The Crow Eaters: A Novel

Bapsi Sidhwa’s obvious affection for the Parsee community sits at the heart of the novel yet in no way prevents her from poking fun at its all too human foibles. The humour is irreverent but irresistible.Humor aside, it is the emotional ones that will grip your mind & heart. I still remember the scene of Soli’s funeral where the touching humanity of his otherwise improbably insufferable father overwhelmed me.Sidhwa--herself a Parsi from Lahore--sets up a very convincing fictional narration of “Freddy,” his family and how he lives and makes others live their lives. By the way, Crow eaters is the slang for noisy talkative people, if you were wondering.The story line flows effortlessly as Bapsi spans about half a century covering the lives of two generations of Parsees in Lahore . The glimpses of Lahore in the early 20th century provide an interesting backdrop to the novel. Crow Eaters is not only entertaining and funny but also provides a good understanding of the history, religious practices and ethics of the Parsees in the subcontinent, a small community that has survived by being adaptive , adopting the dress, food and language of its host nation, yet preserving its identity by maintaining age old customs of fire worship and death rites.

Bapsi Sidhwa takes the readers back to the magical past of India where in theory there is tolerance and acceptance of the magnanimous diversity. She creates a nostalgia for readers unfamiliar with Parsi culture feel familiar with their amazing past.

I was interested in the book because I spent four years in Lahore and have very fond memories of it.This book didn't give me much in the way of incite into Lahore in pre-partition days, but it was interesting.The beginning of the book is very amusing - about the trip by bullock cart to Lahore but it gets a little fanciful after than and not so believable.An easy read and entertaining.

A beautiful book. I ordered another book by the author (Cracking India aka The Ice Candy Man) before I was even half way through with this one. Prose, story and enlightnment about Parsee culture alike are all superb. Highly recommended.

Funny, irrepressible, beautifully written but like almost every book from the region, Indian or Pakistani , it is also sad. I loved it.

Very good read.

Lively satire, with a rollicking portrait of the mother-in-law from hell.

She is honest, funny and tells a good story. I have enjoyed all of her books. Her books should be part of Indian history lessons.

A fascinating description of the minute of a full life journey in Lahore of the Jungwallas. Loved the small description of their lives.

Humorous, Self-deprecating and quite an insane account of one of the most admired and loved communities in India; even if set up in modern day Pakistan. The books seems to be a reminiscence by the author of the age gone by and trying to find a narrative being a minority in an ever volatile Pakistan. Forget their small numbers and constantly diminishing presence from our public life they have been a beacon of all the progress India has managed since Independence. Fardoon epitomizes the grit, adaptability, the challenges and bonhomie of the Parsi community which makes the book a delightful read. I initially thought will give it 4 stars but stopping at 3 since I realized it’s a family account over 2 generations but nothing else. There are a lot of characters introduced and Siddhwa hasn’t done any justice filly developing those or taking it to closure. But ultimately who can ignore Jerbanoo? We all wish that we don’t end up with a Mother in Law like her.

This is a much more light-hearted read than the „Ice-Candy Man (Cracking India)“. Although not totally devoid of tragedy it is mostly funny and entertaining while providing some insight into Indian society and especially into the Parsee community.It tells the story of the ups and downs of the Junglewallas, a Parsee family who move from Central India to Lahore to seek and find their fortunes.Pride of place is given to the histrionic, maddening, indestructible Jerbanoo, mother-in-law and bane of patriarch Faredoon’s existence.For me, the story loses some of its charm when the next generation, Faredoon’s stingy son Billy, takes over the book. He’s a fairly unsympathetic and uninteresting character and although we return to Faredoon on his death-bed the winding-down oft he story is slightly unsatisfactory.

Great family saga and portrayal of the everyday life of a Pakistani family.I don’t usually enjoy this kind of thing but I found the language fresh and every page was full of spark and humour.

Funny and interesting story but not the most engaging of writing styles