findyourgoldenhour's review
3.0
3.5 stars. I really enjoyed this one. Three British sisters forced to go on a pilgrimage back to their ancestral home in India to fulfill their mother’s dying wish. She wanted her daughters to see India, yes, but also to spend meaningful time together. Being one of three siblings myself and having lost both my parents, the importance of keeping the family connection after your parents are gone really resonated with me.
That makes this sound like a heavy book. It’s not. It reads like light fiction without being fluffy. The three sisters are distracted by their own problems, struggling with their own guilt and sorrow over their mother’s loss, and of course dealing with the usual sibling dynamics, all set in India. I mean, it’s got the word “adventures” right there in the title. Good stuff.
I stumbled on this title on Modern Mrs. Darcy’s Summer Reading Guide. Definitely a good summer read!
That makes this sound like a heavy book. It’s not. It reads like light fiction without being fluffy. The three sisters are distracted by their own problems, struggling with their own guilt and sorrow over their mother’s loss, and of course dealing with the usual sibling dynamics, all set in India. I mean, it’s got the word “adventures” right there in the title. Good stuff.
I stumbled on this title on Modern Mrs. Darcy’s Summer Reading Guide. Definitely a good summer read!
scgirl730's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
alarroyo25's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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
5.0
afro8921's review
4.0
Really interesting story. I loved the relationship between the sisters. Good read for readers that want to learn a little bit about another culture while enjoying an engaging story.
theinkwyrm's review
4.0
3.5 stars
A good book, but not one I think will be super memorable in the long run. Jaswal’s writing continues to be good and she has a real talent for family dynamics.
A good book, but not one I think will be super memorable in the long run. Jaswal’s writing continues to be good and she has a real talent for family dynamics.
wren_a's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
mjsteimle's review
4.0
A mother's dying wish is for her three adult daughters to travel to India, the country of the mother's birth. The only problem is that the sisters haven't been close for some time. Great read with moments of levity but also some deeper topics. Great on audio.
joan_illusion's review against another edition
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jordan_noel's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I was expecting this book to be about three sisters reuniting while grieving over their newly-deceased mother. I was not expecting so many important societal issues to follow.
This book talks about the patriarchy (specifically in India), MeToo and women's rights movements, female feticide, marriage, spirituality, and how to connect and adapt to different situations in order to preserve the most important relationships.
I loved these characters and grew closer to them as they slowly learned to trust one another and deconstruct the difficulties of their childhoods together. The only real flaw to me was that the characters didn't feel entirely real as they began to transition into a better relationship with each other. It was close, but just not quite there I don't think.
Overall, I thought this book was great and necessary for anyone learning to sacrifice a bit of their pride to repair lost connects with people they love.
This book talks about the patriarchy (specifically in India), MeToo and women's rights movements, female feticide, marriage, spirituality, and how to connect and adapt to different situations in order to preserve the most important relationships.
I loved these characters and grew closer to them as they slowly learned to trust one another and deconstruct the difficulties of their childhoods together. The only real flaw to me was that the characters didn't feel entirely real as they began to transition into a better relationship with each other. It was close, but just not quite there I don't think.
Overall, I thought this book was great and necessary for anyone learning to sacrifice a bit of their pride to repair lost connects with people they love.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Infertility, Toxic relationship, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Abortion, Sexism, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Suicide, Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Racism
Minor: Police brutality, Rape, Alcoholism, Cursing, Sexual assault, and Physical abuse
There is a section of the book (maybe 1 page detailing the event and 10 pages mentioning it) about police brutality. In this same area, a group of girls recite sexual assault statistics and detail a rape that occurred recently in a major city---it's very news-like. One character has an alcohol dependency, but it's only really mentioned in the first third of the book and she's making efforts to escape it from the time we know her. One character is in a toxic relationship and experiences emotional and physical abuse. There are heavy instances of misogyny and sexual harassment for the characters once they're in India.Spoiler
Additionally, a big theme of the novel is women being forced to abort female fetuses in traditional Indian families.bookworm_713's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75