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bluestarfish's review against another edition
2.0
Virmati falls for a married man, Harish, so with that and her desire for education things get tricky at home in a middle class family in Amitsar in the 1940s. It's a time when Gandhi is asking people to get involved in non-violent civil disobedience and women are getting involved (and being arrested) in many new ways, and also a time when traditional roles for women are still the norm. And there is also plenty mention of the Partition. However the novel was at its best when describing the love story and the implications of a second wife in the family than when dealing with the "historic stuff". It would've been interesting to know more about Virmati's father and grandfather as men sympathetic to women's education in her life, but they seemed a little left out.
swarnali2244's review
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
shreyabaldwa's review against another edition
2.0
Set in backdrop of partion, this is a story of priveldged women's quest for freedom from societal obligations & yet they somehow more or less fall back in the same trap. Although enticing initially, it feels incomplete due to loose ends
blearywitch's review against another edition
5.0
I was born in the 80s and my family was very traditional which translates to strict rules, lack of freedom, high expectations in studies, and exhibit impeccable moral or die. I am molded to what girls can and cannot do - girls shouldn't climb trees, hang out/expose herself to the public unnecessarily, bare her arms, speak loudly, are among a few of the rules. That's not to say I didn't break away from those rules as soon as could - it was a transition, and some work was required to mold the way I think to match the way I act so I'm in sync with myself. I somewhat understood the suffocation Virmati felt but could only imagine the rest, and it was hard to believe there was once such a sad time for women. Unfortunately for her, there was also no balance or a chance for some rules to be slackened for the sake of her education, and personal growth like there were in several instances for me. Virmati's story also took place in 1930s India when women's education is still a highly debatable subject, and women working is still considered disreputable compared to marriage and childbearing. On top of that, we have a married man wanting her as his second wife. It is well-written, and touched my heart. Virmati could have been outrageously rebellious, but she isn't quite like that and yet she wasn't entirely without will either, and that endeared her to me.
I was in the mood for a book set in India by an Indian author so I picked this off my shelves and was not disappointed. If you're looking for a good read or a break from some heavy material, this would be a good pick.
I was in the mood for a book set in India by an Indian author so I picked this off my shelves and was not disappointed. If you're looking for a good read or a break from some heavy material, this would be a good pick.
joellecarys's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Probably the best book I've read so far this year...I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to read it1
zainub_reads's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed reading this book and did not want it to end. 🙂
But that said the ending felt rushed and was disappointing. It was as if the plot was built up to a crescendo and a dead end 🤷🏻♀️
There was a lot of detail prior to Viramati’s marriage and for a bit after that but overnight decades passed and the book ended.
.
The writing is very descriptive, free-flowing but simple. The India of the pre-independence has been beautifully presented.
.
The narrative shifts between Viramati, her daughter, Ida as well as Viramti’s mother, Kasturi. Even though the narrators aren’t explicitly stated beforehand it’s easily to figure out.
.
What I did not appreciate about the book was that Viramati’s relationship with her daughter was not elaborated, neither was Ida’s life except as a few wasps of information here and there.
Also, Viramati’s siblings did not have any significance on her life later on 🤷🏻♀️
.
And I just have to say the Professor, Harish is a 🤬🤬🤬
I’d rather Viramati dropped him like a hot potato and never looked back but then again this a story of times gone by..
.
An engrossing, enjoyable read 👍🏻
But that said the ending felt rushed and was disappointing. It was as if the plot was built up to a crescendo and a dead end 🤷🏻♀️
There was a lot of detail prior to Viramati’s marriage and for a bit after that but overnight decades passed and the book ended.
.
The writing is very descriptive, free-flowing but simple. The India of the pre-independence has been beautifully presented.
.
The narrative shifts between Viramati, her daughter, Ida as well as Viramti’s mother, Kasturi. Even though the narrators aren’t explicitly stated beforehand it’s easily to figure out.
.
What I did not appreciate about the book was that Viramati’s relationship with her daughter was not elaborated, neither was Ida’s life except as a few wasps of information here and there.
Also, Viramati’s siblings did not have any significance on her life later on 🤷🏻♀️
.
And I just have to say the Professor, Harish is a 🤬🤬🤬
I’d rather Viramati dropped him like a hot potato and never looked back but then again this a story of times gone by..
.
An engrossing, enjoyable read 👍🏻
readmeanything_'s review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
Not sure what we mean by a ‘diverse’ cast here- it’s set in India & written by & about pre/post partition Indians. So, diverse for a white/western audience, but not by Indian standards as it’s largely upper caste Hindus.
Is this a book about Partition or is it’s a book where Partition is backdrop? I can’t quite make up my mind. So much of the book is metaphor: splitting of families, houses, sisters-in-law quarrelling, loss & a cleave in families…
And yet, the sections on Partition are dreadfully written, disconnected from the broader narrative.
Is this a book about the every day lives of women- their trauma, nostalgia, pain- in Partition times? Maybe. I like that it largely steps away from the grand narratives of Partition- so much to reflect on here, but manages to capture some of same struggles of silencing, loss of home, and disorder.
The quest for Independence: Virumati’s and India’s- the troubling question (perhaps unintentionally from the author) is if it was worth it
Is this a book about Partition or is it’s a book where Partition is backdrop? I can’t quite make up my mind. So much of the book is metaphor: splitting of families, houses, sisters-in-law quarrelling, loss & a cleave in families…
And yet, the sections on Partition are dreadfully written, disconnected from the broader narrative.
Is this a book about the every day lives of women- their trauma, nostalgia, pain- in Partition times? Maybe. I like that it largely steps away from the grand narratives of Partition- so much to reflect on here, but manages to capture some of same struggles of silencing, loss of home, and disorder.
The quest for Independence: Virumati’s and India’s- the troubling question (perhaps unintentionally from the author) is if it was worth it
dhiyanah's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to like this novel, but what was thought to be a story of a woman's conflict between her desire to get educated and her desire to conform to expectations took shape, instead, into one where the woman uses her desire for personal independence to rebel against conformity in order to be the second wife of a married man - a man who made her wait years before officializing their relationship, who only did so after being prodded by a male poet friend, on the brink of Virmati's potential (actual) independence. Once married, he sends her off to get an MA - as if to intellectually upgrade his trophy wife. There is very little mention on her part on what her education has done for her. While she stood her grounds against her family for the sake of education, claiming she will never marry, it seemed as if her pursuit for study was only to feed her obsession for this man. The lack of any passion or rumination towards the subjects she studied was questionable.
I'm not sure what argument their story was trying to make regarding education for girls. While peripheral characters, like Virmati's roommate, posed as a symbol for the promise and resilience of educating girls, the main character herself falls short in saying/representing anything substantive about this. I don't know why we're made to follow her story, apart from it being representative of a deeply-rooted lack, it was mostly a repetitive cycle of despair, familial disappointments, and her perpetual dissatisfaction as student/lover/co-wife.
Her daughter, who opens the novel in a flash-forward scene, is the most intriguing character and we only hear from her rarely throughout the book. Those few pages held in them things about memories, lineage, and history that are worth cherishing. It's unfortunate we don't hear more from her.
I appreciate the realism of the characters - their naivety, desperation and extent of manipulation were true to what's known and familiar. This could potentially be a good primer into the backdrops of South Asian literature, to acclimatize to a bit of its history and the expectations weaved into its social constructs, how intensely duty and obligation have been drummed into generations, how much battle it takes to get even just a slight wiggle room within (or out of) them. For me, there wasn't much in this novel that delivered what its 'Difficult Daughters' title might promise.
I'm not sure what argument their story was trying to make regarding education for girls. While peripheral characters, like Virmati's roommate, posed as a symbol for the promise and resilience of educating girls, the main character herself falls short in saying/representing anything substantive about this. I don't know why we're made to follow her story, apart from it being representative of a deeply-rooted lack, it was mostly a repetitive cycle of despair, familial disappointments, and her perpetual dissatisfaction as student/lover/co-wife.
Her daughter, who opens the novel in a flash-forward scene, is the most intriguing character and we only hear from her rarely throughout the book. Those few pages held in them things about memories, lineage, and history that are worth cherishing. It's unfortunate we don't hear more from her.
I appreciate the realism of the characters - their naivety, desperation and extent of manipulation were true to what's known and familiar. This could potentially be a good primer into the backdrops of South Asian literature, to acclimatize to a bit of its history and the expectations weaved into its social constructs, how intensely duty and obligation have been drummed into generations, how much battle it takes to get even just a slight wiggle room within (or out of) them. For me, there wasn't much in this novel that delivered what its 'Difficult Daughters' title might promise.