Roopa Farooki certainly has the potential to be a good writer. This novel, though, could have been so much more. The characters lacked any kind of depth, and I found myself wanting to know more about them but being disappointed. The story is sweet but not nearly substantial enough -- good for a quick fluffy read, but not much more.

[alirambles · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm not a fan of lies as a literary device--I'm always internally yelling at characters to come clean already, so we can get on with the story. So it's a testament to the author that I enjoyed the book despite that. The dual settings of Pakistan and London were well-drawn, and some of the characters were appealing enough that I was willing to stick with them even as they annoyed me with their dishonesty. (See full review at Worducopia)

[jgoto_4 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I received Bitter Sweets from a Shelf Awareness advertisement with the agreement that I’d read and review it. Frankly, it took great effort to get through the first 50 or 60 pages. What bothered me most were the characters. They were one-sided and implausible. First, there was Henna’s father, who was greedy and dishonest, with absolutely no redeeming characteristics. Then there was Henna herself, dishonest, lazy and illiterate, her only good quality a pretty face. Ricky falls for her charade and his entire family grows to care for her more than Ricky himself. Why? I can’t figure that one out. As I read a little further, the story gained some momentum so that it was not quite as much of a chore to finish. It had a breezy, soap-opera quality to it. It’s partly the story of a man with separate families in two countries, which he strives to keep secret from one another. It is also a story of a boy who unknowingly falls in love with his mother’s sister, but not really. The convolutions in the plot go on and on. I expected the novel to include a little of the culture of India or Bangladesh, but most of the characters were bland enough that they could have been anyone, anywhere. No, actually, they couldn’t. This is a story about people who never could have been, with a plot that never could have happened. Except on a soap opera

[kohsamui_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

“Dark clouds of depression, they leak from every pore, Our loved ones’ lies and repression, can’t protect us anymore” The quote above is meant to be a lyric in a song written by a heartbroken teenager upon discovering a nauseating secret about his true love. Does this sound like the voice of a teenager? Not to me. To me it sounds like the voice of every other character in this somewhat tedious book. To me it sounds like a bad creative writing project rather than a genuinely anxious kid. The characters were not distinctive, interesting, likeable, engaging or humorous. The plot’s absurd twists and turns were predictable and tiresome. Halfway through this book I expected to like it against my better judgment, the setting and the potential for the characters intrigued me. However, it became truly ridiculous in the second half and though I wanted to, I could not like this story. There are glimmers here and I look forward to a less contrived, more original, and more genuine work from Roopa Farooki in the future.

[bnbooklady · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a light, enjoyable read about families and deception, and I was very interested to see where Farooki was going to take her characters next and how it would all come crashing down as their secrets were found out. The pace and narrative style are pleasing and surprisingly light for a book about such a dark, heavy topic, but the ending was too neat and easy and really ruined the book for me.Full review at The Book Lady's Blog.

[fullmoonblue · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Review-draft in Process... I am currently reading this novel, which I received as an Early Reviewers ARC. So far, Farooki reminds me a bit of the writer Meera Syal. (Only, to this point, I like Syal's work better.) For instance, there's tons of heavy family/friends/love-related drama... descriptions of people's flats and clothes and and eating/drinking regularly come up, which gives the story a slightly 'popular literature' or 'mass market' feel to it. I'm looking forward to finding out how gracefully Farooki's characters will resolve their conflicts. That'll give me a final sense of how much I enjoyed reading it.

[jforjules · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I just finished reading my ARC of Bitter Sweets, a multi-generational tale of deception and love. I was not drawn into the book immediately, feeling that the introduction to the story seemed abrupt. As the book progressed, I became engrossed in the characters and enjoyed the story as a good, quick read. Overall, I enjoyed the book, but felt that the themes were a bit over-simplified, or just plain spelled out for the reader in black and white. The ending was a bit tidy, but doesn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the book.

[amillion-863749 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I got this book as an Advance Reader's Edition - requested as the author was compared to Jhumpa Lahiri. After reading it, I don't think this comparison is very appropriate. The writing styles are very different. This book is very readable and pleasant, though not necessarily engrossing. Roopa Farooki has written a light, breezy book that, rather than capture the detail and emotion of a particular time or character, covers decades within a few pages. The book's theme, the lasting effects of untruths and deceit, are hammered home with multiple instances snowballing together. Three generations of a family, all learning from their parents to hide the unpleasantness of their lives, eventually collide. This story covers almost too many of typical familial tensions: infidelity, cultural boundaries, ... (not to give it all away). Many of these story lines evolve fairly transparently removing the surprise of the anticipated "twists". The one similarity that I found with Lahiri's work is that while this story is about an Indian family, the theme is universal. This may be (in Farooki's book) because the cultural aspects are handled rather lightly given the breadth (both time and topical) vs. depth of the story.Overall, I enjoyed the book as a light beach/airplane read (fortunately that's where I was), but wouldn't recommend it as a "must read" book.

[sandhyas_93 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I got this book as an Early Reviewer. I had big expectations after I saw people comapring this work with Jhumpa Lahiri's and that let me down! i would call it a good first atttempt at becoming a writer but i cannot say this would lead the author to become a blockbuster writer. Her style lacks depth, she tends to explaing each and every bit as if you are giving a physics lesson to a kid, nothing is left for imagination of the reader. the content of the story doesn't carry much weight and is one of those which you read and forget about.

[redladysbooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received this book as part of the Early Reviewer group here at Library Thing and from St. Martin's Griffin Publishers. My copy is an Advanced Readers' Edition Trade Paperback that will be published in October 2008. The book also includes a Reading Group Gold Section in the back of the book that includes: -An Interview with the author Roopa Farooki-Food For Thought-Reading Group QuestionsRoopa Farooki's debut novel is a richly woven tale of three generations of a family with Indian, Pakistani and English backgrounds. The author was able to tell the story through the viewpoints of many characters in the book very smoothly. The main character that stood out for me in the story was Shona, the daughter of Henna and Ricky-Rashid who were brought together through an arranged marriage filled with deception. Shona, their only child, married Parvez a young man of Pakistani descent that her parents did not approve of as they were of Bangladeshi descent. They had twin boys who grew up to be very different in nature and personality. The main theme of the book is on the impact that lies and deception can have on a family. At one point, near the end of the story, Shona comes across a quote in a book that makes her question if deception is something she could change. She made a decision that would change the dynamics of her family. I liked Shona's character in the story and how her character along with other characters grew and matured. I disliked Henna, as she appeared to be a very selfish woman who rarely showed love or attention to her husband or daughter unless it was for her own personal gain. The author commented in an interview in the back of the book that explains much about the characters "...in Bitter Sweets the moral conflicts of the characters which lead them to deceive are not a result of religious dilemmas or culture clashes, but rather due to their very personal and ambiguous emotions." Forbidden love as well as faith and fidelity are other strong themes in the book. There were surprises and twists and turns all through the story. I enjoyed reading each creative chapter title as it was a glimpse ahead to the next storyline and it made me want to keep on reading. I was pleased with the ending of the book and where each character ended up in their stage of life. I can imagine a sequel to this book as it would be very interesting to see what happens to the characters next and how their choices may efffect the next generation. I look forward to reading more books by this author and from information from the authors blog a new book will be out in the US next year in 2009.

[buildalife · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I greatly enjoyed this aptly titled multigenerational saga. The story is intricately woven and transcends nationality and locale. The ending was a little too perfectly tied up but did have a decent twist. I look forward to future books by Farooki.

[msgemini_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a fast paced enjoyable read. The story followed the lives of 3 generations. There were some twists to the story, some I found to be predictable. Overall, I liked this book and would recommend it to others. I look forward to more from Roopa Farooki.

[kasthu_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Bitter Sweets is the story of three generations of a Pakistani family. Beginning with Ricky-Rashid and his marriage to the duplicitous Henna, the story then jumps to their daughter Shona, who elopes to England. She eventually has two sons, Omar and Sharif. All the major characters engage in lies, lies, and more lies: cheating, adultery, plagiarism, etc. It gets to the point that the characters can't tell the difference between what is real and what is not. Everything comes to a climax when Ricky-Rashid has a heart attack, and the characters are forced to face their deceptions head-on.The book is excellently written, with an eye for minute detail. Roopa Farooki's writing style reminds me a lot of Zadie Smith, especially with regards to the plot. It was maybe for this reason that I really liked this novel. I really look forward to reading more of Farooki's writing in the future.

[london_stj · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

"Bitter Sweets" is a charming novel from a promising new writer. Roopa Farooki asks of her reader only that they enjoy themselves, while she leads them through a surprisingly light-hearted chronicle of the secrets and lies that both bind and threaten to destroy a family for three generations. Unnecessary narrative shifts in point of view overly-complicate an otherwise simple book, and detract from the story rather than add dimension (and the author's reliance on this tactic at times distracts from the actual plot). Though the story may at times seem familiar, Farooki will surprise readers before that familiarity turns into monotony, leading them to a satisfying conclusion.

[revzonian · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a wonderful first novel and a quick read. The characters were well developed, the stories were weaved into one another nicely, and the ending was full of hope and enough happiness to go all around. However, I think the book would have been even better had it not ended so hastily. I wanted to know how the conflicts were resolved - the ends were tied up too easily - I wanted more drama. The characters had been built up to have these strong emotions and then it felt like the balloon was deflated too quickly. Overall a good read.

[juliayoung_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Roopa Farooki's first novel is quite the achievement. It starts with a wondrously complex story about a Bengali family, and draws the reader into the complex relationships the family members have forged. The main disappointment, to me, at least, is the too-neat wrap-up at the end; for a book that has made a point of saying that life is neither simple nor pure, it seems a bit disingenuous to provide us with a conclusion that is both.