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rorky's review against another edition
4.0
3.7 - Exceedingly fun - a lovely, witty and honest take of a modern Sikh communities experiences. Relatable at every turn, especially as someone having grown up with Indian family in London.
rosytea8's review against another edition
5.0
Scintillating. Simple as that.
I finished reading this book in one night because I simply couldn't stop myself from reading! It was just so gripping! When Nikki finds out there is a way she can support her family especially since she felt guilty that her dad passed away still infuriated with the life choices she made as a girl from a conservative Punjabi family in England, she opted to teach how to write English stories to a group of widows in her community. She was more open minded and modern compared to her family and the other members of her community.
The novel continues with the widows, who are all colorful characters, especially Sheena. They all start to share stories that they used to hide away in the deepest parts of their minds. Fantasies that would be considered lewd and vulgar but they enjoyed it. They all sat through every class and narrated detailed stories that they would fantasize about. Nikki started to feel protective of them, encouraging and enjoyed it all the same.
In the end of the book you discover how men will kill to protect their honor. These women protect each other, they have an indescribable bond and they realize that if they unite and stay bold the men in the community will be scared of them. Which is what happens. These stories fix many homes and make every one happy. It's is such a happy book in the end as the denouement unfolds. I just hope you are able to enjoy it as much as I did. So much love!!!!!!
I finished reading this book in one night because I simply couldn't stop myself from reading! It was just so gripping! When Nikki finds out there is a way she can support her family especially since she felt guilty that her dad passed away still infuriated with the life choices she made as a girl from a conservative Punjabi family in England, she opted to teach how to write English stories to a group of widows in her community. She was more open minded and modern compared to her family and the other members of her community.
The novel continues with the widows, who are all colorful characters, especially Sheena. They all start to share stories that they used to hide away in the deepest parts of their minds. Fantasies that would be considered lewd and vulgar but they enjoyed it. They all sat through every class and narrated detailed stories that they would fantasize about. Nikki started to feel protective of them, encouraging and enjoyed it all the same.
In the end of the book you discover how men will kill to protect their honor. These women protect each other, they have an indescribable bond and they realize that if they unite and stay bold the men in the community will be scared of them. Which is what happens. These stories fix many homes and make every one happy. It's is such a happy book in the end as the denouement unfolds. I just hope you are able to enjoy it as much as I did. So much love!!!!!!
emilyhare's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I liked the general vibe of this, it was a very easy read and I love learning more about other cultures however I feel as though everything happened a bit too easily. the widows seemed far too eager and open to share the stories, given the way there are described in other aspects I would have expected them to have more reservations before just getting up and telling these stories to the group and to Nikki. Also the stories all felt too well formed and written to be by illiterate women
amandanvm's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.5
unemarguerite's review against another edition
5.0
i loved this!! i read it last year and idk why but it was deleted from my shelves?? anyways copied from my tweets in december and too lazy to translate rn:
le côté de l'histoire avec les veuves qui veulent raconter leurs histoires érotiques en "secret" dans le cours où elles sont sensées apprendre l'anglais a amené des aspects vraiment intéressants à l'histoire. mais j'ai aussi beaucoup aimé l'autre côté de l'histoire où on suivait un couple de la communauté dont la fille est disparue. je m'attendais pas à ça mais c'était bien, et en plus ça touchait à des enjeux super importants.
le côté de l'histoire avec les veuves qui veulent raconter leurs histoires érotiques en "secret" dans le cours où elles sont sensées apprendre l'anglais a amené des aspects vraiment intéressants à l'histoire. mais j'ai aussi beaucoup aimé l'autre côté de l'histoire où on suivait un couple de la communauté dont la fille est disparue. je m'attendais pas à ça mais c'était bien, et en plus ça touchait à des enjeux super importants.
specialk3782's review against another edition
3.0
3.5* I was a bit hesitant at first but as the story got rolling I ended up liking it quite a bit. My favorite part was the camaraderie of the women and seeing them open up with each other and gain confidence with themselves and their thoughts and ideas. Getting an idea of what Punjabi culture is like was interesting to me as well. The mystery aspect of the story helped move it along towards the end and tie everything together in a satisfying way. I probably wouldn't re-read this but I would casually recommend it to someone.
margot04's review against another edition
3.0
Not a bad book by any means - a lot of my lower rating is just personal preference and my fault because the story didn’t appeal to me that much but I decided to read the whole thing lol. My more objective, per say, qualms are I feel like other than the core widow writing story, a lot of the other threads felt a little bit less fully realized and didn’t have as much depth as I would’ve wanted, and I really wish Nikki had had more direct effect on the writing class. Like she definitely learned from it, but frankly the only effect she had on the class was letting them share their stories - which is big obviously but I wished there was more focus on maybe how she grew as a teacher or her guiding them a little bit more. I guess what I’m trying to say is it mostly feels like widows themselves made things happen, and Nikki just happened to be there and learn from them.
chelsbels's review against another edition
5.0
This really was an amazing novel! It’s had family drama, cultural drama, outsider drama, erotic stories and a murder mystery with no white savoir! I highly recommend this novel to anyone!
slampie's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Well, this book did deal with some very serious topics. It managed to find what I consider a perfect balance of warmth and humor and sexiness. It deals with negotiating more conservative and modernized immigrant first and second generation tensions. Great narration.