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ixnsindhu's review
4.0
At first I had a hard time getting into this book. In each of the linked stories we are simply thrown into a situation and follow the characters through their mostly horrific experiences. But slowly I began to understand the overarching tale. The time is mid-1940's India during the partition of Pakistan and India. The partition takes place in order to separate the Muslims and Hindus. This sometimes involves travel of hundreds of miles for people who start out in the wrong place and have to move. These trips are fraught with danger, violence and death. In each short piece the magnificent characterizations help us connect to these individuals. These stories will stay with me for a long time.
the_sentimentality_of_books's review
4.0
I read one of the short stories as part of a class. Then, it was a sad, informative story.
Reading the collection of these paired stories gives my understanding of Indian history more depth. Because the stories were incredibly sad, I did take a while to read this book. I knew it would be worth it to read through it, though- and the importance of the stories remind the reader to respect what people need to share.
Reading the collection of these paired stories gives my understanding of Indian history more depth. Because the stories were incredibly sad, I did take a while to read this book. I knew it would be worth it to read through it, though- and the importance of the stories remind the reader to respect what people need to share.
majasbookishcorner's review
3.0
This is a short story collection that features 12 different stories, that are all set in 1947 and deal with the formation of India and Pakistan.
Some of the stories are linked together, meaning that they have characters, situations or themes that overlap which made it an interesting read, as different perspectives where explored in the stories.
Overall I enjoyed this short story collection, it was diverse and featured many different interesting experiences.
Some of the stories were really great whilst others were just ok for me, so therefore 3.5 ⭐️
Some of the stories are linked together, meaning that they have characters, situations or themes that overlap which made it an interesting read, as different perspectives where explored in the stories.
Overall I enjoyed this short story collection, it was diverse and featured many different interesting experiences.
Some of the stories were really great whilst others were just ok for me, so therefore 3.5 ⭐️
bruscato's review
4.0
I win this as a Goodreads giveaway *
This is a stunning collection I'm recommending to all my friends. Beautiful, painful interwoven stories of women (and men) in India and Pakistan that should not be missed.
This is a stunning collection I'm recommending to all my friends. Beautiful, painful interwoven stories of women (and men) in India and Pakistan that should not be missed.
unofficialbookgraph's review
5.0
I picked up An Unrestored Woman after absolutely devouring her other book Girls Burn Brighter! An Unrestored Woman is a collection of Rao’s short stories centered around women and each connected to the previous in some way. The collection explores the value and experience of women in the wake of the creation of the Indian and Pakistani borders, often telling stories of brutal hardship.
The collection flows incredibly well and the ending of each short story does not feel abrupt and disconnected, as such I read it fairly quickly and it was difficult to put down. Aside from the content being compelling, Rao’s writing is wonderful and very readable despite how difficult the content could be.
cw: sexual assault, trafficking, violence against women
The collection flows incredibly well and the ending of each short story does not feel abrupt and disconnected, as such I read it fairly quickly and it was difficult to put down. Aside from the content being compelling, Rao’s writing is wonderful and very readable despite how difficult the content could be.
cw: sexual assault, trafficking, violence against women
abookishtype's review against another edition
4.0
In An Unrestored Woman, Shobha Rao tells a series of stories about characters that brush each others’ lives over the course of a century. Not only do characters from various stories meet, the plots share themes of love and betrayal, revenge and violence. The various stories, taken as a whole, offer different perspectives on what people are willing to do to each other to try and find their own happiness—and the prices they have to pay for their manipulations...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type.