Parineeta cover

Parineeta

by Śaratcandra Caṭṭopādhyāya

A timeless love story from the master storyteller of Bengal Set in early twentieth century Kolkata, Parineeta (Espoused) is the unforgettable story of a child-woman's intense and bittersweet romance. Lalita, an orphaned girl who lives with her uncle, considers herself betrothed to Shekhar, her benefactor and guardian. After several failed attempts, Lalita finally gets the egotistical Shekhar to admit that he reciprocates her feelings. However, tensions erupt between Shekhar's prosperous father and Lalita's poor but principled uncle, and the situation is further complicated by the arrival on the scene of Girin, a mild-mannered and eligible bachelor, who is attracted to Lalita. The lovers' world is turned upside down, and Shekhar and Lalita find themselves estranged. Years later, they meet again, and the story takes another unexpected turn... Parineeta is a classic that has captured the imagination of generations of readers. This new translation, published to coincide with Vidhu Vinod Chopra's film, will delight Saratchandra's fans, as well as those who are not familiar with the writer's works.

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?