Climbing the Mango Trees: A Memoir of a Childhood in India

Madhur Jaffrey is one of the foremost authors of indian cookbooks. This book is a memoir of her childhood in northern India during the 40s and 50s. It is packed with all the joys and flavors of an extended family with liberal food descriptions and delightful flavors of multi ethnic indian cuisine. She obviously had a very rich, privileged up bringing which is perhaps not what every indian born child is privy to, but her writing is compassionate, mindful of the privileges she had in comparison to the rest of the country - and allows the reader to really travel visually and enjoy a taste of the same. One cannot help wishing though that she had dealt with, at some length, on some real struggles with a dysfunctional uncle (Shibbu dada), the changes in the family during the post independance era (all families went through a lot of struggle then, particularly privileged ones) or for that matter anything that lets the reader know that the journey was not always a happy or easy one. Read it anyway, and particulary if you are from India, it is truly a delightful nostalgic journey into the joys and flavors and family love that is so typical of extended family life in our homeland and sadly getting to be a rarity for even those who live there.

Mixing together family, food, history and culture, Madhur Jaffrey gives us a fascinating glimpse of upper class life in India. Her delicious descriptions of the daily life of the privileged contrast with what many hear of the poverty and troubles of that country. There are amusing tidbits such as "the art of getting thirty people into two cars" and the mischievous "Holi" day celebrations, and an indepth look at the intricacies of life in a large extended family, plus a sprinkling of family photos. Although she delves into the darker shadows of family troubles and the consequences of WWII and political changes, Ms. Jaffrey keeps those experiences on the light side, leaving me with more questions than answers.As with many memoirs, there is some disjointedness, but through it all there is the food - delightful, delicious, descriptions to make one drool. The average reader will undoubtedly find the recipes included at the end of the book to be daunting, but a trip to an Indian restaurant should be a most satisfying ending to this book. I enjoyed this book which offers literally a taste of India. My only question - since Madhur failed cookery in school, how did she learn to cook so well?!

Everything was as promised, thanks!

Nice memoir of the author's childhood in India during the first part of the 20th Century. I would recommend it just to understand the lives of an upper-middle class to upper-class family in India. I wished for more of the author's perspective on India's independence and Partition but suspect she doesn't have much perspective as she was young for both events and either didn't fully understand the significance of, or was sheltered from, both events. Can't wait to try some of the family recipes included in the book! Ms. Jaffrey's Indian recipes are always tasty!

I have always loved Madhur Jaffrey's recipes and acting. This memoir, even for those who don't know her, is marvelous. She provides a beautifully-written glimpse of growing up in a large and well-to-do Indian family that mixed Muslim and Hindu traditions in an era that is now past. The description of family foods (and the recipes -- YUM)and the traditions of her family are wonderful. I was terribly sorry when I came to the end of the book, though I was thrilled to find recipes in the back. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in Indian food, Indian culture, or history -- and to anyone who just plain enjoys memoirs.

I've cooked Jaffrey's recipes for years and loved her sense of experiencing food as an expression of a cultural heritage, as much as by its taste. This book is a wonderful accounting of her growing up years in a distinguished and very extended family. I really enjoyed reading how the family traditions influenced her as a person. The writing is vividly descriptive and straightforward - easy to read and very engaging as a family history, as well. I would definitely recommend it. our Food Lit reading group has loved it.However, i was disappointed that she ended the book so abruptly at her going off to college without really sharing more of the story of how she segued into the role I most know her as - a fabulous cook, expert on Indian cuisine and cookbook author. She is also an actress which i did not know previously. I guess I'm waiting for the sequel!!

I just got this book after waiting for a few months and was quite thrilled to see familiar names and places mentioned. Being a distant family member, I am probably prejudiced but I think this book is a fascinating read, especially for someone brought up in Delhi. The book even has a family tree in the beginning, going back to the 1500s. As in all her books, Madhur Jaffrey manages to give her recipes a very easy to do feel and very helpful hints for people like us living in the US and I am dying to try out the recipes. Enjoy!

I have " Nearly" all of Madhur's Cookbooks. Thats a lot . She taught me to Cook Indian Food while living in Britain in the 70's & 80's.I really enjoyed this fun ,sweet entertaining book. JW

Having visited Delhi several times over the last few years, it was fascinating to read this account of someone growing up in a country and city in a state of flux. The family was rather unusual also in straddling the divide between the Hindi and Muslim cultures so the reader gains a different perspective there too. The recipes at the end were an unexpected bonus and I look forward to cooking some of them. I hope that she will bring out the sequel to this volume to describe her adult years which have been spent in various countries and, again, across a range of cultural lines

Ich habe mir mehr von dem Buch versprochen. Es beschreibt zwar den Alltag einer indischen Familie in Delhi vor der Teilung Indien anschaulich, aber irgendwann habe ich das Buch aus der Hand gelegt. Es fehlte etwas. Suspense.

Beautifully written, this enchanting books takes you to old Delhi before India became obsessed with the tech revolution. Essentially it's the story of an extended family of considerable social status. I loved the way Madhur Jaffrey has been able to weave Indian history, family dynamics and kitchen talk together so seamlessly.

What a story teller she is! Loved the book, the language, the detailing, the story is all amazing! I could literally relive her tales! Absolutely wonderful! Also a very interesting find for someone who is interested in pre independent india and just a few years after independence and the lifestyle of the people of that time. You would love it!

I'm only in the 2nd chapter of this book but am enjoying it very much. Madhur Jaffrey is a very good writer which I didn't know. I mostly knew of her from her cookbooks. As your reading this book you feel like your right there seeing what she's writing about. And if you like cooking as I do there are also recipes at the end of this book - yum!