amazon.co.uk:
Synopsis
Tilo, an immigrant from India, runs an Indian spice shop in Oakland, California. While she dispenses the classic ingredients for curries and kormas, she also helps her customers to gain a more precious commodity: whatever they most desire. For Tilo is a Mistress of Spices, a priestess of the secret, magical powers of spices. Through those who visit and revisit her shop - Ahuja's wife, caught in an unhappy, abusive marriage; Jagjit, the victim of racist attacks at school; the noisy bougainvillaea girls, rejecting the strict upbringing of their tradition-bound Indian parents; Haroun who drives a taxi and dreams the American dream - we get a glimpse into the life of the local Indian expatriate community. To each Tilo dispenses wisdom and the appropriate spice: coriander for sight; turmeric to erase wrinkles; cinnamon for finding friends; fenugreek to make a rejected wife desirable again; chillies for the cleansing of evil. But when a lonely American comes into the store, a troubled Tilo cannot find the right spice, for he arouses in her a forbidden desire, and following her own desires will destroy her magical powers. Compelling and lyrical, full of heady scents and with more than a touch of humour, this novel explores the clash between East and West even as it unveils the universal mysteries of the human heart.

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

Kirjakahvilan BC-ikkunalauta

I found this book in Kirjakahvila bookshelf and couldn't resist it. Thank you Sobergirl!

This book was perfect for my autumn holiday. It was exotic, thrilling and romantic. What else do you need? The idea of the power of spices is actually very good and it works fine. I can only congratulate the writer! Even the thought of spices getting angry at you makes you look at them in a different way on your spice shelf...

Only here and there the clichés annoyed me a bit, otherwise the language and the storyline were good. I also liked the magic, there wasn't too much of it in this book. Interestingly, I saw Raven as a totally different character after his apartment had been introduced to the reader.

Thank you Sobergirl one more time for offering this reading experience and introducing me to a new writer! I'm planning on reading some more from her in the future. The book will be passed on to new readers as soon as possible.

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

I'm taking this to the second November bc-meeting here in Turku. I do hope someone picks this book because it definitely is worth reading!

Picked this up at today's meeting. It looks a little like an Indian "Chocolat" (Joanne Harris). Thanks, SG, and thanks, Savotar (who also brought toffee for two lucky winners - I was one!!).

Arg. I regret not writing a JE immediately after reading the book. I remember being really struck while reading about how interesting it was to read a fictional exploration of a goddess-based religion, which sounded like it should be empowering but nonetheless wound up oppressing a woman. However, the book didn't manage to keep me in its thrall - the ending was too roller-coaster-y as I recall, and I felt like I (to mix my metaphors) got derailed.

I'm prompted to finally write something of a JE because I've put this into a Virtual Book Box on bookobsessed.com.

Elsi picked this out of the Virtual Book Box, and it went into the post today, along with !Three Men on a Plane.

Arrived this week. I'm a fan of Divakaruni and was pleased to be able to pick this book from the VBB at BookObsessed. The cover says "Now a Major Film", so after I read it, I want to track down the video!