Sarita Mandanna

A multi generational story in a small village in India called Coorg. It is a story about family and fate , misfortune and determination. It is about being hurt and trying to live with it whichsome characters do ( Devanna) and those who cannot (Devi). We hold on to bitterness and anger and pride and then life can deal some cruel blows. Devi loves hard but makes so many mistakes especially with her son Nanju and the son of her lover who she loves too much Appu. Her love story with Machu is doomed and she never sees the love Devanna has had for her since they were children. This relationship is doomed to despite the fact that they marry in order to avoid scandal.
Devi can be a very unlikeable character especially how she deals with the boys and how she cannot forgive sweet Devanna. But the novel is so well written I could put up with her !!!… (mer)

Tiger Hills by Sarita Mandanna is a story of India based on a love triangle between the beautiful, spirited Devi, the intelligent, quiet Devanna, and the manly tiger killer, Manchu. The story is set in and around the author’s own birthplace in South West India, the district of Coorg.

Devi and Devanna were close childhood friends, but at the age of 10 Devi met Devanna’s cousin, a young man being hailed as a hero for killing a tiger. Devi declared that this young man would be her future husband and she never wavered from that idea. Devanna on the other hand was desperately in love with Devi and in the heat of betrayal and disappointment he forces the issue and thus condemns all three of them to a bitter and disappointing life.

While the bulk of the story line deals with the passions and failures of love, there is a lot more to this book. The district of Coorg is described with it’s jungles, mountains and coffee plantations along with the age-old customs of the clans and relations with European settlers. The book covers six decades and many historical events, but it is the heartbreak and regret of the three tortured people at the heart of the book that sets the tone.

Tiger Hills was an ambitious saga and although at times it seemed to verge into melodrama, this multi-generational story held my attention with it’s vivid cultural details, exotic setting and interesting characters.… (mer)

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in a Goodreads giveaway.

It's hard to write a review when there's nothing wrong with the writing, but you hate the main character. The writing flows nicely, and the author has a talent for describing people's personalities with nice turns of phrase. I just can't completely love a book when I intensely dislike the main character (Devi).

There's not one redeeming characteristic in this woman. Did a terrible thing happen to her? Yes, definitely. Was she spoiled and self-obsessed both before and after the terrible event? Unfortunately, yes. Having a bad thing happen to you doesn't give you the right to treat everyone else like garbage for the rest of your life. If the point of the book is "Don't be like this person!", it succeeds brilliantly.

I'll certainly keep an eye out for future books by Sarita Mandanna, hopefully with more likeable characters.… (mer)