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abooknbrew2's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I don’t know the Greek myth of Medea so cannot compare, but I did enjoy this book very much. Meena is the daughter of a Nawab (a Nawab defined as a royal ruler often of a Southern Asian state). She lives a privileged life in some ways with her father and brother. However with her mother dead she suffers badly at the hands of both her father and her brother. Her father a dictatorial tyrant, and her brother a bully, Meena might have all of life’s riches but she certainly doesn’t receive much in the way of love or kindness.
She is forbidden by her father, but also by culture to venture out alone without a chaperone, but Meena is a defiant, strong character so takes every opportunity to sneak out and go for walks and make a break for freedom from time to time. Whilst out on one of her trips down to the docks she stumbles upon a British sailor. After talking to him he introduces himself as the nephew of the head of The East India Company, he seeks an audience with Meena’s father and he has a proposition for him, valuable inside information of his Uncles intention to colonise Bengal. Meena agrees to help James, partly in a bid to help her father and save the people of Bengal but also because she has fallen for his charms.
From here we’re taken on a long and eventful journey with Meena and what proves to be a turbulent relationship with James Chilcott. She starts out as a tough character, whose loyalty and love for James will lead her to make some grave errors of judgement. As you read on through the book, it becomes apparent that James isn’t quite the knight in shining armour that he first set out to be. There are times when Meena feels ever more betrayed by James but by now he’s taken her away from everything she knows. She is completely reliant on him and has nowhere else to go.
It’s an eventful and absorbing story which has you feeling great empathy for Meena whilst developing an increasing contempt for the whole Chilcott family. In fact once you have read the authors acknowledgements and her motivation for writing the book I felt not only contempt for the fictional characters in the book but for colonialism itself. The entitlement that Europe exerted over India and the way we treated the people and their resources never fails to shock me. It’s an entertaining read, but at the same time provokes thoughtful reflection on some of the morals of the story.
piperkitty's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
This is a Medea retelling of a Greek myth
Brilliant writing style, very engaging.A lovely quick read. I enjoyed how this was re-told I India, and I liked the charters.
Brilliant writing style, very engaging.A lovely quick read. I enjoyed how this was re-told I India, and I liked the charters.
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