You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault
My 300th post and I am glad that's it's a review of one of the finest books I have read this year. Read on to hear my thoughts about it.
~
Khadija Mastur was known as the Bronte sister of Urdu literature. I can see why. This book is a literary masterpiece. Read on to hear my thoughts about it. Very delicately translated by Daisy Rockwell.
~
This novel is set in the 1940’s in the background of Indian independence and with the partition looming as a dark shadow. It also puts light on the political furore that went within the country during those times.
~
This is the story of Aliya, who lives her life like a caged bird in the inner courtyard of her house. She is tired of the trifle squabbles that take place in her home everyday. She longs to educate herself and spread her wings in the wide sky. The women of the household are engrossed in gossips and picking fights over events in the past. The situation worsens when Aliya’s sister commits suicide and shortly later her father is arrested. She and her mother shift to her Uncle’s place where the situation is far from perfect, men engrossed in the political happenings in the country and women who only dream of stepping outside the house. Aliya keeps herself busy in her books and studies and dreams of a free life one day and that forms the rest of the story.
~
This book is a fine feminist classic with the courtyard as the central setting, with respect to the bygone era where the courtyard was a place where women used to gather together. I loved how the book had a feminist tone, which was very ahead of its time. It was a very difficult review to write as I had so many thoughts while reading it.
~
This is not a partition or a political novel per say. Overall this is a masterpiece and I finished it in two days. Please also read the Afterword by Daisy Rockwell as it will help you to understand the book better, it’s a treasure trove. This book releases on October 10, 2018, so be sure to keep an eye on it as you don’t want to miss out on this one!! Full review on the blog. Link- https://thebookishtales.wordpress.com/2018/09/27/the-womens-courtyard-by-khadija-mastur-review/
~
Khadija Mastur was known as the Bronte sister of Urdu literature. I can see why. This book is a literary masterpiece. Read on to hear my thoughts about it. Very delicately translated by Daisy Rockwell.
~
This novel is set in the 1940’s in the background of Indian independence and with the partition looming as a dark shadow. It also puts light on the political furore that went within the country during those times.
~
This is the story of Aliya, who lives her life like a caged bird in the inner courtyard of her house. She is tired of the trifle squabbles that take place in her home everyday. She longs to educate herself and spread her wings in the wide sky. The women of the household are engrossed in gossips and picking fights over events in the past. The situation worsens when Aliya’s sister commits suicide and shortly later her father is arrested. She and her mother shift to her Uncle’s place where the situation is far from perfect, men engrossed in the political happenings in the country and women who only dream of stepping outside the house. Aliya keeps herself busy in her books and studies and dreams of a free life one day and that forms the rest of the story.
~
This book is a fine feminist classic with the courtyard as the central setting, with respect to the bygone era where the courtyard was a place where women used to gather together. I loved how the book had a feminist tone, which was very ahead of its time. It was a very difficult review to write as I had so many thoughts while reading it.
~
This is not a partition or a political novel per say. Overall this is a masterpiece and I finished it in two days. Please also read the Afterword by Daisy Rockwell as it will help you to understand the book better, it’s a treasure trove. This book releases on October 10, 2018, so be sure to keep an eye on it as you don’t want to miss out on this one!! Full review on the blog. Link- https://thebookishtales.wordpress.com/2018/09/27/the-womens-courtyard-by-khadija-mastur-review/
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Women’s Courtyard provided a fresh look at the Indian struggle for Independence and subsequent Partition compared to other books I’ve read. The protagonist is Aliya, a young Muslim woman living in purdah for much of the novel. The political events of the time are discussed, referred to, and impact the family but happen largely off page. Readers not familiar with the era may miss the big picture. I felt the restrictive lives of the women were well depicted; the costs starkly illustrated. Since some male relatives were allowed into women’s areas purdah wasn’t fully effective at protecting them from unwanted male attention. I liked Aliya as a character, found her educational aspirations relatable and admirable. Her character arc felt appropriate and it was interesting to see the way political events, which cost her in many ways, also provided Aliya with opportunities and greater freedom. The ending felt rushed and Aliya’s quick decision and equally sudden change of mind about a marriage proposal felt overly dramatic and a bit inexplicable but overall this was a strong novel which I enjoyed. The afterword by translator Daisy Rockwell of Tomb of Sand fame, really added to my reading experience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, Suicide, Grief
Moderate: Violence
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Khadijah Mastur and her sister, Hajira, have been described as the “Brontë sisters of Urdu literature” but on reading this book (along with Daisy Rockwell’s afterword), that comparison seems very ill-fitting. The Woman’s Courtyard tells the story of Aliya Begum who spent majority of her formative years in the ‘inner women’s courtyard’, as is the tradition in the India before partition.
While the men in her family threw their full weight behind the struggle for independence from the British and the fight against partition, Aliya found herself tormented by the petty squabbles of the household; side effects of colonialism; the dreams of educating herself and the complexities of love. This book is a feminist novel that just happen to take place during the era of partition though we see clear effects of the partition on the household. Mastur didn’t try to separate patriarchy from classism but in fact described how classism can trigger subconscious misogyny in men who think themselves incapable of it.
Also, the fact that this story is a feminist one didn’t stop Mastur from portraying some of her female characters in bad light. Amma, Aliya’s mum, in agreement with Rockwell, is by far the most toxic character in this book. She places her role as a ‘foot soldier of patriarchy’ with such dexterity. In fact, going against the confines of patriarchy (and classism) is unheard of to Amma and this is repeatedly manifested in how she tied every little act of defiance to “dishonor and disgrace”. Even Aliya, who appeared to be in control of her logic for the better part of the story, couldn’t stand up at times, for fear of hurting her Amma.
Reading Rockwell’s afterword helped me realize a lot of concepts I couldn’t pinpoint while reading the book. For example, Akita’s emotional battles were so masterfully crafted that I felt Mastur wanted us in on that confusion with the character. Rockwell helped affirm that feeling and elaborated on it.
In the book, unrelated male folks, even illegitimate sons of the household’s patriarch, couldn’t gain access to the ‘courtyard’ but male cousins could come and go at will. There were a few scenes that featured a male cousin harassing Aliya with unwanted advances and I was confused as to why this was prevalent if the idea of the courtyard was to “protect the womenfolk”.
This only goes to show that although the courtyard protected women from the evil outside, the evil within is still allowed to move freely so that cases of love triangles and sexual assaults occur without notice.
In agreement with Rockwell, this book aced the Bochdel test; a test which a lot of books still fail woefully. Through this, Mastur further proved that the south Asian woman aren’t to be seen through the prism of stereotypes (or only to be revered when they are compared to white women). The Women’s Courtyard manages to highlight and focus on the voices of the female characters despite being set in a man’s world. Mastur also created a ‘third option’ for her heroine, dumping the cliché “good or bad endings”. I think the option Mastur gave Aliya is one a lot of us would gladly grab on to.
A deeply enriched and educative classic; I highly recommend this 4.5
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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:
Yes