This is a novel about Manu, the last queen of India. I've read about her before...and I cannot remember a thing from the novel I read before, meaning This is a novel about Manu, the last queen of India. I've read about her before...and I cannot remember a thing from the novel I read before, meaning it left no impact on me at all. This one, I will remember.
Something I've noticed with Moran's books....they are appropriate for the young reader as well as the adult. I'm not sure if this is intentional or not, but thought I'd mention it for those of you who may want to know or have teenagers in the household.
This novel is well written and enlightened me on the war between the British and India. I knew the East India Company was naughty whilst there, but I didn't realize the British actually passed a law demanding Indian woman becoming their prostitutes and stuff like that. Nor did I realize how very worthless the queen was in all this, Queen Victoria.
And what a brutal war was this...brutal. Sad. Very sad.
I walked away from this book with a lot more knowledge than I had before.
But if you think it's about war, it's not. As a matter of fact, I feel the blurb is a bit misleading. It says, "Queen Lakshmi raises two armies—one male, one female—and rides into battle like Joan of Arc. "
And she does...but not until about 90% into it. The war actually begins at 83% and the heroine of the tale gets really into it at 89%. The queen becomes "Joan of Arc" at like 95%.
So that's a bit misleading. Until that point it's about Sita and the queen's guard, consisting of ten highly trained women. And this was unusual at the time as India was mostly women confined to their homes. Sita leaves a difficult household in hopes of making enough money to get her sister a dowry. And there's an evil lady guard as the villain and court intrigue and drama as Sita learns to watch her back among jealous, vindictive women. And there's the British trying to take over. It's actually really fascinating and riveting; I just wish there'd been more fighting and warrior stuff on Sita's part, but once she trains, that's pretty much it until that sentence I posted at the beginning of this review. Her fighting bit in the war is told in a paragraph or two.
If you are interested in the life of tea planters in India after WWII, this is the book for you.
I'm afraid it doesn't offer a lot more beyond that, exIf you are interested in the life of tea planters in India after WWII, this is the book for you.
I'm afraid it doesn't offer a lot more beyond that, except it does show us some Indian customs and traditions and superstitions and just overall way of life during that time as well.
I struggled with some of this. I almost tossed it in the quarter because while I was hooked in the beginning, when the love interest, Mani went to become a tea planter, leaving the heroine behind for three years, their "romance" was through letters and there was nothing remotely romantic about the letters. It was all about the tea life and wild animals.
Then they finally get married and this is where it got interesting. The wedding preparations, the ruckus, the traditions. It is truly intriguing. I was riveted once again.
Then they went to the tea plantation. Enter hornet bites (this was actually kind of cool, but I won't explain why), the clash of cultures: Indian and British, prejudice, a mysterious 11-month pregnancy, man-eating leopards, thieving servants...this had its interesting moments. But again, I began losing interest. I'm just not that interested in the making of tea. I also never felt the wonderful connection between the hero and heroine that I felt like I should be feeling.
There's no huge love story here. It's simply everyday life on a tea plantation and because of this lack of....solid plot, it came off as never-ending at times.
But I did like the writing style overall and the heroine of the story grabbed my heart.
This is a historical fiction that educates the reader about Indian history. Told from the POV of an Englishwoman, widowed from her missionary husband,This is a historical fiction that educates the reader about Indian history. Told from the POV of an Englishwoman, widowed from her missionary husband, it tells of the British occupation of India and a strong woman who dared to rule, Manu.
The story begins with Emma in England, caught for thieving and accused of murder. Her only way out is to marry a missionary who is traveling to India. She is not allowed back in England for ten years. Little does she know that that ten years will actually become a much longer period due to her own desires.
Presented with an opportunity to be a governess to an Indian princess, she takes it. And she "goes native." At first, things are rough. The prince is a homosexual, the princess thinks she is a warrior and threatens to place Emma naked on an anthill-something to that effect. And of course, the British rule with a condescending attitude...
What I really liked about this novel is the way one thing led to another.. One woman, imprisoned by her health, by her declining body leads to the relWhat I really liked about this novel is the way one thing led to another.. One woman, imprisoned by her health, by her declining body leads to the release of a woman imprisoned by her marriage..
This novel follows six people, four women, two men. The four women were once the best of friends, but time and distance has split them up. However, they still think of each other and more so when it's discovered that one of them, Armaiti, the one in America, is dying of a brain tumor.
This story was another great part of the novel. Food for thought: You have a tumor/cancer and only 6 months or so to live.. Do you die on your terms? Or do you go through countless surgeries/chemo and die on other's terms? Really loved this aspect.
Laleh blames herself for Armaiti's tumor, thinking it is the result of a blow to the head long ago in their girls' rioting days.. Her husband tries to make her see reason. Kavita is a lesbian who even in middle age, feels she must hide the fact from her family because it's not just done openly in India. And then there's Nishta...
Nishta married a Muslim man.. and when the riots occurred, he was changed forever. He says at one point in the book that she's the only beautiful thing left in his life.. and he keeps her close in check, using religion to do so. He imprisons her. The other women only become aware of this when Armaiti calls from America asking them all to come visit her and see her one last time before she dies.. and this how one woman's misfortune becomes one woman's blessing.
Quibbles: Seemed over wordy and too long for what it actually contained. The girls' past rebellion was brought up a lot, but except for that one riot that was mentioned, I wasn't sure what all they had fighting for or how.. That wasn't too clear to me. The ending.. left me wanting. It felt incomplete. I needed that happy reunion.. not the promise of it....more
This was an incredibly suspenseful read and a bit different from my usual fare. It follows a man mostly, one that I didn't like some of the time, but This was an incredibly suspenseful read and a bit different from my usual fare. It follows a man mostly, one that I didn't like some of the time, but I was still hooked on the story as he goes from the U.S. to India to France searching for a sex-trafficked girl who lost her parents in the tsunami.
I found this eye-opening. I've know there was sex-trafficking, but all the people knowingly involved...how easy it is to get away with exploiting these girls...shocked me. It's not a pleasant read as we're subjected over and over to the nasty, disgusting sexual impulses of men. Can't they control themselves??? Really? Everyone was a horny bugger--even the hero himself. In his defense though, the women offered themselves. He isn't a rapist, just a very confused married man.
The narrative goes back and forth between the lawyer/hero, Thomas, and the two girls who have lost their parents and been sold into servitude against their will. Threats keep them compliant and every time one attempts escape, she ends up running right into the arms of bad people again. From one pimp to another, from drug trafficking to France to strip clubs in New York, one girl especially can't seem to catch a break.
First of all, I get that this is a memoir.. but even with a memoir, the narrator can SHOW the story if they choose. This entire memoir is TOLD. TellinFirst of all, I get that this is a memoir.. but even with a memoir, the narrator can SHOW the story if they choose. This entire memoir is TOLD. Telling makes for very dull reading and I'm sorry to say I fell asleep trudging along thru this one.
Good idea, just poor execution in my opinion. Three women in India from three different situations, all trying to be independent. However, the book at times comes across as a travel brochure for India and a history textbook on Indian history.
I did find myself fascinated by some things, such as women not being able to rent places if they are single and the caste system, her two different "servants," the garbage collector being the lowest caste and the maid being the higher.
Nevertheless, the things of interest still didn't prevent me from nodding off. I had to skim in order to make it to the end as a review was required. ...more
I'm still reeling from the ending of this... Wow. I seen some of it coming, but not all of it.
This is a tale about a ten year old Indian American girI'm still reeling from the ending of this... Wow. I seen some of it coming, but not all of it.
This is a tale about a ten year old Indian American girl whose troubled mother takes her back to India for one summer. Secrets begin to unveil... Her uncle owns the hospital but why does he cater to another man? Why is her mother always crying? What is going on between her mother and the man named Prem? There's a history there and the adults keep trying to hide something..
And then there is the garden. Is there really a child eating monster lady behind the walls, in the forest?
When Rakhee climbs the wall, she makes a shocking discovery and besides uncovering a ton of secrets that reveal an incredibly repulsive family, she learns a valuable lesson, that physical appearance is not what makes one beautiful.
Despite the fact I have an ARC, I wish to quote here, "The first time I saw her I had been shocked and revolted, but the more I got to know Tulasi, the more her looks ceased to matter. In fact, I hardly noticed her deformities anymore. A teacher at school had once told our class, 'Looks don't really matter, it's what's on the inside that counts," and I had scoffed at her.... But since meeting Tulasi, I understood for the first time what my teacher had meant. Tulasi was the most beautiful person I had ever seen..."
A good story, an excellent debut. I'm greatly impressed. The only reason I give it a four instead of a five is that it was a bit slow going at first. The good stuff doesn't really start till the book reaches the halfway point.
A very good short story about a cripple boy in India who is a beggar.. He meets an American artist who says to him, "There are many physcial disablitiA very good short story about a cripple boy in India who is a beggar.. He meets an American artist who says to him, "There are many physcial disablities, but there are many more mental ones, ones that prevent us from being all we can."
The boy's association with her leads to an opportunity for him which brings to mind the famous quote, "You can feed a man a fish for a day or you can teach him how to fish for a lifetime" (something like that..) The boy has a decision to make.. I was surprised by the choice he makes and whereas I understand one accepting his or her disability, I was put off by his choice because.. well I think he shoulda learned how to fish. Read it and you'll see what I mean....more
This is one of those books that I just can't recommend enough. It's funny, touching, and has lots of drama that ties in nicely together.
Kiria is a sucThis is one of those books that I just can't recommend enough. It's funny, touching, and has lots of drama that ties in nicely together.
Kiria is a successful American woman who is the CEO of her own company. She's very independent and does what she wants, when she wants, without a man in her life. She travels to India and finds herself touched by Santoshi, a dependent in the Indian shelter system. In a way though, both women though in very different circumstances, have a lot in common. They each take care of themselves. No one else is looking out for them. Kiria simply has the money and means to do it in a more hygienic way.
This is a lovely and informative novel. The setting is India, both 1947 and 1858. There are five love stories in a way.. There's the heroine, Evie andThis is a lovely and informative novel. The setting is India, both 1947 and 1858. There are five love stories in a way.. There's the heroine, Evie and Martin. They are married with a five year old boy. Their marriage was wonderful until Martin went to serve in WW2... now things are falling apart. Evie thought that coming to India would bring them closer together, but they have simply "exported" their unhappiness... In order to save their marriage, Martin must get rid of his inner demons and both of them must learn to live for joy..
This was simply good entertainment. I can't say I was enlightened or learned anything new, but I was entertained. It's kinda chic lit with a dash of sThis was simply good entertainment. I can't say I was enlightened or learned anything new, but I was entertained. It's kinda chic lit with a dash of suspense.
The setting is modern day India. Megha has been married one year to a sickly, wimpy momma's boy with a mother from hell. One night, Megha overhears both her husband and MIL plotting to burn her alive because 1. her MIL just can't stand her. 2. Her dowry hasn't been paid. and 3. She hasn't had a baby yet. So it's action from page one as Megha runs for her life in the dead of night, escapes her MIL's clutches only to run into the arms of a potential rapist and escape him and eventually, ends up at Kiran's.
Kiran is THE MOST KIND, PERFECT, GENTLE, AND UNDERSTANDING man in the whole wide world. He is also Megha's cousin in law. But of course, he has been in love with the beautiful, submissive, perfect Megha from the moment he first laid eyes on her so he takes her in and vows to protect her forever. See where it gets it three star rating? This guy is so perfect, I wanted to vomit at times. I mean seriously, there are no men like this in the world and if there are, no offense intended,they are probably gay. This guy takes her shopping, buys her 6 outfits and then asks her to model them for him and I could go on about his fabulous traits but it would take all night.
So.. while dealing with their rising attraction to each other, Kiran and Megha must also keep her presence a secret cause her MIL still wants her dead.. The secret is bound to come out sometime. I liked the suspense but hated the damsel in distress thing. Megha was too weak for my taste. At one point, she even begins to commit suicide. I realize her options were minimal but just wholing yourself in some guy's apartment and cooking for weeks and playing wife with him..? Another thing I didn't like: All the charaters are either super super wonderful and kind like Kiran and Megha or super horribly cruel, mean, nasty, and ugly.
This is a very good YA book and a fascinating look at nomadic life in India. Shabanu is a pre teen. She prefers to take care of her family's camel herThis is a very good YA book and a fascinating look at nomadic life in India. Shabanu is a pre teen. She prefers to take care of her family's camel herd rather than sit around, cover herself, and talk about weddings like her older and very much engaged sister. Most of the novel is about her sister's upcoming wedding and the gathering of a dowry. Things go terribly awry and the ending is a major change of plans.
Also, some great stuff about camels. I had no clue they had huge tongues that enlarged to impress females or that the males fought to the death sometimes, or that they could dance. Truly interesting stuff.
However, I HATED the ending. I get that it is appropriate for Indian culture and custom, but I was expecting more fight from Shabanu. Instead, she goes along with her parent's wishes (which I felt were just awful!!!). I was expecting more spit and vinegar from what I thought was a smart girl....more
DNF. I just couldn't get into this. I felt no sympathy whatsoever for the heroine.. I mean, there is a war going on and people in lower castes than yoDNF. I just couldn't get into this. I felt no sympathy whatsoever for the heroine.. I mean, there is a war going on and people in lower castes than you are starving and you are crying because you have to shave your head (you don't have to spend half an hour a day styling it!!) and take off your jewelry? And personally, I would LOVE to stay home for a year. LOL
This has been an excellent read. I highly recommend it for fans of historical fiction based on or about strong women in history. This novel follows thThis has been an excellent read. I highly recommend it for fans of historical fiction based on or about strong women in history. This novel follows the life of Lola Montez, legendary dancer and woman of scandal.
Born Eliza Gilbert to an Irish mother and an English Navy officer, the future Lola Montez travels at a young age to British occupied India, to a strict Puritan household in Scotland, and to a girl's boarding school in England. Basically, Eliza lives everywhere but with her mother, who seems to hate her with a passion. Upon finishing school and being faced with marriage to an old widower, Eliza does what many a young courageous girl in her situation would do, she runs off with a man of her choice. As luck would have it tho, it just happens to be a man her mother also seems to have her sights set on despite her already married status. Thus, the marriage is doomed from the get go. What follows is scandalous love affairs and divorce. Eliza finds herself ostracized from "polite" society and as her "love" affairs always turn out to be "lust" affairs in the end, she finds herself with no means of support. She has two choices: become a governess or a woman of ill repute. Eliza does neither. She becomes a dancer and after a trip to Spain, puts Eliza Gilbert/Eliza James in the past and brings to life Lola Montez.
Lola Montez could not be more different from Eliza Gilbert James. Lola Montez does not sit and sew, but sweeps across the stage clicking her castanets and throwing her slippers. Lola Montez carries a small pistol, a dagger, and a gentleman's rawhide horsewhip which she dares to use on an officer's face in Poland, branding herself a heroine of the Polish revolution. Eliza Gilbert James lived to please others, Lola Montez lives only to please herself and even has the gall to spurn the amorous advances of a prince. Men cheated on Eliza, but die in duels for Lola.
However, it seems the passionate, sensual, and vibrant Lola can not find nor hold onto true love... Can her travels to America or even Australia change her luck?
A TERRIFIC read. This was a book well worth my purchase and staying on my shelf. ...more
In all fairness, I think I would have enoyed this novel a lot more if I didn't already know the story. Having read "Beneath a Marble Sky," I already kIn all fairness, I think I would have enoyed this novel a lot more if I didn't already know the story. Having read "Beneath a Marble Sky," I already know the content, the brothers fighting each other, the elephant fight, the details of the Taj Mahal. Also, having read the previous two novels in this "series" by Indu Sundaresan, I already know the history leading up to this and grew bored with the "recaps."
However, I couldn't help but think of Marble Sky throughout the reading of this and felt this one pales in comparision. In Marble Sky, Jahanara has an affair with the architect of the Taj Mahal. Preposterous? Probably. But exciting, nevertheless. In this version, Jahanara is just a princess battling her sister for rule over the harem and in love with the same courtier. Meanwhile, he brothers are silently waiting their father's death to take his throne.
This could go either way. I don't discourage the reading of it. It simply didn't wow me....more
A few days ago, I watched a televsion show about women in India. This show went behind the scenes at a woman's prison and showed viewers that Indian wA few days ago, I watched a televsion show about women in India. This show went behind the scenes at a woman's prison and showed viewers that Indian women love their children so much that they take their children to jail with them. They raise their children behind bars until the child reaches the age of six. I thought to myself, "that sounds like a bad idea." One of the women that was raising her child behind bars said it was safer for her child in prison than on the streets of India. I doubted that. Then I read this book.
This book shows us the darker side of India. An India in which parents don't love their kids, but sell their nine year old daughters to prostitution houses. At the orphanages, losing a limb to be a more convincing beggar, being raped, or being murdered and thrown in the local garbage dump is a daily occurence. Following the life of a young prostitute named Batuk, this dark world is revealed.
It was very well written. It makes you think. It is also very miserable. Except for one memory of a hospital, it seems everybody in Batuk's life is an evil villain. Not one kind character or kind word seems to surface. I felt some of this was overdone.. namely the grotesque bus driver and the doctor in the hotel. It would have hit the five star mark if not EVERYONE in the book was cruel and evil. Come on, there is always one kind smile to be found even among some of the worst of human civilization.
Good book tho and all the proceeds in the USA are donated to help missing or exploited kids so I do recommend it....more
I am somewhat on the fence with this one. On one hand, I really enjoyed Margaret's story. A young woman in 1840s early America and Canada wanting to bI am somewhat on the fence with this one. On one hand, I really enjoyed Margaret's story. A young woman in 1840s early America and Canada wanting to break all the rules and become a doctor really appeals to me. On the other hand, however, the other parts did about a male doctor in the 1960s didn't interest me that much. His character was likeable, but his parts had a James Bond type feel to them, partly due to the 1960s setting and partly due to the action and mystery and Russians with guns. I kept expecting his pretty Indian nurse or the Russian bookseller to throw themselves at him.
While Walli is trying to transport and solve the mystery of the hundred year old sea chest and dodging either bullets or avoiding car chases, the book takes us back to 1841 and Margaret wanting to be a doctor as well as having a forbidden romance with her cousin, Robert. I like Margaret's parts, but I must question some of the content. At a battle reenactment in 1841, she thinks of cotton candy. Cotton candy was not invented until 1897. I also question her going off with men and riding unescorted and unchaperoned in 1847. Young, unmarried ladies did not do that back then, most especially, minister's daughters.
However, there was enough excitement and history to keep me intrigued. I enjoyed the romance between Margaret and Robert and I also liked reading about how Margaret ignored all the naysayers (mainly her parents) and became a doctor despite of all the hurdles in her path. Despite the historical innaccuracies and the modern day feel, I really liked her story. The Indian history merged with it very nicely.
Whereas Margaret's story could have used some tweeking as far as the cotton candy and running around unescorted and other things that stood out (Did they have water BOTTLES back then? How is it that Margaret's aunt seems familiar with her kids, but hasn't seen Margaret in years?) , Walli's parts were enriched with impeccable research. This author knows his Indian history. ...more
This is a story that beautifully and creatively tackles many controversial issues. Between Somer and Krishnan, we have an interracial marriage. (IssueThis is a story that beautifully and creatively tackles many controversial issues. Between Somer and Krishnan, we have an interracial marriage. (Issue one) Krishnan, an Indian man and Somer, a caucasian woman, think nothing of the difference in their cultures until a trip to India shows Somer the world from which Krishnan comes from. She does a double take and wonders how well she really knows her husband.
Issue two: motherhood. Somer wants to have a baby so bad but her body does not agree with her. After adopting a little girl, Asha from India, she begins to wonder if some women just aren't meant for motherhood. Can she do this? Can she love and understand a child that does not come from her own womb?
Issue three is foreign adoption. Asha grows up questioning her parentage. What is her homeland like? Who are her real parents? When reading her parts, readers witness the daily inner turnmoil an adopted child faces, the feeling of being unwanted, the questions, the being "stuck" between two cultures. Where do I belong?
Issue four and possibly the biggest issue of all is the practice of killing young baby daughters in India. The poor do not want daughters because they can't work in the fields and require a dowry later in life. How many tiny, unmarked graves are scattered throughout India?
Also addressed is the Indian caste system. While watching Asha grow up in America with all the spoils of American children, readers all see what is going on in the other side of the world with Asha's biological parents as they stuggle to make a life in Bombay, to rise above oppression and try and try again to "step up" a class or two. Will making ends meet be enough? Thru their eyes, we see the slums of India, the drugs, the gangs.
When a grown Asha heads to India for a year, she has many questions and no answers. Will she leave India with answers and if so, will they be the answers she wants? Will she find her biological parents or will all these people go thru their lives without meeting? An even stronger question is: Can either mother let go?
A beautiful story closely following the lives of four very different people. I found myself thinking of these people even when I wasn't reading the book. I especially enjoyed the in depth look at life in India. It beats watching an espisode of Taboo anyday. Highly recommended. ...more