I'm still on a reading frenzy and working my way through the pile of books that have been waiting to be read.  I ordered this one a few weeks ago and to be honest, I wasn't sure I'd like it.  I wasn't familiar with the author at all, I've never been to India (Bombay is the setting in the novel) have no desire to visit there, I knew nothing about Indian culture.  So why did I even purchase the book?  To expand my horizons.  To learn something new about a place and culture.  And I'm so glad I did!

I'm captivated with Umrigar's writing.  Her prose flows and makes you feel like you're right there on the streets of Bombay.  Her character development is flawless.  From the very first page I felt like I knew both main characters.  And there are two, in my opinion.

She tells the story of two women:  Sera Dubash is an upper-middle-class Parsi housewife whose opulent surroundings hide the shame and disappointment of her abusive marriage.  Bhima is a stoic illiterate hardened by a life of despair and loss, who has worked for the Dubash family for more than twenty years.

The author is a storyteller in the true sense of the word.  She takes the reader deep into the souls of both women.   What touched me the most was the way the author wrote of the similarities and the vast differences.  This is a story of the relationship between two women in a culture and way of life that is so very different from ours.

I wasn't disappointed at all that I got this book and I was so enthused with the author's eloquent storytelling and her writing that I've ordered two others written by her.........Bombay Time and If Today Be Sweet.

See you here next time...........