lemonadegirl29's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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
4.25
mmrohbock's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
4.5⭐ on 🎧
One of those devastating books that reminds you the world can be a hard place and made me appreciate the small things about my life. Though I think the pacing was a bit slow at times, I think this is a great one to read with your mom or book club.
One of those devastating books that reminds you the world can be a hard place and made me appreciate the small things about my life. Though I think the pacing was a bit slow at times, I think this is a great one to read with your mom or book club.
mari_m's review against another edition
4.0
This story was very powerful, but a little slow. But eye opening for me and I’m glad I read it. I couldn’t believe a lot of it, though I know it to be true.
cmklaft's review against another edition
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I really enjoyed this book, the carefully unraveling of family history and events was very engaging. I did however find the multi family naming convention extremely unnecessary and confusing at times. We don't need 3-4 different names for mom, dad, brother, sister, older brother, younger brother, older sister, younger sister, aunt, uncle, etc etc... I can appreciate the authors attempts at authenticity but for the broad range of audiences this becomes exhaustive to keep track of all the characters and their relations. Could have been a 5 star if I didn't have to referencing the dictionary and rereading sections to figure out who's who.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Abortion, and Child death
Moderate: Murder, Grief, Sexual content, Death, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, and Emotional abuse
sarah257's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Child death, and Suicide
midnight_lit_'s review against another edition
4.0
A girl is a burden, a girl is a curse.
TW about this book:
Female infanticide
Physical abuse
Mental harassment
This is the crux of this book. A mother who gives birth to sons are not useless. The daughters are viewed as a wasteful burden who only increase a family's struggles because they'll require dowries one day.
Mothers-in-law berate their dils while their sons spend all the hard earned money on their vices. Husbands are spineless in front of their mothers but show their so called masculinity by hitting of abusing their wives. Two of Janani's girl babies are killed because they are girls. No one views this as a crime. Rather, they view it as a honor killing.
As a woman, this was very hard to read. Not because it was true at one point, but because it's still true. Female infanticide is still prevalent in India and other places because a girl child cannot be an "heir". The girls are not given a proper education, they have to do all the housework and if possible, go out and earn as well and even if they do all this, they are still considered lesser because they don't have a Y chromosome.
Coming back to the story, I loved the back and forth between the years. I was slightly annoyed with Nila for being so annoyed that Janani wouldn't talk to her about her past. But I get it. If I didn't know anything about my ancestry, I would feel that way too. Janani was a fantastic mother and woman and I loved the final confrontation between her and her wretched former mil. This book is very heavy. The writing style did not speak to me as much as it could and hence, the 4 stars
TW about this book:
Female infanticide
Physical abuse
Mental harassment
This is the crux of this book. A mother who gives birth to sons are not useless. The daughters are viewed as a wasteful burden who only increase a family's struggles because they'll require dowries one day.
Mothers-in-law berate their dils while their sons spend all the hard earned money on their vices. Husbands are spineless in front of their mothers but show their so called masculinity by hitting of abusing their wives. Two of Janani's girl babies are killed because they are girls. No one views this as a crime. Rather, they view it as a honor killing.
As a woman, this was very hard to read. Not because it was true at one point, but because it's still true. Female infanticide is still prevalent in India and other places because a girl child cannot be an "heir". The girls are not given a proper education, they have to do all the housework and if possible, go out and earn as well and even if they do all this, they are still considered lesser because they don't have a Y chromosome.
Coming back to the story, I loved the back and forth between the years. I was slightly annoyed with Nila for being so annoyed that Janani wouldn't talk to her about her past. But I get it. If I didn't know anything about my ancestry, I would feel that way too. Janani was a fantastic mother and woman and I loved the final confrontation between her and her wretched former mil. This book is very heavy. The writing style did not speak to me as much as it could and hence, the 4 stars
cloudymeg's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
djbatish's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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? No
4.5
nabilahs's review against another edition
4.0
A tribute to all moms out there who try hard to protect their unborn babies. To all the moms who still want to support their daughters. To all the moms who receive hate just because they want to support other moms. A stunning and heart-wrenching debut!
jananih's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
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
3.5