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jhbandcats's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-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
3.5
This is the first in a series about the (fictional) first female police inspector in Bombay immediately after independence, in 1949-1950. I loved the story, the history, the descriptions of Bombay and rural Punjab, the strong (rather bull-headed) main character, her relationship with her father, her determination to fight against misogyny.
That said, I felt the story slammed to a halt every time the history was introduced. It was too didactic; the information didn’t mesh with the story.
Also, there was a lot of repetition about people blinking, often owlishly, behind their spectacles. In general, the writing style is very approachable but occasionally an unusual vocabulary word would be tossed in and that seemed jarring: pulchritude, lucubration, peroration. Had the author been using similar words all along I wouldn’t have noticed but having just a few interspersed didn’t feel in keeping with the rest of the book.
I’m planning to read the next two in the series so I remain hopeful that the writing becomes smoother and less obviously instructive. Yes, I want to learn about Indian history but I want that to be integrated into the story.
That said, I felt the story slammed to a halt every time the history was introduced. It was too didactic; the information didn’t mesh with the story.
Also, there was a lot of repetition about people blinking, often owlishly, behind their spectacles. In general, the writing style is very approachable but occasionally an unusual vocabulary word would be tossed in and that seemed jarring: pulchritude, lucubration, peroration. Had the author been using similar words all along I wouldn’t have noticed but having just a few interspersed didn’t feel in keeping with the rest of the book.
I’m planning to read the next two in the series so I remain hopeful that the writing becomes smoother and less obviously instructive. Yes, I want to learn about Indian history but I want that to be integrated into the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, and War
monnibo's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Religious bigotry, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Infidelity and Suicide