The Mistress of Spices
Ratings6
Average rating3.1
15
Ratings6
Average rating3.1
A magic realism tale on Tilo, a woman from India who is given immortality by the gods as long as she remains chaste. In her old age Tilo ends up in California, running a spice shop and helping immigrants. One day enters Raven, a handsome American, and Tilo transforms herself into a beautiful woman for a night of love. Now she must pay the price.
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In most cities there is a small Indian spice shop where an old lady serves the customers, to get Indian food stuffs, but also with their worries, sorrows, fears and problems. These “mistresses of spice” are trained on a tiny spice island somewhere, and they have rules, strict rules... they are there just to serve the spices, to act as a bridge between the spices wisdom and the humans. One may not touch the customers. One may not leave the shop. One may not help non-Indians. One may not look into a mirror. And one must obey the spice without questions.
Tilo breaks every rule, and pays for it.
I enjoyed it, but it was also irritating. I enjoyed the characters. I enjoyed Tilo's story. I enjoyed the spices. It was original and interesting, fascinating, inspiring, giving me a lot of story ideas. What was irritating was that I didn't believe Tilo's motifs and reasoning. I don't believe people change that much during their lifetime. We learn to control our virtues and vices, don't develop totally new ones. I believe everything we do is based on who we are, and that that is present already when we are 5.
But, it was good. I liked it more than didn't :-D
BTW, I wanted to read this book because I saw the movie. Go read the movie description after you have read the book. Aishwarya Rai, one of the most beautiful women ever lived. I'm glad I saw the movie first. Had I read the book first, I would have hated the movie :-D
