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readingwithathena's review against another edition
4.0
4/5
This is a re-read, and because my feelings have changed so much in the past year, it warranted a new review. Girls Burn Brighter book is not for the faint of heart; every twist and turn is frustrating, and the ending provides only the slightest bit of relief. It's a disappointing ending to a powerful novel, and while I would have loved some closure, I'm not as mad as I was a year ago.
Poornima has spent her entire life in poverty. Though she spent money she didn't have on fruit that would supposedly cure her mother’s cancer, she dies anyway. Needing the extra help, her father hires Savitha to help weave saris. Savitha is poorer than Poornima, her father an alcoholic beggar. Chance brings the two close together, and they form a kinship. But the circumstances that fostered Poornima and Savitha’s friendship inevitably tear them apart, Poornima married off and Savitha on the run.
What follows is huge amounts of suffering, but more importantly, resilience. Though Poornima and Savitha spend almost all of the book apart, their search for each other drives them through almost every nightmare imaginable. Shobha Rao paints a stark portrait of what it means to live in a world conspiring against you for merely existing as a woman. Many of the books greatest passages are told as stories, Savitha to Poornima, strangers to Savitha, and so on. The writing of this novel is stellar and was it not as rich, it would have been a much more difficult read.
I feel the need to issue almost every content warning I can. There’s an incredible amount of violence- sexual, physical and psychological. When I first read it, that violence overwhelmed the story (the ending didn’t help, tbh). However, at its core, Girls Burn Brighter is about love and friendship at its purest level. I recommend with caution- it’s a good book, but the content is heavy.
This is a re-read, and because my feelings have changed so much in the past year, it warranted a new review. Girls Burn Brighter book is not for the faint of heart; every twist and turn is frustrating, and the ending provides only the slightest bit of relief. It's a disappointing ending to a powerful novel, and while I would have loved some closure, I'm not as mad as I was a year ago.
Poornima has spent her entire life in poverty. Though she spent money she didn't have on fruit that would supposedly cure her mother’s cancer, she dies anyway. Needing the extra help, her father hires Savitha to help weave saris. Savitha is poorer than Poornima, her father an alcoholic beggar. Chance brings the two close together, and they form a kinship. But the circumstances that fostered Poornima and Savitha’s friendship inevitably tear them apart, Poornima married off and Savitha on the run.
What follows is huge amounts of suffering, but more importantly, resilience. Though Poornima and Savitha spend almost all of the book apart, their search for each other drives them through almost every nightmare imaginable. Shobha Rao paints a stark portrait of what it means to live in a world conspiring against you for merely existing as a woman. Many of the books greatest passages are told as stories, Savitha to Poornima, strangers to Savitha, and so on. The writing of this novel is stellar and was it not as rich, it would have been a much more difficult read.
I feel the need to issue almost every content warning I can. There’s an incredible amount of violence- sexual, physical and psychological. When I first read it, that violence overwhelmed the story (the ending didn’t help, tbh). However, at its core, Girls Burn Brighter is about love and friendship at its purest level. I recommend with caution- it’s a good book, but the content is heavy.
kennyreads's review against another edition
1.0
This book did not work for me for a variety of reasons. It felt like an unsuccessful attempt to emulate Elena Ferrante and it resulted in a mutilated version of Lenú and Lila. Additionally, the writing is among the worst I've seen this year.
colittle's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Rao has a way of employing the non-visual senses that’s as rare as it is delightful. An incredibly evocative writer.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, Trafficking, and Abandonment
mad_didas's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-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? It's complicated
4.25
emleemay's review against another edition
4.0
“What is love if not a hunger?”
Finishing this book was so bittersweet. I both love and hate the ending.
[b:Girls Burn Brighter|34275212|Girls Burn Brighter|Shobha Rao|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1520279618s/34275212.jpg|55334599] is a book about two young lives - that of Poornima and Savitha - and it takes us through a lot of tragic events. That being said, I didn't find it emotionally-manipulative. The author's storytelling is definitely evocative, but it is straightforward enough that the horrific events don't feel gratuitous, and the two women at the centre of the story are what burn brightest, not the things that happen to them.
Poornima and Savitha grow up in the poor weaver village of Indravalli, India. Friendship grows between the two girls as they bond over sari looms and yogurt rice mixed with bananas. Rao captures this simple, beautiful friendship between two poor girls so well; it is hard to imagine them apart. But then a horrible crime does tear them apart. Savitha disappears from the village and Poornima is destined to spend many years searching for her friend.
Through heartbreak and illness, across years and continents, she never gives up.
A lot happens throughout this novel. The young women are forced into arranged marriages and prostitution. Many men try to use them for their own gain and many also succeed. But behind all this is the tale of female friendship and it's enduring power. Behind everything else, the plot is driven by one young woman's desperate need to find her friend. I needed to know what happened. I needed Poornima to find Savitha.
I won't give away any spoilers, but I will say that the ending is almost disappointing. I think, for some, it will be. And yet, it also seems perfect. I finished the last page unsure whether to smile or cry (I did a bit of both).
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paperbookslove's review against another edition
3.0
I have a lot of feelings about this book but I want to start first by saying that it is beautifully written. It's a heavy book and at times, it is very difficult to keep reading. I do have to say that these two girls, despite numerous horrible things happening to them that honestly were really intense and difficult to read, clung to the memories and each other's strength with an impressive determination. (Spoilers ahead! for the next sentence)..........
I was actually pleasantly surprised by the ending, even if their actual reunion takes place off screen. I really thought they wouldn't see each other again. I thought they would miss meeting by like a few hours.
(End of Spoilers!)
I can't even imagine surviving even a small fraction of the things that happen to both of them. Their determination and persistence in the face of all it was what keep me reading and not throwing things around my room in frustration. Also, these girls, (especially Poornima, since we hear more about her in the book) were really smart and navigated their situations with real finesse in a way that I am sure many women can relate to. I think this book emphasizes the truth of different types of intelligence that don't (and also in some ways can't) come from school. It's not one of the main themes of the book but it just jumped out at me the relationship between types of intelligence and how much privilege someone as.
Overall, a difficult, intense book but absolutely worth reading.
I was actually pleasantly surprised by the ending, even if their actual reunion takes place off screen. I really thought they wouldn't see each other again. I thought they would miss meeting by like a few hours.
(End of Spoilers!)
I can't even imagine surviving even a small fraction of the things that happen to both of them. Their determination and persistence in the face of all it was what keep me reading and not throwing things around my room in frustration. Also, these girls, (especially Poornima, since we hear more about her in the book) were really smart and navigated their situations with real finesse in a way that I am sure many women can relate to. I think this book emphasizes the truth of different types of intelligence that don't (and also in some ways can't) come from school. It's not one of the main themes of the book but it just jumped out at me the relationship between types of intelligence and how much privilege someone as.
Overall, a difficult, intense book but absolutely worth reading.
annafieldsforever's review against another edition
DNF - weary of novels about women & girls being horrifically abused
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Rape
rebeccasreads20's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5