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amyvl93's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
We follow Nikki, a young woman who has fled the expectations of her family by dropping out of university and getting a job in a pub whilst she tries to figure out what her passion is - much to the despair of her recently widowed Mum and tradition-loving sister. Her path ends up crossing with Kulwinder, a woman who has also recently experienced a loss of her own and who is looking to stay in favour with the gurdwara's community by putting on classes for the women of the community. Nikki takes the role of teaching the class, only to find her expectations and those of the women in the class are quite different.
Jaswal is great at drawing the central two protagonists; Nikki sometimes make decisions that are definitely less than smart but her heart seem to be in the right place, and Kulwinder's grief feels very well captured. Some of the other women that are within Nikki's writing group are less well drawn, although the overall theme of the novel - the negative impact of a culture that restricts female sexuality and lives comes through clearly through their stories.
The novel was at its best when it was focusing on the lives of the women in the writing class, and got slightly less coherent as the novel becomes a murder mystery (and attempted murder mystery) in the final few pages. I also felt that the excerpts of the stories that the women tell could have been a little shorter.
I did enjoy this novel, and would be keen to read more of Jaswal's work in the future.
Graphic: Sexism and Grief
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Murder, and Suicide
justsmileandnod's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Moderate: Murder, Racism, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Violence, Stalking, and Sexism
eemadeeberry's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, Death, Grief, Misogyny, and Sexual content
Moderate: Sexism, Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, and Racism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Islamophobia, and Racial slurs
jennp28's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Moderate: Suicide and Murder
Minor: Grief, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, and Religious bigotry
ruthjenkins's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Suicide, Murder, Racial slurs, and Racism
corriejn's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Racism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, Suicide, Xenophobia, Racial slurs, and Death of parent
Minor: Stalking, Infidelity, Mental illness, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Cancer, Car accident, Murder, and Chronic illness
hannah2186's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Cancer, Car accident, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Sexism
blynecessity's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Sexism, Xenophobia, and Sexual content
Moderate: Antisemitism, Grief, Hate crime, Misogyny, and Racism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Death of parent, Racial slurs, and Stalking
I enjoyed this in a different way than I thought I would! The story is pleasant and compelling, and the erotic stories were mostly pretty interesting!amibo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Suicide, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent and Racial slurs
Minor: Cancer and Infidelity