Take a photo of a barcode or cover
froghag 's review for:
Miss Timmins' School for Girls
by Nayana Currimbhoy
I want to give this book a 3.5 stars, but unfortunately I can't, so 3 will suffice. I want to start out by saying that this novel did a fantastic job at capturing the atmosphere of a constraining, misogynistic society and the way an all girls religious school feels like to be in- especially when one finds the urge to rebel and break free of said constraints. I enjoyed the eclectic cast of characters, though some had much more development than others and it was confusing at times to keep track of them all. It is also evident that Currimbhoy has a gift for writing, and this is an incredible installment for a first novel. That being said... I had some issues.
I feel as if the book perhaps was not edited appropriately. There were some pacing issues, though my biggest problem is that it feels that the novel had unnecessary parts that could have been taken out, thus improving the quality and punch of the book. I also think the mystery left some loose ends- what was the necessity of the crack in the rocks that led up from Shankar's den? I also feel that the heterosexual sex scenes were completely unnecessary to the plot and took away from the story of the main character's sexual awakening with a woman- especially considering the sex scenes with her were extremely sparsely written.
I also felt that in the beginning of the book, the events were being told to me in brevity, and I didn't feel part of the action of the story. Later on, this improved, but this slow beginning makes for a less enticing read. I also did not, for this reason and because of the lack of time spent developing the relationship in detail, feel any connection to the character the entire book is centered around- Moira Prince. I also felt that she inhabited a sort of 'manic pixie dream girl' trope, rather than being a character in and of herself, and was there only to provide a plot device. Unfortunately, this book adds yet another tired 'kill your gays' trope- since this is the main plot point I can't argue it much, however I wanted to feel more for her and for the relationship she had with Charu. In conjunction, I feel that Charu never gets over her compulsory heterosexuality and guilt of being a lesbian. She does gain some independence and outspokenness, but does she ever truly embrace herself? In the end, it all remains hidden and she puts it into her past, which feels like a cop-out.
I also did not understand the necessity of having a narration switch, and I feel the entire story could have been told from Charu's perspective, with editing. I think the patching up of the murder was a bit thrown together, and was really figured out quite a time before the end of the book, despite some red herrings. I wished that the book could have tied up all the loose ends completely, but in a way I do like that it didn't, because in life not everything is ever so cut and dry.
I feel as if the book perhaps was not edited appropriately. There were some pacing issues, though my biggest problem is that it feels that the novel had unnecessary parts that could have been taken out, thus improving the quality and punch of the book. I also think the mystery left some loose ends- what was the necessity of the crack in the rocks that led up from Shankar's den? I also feel that the heterosexual sex scenes were completely unnecessary to the plot and took away from the story of the main character's sexual awakening with a woman- especially considering the sex scenes with her were extremely sparsely written.
I also felt that in the beginning of the book, the events were being told to me in brevity, and I didn't feel part of the action of the story. Later on, this improved, but this slow beginning makes for a less enticing read. I also did not, for this reason and because of the lack of time spent developing the relationship in detail, feel any connection to the character the entire book is centered around- Moira Prince. I also felt that she inhabited a sort of 'manic pixie dream girl' trope, rather than being a character in and of herself, and was there only to provide a plot device. Unfortunately, this book adds yet another tired 'kill your gays' trope- since this is the main plot point I can't argue it much, however I wanted to feel more for her and for the relationship she had with Charu. In conjunction, I feel that Charu never gets over her compulsory heterosexuality and guilt of being a lesbian. She does gain some independence and outspokenness, but does she ever truly embrace herself? In the end, it all remains hidden and she puts it into her past, which feels like a cop-out.
I also did not understand the necessity of having a narration switch, and I feel the entire story could have been told from Charu's perspective, with editing. I think the patching up of the murder was a bit thrown together, and was really figured out quite a time before the end of the book, despite some red herrings. I wished that the book could have tied up all the loose ends completely, but in a way I do like that it didn't, because in life not everything is ever so cut and dry.