Reviews

Well-Behaved Indian Women by Saumya Dave

shivss09's review

challenging emotional inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

afox98's review

3.0

Mami, Nandini, and Simran - three generations of Indian women all dealing with their own struggles in the context of expectations of them. I found that the book described pretty well the classic pressures on Indian women as described to me by my Indian women friends and colleagues. I found Nandini's story to be the most interesting - maybe because she bridged the gap of women still living in India and moving to America and living as an Indian woman in America and becoming more "modernized." There wasn't enough focus on Mami and how she lived as an Indian widow on her own in India - not sure I've heard of that much. And while I liked Simran's character, I found her to be a bit unrealistic - she was in a love relationship for a long time and planning to have a love marriage, but knew he was probably not right for her as a husband, but stayed with him? She had more freedom than her mother or grandmother - why didn't she break it off? Of course, that could have been her way of dealing with pressures on an Indian woman and meeting others' expectations - to not rock the boat when everyone was expecting her to go through with the wedding. In general, it was interesting to read about how each woman handled their growing independence and addressed it with their spouses and family members and the fallout and/or acceptance of it. Learning about other cultures and how they morph over time is intriguing to me, and Indian culture especially due to my travels there and several friends in that country.

melissa_muses's review

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

sariahsugarman's review

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This book is about 3 Indian women, a daughter, a mother, and a grandmother. It's about complicated family relationships and how our relatives are flawed humans too and not just our expectations of them as our family members. I would enjoy these characters in real life. I think if you enjoy complicated family relationships (Lady Bird, Gilmore Girls, etc) it's a relaxing and reflective read. I was satisfied with the growth the characters made in the end. 

bookisheniolak's review

4.0

A thrilling yet eye opening tale of generations of women living under societal pressures and expectations.

pandora_22's review

4.0

Honestly, the book's first half was just such a dig at reality. Unlike other books which bring forth different emotions by extreme events/changes in life, the book did well to depict the inner turmoil of Indian women (especially working women) and the helpless feeling that gently seeps into daily life. There were times when the book included such subtle background details about the whole Indian family atmosphere that to someone born and brought up as an Indian girl it gave the story a more genuine feel.

Nandini’s character was fleshed out with such care. I love how her relationship with her daughter was depicted. Towards the end, the relationship between Nandini and Ranjit was also quite interesting. Simran, though a quite confusing plotline in some parts, gave good relatable vibes in many things. Simran and Mami have their own struggles but Nandini’s character shined more.

This is a was a very thoughtful book.

zarx's review

adventurous challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

• 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

3.5

sanmeow's review

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

the story of three indian women and their experiences with american society. we have simran, who's a psychologist and a writer. despite being engaged, she starts to question that relationship when she meets a journalist she knows and admires. then nandini, her mother with more traditional values, who does her best and has to deal with casual racism basically all the time. she doesn't take simran's writing seriously and refers to it as a hobby. lastly we have mimi, nandini's mother who doesn't think she's succeeded as a mom, but now she's trying to be a better grandmother. 
it's a good story that touches upon the topics of family, motherhood, racism, generational cycles, etc. as you can guess based on the title, the author discusses what it means to be a 'well behaved indian woman', and how much harder it is for women of color to achieve what they strive for in america. i liked the way this book showcased a lot of indian culture as well. the writing style wasn't super impressive and the plot was a bit predictable, but it's okay.

leotrina's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

hryds's review

3.0

3.5/5