The Milk Lady of Bangalore

March 1, 2018

Writer and cookbook author Narayan grew up in the Indian capital of Chennai and has spent most of her adult life in New York City. As her parents and in-laws grow older, the author and her husband decide to move their family to Bangalore to be closer to them. Settling into her new home, Narayan begins to buy milk from Sarala, the local milk lady, whose small herd grazes in the city. Sarala and Narayan become friends, and as their relationship develops, Narayan's involvement with and interest in the cows increases. While Narayan never loses sight of her own privileged position, even as she navigates the intricacies of caste and class in modern-day India, her stories radiate with compassion. Living in Bangalore, the author's Western sensibilities are met with both delight and inconvenience, and she revels in relating her experiences on the page. VERDICT An absolute joy to read. Through her close encounters with the bovine kind, Narayan shows how Indian traditions are incorporated into contemporary ways of life. (Memoir, 10/20/17)--RD

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2017
A culture writer and cookbook author leaves New York City to reconnect with her roots in this humorous and heartwarming story about cows, Indian culture, and the strength of female friendship.Despite being born and raised in India, Narayan (Monsoon Diary: A Memoir with Recipes, 2003, etc.) spent most of her adult life in New York. With her parents and in-laws beginning to age, she decided to pack up and relocate her entire family to Bangalore as a way to be closer to her older loved ones and to reconnect herself and her children to their cultural roots. Everything about their new home seemed different from the familiar comforts of New York, but one thing stood out more than anything else in her new world: India's sacred cows and the people who care for them--particularly, a local milk lady named Sarala who grazed her small herd of cows across the street from Narayan's new home. When Narayan decided to take the plunge and buy Sarala's fresh milk after doing weeks of intensive online and anecdotal research on the subject, the two formed a fast friendship based on their deep personal connection to their shared Indian roots, love of family, interest in food, and, most of all, desire to find just the right cow for Narayan to purchase for Sarala. At once sincere and laugh-out-loud funny, this memoir chronicles a genuine bond between two remarkable women that transcends class, culture, and privilege. In this beautiful examination of the differences between Eastern and Western cultures as told through the eyes of a writer who is uniquely qualified to comment on both, Narayan's rich and evocative writing transports readers to the busy streets of Bangalore and a fully formed picture of modern India that includes cow urine tablets, bus crashes, and many different kinds of milk.A witty and tender story that endears readers to Indian culture and one of their most sacred symbols, the cow.

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December 1, 2017
Narayan is an Indian native who immigrated to the U.S. as a young adult, married, and gave birth to two children in New York City. After 20 successful years together, Shoba and her husband decided they missed home. They wanted their children to understand their heritage and know their grandparents. So they moved back to Bangalore. When the family is greeted by a cow in the elevator of their new apartment building, Shoba's fascination with India's cow-fever begins. Before long, Shoba is buying milk directly from the cow, courtesy of the milk lady, Sarala, who sells her wares across the street. When one of Sarala's cows is struck by a truck, Sarala asks Shoba to buy her another one, thus beginning the author's adventures in picking out the perfect cow. Narayan's memoir explores many of the ways that cows are essential to life in India. Filled with the vivid colors, sights, and sounds of a vibrant and ancient culture, Narayan's in-depth treatment of cow mythology is a beautiful ode to her motherland.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)