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jackiehorne's review
4.0
3.5 A short, erotic, behind-the-Bollywood scenes story about six different actors making a historical romance film about Indian independence. There's not much in the way of plot here; instead, it's all about the people, and their past and present romantic and sexual relationships. Interestingly, the first half of the book shifts between not two points of view, but four. Our first two protagonists are a married couple, Trishna Chaudhury, indulged daughter of Bollywood royalty, and Avinash Kumar, former rocker and current-day Indian film hearththrob. Trish and Avi love each other, but neither satisfies the other's deepest needs; Trish has long loved a former costar from her teen acting days, the goody two-shoes Harsh Mathur (Harsh means "happiness and delight" in Hindi), while Avi, though bisexual, is far more attracted to male than female bed partners. Avi is immediately drawn to half-British and half-Indian co-star Michael Gill, but Michael, who gay identity is an accepted open secret in Bollywood, doesn't want to go back in the closet, nor to share Avi with Trish. Meanwhile, straight-arrow Harsh finds himself contemplating throwing over all his inhibitions in the face of a grown-up, and frustrated with her husband, Trish.
Part two focuses on two new characters who arrive on set later in the filming: Sam, typically cast as Bollywood villain, and handsome Vikram. The two once used to be a couple but blew apart when Sam would not stop abusing drugs and alcohol. Sam is post-rehab, now, still drawn to Vik, but determined not to give away his heart to the man who left him behind once already.
The six points of view make the short novel seem even shorter than it is, and I wished that Snyder had given herself the space to develop some deeper storylines, and to provide motivation for why her characters, and their relationships, change when they do. But this one is all about the feels, so if that's what you're after, you're in for a treat.
I also really enjoyed Snyder's lush, evocative prose, prose liberally spiced with Hindi words and phrases. Her portrayal of the Bollywood scene felt both familiar, like many theater/film groups I've known, but also intriguing in its cultural specificity.
And now I'm eager to go out and see the many classic Bollywood films that her characters use as frames of reference for their own tangled lives. DOSTANA, anyone?
Part two focuses on two new characters who arrive on set later in the filming: Sam, typically cast as Bollywood villain, and handsome Vikram. The two once used to be a couple but blew apart when Sam would not stop abusing drugs and alcohol. Sam is post-rehab, now, still drawn to Vik, but determined not to give away his heart to the man who left him behind once already.
The six points of view make the short novel seem even shorter than it is, and I wished that Snyder had given herself the space to develop some deeper storylines, and to provide motivation for why her characters, and their relationships, change when they do. But this one is all about the feels, so if that's what you're after, you're in for a treat.
I also really enjoyed Snyder's lush, evocative prose, prose liberally spiced with Hindi words and phrases. Her portrayal of the Bollywood scene felt both familiar, like many theater/film groups I've known, but also intriguing in its cultural specificity.
And now I'm eager to go out and see the many classic Bollywood films that her characters use as frames of reference for their own tangled lives. DOSTANA, anyone?
lindaunconventionalbookworms's review
3.0
3.5 stars
Spice and Smoke was a dramatic romance set on the movie set of a Bollywood film. It was all about longing, wanting, and not always getting what the characters wanted.
I loved some parts of the novel, and others were a little fast for me - even if I still got where the characters came from.
The writing was very well done, and I felt like I was on the set with the characters during their story.
Spice and Smoke was a dramatic romance set on the movie set of a Bollywood film. It was all about longing, wanting, and not always getting what the characters wanted.
I loved some parts of the novel, and others were a little fast for me - even if I still got where the characters came from.
The writing was very well done, and I felt like I was on the set with the characters during their story.
turtleberry's review
5.0
I really enjoyed this story. I saw it as a film in my head (likely on purpose). Characters were great.
frogy927's review
2.0
Very mediocre. There was no plot and too many characters to be realistically character driven. Because there were so many characters we barely got to know any of them and their motivations were surface-level at best. There was a lot of 'I love you, but I can't be with you, but I love you,' with nothing driving the ridiculousness.
verityw's review
2.0
I wanted to like this more, but although the setting is really good, I didn’t like any of the characters in the love square/rhombus/quadrilateral. Hey ho.
ajcousins's review
4.0
I chat with Suleikha occasionally on Twitter but listen mostly, because she has really smart things to say about diversity in romance books. I finally picked up one of her books a few weeks ago and I'm so glad I did. I loved the complicated storyline in this book. I'm a fan of multiple POV novels in any genre, but find them pretty rare in romance (books that have many narrators, I mean, not just the central h/H) and this was a pleasure to read. There were moments when I wished the book could be longer because some of the many characters occasionally felt a little short-changed on time, but I wouldn't want to have missed out on any of them either.
Suleikha does a terrific job conveying the behind the scenes chaos of Bollywood film-making, which sounds a lot like other semi-incestuous tight groups: everyone's been with everyone else after years together and there's lots of complicated history between friends/lovers/enemies. I really like how she works in language/cultural details with which the reader might not be familiar, which is done in a very subtle fashion. No beat you over the head explanations or translations, but everything is clear from the context. It feels very immersive for the reader and I really liked it. I'm definitely going to read the next book in this series and look forward to more.
Suleikha does a terrific job conveying the behind the scenes chaos of Bollywood film-making, which sounds a lot like other semi-incestuous tight groups: everyone's been with everyone else after years together and there's lots of complicated history between friends/lovers/enemies. I really like how she works in language/cultural details with which the reader might not be familiar, which is done in a very subtle fashion. No beat you over the head explanations or translations, but everything is clear from the context. It feels very immersive for the reader and I really liked it. I'm definitely going to read the next book in this series and look forward to more.
noellelovesbooks's review
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
kazen's review
3.0
Avi and Trishna are the darlings of Bollywood, a married couple that can do no wrong. Few know, however, that their marriage is an open one and that they both pine for someone else. While shooting their newest film they, and a bunch of other people, find that love and angst are forever intertwined.
The plot of this novella is, like the relationships, a bit tangled. The first part covers Avi and Trishna but the second veers off and follows two other actors as they do their thing. Instead of a main story with a sub arc it's two mini arcs that happen one after the other. If the work were longer, with a string of linked short stories about all different cast and crew romances instead of just the two, it may have hung together better.
I normally don't do mega drama or angst but with the outsized personalities and Bollywood backdrop it tipped just over into ridiculousness, in a good way. There's a reforming druggie, people coming to terms with their sexuality, and knock down drag out fights that end with hot make up sex. Everything's big, loud, and in Technicolor.
One thing that bothered me throughout was the use of Hindi right next to its translation in the middle of dialogue.
I realize that Snyder probably wanted to get the Hindi in there, but the repeating is so unnatural it took me out of the story. I think having the characters code switch naturally, untranslated, would have worked better. That or adding translations outside of the spoken dialog for short phrases. This was a bit much.
This novella was just okay, but it still kept me reading until the end. Two and a half stars rounded up to three.
The plot of this novella is, like the relationships, a bit tangled. The first part covers Avi and Trishna but the second veers off and follows two other actors as they do their thing. Instead of a main story with a sub arc it's two mini arcs that happen one after the other. If the work were longer, with a string of linked short stories about all different cast and crew romances instead of just the two, it may have hung together better.
I normally don't do mega drama or angst but with the outsized personalities and Bollywood backdrop it tipped just over into ridiculousness, in a good way. There's a reforming druggie, people coming to terms with their sexuality, and knock down drag out fights that end with hot make up sex. Everything's big, loud, and in Technicolor.
One thing that bothered me throughout was the use of Hindi right next to its translation in the middle of dialogue.
"You would still have to stay quiet, live your lives just for tum dono, for the two of you. So, kya farak hain? What's the difference?"
I realize that Snyder probably wanted to get the Hindi in there, but the repeating is so unnatural it took me out of the story. I think having the characters code switch naturally, untranslated, would have worked better. That or adding translations outside of the spoken dialog for short phrases. This was a bit much.
This novella was just okay, but it still kept me reading until the end. Two and a half stars rounded up to three.
kjcharles's review
4.0
Probably 3.5 stars rounded up for first book and sheer exuberance. A multi strand romance, gay and straight and bi, set in the Bollywood movie scene. The backdrop was tremendous and vivid, the language is gorgeous. It has a slight jerkiness because first book, but I am definitely reading more by this author. And more Bollywood because that was amazing.
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