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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
miss_fish's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Suicide, Xenophobia, Murder, Rape, and Racism
kcrockford'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
4.75
Graphic: Sexism
Moderate: Violence and Death of parent
Minor: Racism, Death of parent, and Murder
yush's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Minor: Domestic abuse, Murder, and Religious bigotry
haley49'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
5.0
I read it in a day. I loved all the sweet ensemble characters, the growth of the leads, the pacing, the themes. There were so many valuable themes throughout the story but none felt rushed or overly forced. They felt like a natural exploration of the Punjabi community’s experience in the UK and beyond. I loved how casually muslim they were and how the different characters were different ranges of religious. It felt so realistic. Everyone’s emotions seemed so realistic and the relationships between the women were gold. Obviously bits and pieces were exaggerated but all the women felt authentic to the spirit of “auntie” culture.
I really appreciated the discussion on middle aged and older women and their importance to communities. Their emotions, sexuality, education, desires, and even gossip were all valid parts of them; and thus essential elements of their community. It was a sweet lesson that a person’s value does not decrease with age nor does it depend upon status, money, gender, education, birth place, children, romantic relationships (present or not), etc.
Graphic: Sexual content, Misogyny, Murder, Death, Sexism, and Death of parent
Moderate: Hate crime, Pedophilia, Car accident, Physical abuse, Racism, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Addiction, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Cursing, Alcohol, and Sexual violence
Minor: Violence, Xenophobia, Sexual harassment, Excrement, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Infertility, and Lesbophobia
ra22ouille'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
4.0
Almost a 5 star but I wish the main character was more active in the ending. The story wrapped up very nicely though.
Graphic: Murder, Violence, and Sexism
lexx_caroline'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? No
5.0
Moderate: Murder and Racism
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexism
labtech69's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, and Murder
Minor: Homophobia, Cancer, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Car accident, and Stalking
rbacon's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexism, Sexual content, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Cancer, Infidelity, and Lesbophobia
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