UNACCUSTOMED EARTH BY Jhumpa Lahiri (2003)

Read by . . : Sarita Choudhury & Ajay Naidu
Publisher . : Random House Audio (2008)
ISBN . . . .: ISBN-10: 0739341790 ISBN-13: 9780739341797
Format . . .: MP3.  158 tracks, 414 MB
Bitrate . . : ~90 kbps (iTunes 9, vBR, Mono, 44.1 kHz)
Source . . .: 8 CDs (11 hours)
Genre . . . : Fiction, Short Stories
Unabridged .: Unabridged

Nicely tagged and labeled, combined ~half of the CD tracks, cover scan included. 

Thanks for sharing & caring.
Cheers, FerraBit
January 2010

 Links: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jhumpa_Lahiri 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarita_Choudhury 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajay_Naidu

 Originally posted:          
https://piratebayproxy.live/user/FerraBit (TPB), Demonoid
Please present your library card, and comment me some loving.
______________________________________
From Wiki:

Unaccustomed Earth is the latest book from Pulitzer Prize winning author Jhumpa Lahiri. After Interpreter of Maladies, the Pulitzer Prize winning book, this is her second collection of short stories. Just like her other books, Unaccustomed Earth is also a reflection of life with two separate cultures, and how people cope with one and the other. It made number one on the New York Times Book Review list of "10 Best Books of 2008" as chosen by the paper's editors.
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  Unaccustomed Earth
The title story of the book. It is about three generations, and the relationship between the three, the father, his daughter, Ruma, and her son, Akash. The father, a retiree, and also a recent widower, visits his daughter's new home in the suburbs of Seattle. The story explores some of the difficult gender roles in America, such as Ruma's decision to leave her successful legal career to raise children, and her husband's hard work to support the family. It also explores the family issues associated with Ruma's Indian heritage, including her sense of obligation to care for her father and have him live with her and her immediate family. Like Lahiri's other stories, the themes are both cultural and universal. Although more traditional her father tries to persuade her to continue her legal career while being a mother. Also, her father is depicted as someone who was somewhat unhappy with his once traditional lifestyle. He is enjoying his newly found independence in his travels and a relationship with a female friend he recently met. What makes the story most compelling is the limited communication between the father and daughter, both afraid in some way to acknowledge that they have moved away from their culture of origin and have embraced aspects of the new culture. The themes are not predictable. Akash, the grandson, who is the third generation of immigrants, and completely immersed in the new culture, develops a strong fascination with his grandfather's habits that are foreign to him, including a foreign language. This interesting twist to the story is mixed with a look at the universal bond between a child and a grandparent.

  Hell-Heaven
This is a story that explores complex human emotions such as loneliness, love, jealousy and also describes how people change drastically over time. The title is drawn from this paragraph from the story: “He used to be so different. I don’t understand how a person can change so suddenly. It’s just hell-heaven, the difference,” she would say, always using the English words for her self-concocted, backward metaphor".
Pranab Chakrobarty a graduate student at MIT, Boston is contemplating returning to Calcutta due to lack of proper Bengali food. On the streets of Boston he sees Usha, a little girl and her traditional Bengali mother Aparna. He follows them and ends up befriending them. Aparna, herself homesick and lonely, can empathize with Pranab and she is happy to feed him. Pranab Kaku (uncle) now becomes a regular visitor at Usha's house. He calls Aparna as "Boudi" (boudi means elder brother's wife). Over time Aparna looks forward eagerly to Pranab's visits and develops a unique kind of love towards him. Adding to the situation is Usha's father's (Shyamal da) aloof and detached attitude towards her mom.Aparna's love for Pranab turns into jealousy when Pranab brings home an American woman, Deborah, whom he eventually marries. Aparna keeps blaming and criticizing Deborah and keeps reiterating that it is just a matter of time that Pranab divorces Deborah. After twelve long years Deborah and Pranab finally divorce. The reasons behind the divorce are revealed. The story also recounts the unique mother-daughter relationship that develops between Aparna and Usha, after much struggles and squabbles where the mother placates her daughter by relating her own experiences about a foolish decision that she would have made.

  Hema and Kaushik:
Lahiri changes her style of writing in this story. The entire story is based on two people who were once mere acquaintances in childhood, there was a big difference in their lifestyles, yet they felt attracted sometimes back then. Two decades after they met again, just days before they were to enter into completely different phases of their humble life and yet felt attracted to each other. Then they went separate ways, and stayed separate for a lifetime. The entire story of Hema and Kaushik has been divided into three parts: Once in a Lifetime, Year's End & Going Ashore.