Scan barcode
A review by jensreadinglife
The Kashmir Shawl by Rosie Thomas
4.0
I have a soft spot for books set in India (particularly those set under rule of the British Raj) which is what made me pick up this book. It actually starts off in the present day with Mair Ellis (a young Welsh girl who is at a bit of loose ends) finding an intricately embroidered shawl when cleaning out her late father's home. This leads her on a journey to Kashmir where she traces the steps of her grandmother Nerys Watkins who lived there with her missionary husband during the 1940's.
To be honest, it took me quite awhile to become invested in the story. I didn't find Mair's storyline to be particularly interesting and the alternate storyline of her grandmother doesn't begin for many pages into the novel. But once it does, I was hooked. I wish the book had been entirely about Nerys and her life - it would have been story enough. Mair's journey gets more interesting as it goes along but truly Nerys won my heart over in this. She is a character I won't soon forget.
To be honest, it took me quite awhile to become invested in the story. I didn't find Mair's storyline to be particularly interesting and the alternate storyline of her grandmother doesn't begin for many pages into the novel. But once it does, I was hooked. I wish the book had been entirely about Nerys and her life - it would have been story enough. Mair's journey gets more interesting as it goes along but truly Nerys won my heart over in this. She is a character I won't soon forget.