A review by jhbandcats
The Mistress of Bhatia House by Sujata Massey
adventurous
dark
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
4.0
I love the Perveen Mistry series and always look forward to the next installment. While there were parts of this I loved, there were parts that weren’t as strong.
The descriptions of people and places, food and clothing, and social rules - spoken and unspoken - are the most interesting. There is so much about this era in India that I don’t know, and I always want to learn more. I really enjoyed this book up to the last few chapters which I felt were weaker.
As we get to the end of the book, the tension ramps up. There’s a dramatic scene at a ball but it seems contrived rather than naturally flowing from the plot. The final chapter, in which everything is laid out and explained, redeems the earlier section.
I’m also mystified by two things. One is that the subject of the title really isn’t that dominant a character. I think The Ayah of Bhatia House would have been a more relevant title. Also, without revealing too much, an offstage character is mentioned as being alive and well but in an earlier book it appeared that character was dying in a hospital. While not addressed in this book, that discrepancy is relevant to Perveen’s life and needs to be clarified in the next book.
Overall this is a wonderful book full of information and inspiration, and I will always look forward to reading about Perveen. This just wasn’t the best in the series.
The descriptions of people and places, food and clothing, and social rules - spoken and unspoken - are the most interesting. There is so much about this era in India that I don’t know, and I always want to learn more. I really enjoyed this book up to the last few chapters which I felt were weaker.
As we get to the end of the book, the tension ramps up. There’s a dramatic scene at a ball but it seems contrived rather than naturally flowing from the plot. The final chapter, in which everything is laid out and explained, redeems the earlier section.
I’m also mystified by two things. One is that the subject of the title really isn’t that dominant a character. I think The Ayah of Bhatia House would have been a more relevant title. Also, without revealing too much, an offstage character is mentioned as being alive and well but in an earlier book it appeared that character was dying in a hospital. While not addressed in this book, that discrepancy is relevant to Perveen’s life and needs to be clarified in the next book.
Overall this is a wonderful book full of information and inspiration, and I will always look forward to reading about Perveen. This just wasn’t the best in the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Classism, Abortion, Infidelity, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Xenophobia