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jillreadsandsnacks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Minor: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Sexism, Sexual violence, and Classism
book_gremlin42's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, and Misogyny
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Racism, and Colonisation
Minor: Incest, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, and Pregnancy
erebus53's review against another edition
- 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
Indian girl study's law, marries badly, flash forward to after she is qualified, she is legal council for 3 widows and then murder! whodunit?
This is a historical fiction mystery and so it has a few inserts of some fairly antiquated practices. Falling foul of tradition, Perveen is captured by her husband's family and forcibly detained during her monthly "unclean time". This could be hard to read for some people, as it also deals with women who suffered and died in similar situations before such practices of traditional Zoroastrian culture were challenged and fazed out in the face of modern medical science. The rest of the story has a backdrop of the attitudes toward marriage, arranged marriages and the rules and attitudes toward marriage and its annulment in India in the early 20th century.
Perveen is a subversively anachronistic character. She meddles and fights for the rights of women, and when she finds three widows in religious seclusion from men, have signed away their inheritance to a charity, Miss Mistry smells a rat. Presuming that someone is manipulating the women, Perveen Mistry undertakes to use her privileged position as a woman trained in law, to meet with these women who will not speak to a man outside of their family, and inform them of their Legal Rights.
Soon after the women start questioning things, their caretaker is bloodily murdered, and the meddling Perveen is not prepared to back away and let the police violate these women's religious seclusion.
Oddly, this story was quite fun, if dire in places. It was informative and seems well researched. It gives a nuanced view of how the 1920s in India differed from UK and USA in the 1920s. One of Perveen's friends is expelled from her school for being overly intimate with another girl.. oops. Seems a bit of an aside, but I guess it's better than not dealing with the topic at all.
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
heather667's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Grief
Minor: Homophobia, Rape, Suicide, and Lesbophobia
singalana's review against another edition
- 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
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, and Colonisation
bessadams's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
skudiklier's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Blood, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Infertility, Sexual content, Violence, Grief, and Classism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Racism, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Colonisation
rosalie362819's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
"A dying man does not feel obligated to observe social norms. He needs no one's permission to take what he needs."
Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, and Classism
Moderate: Child death, Murder, and Colonisation
katja24's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, and Sexism
lauramcc7's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content