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erebus53'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? It's complicated
4.0
Indian girl study's law, marries badly, flash forward to after she is qualified, she is legal council for 3 widows and then murder! whodunit?
This is a historical fiction mystery and so it has a few inserts of some fairly antiquated practices. Falling foul of tradition, Perveen is captured by her husband's family and forcibly detained during her monthly "unclean time". This could be hard to read for some people, as it also deals with women who suffered and died in similar situations before such practices of traditional Zoroastrian culture were challenged and fazed out in the face of modern medical science. The rest of the story has a backdrop of the attitudes toward marriage, arranged marriages and the rules and attitudes toward marriage and its annulment in India in the early 20th century.
Perveen is a subversively anachronistic character. She meddles and fights for the rights of women, and when she finds three widows in religious seclusion from men, have signed away their inheritance to a charity, Miss Mistry smells a rat. Presuming that someone is manipulating the women, Perveen Mistry undertakes to use her privileged position as a woman trained in law, to meet with these women who will not speak to a man outside of their family, and inform them of their Legal Rights.
Soon after the women start questioning things, their caretaker is bloodily murdered, and the meddling Perveen is not prepared to back away and let the police violate these women's religious seclusion.
Oddly, this story was quite fun, if dire in places. It was informative and seems well researched. It gives a nuanced view of how the 1920s in India differed from UK and USA in the 1920s. One of Perveen's friends is expelled from her school for being overly intimate with another girl.. oops. Seems a bit of an aside, but I guess it's better than not dealing with the topic at all.
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Child death, Blood, Mental illness, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Medical content, Infertility, Abandonment, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Grief, Infidelity, Misogyny, Murder, and Violence
faduma's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
Moderate: Torture, Death, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, Confinement, Sexual violence, Violence, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Racial slurs and Racism
heather667'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
4.0
Graphic: Confinement, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Incest, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Medical content, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Murder, Pregnancy, Violence, Death, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Grief
Minor: Lesbophobia, Rape, Suicide, and Homophobia
desert_side_notched's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Physical abuse, Grief, Confinement, and Emotional abuse
tamarant4's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
“A woman has a lifetime for reading. A whole week every month!” Mrs. Sodawalla said. Perveen didn’t quite know what she meant by that... [p. 132]
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, and Confinement
singalana'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? It's complicated
4.0
Minor: Child abuse, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Blood, Colonisation, Sexual content, Death, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Infidelity, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Vomit, and Infertility
shea_proulx'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
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Colonisation, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Violence, Body shaming, Bullying, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse
rosalie362819's review
- 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
3.25
"A dying man does not feel obligated to observe social norms. He needs no one's permission to take what he needs."
Graphic: Confinement, Classism, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Infidelity, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Child death, Colonisation, and Murder
henrismum's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Audiobook (All of my entries on The Story Graph are audiobooks.)
Why I added this book to my TBR pile: I tried reading the book a few years ago, but I didn't get far. The title kept showing up as suggested reading, so I decided to try to audiobook. Even in audio form, it was a very slow story. I had to listen at 1.2 speed.
The subject matter was quite intriguing, but I wonder how this work is accepted in 2020's India. I assume the writer did a great deal of research and attempted to present the facts accurately. Nonetheless, I wonder how Indians (and Indian-Americans and Indians who live in Britain and around the world) rate this representation of their culture 100 years ago.
Will I read more of the series?
Moderate: Classism, Colonisation, and Confinement
Minor: Blood, Body shaming, Child death, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Pregnancy, Racism, Bullying, Grief, Emotional abuse, and Sexism
bootsmom3'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Child abuse, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, and Sexual content
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Islamophobia, and Suicidal thoughts