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hamilgrom's review
3.0
Similar to many other readers, I picked this up on the strength of Jaswal's previous book. I'm a fan of Jaswal's writing and her skill at placing readers in a particular setting. The character development in this book was very strong, by the end I felt like I truly knew all three of the sisters and their Mum. My biggest gripe though is that the majority of the book felt repetitive and this was exasperated by the author's decision to delay major reveals until almost 80% of the way through the book. Multiple chapters ended with Rajni reflecting back on her previous trip to India and what went wrong before we as readers were able to learn the full story. I found that frustrating, the payoff for waiting so long wasn't good enough. That issue aside, I enjoyed the book and found it highly readable. I would definitely read what Jaswal does next.
kyrie's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
gabmc's review
4.0
This is a lovely story of three sisters - very different from each other - who agree to their dying mother, Sita's request for them to go on a pilgrimage to India together to scatter her ashes. Eldest sister Rajni is almost a generation older than aspiring actress Jezmeen and youngest sister Shirina. Each of the women has a different perspective of the others' lives - and they are all keeping something to themselves. Rajni and her mother had actually been to India together many years before and something happened on that trip which Rajni has never spoken about. Although Jezmeen wants to be an actor, she was recently involved in a controversy that could ruin her would be career forever. Shirina is recently married - and she went onto a traditional marriage dating site to find her future husband - she has been told by him that she must do something on the trip to India and that she shouldn't come home unless it was done. She lives with him and her very traditional mother-in-law in Melbourne. Sita had in mind the goal of bringing her daughters together on the trip and had written a letter with detailed instructions on what to do in each place. However, as the sisters are not close, it all might be too much to hope for to have a peaceful and fruitful pilgrimage. Having two sisters myself and a mum who passed away four years ago, this book resonated with me.
greggles_93's review
5.0
I absolutely LOVED this book. It has absolutely everything that you could want from a great narrative; travel, love, loss, grief, family, sisterhood, hope, diaspora, cultural examinations and an incredibly nuanced portrayal of the implications of living in a patriarchal world (both Western and Eastern) and having to obey the rules of an incredibly male dominated and sexist religious practice. My favourite read of this year so far, would highly recommend.
roscoehuxley's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
mahima123's review
3.0
Honestly it just didn’t live up to the standard of the first book by this author. I think the story and the character development was really neat and I really enjoyed how we got three different perspectives throughout the book. What I didn’t like was how long the story took to pick up and the naive way in which India is depicted.
I am not a misogyny-denier and I can recount first hand experiences of the male gaze that can be found in India, but it was disheartening how much the book focuses on the negative aspects of India without ever taking a moment to appreciate a greater beauty. I think it’s important to highlight these issues and the author does so by exploring a multitude of different issues: female feticide, rape culture, women’s movements, laws founded in patriarchy, etc. At the same time however it comes off as a immigrant’s better-than-thou attitude rather than a “how can we fix this problem and what work has been going into it already?” point of view.
I don’t know if that’s a jaded take on this book…or how I would’ve written it differently but it did leave me feeling a little frustrated at times.
I am not a misogyny-denier and I can recount first hand experiences of the male gaze that can be found in India, but it was disheartening how much the book focuses on the negative aspects of India without ever taking a moment to appreciate a greater beauty. I think it’s important to highlight these issues and the author does so by exploring a multitude of different issues: female feticide, rape culture, women’s movements, laws founded in patriarchy, etc. At the same time however it comes off as a immigrant’s better-than-thou attitude rather than a “how can we fix this problem and what work has been going into it already?” point of view.
I don’t know if that’s a jaded take on this book…or how I would’ve written it differently but it did leave me feeling a little frustrated at times.
mmotleyu's review
4.0
Learned more about Indian women and was surprised by the male dominance in the culture. I am always a sucker for female bonding stories and the pilgrimage that these sisters take to learn more about themselves and their mother did not disappoint. I like the idea of having my children go on a quest together after I die as a way to process their feelings....
glenn_rulz's review
adventurous
funny
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Loved this book, read it before going to India. Written in a way to understand issues facing women in India but with so much fun along the way. Impressively written to hit such big issues while keeping so page turning. Great analogies for first gen immigrants.