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dennisfischman's review against another edition
4.0
This is, first, the story of how young Perveen Mistry struggles through rejection by her law school peers and abuse by her first husband to become the only female solicitor (lawyer) in India; second, a fascinating look at Parsi culture, both internally and in relation to Muslims, Hindus, and others; and only in third place, a murder mystery. Massey plays fair with the reader: all the pieces are there to put the puzzle together. Yet who killed the nefarious man who's in charge of life and death for three widows is just not as interesting as all the rest of the book.
marziesreads's review against another edition
4.0
I received a Digital Review Copy from Edelweiss+ and a paper ARC copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 Stars
I thoroughly enjoyed The Widows of Malabar Hill, less for its mystery aspect than for the fascinating insights into the Parsi culture of early 20th Century Bombay/Mumbai. A mystery about the fate of three Muslim widows is the central mystery but the personal history of lawyer/de facto detective Perveen Mistry was more of a draw for me. Massey, an experienced author who enjoys Asian backdrops for her stories has captured many of the things I love about India for the reader, letting us feel the immense differences between India's great cities of Bombay and Calcutta and the differences between gender roles among the various principal faiths in India in the early 1900's.
I'm eagerly looking forward to the next installment in the Perveen Mistry series!
4.5 Stars
I thoroughly enjoyed The Widows of Malabar Hill, less for its mystery aspect than for the fascinating insights into the Parsi culture of early 20th Century Bombay/Mumbai. A mystery about the fate of three Muslim widows is the central mystery but the personal history of lawyer/de facto detective Perveen Mistry was more of a draw for me. Massey, an experienced author who enjoys Asian backdrops for her stories has captured many of the things I love about India for the reader, letting us feel the immense differences between India's great cities of Bombay and Calcutta and the differences between gender roles among the various principal faiths in India in the early 1900's.
I'm eagerly looking forward to the next installment in the Perveen Mistry series!
theforestlibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
Hieno dekkarisarjan aloitus, brittien hallitsema 1920- luvun Intia herää loistavasti eloon tämän kirjan sivuilla. Kastikulttuuri, siirtomaa-aika, eri kansallisuudet ja uskonnot, ruokakulttuuri ym. Päähenkilö on edelläkävijä, ensimmäinen naispuolinen lakimies, perustuu todelliseen henkilöön. Viehätyin eniten aikakauden kuvauksesta mutta dekkarinakin toimiva.
hylianchai's review against another edition
5.0
Such a great, lively murder mystery!!!! So keen to read the rest of the series. Loved how this was set in Bombay during the 1920s. Absolutely adore Perveen too.
julan1027's review against another edition
5.0
While this book absolutely included a mystery, in fact several mysteries, which were very well written, roughly half of the novel was backstory to Perveen so we could better understand her and her culture. The mysteries had a good number of suspects, motives, and red herrings. Perveen's history was written in a compelling way.
If you are looking for a pure mystery this might not work for you. However, if you enjoy learning about different cultures and historical periods, this is an excellent story.
Very much looking forward to the next in the series.
If you are looking for a pure mystery this might not work for you. However, if you enjoy learning about different cultures and historical periods, this is an excellent story.
Very much looking forward to the next in the series.
katielovesbooks134's review against another edition
3.0
Scribd audio. A bit long and dragged in parts. The mystery was good and I enjoyed the bits about a different culture. I loved Perveen and all that she overcame and her relationship with her parents. Looking forward to #2.
sharimeyer's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed the Rei Shimura series and I think I will stick with this one also. I was more interested in the back story of Perveen's life than in the case, and that mystery is essentially resolved , but hopefully the second book will have a more compelling mystery as the main storyline. Perveen and Alice are bound to be a fun duo. I enjoyed Perveen's parents' roles in the story as well.
I have a couple of quibbles with the supplementary materials that were included. There was a map of Bombay at the front and a brief glossary at the back. I looked at the map once but didn't really feel it was necessary to understanding the story; on the other hand, I really would have appreciated a character list, which was included with each of the Rei Shimura novels; it took me a while to get the Farid widows and their children straight, and to remember the names of the others involved in the case. I consulted the glossary many times, and just felt that there were a lot of words that had been overlooked, and some included that were not necessary, particularly some of the food words.
Spoiler
with the whole Cyrus story having been explained, and with their brief reunion at the end of the novelI have a couple of quibbles with the supplementary materials that were included. There was a map of Bombay at the front and a brief glossary at the back. I looked at the map once but didn't really feel it was necessary to understanding the story; on the other hand, I really would have appreciated a character list, which was included with each of the Rei Shimura novels; it took me a while to get the Farid widows and their children straight, and to remember the names of the others involved in the case. I consulted the glossary many times, and just felt that there were a lot of words that had been overlooked, and some included that were not necessary, particularly some of the food words.
skhajj's review against another edition
5.0
This is a fascinating historical novel. I highly recommend it.
soton71's review against another edition
5.0
Really enjoyed this book, loved learning about different cultures in a different time and loved the story. The characters were developed well and kept my interest. Read this over two days!
woobat's review against another edition
4.0
It took a little while for me to get into this book, but it did suck me in completely. It’s set in India in the 1920’s, and the restrictions on women at that time (and the self-imposed restrictions of women living in purdah) figure heavily into the story. It was hard at times to read about the historically accurate unfair treatment of women and girls, but Perveen (our heroine) fights and largely prevails. The mystery itself was good, though crucial information was hidden from the reader until late in the story, which makes the “aha” moment less gratifying, in my opinion.